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uhhlexiconic's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
hannahreads1070's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tablife's review
3.0
2.5 stars - Lily desperately wants to be valedictorian, but will she kill for it? The story almost felt a bit rushed considering when the guilty party was revealed.
nika_nix's review
4.0
Getting beck to Stine's books is always a great experience for me. Final Grade was no different from his other books - which means it was fun, quick and creepy. I read it in one sitting and it was exactly what I needed in a study break. Premise was interesting, because every single one of his books has a different setting and situations in which characters find themselves are always original and I think that's awesome, since he wrote A LOT of books.
The plot was not really a hit for me as I hoped it would be, but I enjoyed the book anyway. The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that I knew who is the killer halfway through the book. I read that one sentence in the book and I immediately knew who was it. I even marked it i my book and wrote down that I was 99% sure it's that person. Aside from that, I really liked the book. It was fast-paced and crazy, we got some creepy murders, and even creepier characters.
Characters were pretty cliche and unoriginal, but I already got used to that in Stine's books.
Lily was such an annoying character. She frustrated me so much and I really hated her. She is just so stupid! Yeah, maybe she was smart when it came to school and studying, but I life situations, she was just dumb. But I guess none of the stuff would happen in the book if she was actualy clever.
I obviously can't talk about other characters in the book because I would spoil everything for you, but I'm just going to say that the person who is the killer and the 'bad guy' in this book is just so creepy and I can't even find a tiny little reason to like that person. It's all so messed up, and if Lily didn't annoy me so much, I would actually feel sorry for her.
I hate myself for saying this, but I'm not a huge fan of the writing style. I do enjoy Stine's books and all of that, but the style itself is actually pretty cheesy and and very simple. Everything in this book was naive and obvious, but somehow, I always buy it.
To wrap it all up, I just want to say that I'm glad I picked this book up, but I have to admit that younger me enjoyed R. L. Stine a lot more. I guess I'm a bit more mature reader now, but I still like to remember my favourite childhood authors.
The plot was not really a hit for me as I hoped it would be, but I enjoyed the book anyway. The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that I knew who is the killer halfway through the book. I read that one sentence in the book and I immediately knew who was it. I even marked it i my book and wrote down that I was 99% sure it's that person. Aside from that, I really liked the book. It was fast-paced and crazy, we got some creepy murders, and even creepier characters.
Characters were pretty cliche and unoriginal, but I already got used to that in Stine's books.
Lily was such an annoying character. She frustrated me so much and I really hated her. She is just so stupid! Yeah, maybe she was smart when it came to school and studying, but I life situations, she was just dumb. But I guess none of the stuff would happen in the book if she was actualy clever.
I obviously can't talk about other characters in the book because I would spoil everything for you, but I'm just going to say that the person who is the killer and the 'bad guy' in this book is just so creepy and I can't even find a tiny little reason to like that person. It's all so messed up, and if Lily didn't annoy me so much, I would actually feel sorry for her.
I hate myself for saying this, but I'm not a huge fan of the writing style. I do enjoy Stine's books and all of that, but the style itself is actually pretty cheesy and and very simple. Everything in this book was naive and obvious, but somehow, I always buy it.
To wrap it all up, I just want to say that I'm glad I picked this book up, but I have to admit that younger me enjoyed R. L. Stine a lot more. I guess I'm a bit more mature reader now, but I still like to remember my favourite childhood authors.
house_of_hannah's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
I'm re-reading the three Fear Street books I own from when I was a kid. Out of the three I thought I would like this one the least, but it pleasantly surprised me ! This one is actually kinda scary as it deals with a very real world horror. It's quite a messed up situation, and I think 12 year old me would have been a bit traumatized. This cover is the absolute worst though, and is very misleading.
manwithanagenda's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fear Street # 46
Not enough is said about the cut-throat nature of high-achievers in high school. Lily Bancroft is feeling the pressure as graduation day grows nearer and she is still neck and neck for valedictorian with Graham Prince. Worst of all, Mr. Reiner has given her a B on her test despite no wrong answers, and refuses to budge. Both of her elder sisters were valedictorian and her dad reminds Lily that it would mean so much to her mother if she did, too. After all, she's only just recovered from that stroke....
Wow. I can sympathize with Lily for freaking out a little at potentially getting second place. Her best friend Julie Prince (Graham's cousin) does her best to cheer her up, and her boyfriend Alex makes a manly effort to not be a typical Shadyside boy, but things get complicated when Lily discovers Mr. Reiner's body. Many think she did it. After all, Lisa Blume spread the story about that B all over school. Then there's additional accidents that throw Lily into an even more murderous light.
What 'Final Grade' did really well was make Lily sympathetic, it also had a completely different third act then what I was expecting. Usually the culprit is revealed at the very end and there's a showdown. Here you know much earlier and the tension is stretched out and is much more effective. This also contains a favorite Fear Street trope: the blackmail date. Points are given for Lily's clever misdirection that lets her date be two towns away without raising suspicion.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #47: 'Switched', Fear Street #31
Previous #45: 'Dead End', Fear Street #29
Not enough is said about the cut-throat nature of high-achievers in high school. Lily Bancroft is feeling the pressure as graduation day grows nearer and she is still neck and neck for valedictorian with Graham Prince. Worst of all, Mr. Reiner has given her a B on her test despite no wrong answers, and refuses to budge. Both of her elder sisters were valedictorian and her dad reminds Lily that it would mean so much to her mother if she did, too. After all, she's only just recovered from that stroke....
Wow. I can sympathize with Lily for freaking out a little at potentially getting second place. Her best friend Julie Prince (Graham's cousin) does her best to cheer her up, and her boyfriend Alex makes a manly effort to not be a typical Shadyside boy, but things get complicated when Lily discovers Mr. Reiner's body. Many think she did it. After all, Lisa Blume spread the story about that B all over school. Then there's additional accidents that throw Lily into an even more murderous light.
What 'Final Grade' did really well was make Lily sympathetic, it also had a completely different third act then what I was expecting. Usually the culprit is revealed at the very end and there's a showdown. Here you know much earlier and the tension is stretched out and is much more effective. This also contains a favorite Fear Street trope: the blackmail date. Points are given for Lily's clever misdirection that lets her date be two towns away without raising suspicion.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #47: 'Switched', Fear Street #31
Previous #45: 'Dead End', Fear Street #29
jaimiemckenna's review
4.0
Began reading this today, and finished it only a few hours later. I couldn't put this book down! It's one of my favourite Fear Street books that I have read so far! The climax at the end was exciting and I couldn't wait to see how it ended! Recommended to those who love the Fear Street series!
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