R. L. Stine

Despite her friend's warning, Rachel is excited to attend Brendan Fear's birthday party at his family's estate on mysterious Fear Island, but soon someone introduces a game of murder and all of the guests are in danger.

A Fear Street Novel

Party Games

Colton Ray

Meh. This started off pretty bad but got better as it went along. I will always love Goosebumps and R.L. Stine, but as a writer, he really is not that great. This reads just like his writing from 20 years ago, with some modern references unskillfully thrown in to be more relatable to teens. You know what teens really relate to? A good story. 

As a story, this was pretty generic, but I didn't hate it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was still in the target age range - from about 10-15. If you saw this and are wondering if Stine's come out with some revolutionary new horror book, you'll be disappointed. If you're okay with the same old, phoned-in kind of writing he usually does, you'll be fine.

Alina

** spoiler alert **
           Like everyone who has read the new Fear Street novels, I am a huge fan of R. L. Stine’s work. The books he has written have been a great part of my childhood. I was excited to relive my childhood through this thrilling adventure. His stories have kept me hooked and engaged for many years. Whenever I read a Fear Street novel, I’m taken away to a completely different world. I'm excited to read the new books and see what else is in store.

Party Games failed to capture my attention, unfortunately. It wasn’t the writing that bothered me - I didn’t mind it at all. Despite passaging time, his writing remained true to the essence of his older books. The storyline itself was what bothered me. This differs from I thought. Some characters were the lamest and most boring I have ever seen, especially Rachel, our protagonist.

I hate the ending, because it’s nauseatingly cheesy, illogical, and half-assed. The fake police save Brendan and Rachel. Really, that’s your only idea? Within seconds, the fake police solved everything. Rachel returns to the island to search for a jacket for no apparent reason, despite being scarred for life. Besides returning to the island, she also walks around by herself. Exactly why? Then at the end, she sees a ghost... really? Wow, what a waste of time.

I read this quick read in one sitting, but the ending was disappointing. This book isn’t my style and is unrealistic, but I can see its appeal. The author's previous books are better.

C. J. Daley 

This is the first in the Fear Street Relaunch series. I really like this cover, so I ordered it not really paying attention to if it was the original series or not, not that I care anyway. 

For all intents and purposes honestly this is a young adult take on And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. At the very least in original concept, it differs from there. Brendan Fear throws his 18th birthday on the island in the center of the town’s lake. Then it storms and they don’t have access to the boat…some pretty spooky YA mayhem ensues here. 

This book continued with so many twists and tricks that it was just a fun ride from start to finish. The pacing itself kept it a little outside the realm of becoming scary overall, but I couldn’t put it down. Regardless if this isn’t an original, I think Stine’s still got it, sometimes you just need a break.

Sean Valencia Monte

** spoiler alert **
           This book was alright. Goosebumps was my childhood and I decided to get into R.L. Stine books again, but it was kind of disappointing. The beginning was very interesting as it set up the background of the house that the story was set on. They threw away the potential of the Fear Family's scary background as the story plot. After they revealed that the "deaths" were a prank, I was waiting for something paranormal to happen again but it turned out to be ONE OF THE MOST terrible twists ever. The main character's dad... Uhh could have definitely been so much better. Very anti-climactic plot and a boring ending. I was so excited to read this but did not meet expectations. I wish they stayed with the paranormal aspect of it.

Party Games A Fear Street Novel

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