Red Rain

Sep 17, 2012 Blythe rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: That's a joke, right?

Recommended to Blythe by: Nostalgia. Screw you, nostalgia!

Shelves: highly-anticipating-2012, i-need-this-book, i-want-it-right-now, 2012-reads, almost-fell-asleep, disappointments, i-totally-saw-that-coming, unmet-potential, snark-bait-ooh-ah-ah, 1-star, read-reviewed

I don't think I could possibly put into words how much I was looking forward to Red Rain when I had heard that it would be an adult horror novel written by none other than RL Stine, and, as well as that, I don't think I could possibly put into words how excited I when I was given an ARC of Red Rain. With all of that being said, I also don't think I could put into words how thoroughly disappointed I am with this book in the long run.

Lea Sutter is a travel blogger, and, for one of her travel expe...more

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Oct 04, 2012 The Holy Terror marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, color-red, arc, on-hold, terrible-writing, you-disappointed-me, bored

Are you fucking kidding me?!? R.L. Stine has a new book coming out?!?

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for this.

:D

ETA on 9/13: Edelweiss just approved me! Can't wait to start this.

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Nov 12, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: finishedreviewcopy

Like most kids of my generation, Goosebumps books were part of my formation as a reader. What elementary school kid didn't pick up at least a few of them on library trips. R. L. Stine was a freaking genius of horror to my childhood self. In fact, his books terrified me to the degree that I could only handle reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books, which, ironically, scared me less even though it was purportedly me dying over and over again, since I invariably made all the wrong choices. The...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Jessica rated it 1 of 5 stars

Back in the days of my elementary school's mobile book fair, R.L. Stine was starting to make waves with his, at the time brand new, series Goosebumps. It was enjoyable to a point. It always embodied a fun, campy spookiness, and each installment was always liberally littered with entirely unbelievable premises. Yet, even though I enjoyed them I never considered myself a great fan. I would argue that it was because by that age I'd already read half of Stephen King's offerings, and those - especial...more Back in the days of my elementary school's mobile book fair, R.L. Stine was starting to make waves with his, at the time brand new, series Goosebumps. It was enjoyable to a point. It always embodied a fun, campy spookiness, and each installment was always liberally littered with entirely unbelievable premises. Yet, even though I enjoyed them I never considered myself a great fan. I would argue that it was because by that age I'd already read half of Stephen King's offerings, and those - especially his earlier works - are truly the stuff of nightmares, so I'd already been desensitized to the spook in Stine's work.

Fast forward a few decades and I found myself intrigued by Stine's latest effort, "Red Rain" in, dare I say it, the adult horror genre. To tell the truth I can't say I walked into it with particularly high expectations... in fact, I'd remembered so little of his writing style from before that I approached this much like I would a newly minted author.

But then I remember something: The only reason I ever went out of my way to get my hands on anything from Goosebumps was because my mom would always give me ten bucks to spend at the book fair. I'm not sure if you remember your grade school book fairs but the ones I attended were explosions of Lissa Frank (not interested), some series about twins named Jessica and ~~Samantha~~ Elizabeth (Sweet Valley High I think?) and other assorted garbage like locker mirrors, calendars, posters of Saved by The Bell actors and - oh yeah, a handful of semi-interesting books.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, it turns out that I didn't really like R.L. Stine much growing up either - but when I saw this new title come up a yearning of nostalgia came with it. Unfortunately, for this title, it fell flatter then his kids books ever did.

The premise of adorable twins being swiftly adopted by travel writer Lea and transplanted from their island home to suburban family life is so mundane it hurts. The writing is blocky, pedantic, technical and entirely devoid of a sense of humor. The characters are flat and predictable. What's worse than any of that is that it failed to scare me even once. No sharp intake of breathe, no struggle with myself on whether it would be best to keep reading and find out what happens or put it down and get a glass of water. None of that.

Overall, this one was dead, dry and boring. A book that I would imagine being a tough sell to even the most die-hard now adult Goosebumps fan. My final advise? Steer clear.

To comment on this review or read more like it, please pay me a visit on my blog, To The Point!(less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Angel Gelique rated it 3 of 5 stars

First I must say that I have a tremendous amount of respect for R.L. Stine. He's been entertaining children for years with his Goosebumps series and Fear Street Series, not to mention his television shows, like The Haunting Hour. Naturally, I was excited to see that he had written a novel for adults.

When I was about halfway through, I kept fighting my feelings of disappointment. I thought perhaps I was judging him too harshly because he was a children's author--that maybe I'd been somehow holdin...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Mur rated it 1 of 5 stars

When Stine first started in the YA thriller genre, he actually wasn't half bad. Books like Blind Date were loads better than the crap he churned out (almost weekly) once the Fear Street and Goosebumps factories ramped up production. But I hadn't seen anything new from him come out in quite some time, so when I saw this book (and the glowing blurbs from other authors on the cover), I decided to give it a chance.

Red Rain is, in a word, terrible.

It was like he took a rejected plot from one of his c...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Davey Gee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like many, I was pretty stoked to hear R.L. Stine was going to write a horror novel for adults-- and while the story is interesting enough to keep the reader turning pages, character development and a real lack of suspense drags it down.

I understand deep, complex characters and edge-of-your-seat thrills aren't usual staples of Stine's work but if you're going to write for a more mature audience, these need to be taken into consideration. I loved the Goosebumps and Fear Street books as a kid, bu...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Hazel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have been debating whether I was going to give this one star or five stars: whether I acknowledged that this is a bad book, or whether I said, "This is a bad book, AND HOW!" I went with five, because the joy this book, with its horrible characters, its laughable cliffhanger and its ludicrous plot, has given me over the last few weeks I've been listening to it has been enormous.

It sucks. It's glorious. It takes so many horror cliches - so, so many - and, like a dog in horse shit, rolls around...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Monique rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hey hey so this is my 55th book read and reviewed this year--Goal Acheived :) EXCITED..and I so wanted to give this book a solid three star but I cant as this was a decidedly a 2.5 star book for me and it only got the boost up because of my literary respect for the author..Stine's Fear Street books had me hooked as an adolescent and I remember them as eerie with lots of foreshadowing, groteseque descriptions and storylines with enough secrets thrown in to make you want to read and I expected not...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Kris Irvin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, bad-books

Guys, this book is so sad. I have never read such a tragedy in my life.

Oh wait, no. It's not sad-sad, it's sad because it's so awful.

When I heard that R.L. Stine was coming out with a new book, I about wet myself. Goosebumps was the second series I was ever involved in (first being Boxcar Children!) at age 8 or so. I still have every single Goosebumps novel ever written packed in my closet - I'm saving them for my own kids.

That said, as an adult I recognize that Stine's not the best writer to...more Guys, this book is so sad. I have never read such a tragedy in my life.

Oh wait, no. It's not sad-sad, it's sad because it's so awful.

When I heard that R.L. Stine was coming out with a new book, I about wet myself. Goosebumps was the second series I was ever involved in (first being Boxcar Children!) at age 8 or so. I still have every single Goosebumps novel ever written packed in my closet - I'm saving them for my own kids.

That said, as an adult I recognize that Stine's not the best writer to grace children's fiction. But, you know, nostalgia and stuff.

Anyway, this book is just so awful. Did Stine devolve as a writer, is he not cut out for adult fiction, or is it all because I grew up? The writing was just bad. The story itself isn't awful, especially since Stine specifically states in the acknowledgements that his story is based on horror movies (so he's giving credit where it's due.) But the writing itself...

Lots of ellipses. Lots of very bad, oddly place ellipses. Like: "the leg...the leg...the leg came off." "And his eyes...his eyes...they were red." What?! That's not writing!

There were also lots of unnecessary fragments. "He lost. He lost. He lost his mind."

I also felt like there were SEVERAL typos, or missed editing thingies... like Martha, a minor character, mentions her 30 year old son, Ira. Then Ira turns out to be the name of a main character. Why would you use that same name twice? It confused me at first. The main male character also tells a story about a boy named Sammy, and then one of the other main characters is named Samuel. Do not recycle names like that! It's weird and unnecessary!

It's also like Stine could only think of one or two adjectives. I wish I had kept count of how many times I read "creamy white [butt/breasts.]" Creamy white. Really? (As a side note, I wish I was creamy white. I'm more of a radioactive, ghostly glowing white.)

The only thing that made this an adult horror novel is the addition of gore, extreme language and sex. The F word runs rampant throughout the novel in so many random moments. It reminded me of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Stine's proving he can write for adults by adding as many swear words as possible. The sex wasn't as bad, but it was present and graphic. The gore was very graphic, and not well written. Some people can write gore. Stine can't.

I hold out hope that maybe he'll improve as he "grows up." I was just so disappointed by this novel. As one of Stine's biggest fans in childhood, this was a serious letdown. I'm sorry, Mr. Stine. I still hold fond memories of your books, but I'm just going to try and forget this one. (less)

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Dec 10, 2012 Christine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Lea Sutton writes a travel blog for people who like adventure. Researching for her latest instalment she travels to the small island of Le Chat Noir off the coast of South Carolina where she experiences a fierce hurricane. In the aftermath of the storm she is wandering on the beach looking at the desolation when she encounters twin boys who have also survived. Their family however was not as fortunate and Lea forms an immediate bond with them and decides that she is going to take them home with...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Courtney rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hell no

Shelves: horror-thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alright. Anyone who knows me should be able to tell that horror or thriller books aren't really my thing. My overactive imagination is great at creating plenty of things to go bump in the night for me. Every now and then I'll give one a try, though. This was one such book. Namely because--duh--R L Stine. I grew up reading Goosebumps and Fear Street. They weren't scary, exactly, but they had that "scary" feel that let me at least pretend as a kid that I wasn't scared of my own shadow.

This...this...more Alright. Anyone who knows me should be able to tell that horror or thriller books aren't really my thing. My overactive imagination is great at creating plenty of things to go bump in the night for me. Every now and then I'll give one a try, though. This was one such book. Namely because--duh--R L Stine. I grew up reading Goosebumps and Fear Street. They weren't scary, exactly, but they had that "scary" feel that let me at least pretend as a kid that I wasn't scared of my own shadow.

This...this was just awful. I can read kid books and not be bothered by how cliched the scenes are or how flat the characters are. I do not, by any means, allow that in adult books.

This entire book read with a plot straight out of a Goosebumps or Fear Street book. It's very childish, involving nothing resembling logical reasoning. In fact, it's as if adding some swear words and some sex are what makes a book an adult book. And in this case, those additions were so forced it was almost as if a twelve-year-old were only just learning what those things are and therefore had no idea how they are used. I can't imagine any grown adult screaming "Are you fucking weird?! Are you weird?!" as they're being killed. Actually, I can't imagine that coming out of a teenager either.

And some simple research would have been nice. Well, beyond the characters being fairly stupid throughout the book. But ... cauterized gut wounds don't generally kill people instantly. That's more of a Hollywood death there. In fact, the deaths could have been more horrifying if they'd been more believable. Stine could have done with some CSI episodes under the belt and it would have helped.

I understand the book was a paranormal horror story and that's fine. Though some idea of how the world works would have been nice. Or some real application of psychology into characters, especially the psychologist. Lasers make the house explode into fire? Okay. The same lasers don't insta-kill any human that gets in their way? Uh...not so much. Has no one seen X-Men? I'm pretty sure they have a guy for who does lasers pretty well.

The fact that it takes so long for the lasers to kill is another problem. There's a laser burning into my head, I think I'll just stand here and let it (Autumn and her shoe-weapon are perhaps the only reason why I have a smidgeon of respect for any character in the book).

Sadly, I think I was more insulted by the results of the end. The explanations were kind of useless to me by that point. I'd figured it out while Lea was still on the island. (Let's open with a legend on how the dead live next to the living and pretend our audience has never heard of foreshadowing ever.)

Where the powers came from was my interest. Just saying they were the "evil powers of Death" was just ... pitiful. Stine went into a few death rituals by other cultures and made a point to explain that they were interesting and not Evil...and then just blames all the bad on good ol' Evil Death's powers. I have a great deal of respect for Death. He's a powerful force that everyone and everything must face eventually but he's indiscriminate. He's not Evil, he's just there. A balancing figure. I'll give that the expected "well they died but demons came back in their place" is cliched as hell but it wouldn't have been as horrible of an excuse.

Also, since when does Death have laser eye beams. Great. Now all I can see is Death dressed up like Cyclops. Now that's frightening. (less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Reader's Paradise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Headline: There’s a storm out over the ocean!

Cape Le Chat Noir, a little town off the South Carolina coast, that’s rich in folklore. Lea Sutter a wife and mother of two, works as a travel writer/blogger; hears stories of how the dead inhabit this quaint little town from a previous storm that all but leveled it. Wanting to know more about the town and its folklore Lea wants to see for herself. She finds the woman she’s been corresponding online with and they attend a sacred ceremony. Witnessing f...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Kimberlee rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book, as R L Stine was one of my favourite authors growing up. Unfortunately, you can tell that he has written children's book for years by the constant short, choppy sentences and the fact that the majority of the character development in the book was focused on the children. There was a twist at the end that would have felt less tacked-on had he focused a little more on developing the mother in the story. The same goes for the development of the father character--some...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Larry rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/10/...

Larry reviews New York Times bestselling author RL Stine’s first adult fiction novel “Red Rain” coming out October 9th, 2012.

RL Stine, master of children’s nightmares delves into scaring his old fans once again as he dives headfirst into adult horror fiction. ~Larry, The Founding Fields

I was and still am a fan of RL Stine’s YA titles Goosebumps and Fear Street so when I heard the master of children’s nightmares was going to be releasing an adult horror fic...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Katherine Ernst rated it 3 of 5 stars

R. L. Stine's first horror novel for adults, Red Rain, makes you reassess what you want out of a novel. If you're looking for deep, well-drawn characters, this book isn't for you. (Frankly, none of the characters are that believable or particularly likable.) If you're looking for a book free of plot holes or absolute implausibilities, this book also isn't for you. (Apparently, in R. L. Stine's world, people don't evacuate before hurricanes, southerners use y'all to refer to one person, and a B.S...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

When I heard that R.L. Stine was coming out with a horror novel for adults, words cannot describe how thrilled I was. As an avid fan of horror, I grew up reading R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" and "Fear Street" stories, as well as his novels for young adults. That being said, I went into "Red Rain" with high hopes, and unfortunately, Stine's effort here doesn't pan out all that well.

First, the synopsis. Lea Sutter, a travel writer and blogger, lands on an island off the east coast of the U.S. with e...more When I heard that R.L. Stine was coming out with a horror novel for adults, words cannot describe how thrilled I was. As an avid fan of horror, I grew up reading R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" and "Fear Street" stories, as well as his novels for young adults. That being said, I went into "Red Rain" with high hopes, and unfortunately, Stine's effort here doesn't pan out all that well.

First, the synopsis. Lea Sutter, a travel writer and blogger, lands on an island off the east coast of the U.S. with extremely bad timing - a hurricane is on the way. After it gives the island a merciless pounding, Lea comes upon two twin boys, Daniel and Samuel, in the midst of a mysterious red rain that washes over the island. She decides to adopt them on the spot, much to the chagrin of her husband, psychologist Mark Sutter, and their son and daughter, Ira and Elena.

I think you can pretty much figure out that things are going to go from bad to worse, since the two children predictably aren't the little angels they make themselves out to be. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling the plot, which, I'm sad to say, is full of holes. That isn't the only problem with "Red Rain," however.

There were several points throughout the book in which it felt as though R.L. Stine was trying to tell an adult-oriented story through a narrative framework that's typically found in children's or young adult books. To be fair, this is a framework that Stine has been using throughout his literary career as a children's/young adult novelist, so it isn't all that surprising to see it pop up in places. But when it's paired with the harsh language, gory violence, disturbing imagery, and sexual situations that he introduces, it comes off as awkward and difficult to believe. They also feel, in some places, like they've been tacked on in order to make the book feel more adult.

I'm glad to see that Stine is expanding beyond young adult books, but if he wants to write a really good and scary adult horror novel, he's going to have to step into the adult world with both feet and not just keep one foot firmly planted in books for young adults. That being said, I hope that Stine continues to develop his craft in terms of adult-oriented horror, because "Red Rain" is unfortunately not all that great of a start. (less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Grey Liliy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, paranormal, serial-killer

I probably rated this higher than it deserves (It's probably closer to a 3), but despite all it's flaws, I enjoyed this book a lot--so I rounded up. XD

Another review compared this to the movie Orphan, and I think that's a pretty accurate description--Only there are twins and supernatural explanations instead of physical ones. The basic premise is the same--a mother adopts two boys and they turn out to be monsters with a bigger goal in mind, and the one parent that suspects is constantly being un...more I probably rated this higher than it deserves (It's probably closer to a 3), but despite all it's flaws, I enjoyed this book a lot--so I rounded up. XD

Another review compared this to the movie Orphan, and I think that's a pretty accurate description--Only there are twins and supernatural explanations instead of physical ones. The basic premise is the same--a mother adopts two boys and they turn out to be monsters with a bigger goal in mind, and the one parent that suspects is constantly being undercut, or misunderstood.

You'd think that was a spoiler, but you find out very early on that there are supernatural forces at work, and that the boys have ulterior motives. The book doesn't hide that they're crazy and dangerous, just their overall goal. And their overall goal is sort of absurd and ridiculous, and I couldn't take it seriously. It's very childish, and while it makes sense in one light, (view spoiler), it's hard to think the boys actually thought they'd get away with what they were doing. They're so smart and cautious with everything else that they do, from the murders to stealing, that their big move is basically taking the villain ball and running with it.

Lea isn't much better (she's well, constantly acting like an idiot and making the worst choices), and you find yourself frustrated with her the entire book. But I'll be fair, a twist at the ending made me much more forgiving to her behavior. Thinking back, I think it works, even if it ended up not being all that surprising.

As for characters I liked, I was fond of the twins (with the sole exception of their verbal tics--so help me if I hear 'boyo,' 'laddy,' or 'don't you know?' one more time...), Ira, and Mark. Samuel was cute with all his hesitations, and Daniel was a total psychopath. Considering I have a soft-spot for murderous, psychopathic children, this was a given bonus-point for me. Ira was just cute.

Mark was fun acting as the only voice or reason alongside his sister, Roz. Though, even he was having issues making poor decisions, but considering he was (view spoiler), you can tell he had a lot on his mind.

Overall? Simple plot, slow characters, and a fast read. I had fun reading it, though, and it put a smile on my face--which I suppose is what matters most.

(less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Jessi Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't care to write reviews on books, I just want to read them! However, I felt compelled to do so after the number of negative reviews this book received.

If you are looking for stellar writing, this book probably is not for you. Stine doesn't write as well as other adult horror/thriller/suspense writers, but he does draw the reader in with a twisted tale. I immediately was intrigued for the simple fact that this book has not only one creepy kid, but two - twins. Scary children have a way of f...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

I remember being thrilled every time I read one of R.L. Stine's children's books so you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across his book at my university library. It looked and sounded promising, but in the end, it did not live up to my expectations.

The book opened like I remember a majority of his books when I was younger. Throughout the entire book I felt chills running up and down my spine and was constantly making sure I wasn't alone at night. Yet, while I was reading, I found myse...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Ashley (Firestarbooks) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: must-review, own

Let's get right into this one. I did not felt the suspense, the horror, the fear, straight and simple. Sure there were gory scene such as:
"Blood poured from an open tear in her other side...ragged flesh of the woman's other leg trapped beneath the pile of debris. A white bone poked up from the torn skin." (PG 65)
and I felt like puking when characters puked, I groaned when the characters puked, but there was no terror. I read that above quote with disgust on my face, not spine-tingling horror. An...more Let's get right into this one. I did not felt the suspense, the horror, the fear, straight and simple. Sure there were gory scene such as:
"Blood poured from an open tear in her other side...ragged flesh of the woman's other leg trapped beneath the pile of debris. A white bone poked up from the torn skin." (PG 65)
and I felt like puking when characters puked, I groaned when the characters puked, but there was no terror. I read that above quote with disgust on my face, not spine-tingling horror. And the book was just too slow for me. It felt like the story took a lot of time to start. It seemed like a bad horror TV show. If you watched The River (US TV Show) which only ran for 8 episodes, you basically know how Red Rain was. Sure the plot was not the same but it was just not good. The background was bad, the scenes weren't captivating. It felt very amateur. The book was just not there.

Character-wise, it wasn't any better. All the characters were blend and one dimensional; they didn't developed or evolved. It was like looking at a piece of rock and tried to wait for it to become a butterfly.

Lea seemed brave and ambitious. She lost her job because of budget cuts but she still strove forward. But she was kind of stupid. I mean she travelled to an island when the hurricane was coming. She could've simply check the weather network. I don't know, she didn't felt like a mother to me, even with her "oh-I-want-to-adopt-these-twins-right-now" maternal instinct.

Mark was an interesting character. He seemed like a normal guy, calm and doesn't have any characteristic that makes him stand out. I thought there was more to him but there wasn't. And I think this could be said to the whole book.

Autumn, Mark assistant was just...weird. I guess R.L. Stine tried to make sure the readers know that this is an adult book instead of the Goosebumps series with Autumn trying to hit on Mark by wearing provocative clothes, but it was just ugh.

Roz seems super nice and kind. But of course she just sucks at picking a man. And I think out of the whole book, Roz was the only good thing out of it.
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Oct 01, 2012 Paul Pessolano rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Red Rain” by R.L. Stine, published by Touchstone Books.

Category – Horror

Just in time for Halloween, a book for those of you who are looking for something to spice up the holiday.

R.L. Stine is best known for his scary children’s books, “Goosebumps”. He has now taken his “Goosebumps” to a higher level, the adult horror story.

Lea Sutter writes a travel adventure blog and is visiting an island, Cape Le Chat Noir, off the South Carolina coast. The island has a history of Black Magic, in fact, she at...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Karly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: above-the-treeline

I was really disappointed with Stine's Red Rain, really disappointed! I don't remember reading Goosebumps as a kid, but my students love them (and Fear Street too). I figured if he had that many kid followers, then an adult novel would be a slam dunk! What a disappointment! I highly recommend he stick with writing for kids.

If you took out the sex, this one could've been for kids. It felt almost like he did write a creepy kids book and then decided to market it to adults, so he added in some R-ra...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Elgalla rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Red rain" started really promising and, initially, I couldn't understand what all the bad reviews were ranting about. But then, as the story moved forward, it became apparent that Mr. Stine wasn't really able to write anything for adults. As is the case with so many things in this book, the twins started off as very interesting villains. Although what was going on with them was rather obvious from the beginning, I wasn't bothered by that. However, their supposed agenda as well as their powers d...more "Red rain" started really promising and, initially, I couldn't understand what all the bad reviews were ranting about. But then, as the story moved forward, it became apparent that Mr. Stine wasn't really able to write anything for adults. As is the case with so many things in this book, the twins started off as very interesting villains. Although what was going on with them was rather obvious from the beginning, I wasn't bothered by that. However, their supposed agenda as well as their powers didn't convince me.

***********SPOILER ALERT****************

Alright, alright. I'll bite. If the twins could simply make everyone do whatever they wanted, why did they bother to frame Mark not for one but for three murders, instead of dominating him into oblivion? Didn't make any sense. Who was Ikey? After the hurricane in 1935, who called the priest to revive the twins? Why didn't the cops shoot the boys when they started burning stuff around the school and it became apparent that they were dangerous? How exactly did Axl end up with Samuel's power? Where's the consistency in Sammy's character? Isn't he supposed to be the good, peaceful twin at the beginning of the book?

***********END SPOILER******************

There were some good moments and the beginning was actually pretty strong, which is why I'm giving it 2 stars, though for the most part I was truly disappointed. I used to love R.L. Stine's book for children when I was younger and I think it was great that someone would become so hugely popular around the world writing horror stories for kids. The thing is, an adult audience is much more demanding and if I attempted reading "Goosebumps" at this age I would probably consider them silly and not at all frightening. "Red rain" is not a book for adults, no matter what they say. It's a "Goosebumps" book, narrated through the point of view of adults. Take out the sex scenes and cussing and you could easily sell this to younger readers. Unfortunately, I'm not at and age where such a book would have been enjoyable and frightening any more. (less)

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Dec 02, 2012 Ariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

As someone who has worked in the elementary school library I can attest that R.L. Stines Goosebump series of books are among the most poular in the library. As a horror fan I was intrigued to see what he came up with for adults. After having recently read Breed and Red Rain I can now say that I find twins somewhat creepy.

In this novel Lea, a travel writer, goes to an island where a delightful "raising of the dead" ritual is performed. Shortly after Lea witnesses the afore mentioned ritual a mas...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Angela rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Good god. I never thought this shitstorm would end.

I truly wanted to love this book. I did. I was a HUGE R.L. Stine fan growing up. I had all of his Fear Street books as well as his YA thrillers. I devoured every book the man published, so when I heard about this book, I thought, "HELL YEAH!"

What I never thought I'd say was, "HELL NO!" while reading it.

This book was, in a word, SHIT.

It took me over twenty chapters to really get into the story, and even then, I was so fucking bored. The cops'...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Sonnet rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

I want to give this an extra star just because I love R.L. Stine, and have been anxiously anticipating this book since March 2011, but I can't. Red Rain is a truly, truly awful book.

This isn't R.L. Stine's first horror book for adults. Red Rain is simply a Goosebumps book with some sex and cursing thrown in so readers will be fooled into thinking it's an adult book.

Red Rain is the story of an adventure travel (or is it travel adventure?) blogger, Lea, who willingly goes to an island off the Caro...more I want to give this an extra star just because I love R.L. Stine, and have been anxiously anticipating this book since March 2011, but I can't. Red Rain is a truly, truly awful book.

This isn't R.L. Stine's first horror book for adults. Red Rain is simply a Goosebumps book with some sex and cursing thrown in so readers will be fooled into thinking it's an adult book.

Red Rain is the story of an adventure travel (or is it travel adventure?) blogger, Lea, who willingly goes to an island off the Carolina coast while a hurricane is supposed to hit. When the hurricane does make landfall, it is a COMPLETE SURPRISE!! To everyone except the reader.
In the aftermath of hurricane Ernesto, Lea stumbles across 12 year old twins who claim to have just lost their home and family. I assume Daniel and Samuel are Irish, thanks to the excessive use of "boyo," but there is never any real explanation of that.
The book continues as Lea brings the twins home to her family, and R.L. Stine is finally in his element. He now has three 12 year old boys and a 14 year old girl to write about, with the occasional chapter focused on the grown ups.

There is Lea's husband, Mark, who is the spitting image of Jake Gyllenhaal. Mark gets raped by his assistant, Autumn, but I don't even think R.L. Stine realizes that.
There is Roz, Mark's sister, who serves no real purpose at all.
And of course, there's Officer Pavano. We are gifted with several chapters detailing Pavano's love life, which has NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING, except trying to justify why he wants to be a hero at the end of the book. I think. I don't know, I'm grasping at straws just like R.L. Stine obviously was when he wrote it.

I marked the page I was on when I thought I had the whole book figured out: 48.
On page 357 I found out that yes, Red Rain really was that predictable.

The only scary part about this book was how horrifically underwhelmed I felt when I finished it.
Do not read this book. Do not think you will be able to love it out of the nostalgia you have for its author. You will only wind up disappointed in him and yourself.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I grew up reading R.L. Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street books, so when I saw that he had written a book for adults, I knew I had to check it out. It's a pretty gruesome story and not for the faint of heart, unless you enjoy reading about disembowelment. Basically, Lea Sutter goes to an island to write about it for her travel blog. A hurricane hits the island and in the aftermath of the devastation, Lea finds two twin boys who have lost their home and family. Without really thinking through thi...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Mary rated it 1 of 5 stars

Well,I was curious about Stine's writing for adults. My nieces and nephews are really liked his Goosebumps books, so I thought I would give this a chance.

What a mistake. You can probably read it in a day, but because it was so vapid, I had to intermingle other reading in between. What I didn't like was the extremely flat characters. The author's right upfront ambition to see this become a feature film; he suggests Jake (ok I am going to spell this wrong)Gyunhall to play Mark the hero. The compr...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Alexandra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oh R.L. Stine.

Okay so I about crapped my pants when I saw this on the new releases shelf at my library. I love R.L. Stine and have ever since I was a kid. Anyone who grew up in the 90's pretty much knows who he is and has read the Goosebumps series and Fear Street etc. So needless to say I am a huge fan of his.
And the prospect of an adult book by him?! *swoon*
But alas.

I think that aside from the sex scenes (it's really creepy to read your favorite childhood author when he uses the words "fuckin...more Oh R.L. Stine.

Okay so I about crapped my pants when I saw this on the new releases shelf at my library. I love R.L. Stine and have ever since I was a kid. Anyone who grew up in the 90's pretty much knows who he is and has read the Goosebumps series and Fear Street etc. So needless to say I am a huge fan of his.
And the prospect of an adult book by him?! *swoon*
But alas.

I think that aside from the sex scenes (it's really creepy to read your favorite childhood author when he uses the words "fucking" and "erection." just no.) and the foul language, this should have been shopped as a kids book. Also, cut the length. And then have it as a kids book. Because it was just too unrealistic to be an adult book.

First off, the mother Lea goes to an island that is pretty creepy and deserted aside from the locals to do research and stuff for her travel blog when a hurricane blows through. The next morning, as she's traveling through the wreckage to see who made it, she finds these two twin boys who were orphaned. She decides on the spot to adopt them and bring them home to live with her and her family. What?!
Oh yeah and there are also no laws or rules on the island, or paperwork either so she can just bring them home and they can be her sons. Again, WHAT?!
This would so totally work if it were Goosebumps and an 8 year old was reading it who doesn't know or care about adoption red tape but as an adult..I can't help but have a huge problem with this. And just, it was something I couldn't get past.

She immediately loved them and wanted them to be her sons. Reason? "They're so cute!" Yeah. They're not dogs at the shelter lady. Get real.

Also, the parents were oblivious. For a child psychologist father, this is kind of weird. The kids just ran amok and did whatever they wanted and I don't know. It was silly.

I hate to say this because I really wanted to love it and maybe if this were a children's book I would have loved it but as an adult book it is sorely lacking:( Sorry R.L. but I still love you ♥(less)

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