Book Review: The Lost Girl by R.L. Stine

Book #3 of the Fear Street Relaunch
Genre: YA Horror
Publication: September 29, 2015 by St. Martin's Press
Acquisition: received a free copy via NetGalley

Synopsis:

Generations of children and teens have grown up on R.L. Stine's bestselling and hugely popular horror series, Fear Street and Goosebumps. Now, the Fear Street series is back with a chilling new installment, packed with pure nightmare fodder that will scare Stine's avid fan base of teen readers and adults.

New student Lizzy Palmer is the talk of Shadyside High. Michael and his girlfriend Pepper befriend her, but the closer they get to her, the stranger she seems… and the more attractive she is to Michael. He invites her to join him on a snowmobile race that ends in a tragic accident. Soon, Michael's friends start being murdered, and Pepper becomes convinced that Lizzy is behind the killings. But to her total shock, she and Michael are drawn into a tragic story of an unthinkable betrayal committed over 60 years ago. Frightening and tense in the way that only this master of horror can deliver, The Lost Girl is another terrifying Fear Street novel by the king of juvenile horror.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

R.L. Stine = half of my favorite childhood reading memories (the other half belong to Christopher Pike).

I pretty much love everything about his stories. Some might call his horror campy - and maybe it is a little - but it is in no way a cheep thrill. The creep factor in all his books is pretty high and The Lost Girl is no exception.

Taking place in 2 different times, the story progresses through a series of horrible acts which culminate in a breaking point of good vs evil. Who wins? Good of course ;)

Just kidding - no happy endings here. And not just the typical, they all die in the end unhappy endings. It's the lingering effects that really make the story. The unwritten dot, dot, dot at the end of the last sentence.

It's the implied horror as much as the explicitly stated horror that really gets under my skin. And I love it!

While listed as the Fear Street Relaunch #3, as in previous installments of Fear Street, it can be read as a standalone. I actually didn't know there were other recently published Fear Street novels! Guess what got added to my wishlist?

If you love Stine, you'll love The Lost Girl. If horror isn't your thing, you might not enjoy this one. If you're looking for a good thrill - defiantly pick this one up!

Book Review: Zombie Town by R. L. Stine

"...no matter who it's written for...R.L. Stine knows how to write suspense!"

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Publication Date: April 2012
Publisher: Amazon Childrens Publishing
Pages: 80
Series: no
Acquisition: I received a free ARC for review at BEA 2012

Summary:

This used to be such a nice, quiet town. But that was before all the zombies. When twelve-year-old Mike and his friend, Karen, go to see a horror movie called Zombie Town, the last thing they expect is for the title characters to come down off the screen and chase them through the theater. And it’s not popcorn these hungry creatures want to chomp on—it’s human brains!

Now Mike and Karen frantically try to flee through the panicked streets of their hometown before shuffling bands of zombies turn every last citizen into a ravenous flesh-eater. But if Mike thinks he’ll be safe once he reaches his house and warns Mom and Dad, he'd better think again. When the zombies say it's lunchtime, no home is safe! Zombie Town is R.L. Stine’s delightfully spooky take on the horror genre that’s infecting the world, bite by bite. (from Amazon)

My thoughts:
I know this is a story for kids and it's only like 80 pages long and took me maybe 10 minutes to read BUT it really did scare the crap out of me! Even more so because right after reading this story? I went to a movie theater, like Mike and Karen from the book. And like Mike and Karen there was no one else in the theater! So, ok, people showed up a few minutes before the movie started, but for a while it was totally creepy. I really could not get this story out of my head!

It just goes to show that no matter who it's written for, no matter how long or how short the story is, R.L. Stine knows how to write suspense! His talent to scare is off the charts fantastic!

If you have a young reader in your life that enjoys being scared, Zombie Town would be perfect for them. If you're a fan of R.L. Stine, no matter your age, Zombie Town would be perfect for you too!

As an added bonus, there is an introduction from Stine explaining where his inspiration came from - loved this!

As a huge fan of R.L. Stine, this book is another perfect addition to my growing Stine library.

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

Author's website / Goodreads / IndieBound

Fill Up Those Shelves: My June and July Recommendations

Says one book addict to another:

Isn't it time you hit the stores and showed your bookshelves a little love?

Here are some June and July releases that come highly recommended - by me!

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Why I love it:
The real life situations freaked me out in just the right ways. We have an apocalyptic world on day 1 and there are so many possibilities! Lots of unknowns with lots of puzzle pieces to find and realistic characters that stick with you long after you finish reading.
Emmy is a debut author and Monument 14 is the first in a series. The ending was killer and book 2 is going to be an automatic buy for me.
(my full review)

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Why I love it:
It's a contemporary story that doesn't shy away from the truth. So very hard to love the MC but her strength and her sass are hard to ignore.
Real issues are dealt with - sex, substance abuse, neglect, abandonment.
I read this one cover to cover in one sitting.
Very full of emotion - very much a book you won't soon forget.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Why I love it:
A fantasy world with so many elements. Magic and power warring with each other and our MC gets caught right in the middle. A world I would never want to find myself in, yet it's also a world I found myself fascinated with. Bad guys that got under my skin, good guys that I was routing for the entire time - this book is full of so much win!
Leigh is a debut author and Shadow and Bone is the first in a series.
Young adult fantasy at it's best.The hype around this one is totally worth it!
(my full review)

Temptation by R.L. Stine

Why I love it:
A must have for any R.L. Stine fans in my opinion. A collection of 3 stories - Goodnight Kiss, Goodnight Kiss 2 and The Vampire Club.
R.L. Stine is one of my favorite authors and I don't care how many times they repackage his books - I have to have them all!
I read Goodnight Kiss 1 and 2 as a tween and I loved them! Vampires that don't sparkle!
I already got my copy and it looks beautiful on my shelve next to all my Stine 'classics' :)

Can't Wait To Get My Hands On...BEA Edition! (19)

Can't Wait To Get My Hands On is a feature here at Red House Books that took a little brake but it's back now!

These usually weekly posts highlight books I can't wait to get into my hot little hands!

This week's books are all making appearances at BEA next week.

All links are to Goodreads.

Who Could That Be At This Hour? (All The Wrong Questions #1) by Lemony Snicket

October 24th 2012 by Little Brown

In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He started by asking questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not be published, in four volumes that shouldn't be read. This is the first volume.

The first volume in the four-part autobiographical account of his childhood, called All the Wrong Questions, will be released on Oct. 23, 2012. This will be Snicket’s first new series since the wildly popular A Series of Unfortunate Events. (from Goodreads)

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

September 18th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine? (from Goodreads)

The Blessed (The Blessed #1) by Tonya Hurley

September 25th 2012 by Simon and Schuster

Brooklyn teens Lucy, Cecelia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room at Perpetual Help Hospital at the lowest point in their lives. Lucy, the superficial party girl; Cecelia, a drop out rock chick; and Agnes, a hopeless romantic. All rebels running from their lives and themselves, plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams. Enter Sebastian. Mysterious, compelling, seductive. He seems to bring each of them what they long for...

But in the battle for his heart, will they lose their souls? (from Goodreads)

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

September 4th 2012 by HarperCollins

In a city of daimons, the Carnival of Souls hosts a deadly competition. Once in a generation, every citizen can fight to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

In our own world, Mallory knows that her father—and every other witch—fled the daimons’ city long ago. She trains to be lethal because it’s only a matter of time until the daimons catch up with them.

While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans there for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series, comes a brand-new tale of secrets, love, and the struggle to forge one’s own destiny. (from Goodreads)

Red Rain: A Novel by R.L. Stine

October 16th 2012 by Touchstone

The New York Times bestselling author of Goosebumps series adult horror novel. (from BEA website)