Krista Wagner's Blog, page 4

Okay

Just okay, really. The plot is a bit twisted, but not in a compelling kind of way. There are almost two story lines, and that makes things a bit confusing tofollow.The culprit was a bit hard to accept for that reason.The story and characters aren't as exciting as most of Stine's other books.

Surprising

Characters are enjoyable.The plot is okay. It gets better after the accident.Bobbi must be imaging things, right? And then her sister Corky starts to notice something's amiss too, but how do they explain Jennifer's behavior?Strange things start happening to some of the cheerleaders. The mystery grows more obscure, and then. . .the ending--a shocker! I don't know how Stine always manages to surprise us in the end, but he sure does a good job at it!

Deliciously Daring

This is one of Stine's more down-to-earth stories, dealing with realistic-like characters. In particular, there's Mr. Hot Shot Bobby, who thinks he's every girl's dreamboat. Then there is the plethora of girls he's discarded who don't appreciate his nonchalant attitude as he jumps rapidly from one girl to the other.The Wade twins change all that for him. Now, someone is stalking him and soon threatening his very life.Stine's style of writing does it again--driving you anxiously forward, much like a few car scenes in the story. There are no stop signs, just a green light because you have to keep going. You are compelled to keep reading.When you get to the end, you will be stunned. Because there is nothing predictable about his books. Only wonderfully shocking surprises.because there is nothing predicatbale about his books.

Creepy Creepy Creepy

Oh, boy, this one is particularly creepy. All the way through, there's a wacko, Darryl, who has a serious rage issue, enough to make him kill people. Hope, his girlfriend, and her three roommates, know he's killed, but Hope doesn't want to report it to the police, convinced she can get him help.Against their will, the roommates go along with it, mostly out of respect for her wishes, but also a bit out of fear for their lives. You see, Darryl is always around, and no one can do anything without his knowledge.Darryl's brutal. Deadly dangerous.And yet, there's something we don't see coming. Just wait until you get to the end for this total shocker and cliffhanger to book #2. . .

Eerie & Engaging

Stine is so genius for once again pulling me into this world of terror. He grabs your hand and doesn't let go! The same can be said for the villain, Scott, except this guy is a wacko. Scott is so darn creepy and gruesome in his thoughts and behavior that he reminds me of Norman Bates. We know that he's killed his girlfriend from page one. Shift to the viewpoint of Crystal and we are on edge, just waiting for this guy to kill again. There's a catchphrase he utters in his head, out loud, to others, and its darker meaning unleashes the psychosis raging within him. Fascinating, shocking, and wonderfully written! I read it one sitting!

Delightfully Chilling!

This is one of those rare books where you know the main character is off from the get-go.In true loyalty to his fans, Stine succeeds in engaging us through every plot point that arises as Abby navigates her way through the sorority initiation. The thing is, what the girls have to do to be accepted, commit a crime, isn't the scariest thing happening.Unfortunately, nobody knows how unstable Abby is.Her unraveling stays at bay. . .for the most part. We get peeks into her psychotic mind, her warped perception of what's really happening, and it's not too concerning. . .at first.This is a fun and exciting ride energized by a group of girls whose fears and uncertainties plague the old mansion where they must "pass the test". But underneath it all, a louder voice of fear and uncertainty awaits. . .chilling, especially so, delightfully so, at the very end.

A Nice Hawaiian Romance

What a great realistic getaway romance!I enjoyed the way Charlotte and Dawson met--what a memorable scene! From there, we get to see Charlotte began a new life in Hawaii while Dawson feels refreshed by her sudden appearance.It's a sweet romance with two people you root for. They're kind and respectful. There's no drama. Just two mature adults who want to appreciate life and desire to start anew.Another bonus comes when they each face a moment of insecurity. The way they handle things is commendable, healthy, something that really stuck with me.Best of all, Elana Johnson reminds us that we always have hope.

One Of Us Is Lying

I picked this up for the plot. It's an interesting idea, and pretty original. Five strangers wind up in detention. In that hour, Simon dies by consuming a drink laced with peanut oil (he's allergic). The story alters between the remaining four characters. All are suspects in his potential murder.The book is marketed as a suspense, but it's actually mostly a drama as we navigate through the woes of each character's personal life. Weirdly, the title doesn't make sense, because, as it turns out, they are all lying about something.Speaking of the characters, they aren't very memorable. McManus's writing style is stilted, and everyone sounds the same. They're all pretty shallow. There's some curse words throughout as well.**SPOILERS**I can't really comment without bringing this in. We learn a secret that involves a 13 Reasons Why type of answer, and yet, those who were aware of this secret never confess it, and the topic isn't dealt with. The characters just don't really react much. Their thoughts and actions and responses are just so dry, almost unfeeling.The story line works for the most part. The pacing is good. It keeps you going, but that's really all it has working for it, which just isn't enough.

Friday The 13th part 2

I loved reading about one of my favorite series. Hawke outdoes himself in part 2. Here, we get to learn so much more about Jason's background, his childhood, even his birth. Thus, a much better understanding about how he came to be and what drove Mrs. Voohrees. It was certainly interesting to dive inside Jason's head to see the inner workings of his mind, giving us a fuller sense of his motives. And we also get, as in book #1, the pleasure of sharing every characters' thoughts (third person pov, omniscient).

More Than The Film

Staying true to the script, Hawk offers us a fun scary adventure based on the film. We even get a little bit more character development with each of the characters, including Annie, Jack and Marcie, Ned, Brenda, Bill, Steve, Alice, and Mrs. Voorhees.It was entertaining reading the narrative as I could easily see the film playing out. Plus, to make the story even more inviting, you get a nice little background about the individual characters, plus a third person omniscient viewpoint, allowing you to hop inside each character's head.It was pretty cool being able to read their thoughts and know how they really felt about each situation they were in, from Marcie's dream to Jack's feelings about her and their relationship to Steve's thoughts about Alice as he sits at the diner, and so much more!