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twylghast's review against another edition
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
0.25
silenttwg's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Reenie (which is an awful nickname by the way) hosts a Christmas party knowing a couple of her friends are going to play a cruel prank on one of the attendants. But things get messed up when someone dies and vengeance becomes the name of the game.
I remember reading this as a teenager so decided to have another pass as a pallet cleanser. Stine has a habit of laying out all the bread crumbs so if you're paying attention, you will see the twists and turns but it's still interesting to follow how he'll take you there. This story focuses on the thin line between pranks and cruelty, which given the time now with social media, seems even more relevant. It's amazing what you'll put up with from friends in order to fit in and not make a scene. Even now.
My copy is wonky and I had to share, I've got two sides of page 71 but no page 72. Thankfully, the story's not difficult to follow and it doesn't make you miss anything. Just left me scratching my head for a few moments. Other than that glitch, I'm glad I snagged a copy for my library. It's always fun to have those childhood horror pieces too.
I remember reading this as a teenager so decided to have another pass as a pallet cleanser. Stine has a habit of laying out all the bread crumbs so if you're paying attention, you will see the twists and turns but it's still interesting to follow how he'll take you there. This story focuses on the thin line between pranks and cruelty, which given the time now with social media, seems even more relevant. It's amazing what you'll put up with from friends in order to fit in and not make a scene. Even now.
My copy is wonky and I had to share, I've got two sides of page 71 but no page 72. Thankfully, the story's not difficult to follow and it doesn't make you miss anything. Just left me scratching my head for a few moments. Other than that glitch, I'm glad I snagged a copy for my library. It's always fun to have those childhood horror pieces too.
emintobooks's review against another edition
dark
funny
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
2.5
modernzorker's review against another edition
3.0
I'm totally digging tearing through these YA suspense/thriller books. This was another really early 90's read for me, and in fact, I seem to remember it being the first Fear Street I read. I know I checked it out from the library, as it wasn't one I owned.
I'm not sure what makes this one a 'Super Chiller' as opposed to a bog-standard Fear Street entry (maybe a slightly higher page count?), but I wouldn't rate it as particularly scarier than most of Stine's other work for this age range. The book opens in 1965, with a girl at a New Year's party watching a group of jerks from her class antagonizing a shy, less-outgoing boy. Tragic consequences result from the bullying after the hostess of the party reveals that even she's in on the charade.
Flash forward to present-day (well, 1990...) where we meet Reenie, Greta, Artie, Sean, and Ty, a group of high school kids who attend the same high school as the students from 1965 and share the same penchant for practical jokes. They befriend two new transfer students on the first day of school: laid back, pretty Liz and her younger brother P.J. who suffers from a heart condition. Being unable to exert himself physically has been rough on him, and he's developed quite an anti-social streak to keep anyone from getting too close to him.
P.J.'s desire to be left alone only paints him as a target, and eventually Artie and his high school dropout buddy Marc hatch a plan: when Reenie hosts a holiday party, they'll get Sandi, the prettiest girl in school, to invite P.J. along. While the party's popping, Sandi will make a spectacle of herself, kiss P.J. in front of everyone, then pretend to drop dead afterwards. It's a totally harmless prank -- what could possibly happen at Reenie's house with a dozen or more spectators all around?
Disaster strikes when Sandi's death throes prove too realistic: P.J.'s heart gives out, and despite attempts at CPR, he dies right in Reenie's living room. Now in full freak-out mode, the group decide to hide the body until common sense tells them they need to notify the police. Unfortunately, after calling 911 to report the death, the trip down to the basement uncovers a new hitch: P.J.'s body is nowhere to be found.
The days pass with no sign of P.J., while Reenie and her classmates suddenly find themselves the target of someone determined to make them pay for the killer prank, and could there be a connection to the events of the party twenty-five years ago? Liz is throwing a New Year's party of her own, but will anyone be left alive when the clock strikes twelve?
Stine works this scenario to the hilt, playing off a series of close encounters, accidents, and events that cast suspicion on a number of Reenie's classmates. The best part is, even if you guess who's behind the killings, Stine's got another twist of his own to throw it at the last minute guaranteed to blind-side the reader. Like most of his books, I feel the story resolves far too quickly in the last couple of pages, but I still thoroughly enjoyed traipsing through the memories of my teenage years, and I'm happy to award 3 stars. Now, what to read next...?
I'm not sure what makes this one a 'Super Chiller' as opposed to a bog-standard Fear Street entry (maybe a slightly higher page count?), but I wouldn't rate it as particularly scarier than most of Stine's other work for this age range. The book opens in 1965, with a girl at a New Year's party watching a group of jerks from her class antagonizing a shy, less-outgoing boy. Tragic consequences result from the bullying after the hostess of the party reveals that even she's in on the charade.
Flash forward to present-day (well, 1990...) where we meet Reenie, Greta, Artie, Sean, and Ty, a group of high school kids who attend the same high school as the students from 1965 and share the same penchant for practical jokes. They befriend two new transfer students on the first day of school: laid back, pretty Liz and her younger brother P.J. who suffers from a heart condition. Being unable to exert himself physically has been rough on him, and he's developed quite an anti-social streak to keep anyone from getting too close to him.
P.J.'s desire to be left alone only paints him as a target, and eventually Artie and his high school dropout buddy Marc hatch a plan: when Reenie hosts a holiday party, they'll get Sandi, the prettiest girl in school, to invite P.J. along. While the party's popping, Sandi will make a spectacle of herself, kiss P.J. in front of everyone, then pretend to drop dead afterwards. It's a totally harmless prank -- what could possibly happen at Reenie's house with a dozen or more spectators all around?
Disaster strikes when Sandi's death throes prove too realistic: P.J.'s heart gives out, and despite attempts at CPR, he dies right in Reenie's living room. Now in full freak-out mode, the group decide to hide the body until common sense tells them they need to notify the police. Unfortunately, after calling 911 to report the death, the trip down to the basement uncovers a new hitch: P.J.'s body is nowhere to be found.
The days pass with no sign of P.J., while Reenie and her classmates suddenly find themselves the target of someone determined to make them pay for the killer prank, and could there be a connection to the events of the party twenty-five years ago? Liz is throwing a New Year's party of her own, but will anyone be left alive when the clock strikes twelve?
Stine works this scenario to the hilt, playing off a series of close encounters, accidents, and events that cast suspicion on a number of Reenie's classmates. The best part is, even if you guess who's behind the killings, Stine's got another twist of his own to throw it at the last minute guaranteed to blind-side the reader. Like most of his books, I feel the story resolves far too quickly in the last couple of pages, but I still thoroughly enjoyed traipsing through the memories of my teenage years, and I'm happy to award 3 stars. Now, what to read next...?
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
It's a new year and I wanted something fun to read for it. The new year's party was just that. It was a short spooky read with an interesting twist. It wasn't great by any means, but these books are a lot of scary fun
missmelis27's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jellogirl2010's review against another edition
2.0
Personally, I don't think this needed to be a "Super Chiller". The first half of the book was just them all pulling stupid pranks on each other and nothing interesting or scary happened until chapter 16. I suppose the stuff in 1965 was marginally interesting but in my personal opinion, this book would have benefitted from being much shorter and trimming out half of the 1995 kids' hijinx.
The scares and decent were though as was the plot twist. I just wish it didn't take so long to get there.
The scares and decent were though as was the plot twist. I just wish it didn't take so long to get there.
aedoran08's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
theperksofbeingmarissa's review against another edition
5.0
I read a lot of Fear Street when I was younger, so I could instantly tell the twist about P.J. and Liz. I had a feeling Ty was the boy they ran over but I didn't know for sure until the end. This is a great, quick read!
austiiin5543's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5