bizzybee429's review against another edition
2.0
Most stories were not as frightening as I had hoped, and they all had happy endings.
pulp_fiction_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
love_katie's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the stories were not nearly as scary as I wanted them to be, but still good! A nice appetizer for spooky season.
jkropik06's review against another edition
2.0
Welcome to the Club- 2/5
She's different tonight- 1.5/5
Suckers- 1/5
The Perfects- 2.5/5
Shadow Children- 1/5
The Poison Ring- 1/5
Dragonfly Eyes- 3/5
Jeepers Peepers- 2/5
Piney Power- 2.25/5
The Night Hunter- 2/5
Tuition- 1/5
Tagged- 3/5
Ray Gun- 1/5
This short story collection was very disappointing. I originally purchased this book to add to my RL Stine collection, but when I saw it said "Adult and YA horror" I thought I'd give it a chance. Not one of these story had any real sophistication, and the only two I thought were good was mostly because I liked the idea. Not very happy.
She's different tonight- 1.5/5
Suckers- 1/5
The Perfects- 2.5/5
Shadow Children- 1/5
The Poison Ring- 1/5
Dragonfly Eyes- 3/5
Jeepers Peepers- 2/5
Piney Power- 2.25/5
The Night Hunter- 2/5
Tuition- 1/5
Tagged- 3/5
Ray Gun- 1/5
This short story collection was very disappointing. I originally purchased this book to add to my RL Stine collection, but when I saw it said "Adult and YA horror" I thought I'd give it a chance. Not one of these story had any real sophistication, and the only two I thought were good was mostly because I liked the idea. Not very happy.
tales_of_erasmo's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ilosttrackofthings's review against another edition
2.0
I was very let down by this book but a couple of the stories were good enough that I'm glad I trudged through the others to get to them. Also, if you do pick this book up, don't read the introduction. It gives away just a little too much on one or two stories and robs the reader of the surprises.
"Welcome to the Club" is okay but had so many twists and false leads that by the time it finally settled I was rolling my eyes.
"She's Different Tonight" I liked. It isn't one of my favorites from the collection but it is a solid story with a good build-up.
"Suckers" is the star of this collection. It's the only one that brought on that knot of suspense in my chest (admittedly it's also the only one I read at night) and the ending was perfect. This one I wholeheartedly recommend.
"The Perfects" has great potential but falls short. The heroine is forced on a nonsensical journey by the villains. The narrative explains why she'd go along with it so willingly but never gets to why they'd put her through all that when there are much easier ways to get her where they want her. It also leaves the reader in the dark as to what the purpose of is. Such an absurd detail that becomes so important needs a reason for existing in the first place.
"Shadow Children" has a fantastic premise but not enough build and not enough description to support the events.
"The Poison Ring" is a story without any poison and a dry heroine. It's a straight thriller and one of the few stories with no supernatural elements.
"Dragonfly Eyes" is lame. It attempts to teach a lesson to the collection's target audience of young teens and as a result is just the kind of story I would have been rolling my eyes at during that time of my own life. I can't see this appealing to its target.
"Jeepers Peepers" is the only story, other than "Suckers," that I genuinely liked. The premise is not necessarily unique but is uncommon enough to be a treat and it features one of my favorite tropes. It's one of those great stories that leaves you wishing for more even while you love where it ended.
"Piney Power" I wish was longer. It isn't my cup of tea but it's one of the better stories in the collection and would have been better as a novella or even a full novel.
"The Night Hunter" I had to force myself through. The heroine was fine up until the action started and she went straight into TSTL territory. I do admit though, that I've never been a fan of Cabot so it's possible someone who enjoys her writing will have a better opinion of this one.
"Tuition" Ugh. I didn't care about the protagonist. It's possible the twist would have been better if this one came earlier in the collection. By that point it just felt tired.
"Tagger" has a familiar plot - heroine of Asian decent has ancestral destiny she fulfills in non-traditional ways. Nothing really special here.
"Ray Gun" has a lot of potential but like most of these stories falls short. The father is a horrible scientist, radically altering his worldview with no conclusive evidence and coming to conclusions with no evidence at all. Twice I thought the story was delivering a twist ending only to have the protagonist not react either time. I was actually more disappointed no twist took place in these cases than I would have been with a bad one. This is definitely a low point to end the book on.
"Welcome to the Club" is okay but had so many twists and false leads that by the time it finally settled I was rolling my eyes.
"She's Different Tonight" I liked. It isn't one of my favorites from the collection but it is a solid story with a good build-up.
"Suckers" is the star of this collection. It's the only one that brought on that knot of suspense in my chest (admittedly it's also the only one I read at night) and the ending was perfect. This one I wholeheartedly recommend.
"The Perfects" has great potential but falls short. The heroine is forced on a nonsensical journey by the villains. The narrative explains why she'd go along with it so willingly but never gets to why they'd put her through all that when there are much easier ways to get her where they want her. It also leaves the reader in the dark as to what the purpose of
Spoiler
the dolls"Shadow Children" has a fantastic premise but not enough build and not enough description to support the events.
"The Poison Ring" is a story without any poison and a dry heroine. It's a straight thriller and one of the few stories with no supernatural elements.
"Dragonfly Eyes" is lame. It attempts to teach a lesson to the collection's target audience of young teens and as a result is just the kind of story I would have been rolling my eyes at during that time of my own life. I can't see this appealing to its target.
"Jeepers Peepers" is the only story, other than "Suckers," that I genuinely liked. The premise is not necessarily unique but is uncommon enough to be a treat and it features one of my favorite tropes. It's one of those great stories that leaves you wishing for more even while you love where it ended.
"Piney Power" I wish was longer. It isn't my cup of tea but it's one of the better stories in the collection and would have been better as a novella or even a full novel.
"The Night Hunter" I had to force myself through. The heroine was fine up until the action started and she went straight into TSTL territory. I do admit though, that I've never been a fan of Cabot so it's possible someone who enjoys her writing will have a better opinion of this one.
"Tuition" Ugh. I didn't care about the protagonist. It's possible the twist would have been better if this one came earlier in the collection. By that point it just felt tired.
"Tagger" has a familiar plot - heroine of Asian decent has ancestral destiny she fulfills in non-traditional ways. Nothing really special here.
"Ray Gun" has a lot of potential but like most of these stories falls short. The father is a horrible scientist, radically altering his worldview with no conclusive evidence and coming to conclusions with no evidence at all. Twice I thought the story was delivering a twist ending only to have the protagonist not react either time. I was actually more disappointed no twist took place in these cases than I would have been with a bad one. This is definitely a low point to end the book on.
library_hungry's review against another edition
3.0
I'd love to give it 3 and a half, and if I was a 12 year old boy, I bet it'd get a four or even a five. I think the first story is the weakest one, which is why it took me so long before I read the whole thing. Like any anthology, it's got strong points and weak ones, but the strongest ones were actually really good--either very clever, very scary, or just very on the nose.
So while I wouldn't suggest this for most adults, I would put this at the top of a to-read list for a tween who's into thrillers, horror, and maybe even vampires. It's got its really scary bits, so it's not for the faint of heart--not fairy-tale scary, but chased by giant lizards, attacked by demons, sucked into a dimension of people-eaters scary. Which is what it's going for, and what it really pulls off.
So while I wouldn't suggest this for most adults, I would put this at the top of a to-read list for a tween who's into thrillers, horror, and maybe even vampires. It's got its really scary bits, so it's not for the faint of heart--not fairy-tale scary, but chased by giant lizards, attacked by demons, sucked into a dimension of people-eaters scary. Which is what it's going for, and what it really pulls off.
meganwintrip's review
5.0
I loved this book so much, R L Stine has worked alongside other authors such as: Heather Graham, Meg Cabot, James Rollins and many others to create this wonderful book of short spooky stories. Perfect for spooky season
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Holy snot monkeys, I LOVE YA horror. The category is sorely lacking in all that is horror. Even if it's more compilations like FEAR, I'll take it. It makes me want to curl myself up in a blanket of nostalgia with a flashlight and read all night.
I always find it a little difficult to review anthologies like this because the writing in each story can vary so widely and quite frankly I don't want to nitpick short stories. So I'll review the book as a whole: phenomenal.
Stine knows his fear so when he rounded up his choices for this book, he hit each nail spot on the head in one single stroke. Each story was mired in creep factor but not all of them were your traditional horror stories, which I liked. As much as I love my classic horror, variety is always good. So while you have the creepy family living in the even creepier old Victorian next door, you have an issue with disappearing people on a planet filled with rich people. For each story the creep is distinct and will affect you in 13 different ways, each story with it's own unique bucket of creep.
My favorites were 'Welcome to the Club' by RL Stine (more of a psychological horror that makes you think, nothing paranormal which, I think, makes it scarier, using "normal" humans), 'Dragonfly Eyes' by Alane Ferguson (about a girl's death from her point of view post mortem), and 'Tagger' by James Rollins (about a Chinese girl dipping into her roots to destroy a demon intent on destroying her). Each are miles away from each other in terms of story but the creeper aspect brings them all back together.
If you have a night to yourself and are looking for a good scare with hints of nostalgia, pick up FEAR. It has every kind of horror story sampler you could want all wrapped up in 13 nicely pressed stories. The writing in each of them stands out as fantastic and each is written in such a way that it allows the horror to settled at the top, letting it be as spooky as it can be. I love it.
I always find it a little difficult to review anthologies like this because the writing in each story can vary so widely and quite frankly I don't want to nitpick short stories. So I'll review the book as a whole: phenomenal.
Stine knows his fear so when he rounded up his choices for this book, he hit each nail spot on the head in one single stroke. Each story was mired in creep factor but not all of them were your traditional horror stories, which I liked. As much as I love my classic horror, variety is always good. So while you have the creepy family living in the even creepier old Victorian next door, you have an issue with disappearing people on a planet filled with rich people. For each story the creep is distinct and will affect you in 13 different ways, each story with it's own unique bucket of creep.
My favorites were 'Welcome to the Club' by RL Stine (more of a psychological horror that makes you think, nothing paranormal which, I think, makes it scarier, using "normal" humans), 'Dragonfly Eyes' by Alane Ferguson (about a girl's death from her point of view post mortem), and 'Tagger' by James Rollins (about a Chinese girl dipping into her roots to destroy a demon intent on destroying her). Each are miles away from each other in terms of story but the creeper aspect brings them all back together.
If you have a night to yourself and are looking for a good scare with hints of nostalgia, pick up FEAR. It has every kind of horror story sampler you could want all wrapped up in 13 nicely pressed stories. The writing in each of them stands out as fantastic and each is written in such a way that it allows the horror to settled at the top, letting it be as spooky as it can be. I love it.