michaelrcalkins's reviews
80 reviews

adventurous dark funny 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? No

4.5

LOVED this. Surprisingly dark and really tense. Loved the twist for this one, ended the book on a big high note!

This read so relentlessly fast, and was instantly gripping from page one. I read it in bites but I’m confident that I could have easily read this in one sitting like I did for Welcome to Dead House!

The Beast from the East by R.L. Stine

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

At the beginning, I wasn’t grabbed by this, but once the kids cross over into the other world, it really took off like a shot.

I had so much fun with this, and found it surprisingly tense. Much more fantastical in setting than my first Goosebumps adventure (Welcome to Dead House), and a bit more whimsical than outright creepy. But the majority of the book is an extended chase sequence and it doesn’t really let up once it gets going and it has a WHOPPER of an ending. Legit had to stare at the page for a second once I read the final words.

This was a blast! Going to probably read A Night in Terror Tower next!

The Overnight by R.L. Stine

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adventurous funny 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? No

4.5

Took me longer than I wanted but I finally finished this one and loved it!

This one took a bit to get into, I wasn’t grabbed off the jump with this one but once they were on the island and the inciting incident occurs, I was locked in to the final pages.

I really enjoyed Della as a protagonist and found myself giddy with her budding romance with Pete. It was refreshing after The Surprise Party, where the boyfriend in that was a bit of an asshole. That romance really locked me into both characters and it was one of the aspects of the book that kept that final act so ridiculously tense.

There were several suspense sequences in this that had me gasping and sitting up straight when reading them. The incident obviously, but also a car chase later in the book, the photograph scene at Della’s house, and the final act had me by the throat.

This book rocks, it’s not my favorite so far. That title still goes to The New Girl (Which I have discovered is not a popular opinion apparently). But it’s right on its heels!

Content Warnings

The Surprise Party by R.L. Stine

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

My Fear Street Odyssey continues with The Surprise Party!

I enjoyed this for the most part. There are some pretty fun and tense suspense scenes, especially the one that takes place in the Fear Street Woods at night, and I found the mystery at the heart of the book to be engaging enough. I liked most of the characters, particularly Meg and Shannon.

However, it is quite funny that, for a book titled “The Surprise Party”, the titular party comes quite late in the game, and the finale feels really rushed. More rushed than that of The New Girl. But there is a really solid twist at the end that surprised me.

Overall, not as good as The New Girl, but still a lot of fun!

Next up: The Overnight!

Woom by Duncan Ralston

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced