Welcome to The Real World According To Sam! It's October so I'm continuing on with my Halloween reads. Today I'm back with another R. L. Stine Fear Street novel!
Goodnight Kiss
Author: R. L. Stine
Genre: YA Horror
Year: 1992
Synopsis:
Matt, his girlfriend April, and best friend Todd look forward to a summer of sun and fun at the beach. But as dark shadows flutter over the sand, they soon find themselves plunged into a horrifying world of endless night.
"What's happening to April and Todd?" Matt wonders. "Why are they so pale, so weak, so...changed?"
The twin puncture wounds on their throats give Matt a clue. The menacing bats hovering over the beach offer another.
April has been lured away by the kisses of another boy -- strange, intoxicating kisses that leave her weak, hungering for more. The kisses of a vampire
Can Matt rescue April in time? Only he realizes that her next goodnight kiss may be her last.
Review:
This is Fear Street Super Chiller #3. This is the second Super Chiller I have been able to read so far. This one also has a sequel so maybe we'll be having a look at that one next Halloween! For now though, let's talk about this one.
Goodnight Kiss tells the story of three teens and two vampires. April, Matt, and Todd have gone to their summer vacation spot with their families. They normally live in Shadyside, but their families have summer homes in Sandy Hollow. April and Matt are going out, but Matt may not be the most mature boy. He certainly doesn't always make April a priority. Todd is Matt's best friend. He is very shy and mainly keeps to himself. All three are just out to have a good summer.
Gabriel, or Gabri, and Jessica are vampires. They can turn into bats, they're undead, and they suck people's blood. They need it, in order to survive. For fun, the two decide to have a competition. The first to change their victim into an "Eternal One" wins. Each selects the victim for the other and the competition is on. It may not go as easily as they think.
This book is way more interesting than the last Super Chiller I read. The story is still very straightforward, but it is much more streamlined and interesting. The characters still aren't very complex, but they are each distinct. They all have certain ways of being. They feel more real. They're like teens you COULD run across during a summer vacation. I liked these characters well enough to want to see what happened to them.
These are standard vampires. There are no frills here. Garlic, crosses, and sunlight are all bad, as per the norm. This is solid teen vampire fare. It doesn't complicate things and it doesn't try to be too unique to the point of being absurd. No, you won't find any sparkles and glitter here. If you want a straight forward vampire book without a complicated love triangle or vampires that don't make sense, and you want to keep it light, THIS is the book you want. It won't get any awards and by this point, it will most likely be overlooked by teens since it came out in the 1990's. BUT, if you like R. L. Stine's books in general, this one is definitely worth a read. It has suspense, decently dark elements for a slightly older reader (more serious than Goosebumps), and the signature R. L. Stine twist ending. I enjoyed this one.
This book has enough relationship drama, suspense, and a nice summery vibe with creep factor added in to be a fun time. It doesn't try to hard and it doesn't convolute the plot with pointless attempts at being unique or revolutionary to the genre. Goodnight Kiss knows what kind of book it is and stays true to itself. If a quick, summery vibe with slight creep factor is what you want, this is your book. I give Goodnight Kiss a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯.
This concludes another Halloween review here at The Real World According To Sam. Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is HALLOWEEN at last, so make sure you come back for the scariest book I read this month.
Comments
Post a Comment