Reviews

The Cuckoo Clock of Doom by R.L. Stine

kurostar88's review against another edition

mysterious relaxing sad 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? No

3.5

rkking's review against another edition

4.0

 I recently got a bit of the nostalgia bug when thinking back to the Goosebumps books I read as a kid. Goosebumps, and by extension the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series, definitely introduced me to the genre of horror. After Goosebumps I moved onto classics like Dracula and Jekyll/Hyde, then on to the gown up stuff throughout my life and to this day. Well, this nostalgia bug got me wanting to re-collect the original 62 run of Goosebumps books, and in their first run printings because of the amazing covers. Perhaps the best part of the series was the covers. Next up;
#28, The Cuckoo Clock Of Doom
This is a surprisingly existential story for a kids' book.
When a young boy messes with a cursed/magical cuckoo clock, he begins to wake each morning further and further in the past. First 12, then 6, then 4, etc. He knows that soon his time will run out, as he'll not yet be born. This is an interesting crisis, as it's not death he's worried about, but UN-death. The fear of having never existed at all. A fairly profound thing when you really think about it.
The ending reveal is pretty harsh too, revealing how the timeline affects others people as well.
Time travel. Don't mess with it, kids.
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adnaram's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0

Man that family sucked

calcifer93's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

alyshadeshae's review against another edition

5.0

I could use one of these clocks... o_O

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

michieknee's review against another edition

3.0

Well, I wasn't planning for my first finished read of 2022 to be a Goosebumps book but that's just what happens when you watch a bunch of episodes from the show and then feel like reading some of the books.

coinchantal's review against another edition

5.0

Again a great read of the master of children's horror. Excellent read on a Saturday night and Sunday afternoon! I really enjoyed it and it reminded me about that I have seen this one in the series on tv. When I started it, I could not put it down and it kept my attention throughout even as a grownup. So a well deserved 5 stars.

orbert83's review against another edition

adventurous 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

kritikanarula's review against another edition

3.0

The cuckoo clock of doom is what it says its name is.
I hate kids, especially younger siblings who are bullies. And it goes without saying it was instantly annoying to have Tara around for her brother.
Not a spoiler, but I secretly enjoyed the ending partly because of my repulsion to Tara