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The Fear Street Saga #1
The Betrayal
The Secret is Out!Why do so many horrifying things happen on Fear Street? Nora knows.She knows how the terror began. She knows about the young girl who burned at the stake--and the bloody feud between two families that caused the unspeakable horror that has lasted 300 years!She knows, and she wants to tell.Are you sure you want to hear it?
161 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
452 people are currently reading
6568 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,739 books18.8k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
July 2, 2021
Of his hundreds of novels, the Fear Street Saga—beginning with The Betrayal—is probably the best thing R.L. Stine has ever written. I remember thinking that as a kid and revisiting the series now has only reaffirmed my opinion.
The trilogy goes back to Puritan times to provide a long, multi-generation understanding of the Goode and Fier family feud, The Curse that continues to haunt Shadyside, and backstory of the oft-referenced Fear Street Mansion. Murder and mayhem is great in the 1990s, but the 1600s also has it going on. This includes many common delights of era, such as scheming religious figures, falsely (and accurately) accused witches, Satanic conjuring, shirtless farmhands and improper trysts in the woods.
Going historical also allows the series to naturally drift into darker, more adult territory. Burning alive an innocent girl and her mother is less R-rated when there's a trace of historical accuracy. Stine also writes from the adult POV with some frequency, giving us a more mature perspective on what's going on. Though this is still very much a teen book, nothing about it seems dumbed down or limited to that audience.
I'll refrain from talking plot specifics, but know that every chapter is a jaw-dropper. And there are none of Stine's it-was-all-a-joke cliffhangers. When he sweeps the rug out from under you, it's all real this time.
Clocking in at 27,888 words, we're clearly in novella territory, but it still amazes me how masterfully Stine can hook a reader over and over again. This is fiction that you can't help but devour.
**NOTE: The trilogy is one continuous story, so make sure you have all three books before you begin. You won't want to delay finding out what happens next!
The trilogy goes back to Puritan times to provide a long, multi-generation understanding of the Goode and Fier family feud, The Curse that continues to haunt Shadyside, and backstory of the oft-referenced Fear Street Mansion. Murder and mayhem is great in the 1990s, but the 1600s also has it going on. This includes many common delights of era, such as scheming religious figures, falsely (and accurately) accused witches, Satanic conjuring, shirtless farmhands and improper trysts in the woods.
Going historical also allows the series to naturally drift into darker, more adult territory. Burning alive an innocent girl and her mother is less R-rated when there's a trace of historical accuracy. Stine also writes from the adult POV with some frequency, giving us a more mature perspective on what's going on. Though this is still very much a teen book, nothing about it seems dumbed down or limited to that audience.
I'll refrain from talking plot specifics, but know that every chapter is a jaw-dropper. And there are none of Stine's it-was-all-a-joke cliffhangers. When he sweeps the rug out from under you, it's all real this time.
Clocking in at 27,888 words, we're clearly in novella territory, but it still amazes me how masterfully Stine can hook a reader over and over again. This is fiction that you can't help but devour.
**NOTE: The trilogy is one continuous story, so make sure you have all three books before you begin. You won't want to delay finding out what happens next!
September 27, 2025
I boarded the nostalgia train and rode it back to Shadyside.
I have R.L. Stine to thank for helping me discover my love of reading. I never got into Goosebumps, but Fear Street was/is my jam. I would describe the series as a mixture of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Twin Peaks, The Faculty, and Halloween H20, with a side serving of Charmed.
It's the perfect combination of fun and spooky.
Every single bad thing that happened in Shadyside was Benjamin Fier's fault. The Goodes did nothing wrong. I said what I said.
I watched the Netflix series, and while I enjoyed the three movies, I really wish they hadn't changed so much of the lore.
Fear Street - *exists*
Residents of Shadyside - it's free real estate
Why do people keep moving to a street that's cursed??
There’s a reason the rent is so cheap. Welcome to Shadyside, the murder capital of the world.
I have R.L. Stine to thank for helping me discover my love of reading. I never got into Goosebumps, but Fear Street was/is my jam. I would describe the series as a mixture of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Twin Peaks, The Faculty, and Halloween H20, with a side serving of Charmed.
It's the perfect combination of fun and spooky.
Every single bad thing that happened in Shadyside was Benjamin Fier's fault. The Goodes did nothing wrong. I said what I said.
I watched the Netflix series, and while I enjoyed the three movies, I really wish they hadn't changed so much of the lore.
Fear Street - *exists*
Residents of Shadyside - it's free real estate
Why do people keep moving to a street that's cursed??
There’s a reason the rent is so cheap. Welcome to Shadyside, the murder capital of the world.
Read
April 1, 2011This review is for the entire Fear Street Saga.
Raise your hand if R.L. Stine scared the bejeezus out of you at some point during your childhood.
*takes a look around at all the raised hands*
I thought so.
Well, it was the same for me. I started on the Goosebumps series when they first came out, starting with Welcome to Dead House. Now I can’t go into old houses, be near dummies or scarecrows, go down into basements, put on masks, go on haunted rides in amusement parks, or have a picture taken of me with those old cameras that have the flash above it. Even though I might have enough problems that it’ll take years of therapy to get through (seriously, I hate dummies so much that I can’t even watch movies with them in it), I still love the Goosebumps series.
And it was only natural that I progressed on to R.L. Stine’s young adult series, Fear Street. Now I suspect all cheerleaders as being evil and/or possessed, will not go into graveyards (if I can help it), and I will not wear clunky, old necklaces. You never know if it will somehow transfer a curse that goes back hundreds of years on you and those you love.
Because that’s what happens again and again in the Fear Street Saga, which is a trilogy that explains the origins behind Fear Street. And it’s not pretty, guys.
If you’re read them, you know what happens. For those that haven’t, summarized version below. *minor spoilers*
Nora knows the secrets behind the horrifying things happening on Fear Street and reveals the dark legacy that marked the start of the terror three hundred years earlier, when a young girl was burned at the stake.
So, this whole thing starts in 1692 in a Massachusetts colony called Wickham Village during a scary period of time for all women… the witch trials. Susannah Goode is in love with Edward Fier, the son of Benjamin Fier, who is the magistrate of the village and the one who “hunts down” the witches. You can already see this isn’t going to end well, can’t you? Anyway, things come to light when Benjamin demands Edward marry an out-of-town girl in order to increase their wealth, Edward reveals he’s in love with Susannah and will only marry her. And then her and her mother are suddenly found out to be witches! Oh, noes! But of course, they aren’t. Benjamin’s just manipulating everyone in order to get what he wants. He’s a bad man. And so is his brother, Matthew Fier, who swindles George Goode (Susannah’s father) into thinking Susannah and her mother will be released if George gives Matthew everything of value he owns! (Seriously, these are not good people.)
Edward believes his father. Susannah’s heart breaks. And then Susannah and her mother burn on stakes while George watches! It’s horrific! But wait… George is a witch! (Plot twist!) And he places a curse on the Fier family for betraying him and his family.
This curse lasts for over two hundred years and through the course of the three books, you get to read all about the betrayals, the deaths, and the good-hearted members of the Fiers (changed to Fear in 1843 in an attempt to stop the curse) and the Goodes who lose everything time and again.
And it’s all centered around this necklace that Benjamin and Matthew brought over from ‘the old country’. You can see it on the Betrayal’s cover. On the backside, there’s an inscription: Dominatio per malum.
I have to hand it to R.L. Stine. How I was able to read these books when I was younger and not go around shouting ‘Dominatio per malum’ to everyone I disliked, I’ll never know. Of course, it might have been because I had no idea how to say it. (Oh, where’s the audiobook version when you need it?)
Things move really fast in these books. I miss that kind of pacing sometimes when reading adult (or sometimes young adult) books. R.L. Stine doesn’t write long, drawn-out intros into a character’s psyche and explain their entire backstory. Now that might be because people tend not to live very long in his stories, but I like to think it’s because he knows the attention span of a kid or teenager is short and in order to keep them engaged, things can never slow down.
I also liked how there’s a little bit of everything in these books. Stine doesn’t hold back with the supernatural and evil. Just a few of the things covered: ghosts, zombies, witches, plagues, murderers, liars, medical mysteries, creepy little girls (*shudders*), and insanity.
If for some reason you missed these books, which were pivotal in my young life and probably countless others, find them and read them. Hopefully your library will have them, but if not check out garage sales, resell book stores, and online swap sites. You’ll want the originals, if you can find them. There’s just something about holding the original edition of a book that makes it so much better than the reprints.
One last thing. Somehow, R.L. Stine still has some terrifying things to write about and scare the next generation of children with. He has a new show called The Haunting Hour on the Hub channel. If you have kids or love R.L. Stine, check it out. You can find all the info on his website –> HERE.
My most-traumatizing phobia? Automatonophobia – fear of ventriloquist’s dummies. It’s a real thing, people.
Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on November 5, 2010.
Raise your hand if R.L. Stine scared the bejeezus out of you at some point during your childhood.
*takes a look around at all the raised hands*
I thought so.
Well, it was the same for me. I started on the Goosebumps series when they first came out, starting with Welcome to Dead House. Now I can’t go into old houses, be near dummies or scarecrows, go down into basements, put on masks, go on haunted rides in amusement parks, or have a picture taken of me with those old cameras that have the flash above it. Even though I might have enough problems that it’ll take years of therapy to get through (seriously, I hate dummies so much that I can’t even watch movies with them in it), I still love the Goosebumps series.
And it was only natural that I progressed on to R.L. Stine’s young adult series, Fear Street. Now I suspect all cheerleaders as being evil and/or possessed, will not go into graveyards (if I can help it), and I will not wear clunky, old necklaces. You never know if it will somehow transfer a curse that goes back hundreds of years on you and those you love.
Because that’s what happens again and again in the Fear Street Saga, which is a trilogy that explains the origins behind Fear Street. And it’s not pretty, guys.
If you’re read them, you know what happens. For those that haven’t, summarized version below. *minor spoilers*
Nora knows the secrets behind the horrifying things happening on Fear Street and reveals the dark legacy that marked the start of the terror three hundred years earlier, when a young girl was burned at the stake.
So, this whole thing starts in 1692 in a Massachusetts colony called Wickham Village during a scary period of time for all women… the witch trials. Susannah Goode is in love with Edward Fier, the son of Benjamin Fier, who is the magistrate of the village and the one who “hunts down” the witches. You can already see this isn’t going to end well, can’t you? Anyway, things come to light when Benjamin demands Edward marry an out-of-town girl in order to increase their wealth, Edward reveals he’s in love with Susannah and will only marry her. And then her and her mother are suddenly found out to be witches! Oh, noes! But of course, they aren’t. Benjamin’s just manipulating everyone in order to get what he wants. He’s a bad man. And so is his brother, Matthew Fier, who swindles George Goode (Susannah’s father) into thinking Susannah and her mother will be released if George gives Matthew everything of value he owns! (Seriously, these are not good people.)
Edward believes his father. Susannah’s heart breaks. And then Susannah and her mother burn on stakes while George watches! It’s horrific! But wait… George is a witch! (Plot twist!) And he places a curse on the Fier family for betraying him and his family.
This curse lasts for over two hundred years and through the course of the three books, you get to read all about the betrayals, the deaths, and the good-hearted members of the Fiers (changed to Fear in 1843 in an attempt to stop the curse) and the Goodes who lose everything time and again.
And it’s all centered around this necklace that Benjamin and Matthew brought over from ‘the old country’. You can see it on the Betrayal’s cover. On the backside, there’s an inscription: Dominatio per malum.
I have to hand it to R.L. Stine. How I was able to read these books when I was younger and not go around shouting ‘Dominatio per malum’ to everyone I disliked, I’ll never know. Of course, it might have been because I had no idea how to say it. (Oh, where’s the audiobook version when you need it?)
Things move really fast in these books. I miss that kind of pacing sometimes when reading adult (or sometimes young adult) books. R.L. Stine doesn’t write long, drawn-out intros into a character’s psyche and explain their entire backstory. Now that might be because people tend not to live very long in his stories, but I like to think it’s because he knows the attention span of a kid or teenager is short and in order to keep them engaged, things can never slow down.
I also liked how there’s a little bit of everything in these books. Stine doesn’t hold back with the supernatural and evil. Just a few of the things covered: ghosts, zombies, witches, plagues, murderers, liars, medical mysteries, creepy little girls (*shudders*), and insanity.
If for some reason you missed these books, which were pivotal in my young life and probably countless others, find them and read them. Hopefully your library will have them, but if not check out garage sales, resell book stores, and online swap sites. You’ll want the originals, if you can find them. There’s just something about holding the original edition of a book that makes it so much better than the reprints.
One last thing. Somehow, R.L. Stine still has some terrifying things to write about and scare the next generation of children with. He has a new show called The Haunting Hour on the Hub channel. If you have kids or love R.L. Stine, check it out. You can find all the info on his website –> HERE.
My most-traumatizing phobia? Automatonophobia – fear of ventriloquist’s dummies. It’s a real thing, people.
Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on November 5, 2010.
December 23, 2015
Thanks to the massive book hangover I got from reading Me Before You, I decided to jump into an old favorite of mine. I first read this as a young teen during my school holidays. I've been meaning to re-read it for ages.
This is even darker than I remember. It's a tale of betrayal, revenge and doomed love. I think we can see where my love of dark and paranormal romance came from.
Loved it then, love it now. It's easy to read, the dialogue is a little off and certain parts work better than others, but R.L Stine sure knows his way around a spooky story and I was blindsided by the ending, again.
If you're looking for a happy ending, drive right on by this one, this is doom and gloom at its finest.
Can't wait to re-read the rest of the series.
4 nostalgic Stars
This is even darker than I remember. It's a tale of betrayal, revenge and doomed love. I think we can see where my love of dark and paranormal romance came from.
Loved it then, love it now. It's easy to read, the dialogue is a little off and certain parts work better than others, but R.L Stine sure knows his way around a spooky story and I was blindsided by the ending, again.
If you're looking for a happy ending, drive right on by this one, this is doom and gloom at its finest.
Can't wait to re-read the rest of the series.
4 nostalgic Stars
May 27, 2012
I was cleaning out some shelves and came upon this book, along with the second and third books in the trilogy. Let me just state that I loved the Fear Street books when I was little. So much so that when I got my weekly allowance I would rush off to buy more editions. And, being the history lover that I am I was generally ecstatic when the Fear Street Saga was published, recounting the three hundred year feud between the Goodes and the Fiers that cursed the street in Shadyside up to present day. I was not disappointed at the time. In fact, I think I read these books several times, so when I came across them again I decided to sit down and read a couple of pages. A couple hours later I was done with the book. And, surprisingly, it holds up! I mean, yes, the story is somewhat overwrought and the writing is for readers around the age of thirteen, but that's exactly what these were supposed to be.
In this first story we're introduced to Nora Goode who's recounting the tale of her family and that of her love, Daniel Fear. It starts in 1692 when, to prevent a marriage, Susannah Goode is knowingly falsely accused of witchcraft by Benjamin Fier. Her resulting murder is the catalyst for a curse that will follow the Fiers for generations to come.
These are just fun, and while I couldn't possibily recommend them to anyone my age now I'd be surprised if they hadn't picked up one at some point in their childhood.
In this first story we're introduced to Nora Goode who's recounting the tale of her family and that of her love, Daniel Fear. It starts in 1692 when, to prevent a marriage, Susannah Goode is knowingly falsely accused of witchcraft by Benjamin Fier. Her resulting murder is the catalyst for a curse that will follow the Fiers for generations to come.
These are just fun, and while I couldn't possibily recommend them to anyone my age now I'd be surprised if they hadn't picked up one at some point in their childhood.
Read
June 27, 2021my 2003-inspired reading vlog https://youtu.be/PBCF96Jelaw
August 3, 2021
I loved reading this now as an adult even more than as a kid. Such a breezy, engaging, and riveting read!
January 10, 2025
2.5 stars
It's a short, fast-paced read. But the plot, as well as many of the events, were too predictable for me, apparently because I've seen them being used in other books/movies over and over to this day. Given that it was written in the early '90s, I can understand where the fandom comes from. I'm very much into old, vintage stuff but this book just didn't work for me. I might still read the other books in the trilogy, coz I wanna know where the centuries-old feud between the Goodes and the Fiers ends, and how Fear Street becomes Fear Street. Not to mention, I'm feeling nostalgic.
It's a short, fast-paced read. But the plot, as well as many of the events, were too predictable for me, apparently because I've seen them being used in other books/movies over and over to this day. Given that it was written in the early '90s, I can understand where the fandom comes from. I'm very much into old, vintage stuff but this book just didn't work for me. I might still read the other books in the trilogy, coz I wanna know where the centuries-old feud between the Goodes and the Fiers ends, and how Fear Street becomes Fear Street. Not to mention, I'm feeling nostalgic.
August 23, 2015
As she set the basket down on the floor, Mary hearda soft creaking sound. She listened for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was making the sound.
Then she suddenly noticed the black shadow swinging back and forth across the floor.
Confused, she stared down at the slowly moving shadow for a long while, following it with her eyes narrowed.
Creak. Creak.
The odd sound repeated in a rhythm with the shadow.
Then she raised her eyes and saw what was casting the shadow - and started to scream
Man, I love R.L. Stine's books! They are so thrilling! They grab your attention and keep it, making you want more and more. You have/must know what happens.
The man has a gift with writing!
This is one book I can read over and over again and I'll never get bored. I'll always stay glued to it, wanting more, like I don't already know what's going to happen. Haha
September 8, 2021
This is about the true beginning of Fear Street, so here the narrator starts off writing down the story as a chronicle to get all of this recorded. Her name is Nora and she knows there is so much to write, but, she sits and begins writing at a frantic pace. It all began with two brothers and a girl named Susannah Goode…
March 29, 2013
I can remember reading this back in 2009 and still loving the story. I can't believe I found all my fave Goosebumps stories in an old box in the roof as well. Score! =)
R L Stine is one of the best story tellers among R A Salvatore, Tolkien and David Gemmell (just to name a few) and how his writing over century still fascinates me and keeps me turning those pages as fast I can holding my breath for the next line.
As much as I can recall, this book "The Betrayal" began with a hit. The first opening of the Saga, began: "Staring down at the fire from the low hill that overlooked the wide lawn, Nora Goode pressed her hands over her ears. But even with the fire's roar muffled she could hear the screams. The screams of those trapped in side the blazing Fear mansion. The screams of everyone she knew, of everyone she loved."
As you may know, this is the right at the beginning of how the "Fear Street Saga" began and why from Nora's point of view. I love how the story weaves between the past and present. Taking you to modern day and back to the 1900's. The story is a sad one. That said. The Fear Street feud was between two families that is, Goode and Fier over a romance turned horrible, killing and plundering the the town in it wake of fire. You need to read this book for yourself as its as good as R A Salvatore's Drizzt!
R L Stine is one of the best story tellers among R A Salvatore, Tolkien and David Gemmell (just to name a few) and how his writing over century still fascinates me and keeps me turning those pages as fast I can holding my breath for the next line.
As much as I can recall, this book "The Betrayal" began with a hit. The first opening of the Saga, began: "Staring down at the fire from the low hill that overlooked the wide lawn, Nora Goode pressed her hands over her ears. But even with the fire's roar muffled she could hear the screams. The screams of those trapped in side the blazing Fear mansion. The screams of everyone she knew, of everyone she loved."
As you may know, this is the right at the beginning of how the "Fear Street Saga" began and why from Nora's point of view. I love how the story weaves between the past and present. Taking you to modern day and back to the 1900's. The story is a sad one. That said. The Fear Street feud was between two families that is, Goode and Fier over a romance turned horrible, killing and plundering the the town in it wake of fire. You need to read this book for yourself as its as good as R A Salvatore's Drizzt!
November 27, 2024
The Fear Street Saga really leveled up the Fear Street franchise as a whole. It gave the town of Shadyside a depth that it didn’t have before, and used the historical setting of colonial America to its advantage. I remember The Betrayal better than most of the books I read as a kid, and I think that is because of how shockingly violent it is at turns. I really liked how Stine leaned into the grisly nature of life 300 years ago. There are horrifying aspects in that alone, but he played it to maximum effect with the witch trials and dark magic. My biggest criticism is that I wanted a more active role for the female characters. I wanted them to do more than fall in love and be at the mercy of the evil men around them. It didn’t get in the way of the story, but it felt like a missed opportunity. Overall, The Betrayal is a hell of a first book and set the bar really high for the rest of the trilogy.
Score: 4.5
I've got a full review with snark, spoilers, and memes on my blog:
https://www.danstalter.com/fear-stree...
Score: 4.5
I've got a full review with snark, spoilers, and memes on my blog:
https://www.danstalter.com/fear-stree...
August 6, 2011
I have never been a fan of R.L. Stine and came across this book by accident. The story kept me glued to the book. If you like young adult literature, this might be a good pick for you. The characters were actually relevant enough for me to want to continue reading, and looking for this story's resolution compelled me to get the sequels. If you enjoy historical fiction and horror, you probably will enjoy this. Just don't expect it to be outstanding prose; this is a young adult's book, after all.
July 14, 2008
This trilogy was my favorite of R.L. Stine's books. I'm sure if I read it today I would think it sucked just like all his others, but I remember really liking how the evil was passed down through the generations, and the different time periods (I really enjoy the Salem witch trial period that this series starts off with).
September 23, 2021
Nostalgia has me giving these books perhaps more stars than they deserve. The dialogue is still cringe but this was actually better than the Cheerleaders saga in a way. Characters had a bad habit of repeating everything they said and believing the stupidest things BUT the injuries and deaths were much less cheesy in this than in the Cheerleaders.
March 12, 2017
I liked this a lot more when I was 12 or so. I suppose it would be a good starter book for period setting horror.
February 18, 2015
This book was very interesting.
August 31, 2015
Loved the Fear Street books when I was little! They were my favorite books to check out from the library.
August 25, 2024
Just imagine R.L. Stine writing YA historical fiction. This is book one in a trilogy and my sister gave her me box set she bought from target when it was released. Very thankful she passed down other fear Street and give yourself goosebumps books. She kept all her original goosebumps series, understandably. I don't blame her.
When it comes to The Betrayal.. when I became a reader on a regular basis again this was one of the first books I read in 2018 and I'm glad I picked this one. R.L. Stine is such a talented writer and these historical fiction fear streets really goes into the history of fear street and why it gives the reader.. goosebumps.
When it comes to The Betrayal.. when I became a reader on a regular basis again this was one of the first books I read in 2018 and I'm glad I picked this one. R.L. Stine is such a talented writer and these historical fiction fear streets really goes into the history of fear street and why it gives the reader.. goosebumps.
April 14, 2016
I think this will be my primary gif for
The Fear Street Saga
.
In this book, it's either a person is naive (even stupid) or just blatantly insane. This book tore my heart and crushed it into pieces. There's more drama than supernatural forces in this book.
My Reactions:
part 1
THE BETRAYAL HURTS. I... CAN'T... EVEN...
part 2
I wasn't as affected... I just don't care.
part 3
I lost my ability to care.
I'm sorry, you guys... It's so hard to write a proper review for this. This series is probably my favorite from R.L. Stine.
Main theme: revenge.
Hell yeah, it's dark!
In this book, it's either a person is naive (even stupid) or just blatantly insane. This book tore my heart and crushed it into pieces. There's more drama than supernatural forces in this book.
My Reactions:
part 1
THE BETRAYAL HURTS. I... CAN'T... EVEN...
part 2
I wasn't as affected... I just don't care.
part 3
I lost my ability to care.
I'm sorry, you guys... It's so hard to write a proper review for this. This series is probably my favorite from R.L. Stine.
Main theme: revenge.
Hell yeah, it's dark!
August 15, 2024
I’m pretty sure this was my very first favorite book back in 1999. I think I was in the second or third grade at the time when I found this in my catholic school’s library, and obsessively read it. I remember being completely entranced and feeling like this was ~*true literature*~. I read the whole 3 book series from my library, sometimes more than once, each of them a massive undertaking…until my copy was confiscated by my teacher and all three books were then removed from the library and deemed inappropriate. Devastated was an understatement.
I’m re-reading them as an adult and they are so unbelievably short and corny. If not for reading at work, I could have finished this in a single sitting. But nostalgia gets a solid five stars. This was WILD to me as a kid. Decades later, at random, I’d still remember certain deaths from this series- particularly one involving a knitting needle.
Something about a brutal family feud in puritan America just really made me feel a lot of feelings before I even knew how to pronounce Goode. I read it as “Goody”. Who cares. My 8(ish?) year old heart ATE THIS UP. Goosebumps and Fear Street didn’t have shit on this! 🤣
I’m re-reading them as an adult and they are so unbelievably short and corny. If not for reading at work, I could have finished this in a single sitting. But nostalgia gets a solid five stars. This was WILD to me as a kid. Decades later, at random, I’d still remember certain deaths from this series- particularly one involving a knitting needle.
Something about a brutal family feud in puritan America just really made me feel a lot of feelings before I even knew how to pronounce Goode. I read it as “Goody”. Who cares. My 8(ish?) year old heart ATE THIS UP. Goosebumps and Fear Street didn’t have shit on this! 🤣
July 1, 2019
Such a fun tween read! Transported me back to my younger, youuuunger years when I was diehard for R.L. Stine. The fear street sagas has always stood out in my mind as a pivotal trilogy that influenced my darker taste in novels and authors later in life. It was fun revisiting a classic tale from one of the greats. Reading from an adult perspective I can see why this books were so enticing to a young gal like me. Great writing style, all elements of a good story (spookiness, romance, horror and a bit of gore) and originality .
3.5 out of 5, did enjoy :)
3.5 out of 5, did enjoy :)
January 21, 2023
I read a Fear Street book back in 6th grade, but have no memory of the story. I did read quite a few Goosebumps books growing up and loved them. My friend highly recommended this book, and since I was sitting there with nothing to do, I gave it a try. I quickly found myself engrossed in the story, turning the pages faster and faster. The writing is not profound or especially poignant, but the story engaging and rupturing. I had to force myself to put the book down.
July 28, 2019
What a convoluted, habernackle mess we've got going on here. But, you know, the evil of Fear Street wasn't built in a day, I suppose.
We open with Susannah Goode and Edward Fier in love. This is a problem for Benjamin, Edward's father, who has already promised Edward to another woman. Edward vows to disobey Benjamin. But actually, I shouldn't say it's a problem for Benjamin. It's more like just a minor annoyance. Because Benjamin has a pretty good plan to make sure Susannah and Edward never see each other again. He accuses Susannah and her mother, Martha, of being witches. He sentences them to burn at the stake (hanging wasn't as fun for this town, I suppose).
They are carted off to jail while William, Susannah's father, watches helplessly. He has his baby boy, George, watched over by a neighbor. Matthew, Benjamin's brother, comes one night to William and promises he can help free Susannah and Martha. But it will cost William all the money he has (and a shiny copper pot). William is relieved that his family will go free the next day.
Meanwhile, Edward visits Susannah at the jail and doesn't even think to be on her side. He completely believes all his father says about her being a witch. He says, as you might expect from the title, that she has betrayed him, but in reality the Fier family has betrayed the Goodes.
Overnight Matthew and Benjamin skip town along with William's money and any of his remaining hopes or happiness. William doesn't know this, though, and he goes to the square to let his wife and daughter know they will soon be free. Though Benjamin is no longer there to carry out the sentence, the new person in charge still sees fit to go ahead and burn them at the stake. William realizes with horror that Benjamin and Matthew lied to him and that he was robbed.
Unfortunately, Susannah and Martha do burn. William goes back to their house, refusing to pick up his son George along the way. He goes into his room to set an evil spell/curse in motion. It turns out that William, and not Susannah and Martha, practices the dark arts. He swears that the Fiers will have misery for all eternity for what they have done to his family.
Then we fast forward a number of years later. William is still alive, and he's come to the town where the Fiers have now made their home. He plans to watch them all fall apart, one by one. Now there are other children in the mix. Edward has married a woman named Rebecca, and they have a son named Ezra. Matthew has a daughter named Mary, and she figures prominently in the second half of the book.
Mary is repeating the same story of Edward and Susannah. A boy named Jeremy comes to work on the Fier farm, and Mary and Jeremy quickly fall in love (but since Jeremy is a farmhand it is, naturally, a forbidden romance).
And then bad things begin to happen to the Fiers. Benjamin slowly becomes paralyzed on his left side and then his right side. Matthew (or Edward?) falls off of a ladder and cannot do farm work for a while. Then Mary finds her mother, Constance, hanging from the rafters in their home. She sees Benjamin in the fields strung up as a scarecrow (and, obviously, dead).
Jeremy is weird from the beginning, so you know there is going to be a twist there. He tells Mary he knows who killed her family. It was his father, William Goode. He originally gave Mary his last name as Thorne. But he confesses his father told him that the Fiers would never hire a Goode, which is true. He tells Mary the whole sordid story of their families. He tells her that they can reverse the curse, however, if they get married and the families apologize to one another. Because Hamlet was that simple.
Edward overhears all of this and runs home to Matthew. He demands the truth. Matthew says it's all lies... until the next page when he admits it isn't. It's all true. Edward is stunned that innocent Susannah burned at the stake because of his father. Just then Mary and Jeremy also burst in and say they are in love. They demand that everyone end the stupid feud then. They say that they are now even, so why does it need to continue?
Matthew, shockingly, agrees. He says Jeremy and Mary can marry. And then he whips out the medallion he wears around his neck, shouts a spell, and Jeremy's head begins to pop and boil. Jeremy disappears and in his place is William Goode. Mary does not understand, and she whines for her Jeremy (as she will the rest of her life). Jeremy said he was born after George, but in reality he was William Goode all along. Clearly this isn't going to be a simple kiss and make-up (also, there are two more books, so duh).
Fast forward a number of years later. Now Ezra is the focus. He comes back to the horrible village where all of his family perished. He is trying to find some answers. He sees that Matthew and his aunt Mary walled themselves in their house in order to escape the evil aka William Goode. And he also finds a diary from Matthew. Matthew writes that it is all the fault of the Goodes for destroying the Fier family. From that moment on Ezra vows revenge on the Goodes, and it promises to continue to be a bumpy ride...
We open with Susannah Goode and Edward Fier in love. This is a problem for Benjamin, Edward's father, who has already promised Edward to another woman. Edward vows to disobey Benjamin. But actually, I shouldn't say it's a problem for Benjamin. It's more like just a minor annoyance. Because Benjamin has a pretty good plan to make sure Susannah and Edward never see each other again. He accuses Susannah and her mother, Martha, of being witches. He sentences them to burn at the stake (hanging wasn't as fun for this town, I suppose).
They are carted off to jail while William, Susannah's father, watches helplessly. He has his baby boy, George, watched over by a neighbor. Matthew, Benjamin's brother, comes one night to William and promises he can help free Susannah and Martha. But it will cost William all the money he has (and a shiny copper pot). William is relieved that his family will go free the next day.
Meanwhile, Edward visits Susannah at the jail and doesn't even think to be on her side. He completely believes all his father says about her being a witch. He says, as you might expect from the title, that she has betrayed him, but in reality the Fier family has betrayed the Goodes.
Overnight Matthew and Benjamin skip town along with William's money and any of his remaining hopes or happiness. William doesn't know this, though, and he goes to the square to let his wife and daughter know they will soon be free. Though Benjamin is no longer there to carry out the sentence, the new person in charge still sees fit to go ahead and burn them at the stake. William realizes with horror that Benjamin and Matthew lied to him and that he was robbed.
Unfortunately, Susannah and Martha do burn. William goes back to their house, refusing to pick up his son George along the way. He goes into his room to set an evil spell/curse in motion. It turns out that William, and not Susannah and Martha, practices the dark arts. He swears that the Fiers will have misery for all eternity for what they have done to his family.
Then we fast forward a number of years later. William is still alive, and he's come to the town where the Fiers have now made their home. He plans to watch them all fall apart, one by one. Now there are other children in the mix. Edward has married a woman named Rebecca, and they have a son named Ezra. Matthew has a daughter named Mary, and she figures prominently in the second half of the book.
Mary is repeating the same story of Edward and Susannah. A boy named Jeremy comes to work on the Fier farm, and Mary and Jeremy quickly fall in love (but since Jeremy is a farmhand it is, naturally, a forbidden romance).
And then bad things begin to happen to the Fiers. Benjamin slowly becomes paralyzed on his left side and then his right side. Matthew (or Edward?) falls off of a ladder and cannot do farm work for a while. Then Mary finds her mother, Constance, hanging from the rafters in their home. She sees Benjamin in the fields strung up as a scarecrow (and, obviously, dead).
Jeremy is weird from the beginning, so you know there is going to be a twist there. He tells Mary he knows who killed her family. It was his father, William Goode. He originally gave Mary his last name as Thorne. But he confesses his father told him that the Fiers would never hire a Goode, which is true. He tells Mary the whole sordid story of their families. He tells her that they can reverse the curse, however, if they get married and the families apologize to one another. Because Hamlet was that simple.
Edward overhears all of this and runs home to Matthew. He demands the truth. Matthew says it's all lies... until the next page when he admits it isn't. It's all true. Edward is stunned that innocent Susannah burned at the stake because of his father. Just then Mary and Jeremy also burst in and say they are in love. They demand that everyone end the stupid feud then. They say that they are now even, so why does it need to continue?
Matthew, shockingly, agrees. He says Jeremy and Mary can marry. And then he whips out the medallion he wears around his neck, shouts a spell, and Jeremy's head begins to pop and boil. Jeremy disappears and in his place is William Goode. Mary does not understand, and she whines for her Jeremy (as she will the rest of her life). Jeremy said he was born after George, but in reality he was William Goode all along. Clearly this isn't going to be a simple kiss and make-up (also, there are two more books, so duh).
Fast forward a number of years later. Now Ezra is the focus. He comes back to the horrible village where all of his family perished. He is trying to find some answers. He sees that Matthew and his aunt Mary walled themselves in their house in order to escape the evil aka William Goode. And he also finds a diary from Matthew. Matthew writes that it is all the fault of the Goodes for destroying the Fier family. From that moment on Ezra vows revenge on the Goodes, and it promises to continue to be a bumpy ride...
July 23, 2021
So I was searching for books for my 9 year old on Kindle Unlimited and saw this book and was like ooo I use to love that author. So I decided to revisit my childhood. And it was a good visit. I liked this book a lot and I loved that it only took me a day to read and it sucked me in just like it did when I was younger. So I’m probably going to go on a RL Stine reading spree.
February 6, 2025
man everyone is so petty ( and i am thriving because of it tbh )
September 6, 2023
Just to let you know that there may be spoilers so be warned...
Fear Street readers probably thought that nothing could top the Cheerleaders trilogy when it came out until this trilogy came along. It isn't better than anything else he wrote but I think this gave Stine a chance to go for things you just can't have teenagers deal with.
Some of the characters do fall in the teenage bracket audience but some are slightly older and the focusing on the past can allow a little more gore and dealing with serious situations of class struggles between those more well to do and those more poverty leaning.
Also the romance feels more real instead of teens just fighting their hormones...
A fire is raging through the Fear family mansion in Shadyside at the turn of the century, 1900. All the people in town murmur about how the evil family have earned their fate but one young woman, Nora Goode, is devastated. The young man she was in love with, Daniel Fear, gave her an amulet as a token of his love and now he has perished in the flames.
Little does Nora know that this amulet has been in the Fear family for centuries and when she races toward the burning mansion to see if perhaps Daniel escaped...she sees faces in the flames.
Past members of the Fear family and members of her own Goode ancestors who have been locked in a feud for decades...a blood feud.
In 1692, Susannah Goode fell in love with Edward Fier even though her family had meager surroundings compared to the more prosperous Fier family. Edward's father Benjamin wanted him to marry a young woman from a more wealthy family but he wanted to defy his father for love.
Soon, Susannah and her mother Martha are accused of being witches and practicing the dark arts.
Edward abandons Susannah for thinking she bewitched him since he is such a trusting son of his father while Susannah's father William Goode makes a deal with Benjamin's brother Matthew to give him enough money to have the sentence against his wife and daughter lifted.
The Fiers then disappear with all of Wickham Village's stores emptied and William's money swindled...with the sentence carried out to have the Goode women burned at the stake. William is left with an infant son named George but his mind is now on revenge.
His wife and daughter were innocent of witchcraft...but William wasn't. Whether the evidence was planted or William was careless, the contents of his practices sealed the fate of Susannah and Martha.
Now William uses his own witchcraft to curse the Fiers and make sure they end in fire just as his family did...just as horrible and painful.
Almost twenty years later, William finds the Fiers. Benjamin is older and no longer intimidating while Matthew has grown old and fat. Edward is a grown man married with a son even though Rebecca was not the girl he was betrothed to but I think that had to do with fleeing like cowards and not Edward standing up to his old man.
It didn't work out so good the first time did it?
Matthew and his wife Constance have a daughter named Mary who is seventeen and lovely but very lonely yet she loves her family. Life seems to smile on the Fiers with their prosperous farm until Edward falls off the roof and breaks his arm, causing the usually isolated Fiers to seek help for the time it takes Edward's arm to heal.
A young man new to town named Jeremy Thorne needs work to support his ailing father and Matthew begrudgingly hires him. Mary and Jeremy of course fall in love but they keep everyone from finding out for awhile.
It may also have to do with all the tragedy befalling the Fiers lately...members of the family dying one by one in horrible ways to leave the others scared. The truth about what really happened is soon learned by Mary and Edward and there is only one way to stop the terror.
A Fier and a Goode must marry...
What could be the end to the curse is only just the beginning and leads to a night of horror that will haunt a little boy until he becomes obsessed with revenge...
The ways characters die are more gruesome and will stay with you for years to come with the imagery presented.
There are also a few characters to actually feel sorry for and some that you start out liking but end up hating or hating and then gaining sympathy...but not many.
For anyone who has never read The Betrayal or any of the Fear Street Saga trilogy, I didn't want to spoil too much. Reading about the Fear/Fier family is one of the best canon elements ever brought into this series and it gets keep getting better as you read on.
Until a few years later when we decide to explore even more possibilities of connections to the Fear family and raise a whole bunch of continuity issues but...
That's a story for another time...another book review.
Fear Street readers probably thought that nothing could top the Cheerleaders trilogy when it came out until this trilogy came along. It isn't better than anything else he wrote but I think this gave Stine a chance to go for things you just can't have teenagers deal with.
Some of the characters do fall in the teenage bracket audience but some are slightly older and the focusing on the past can allow a little more gore and dealing with serious situations of class struggles between those more well to do and those more poverty leaning.
Also the romance feels more real instead of teens just fighting their hormones...
A fire is raging through the Fear family mansion in Shadyside at the turn of the century, 1900. All the people in town murmur about how the evil family have earned their fate but one young woman, Nora Goode, is devastated. The young man she was in love with, Daniel Fear, gave her an amulet as a token of his love and now he has perished in the flames.
Little does Nora know that this amulet has been in the Fear family for centuries and when she races toward the burning mansion to see if perhaps Daniel escaped...she sees faces in the flames.
Past members of the Fear family and members of her own Goode ancestors who have been locked in a feud for decades...a blood feud.
In 1692, Susannah Goode fell in love with Edward Fier even though her family had meager surroundings compared to the more prosperous Fier family. Edward's father Benjamin wanted him to marry a young woman from a more wealthy family but he wanted to defy his father for love.
Soon, Susannah and her mother Martha are accused of being witches and practicing the dark arts.
Edward abandons Susannah for thinking she bewitched him since he is such a trusting son of his father while Susannah's father William Goode makes a deal with Benjamin's brother Matthew to give him enough money to have the sentence against his wife and daughter lifted.
The Fiers then disappear with all of Wickham Village's stores emptied and William's money swindled...with the sentence carried out to have the Goode women burned at the stake. William is left with an infant son named George but his mind is now on revenge.
His wife and daughter were innocent of witchcraft...but William wasn't. Whether the evidence was planted or William was careless, the contents of his practices sealed the fate of Susannah and Martha.
Now William uses his own witchcraft to curse the Fiers and make sure they end in fire just as his family did...just as horrible and painful.
Almost twenty years later, William finds the Fiers. Benjamin is older and no longer intimidating while Matthew has grown old and fat. Edward is a grown man married with a son even though Rebecca was not the girl he was betrothed to but I think that had to do with fleeing like cowards and not Edward standing up to his old man.
It didn't work out so good the first time did it?
Matthew and his wife Constance have a daughter named Mary who is seventeen and lovely but very lonely yet she loves her family. Life seems to smile on the Fiers with their prosperous farm until Edward falls off the roof and breaks his arm, causing the usually isolated Fiers to seek help for the time it takes Edward's arm to heal.
A young man new to town named Jeremy Thorne needs work to support his ailing father and Matthew begrudgingly hires him. Mary and Jeremy of course fall in love but they keep everyone from finding out for awhile.
It may also have to do with all the tragedy befalling the Fiers lately...members of the family dying one by one in horrible ways to leave the others scared. The truth about what really happened is soon learned by Mary and Edward and there is only one way to stop the terror.
A Fier and a Goode must marry...
What could be the end to the curse is only just the beginning and leads to a night of horror that will haunt a little boy until he becomes obsessed with revenge...
The ways characters die are more gruesome and will stay with you for years to come with the imagery presented.
There are also a few characters to actually feel sorry for and some that you start out liking but end up hating or hating and then gaining sympathy...but not many.
For anyone who has never read The Betrayal or any of the Fear Street Saga trilogy, I didn't want to spoil too much. Reading about the Fear/Fier family is one of the best canon elements ever brought into this series and it gets keep getting better as you read on.
Until a few years later when we decide to explore even more possibilities of connections to the Fear family and raise a whole bunch of continuity issues but...
That's a story for another time...another book review.
January 11, 2022
Honestly some of the best writing from Stine so far! The characters are compelling, I loved hating the villains and the story itself is SO INTERESTING so far! I can’t wait to read the next installment!
October 7, 2025
And now we come to the “main event” of this year’s re-readathon ~ the original Fear Street Saga Trilogy, purporting to tell the story of the family that lent its name to the eponymous Fear Street. These are not books I read back in the day, but I am a sucker for historical settings and the idea of saga-like families and curses, so I am 1000% in, even a little curious to see how Stine could pull this off.
If this first book is any indication, it’s laughably not well. I have to keep in mind that Stine was really writing for a middle grade rather than YA audience, so I knew going in that nuance would not be factored in at all here, but this is still pretty laughable.
The story opens in 1900, with Nora Goode waiting outside a burning building, clutching an amulet given to her by her love, Daniel Fear. Apparently they were both meant to escape from the roaring fire, but Nora finds herself alone, among the villagers, watching the mansion go up in flames. As she creeps closer, trying to find Daniel, she suddenly has a vision of a girl burning at the stake, with terrifying white eyes, screaming in agony.
The narrative then flashes back to 1692 in Wickam, a Massachusetts Bay colony. Susannah Goode is minding the fire in her dark little home with her overbearing mother and screaming baby brother. She is lost in thought, and eventually goes out for more firewood, hoping against hope to meet the most handsome boy in the settlement, one Edward Fier, son of the local magistrate Benjamin Fier. Benjamin and his brother Matthew rule the settlement with an iron fist and have started their own version of the Salem witch trials, with the twist that their preferred method of death is burning the accused at the stake. Everyone fears the Fier brothers (aheh), even though they were apparently not original Puritan settlers but came from somewhere else.
Anyway, Susannah and Edward meet up in the woods just beyond the settlement and share some kisses, declaring their undying love for each other as well as the fear that their friends are being plucked one by one and accused of witchcraft. Susannah urges Edward to tell his father that they want to marry, but Edward defers. When Susannah gets home that evening, her father tells her that Edward is betrothed to someone else, and Susannah is stunned and heartbroken, thinking that Edward has just being lying to her all this time.
Edward, meanwhile, wants nothing of this arrange betrothal with some unknown woman, and finds the nerve to tell his father that he’d rather marry Susannah, someone far below his station. Benjamin refuses to even countenance this idea, but he’s a bit spooked by Edward’s sudden show of spirit. He broods long and hard about what to do, and eventually decides that he’ll plant some evidence in the Goode home and have Susannah and her mother arrested and tried as witches.
This goes exactly as expected – the town turns on the accused and only their husband/father tries to stand up for them during their “trial.” They are condemned to death, and Edward turns his back on them as well, believing his father would never accuse innocents. (insert major eyeroll here) Mr Goode is desperate to save his family, and he bargains with Matthew Fier to arrange their release. He gives Matthew all of his savings and then some when Matthew promises he can get Benjamin to change his mind and let them go.
This goes exactly as expected as well. Of course the bribe is for naught; indeed, Benjamin, Matthew, and their families cut and run the next morning after stealing the settlements’ goods and money, and Susannah and her mother are burned alive at the stake. Mr Goode is devastated and vows revenge, and then we learn that he has his own kind of revenge. For all that he lives in a Puritan colony, apparently he is a secret devil-worshipper and practitioner of black magic, so he lays a heavy curse on the Fier family in order to avenge his lost loved ones.
After a short interlude with Nora, whom we learn is writing down this history, we move to the wilds of Pennsylvania in 1710, where the Fier brothers and their families have settled, again with much apparent success and power. Edward, inexplicably, lives next door to his horrible father Benjamin, and though he did not go through with the original betrothal, has married a woman and has a very anxious 6-year-old son, Ezra. Matthew has also married and had a kid, the now seventeen-year-old Mary. Mary knows nothing of her family’s sordid past back in Wickham, so she’s happily moving along in her own life and is very close to her cousin Edward.
Then, suddenly, bad things begin to happen to the Fier family. First Edward falls off the roof of his father’s house, breaking an arm, and then Benjamin begins to lose the use of his limbs, one by one. Everyone is concerned (and Matthew is acting strangely) when a beautiful young man happens along to their property and offers his services as a farmhand. Mary is instantly smitten with Jeremy Thorne and soon they begin meeting each other secretly, much as Edward and Susannah did in the first section. One evening, Edward and Mary see a spectacular vision of a girl being burned at the stake and crying in agony,; Edward recognizes Susannah in her death throes; and then the bad things happening to their family start to escalate in a big way.
Mary confides in Jeremy about all the weird things happening to her family: Edward’s wife is found hanging from the rafters, and then Benjamin’s lifeless body is discovered on the stake of a scarecrow. Jeremy ultimately tells her that his father is responsible for the deaths, and relates the history from Wickam. He pleads for Mary to marry him, which would unite their families and thus end the dreadful curse. (I have a feeling this will be the first in a long line of Goodes and Fiers/Fears trying to fix things in this fashion, and all of them failing miserably.)
Mary agrees to this, and tells Edward (who has confronted Matthew and learned that Jeremy’s stories from Wickham are true) and her father that she wants to marry Jeremy even though his is far below her station. Matthew very reluctantly agrees, given she go through one week of mourning for their family losses (ha!). When the big day comes that Jeremy is supposed to bring his father over to hear Matthew’s apology for killing Goode’s family, only Jeremy shows up. Then Matthew whips out his weird little amulet and starts shouting, which causes Jeremy’s head to burst open and reveal that it’s really been Mr Goode all along; he used his dark magic to disguise himself with the intention of stealing Mary Fier away from her family, but he has failed in the face of Matthew’s even stronger dark magic. Matthew starts laughing maniacally at his success in once again defeating Mr Goode; Edward has witnessed all this and decided that this is too much – he grabs his son and Mary and they get the hell out of there.
We skip forward another 15 years and find the now-grown Ezra returning to the Fier homestead in Pennsylvania. He is bitter and angry because his father grabbed him and fled into the night, and they basically had to live hand-to-mouth until Edward fell over from exhaustion, and then Mary passed away without marrying or having kids of their own. Ezra goes back to Matthew’s house and finds two skeletons that have wasted away after being encased in a stone wall in old Matthew’s study. Ezra picks up the amulet from Matthew’s body and puts it on and considers the revenge he must seek on the Goode family for putting his father and grandfather through hell.
This is a very plot-driven story; characterization is the bare minimum needed to keep the action moving. The first place Stine lost me was when Edward somehow reconciled with the father who left his first(?) true love to burn at the stake. Edward then spent the next 20 years under his father’s thumb, when he had the spirit to defy him as a teenager. I’m not sure I was totally sold on him staying so close to his horrible father and never doubting his actions until he overhears Jeremy telling the story to Mary.
Then, after Edward and Mary actually witness Matthew acting like a crazy lunatic as he literally blows his foe away in a rush of black magic, somehow Ezra grows up thinking it’s the *Fiers* who have been wronged and who need to be avenged. Really?
Apparently the next two books in the series continue the saga of the various generations of the Fier/Fear family and their run-ins with the Goodes, at least until Nora’s present-day in 1900. The themes and motifs are crystal clear, and thus far there are no variations on the theme. Iit will be interesting to see how Stine keeps this plot fresh for however many more times this story of “forbidden love” keeps repeating itself and being thwarted.
If this first book is any indication, it’s laughably not well. I have to keep in mind that Stine was really writing for a middle grade rather than YA audience, so I knew going in that nuance would not be factored in at all here, but this is still pretty laughable.
The story opens in 1900, with Nora Goode waiting outside a burning building, clutching an amulet given to her by her love, Daniel Fear. Apparently they were both meant to escape from the roaring fire, but Nora finds herself alone, among the villagers, watching the mansion go up in flames. As she creeps closer, trying to find Daniel, she suddenly has a vision of a girl burning at the stake, with terrifying white eyes, screaming in agony.
The narrative then flashes back to 1692 in Wickam, a Massachusetts Bay colony. Susannah Goode is minding the fire in her dark little home with her overbearing mother and screaming baby brother. She is lost in thought, and eventually goes out for more firewood, hoping against hope to meet the most handsome boy in the settlement, one Edward Fier, son of the local magistrate Benjamin Fier. Benjamin and his brother Matthew rule the settlement with an iron fist and have started their own version of the Salem witch trials, with the twist that their preferred method of death is burning the accused at the stake. Everyone fears the Fier brothers (aheh), even though they were apparently not original Puritan settlers but came from somewhere else.
Anyway, Susannah and Edward meet up in the woods just beyond the settlement and share some kisses, declaring their undying love for each other as well as the fear that their friends are being plucked one by one and accused of witchcraft. Susannah urges Edward to tell his father that they want to marry, but Edward defers. When Susannah gets home that evening, her father tells her that Edward is betrothed to someone else, and Susannah is stunned and heartbroken, thinking that Edward has just being lying to her all this time.
Edward, meanwhile, wants nothing of this arrange betrothal with some unknown woman, and finds the nerve to tell his father that he’d rather marry Susannah, someone far below his station. Benjamin refuses to even countenance this idea, but he’s a bit spooked by Edward’s sudden show of spirit. He broods long and hard about what to do, and eventually decides that he’ll plant some evidence in the Goode home and have Susannah and her mother arrested and tried as witches.
This goes exactly as expected – the town turns on the accused and only their husband/father tries to stand up for them during their “trial.” They are condemned to death, and Edward turns his back on them as well, believing his father would never accuse innocents. (insert major eyeroll here) Mr Goode is desperate to save his family, and he bargains with Matthew Fier to arrange their release. He gives Matthew all of his savings and then some when Matthew promises he can get Benjamin to change his mind and let them go.
This goes exactly as expected as well. Of course the bribe is for naught; indeed, Benjamin, Matthew, and their families cut and run the next morning after stealing the settlements’ goods and money, and Susannah and her mother are burned alive at the stake. Mr Goode is devastated and vows revenge, and then we learn that he has his own kind of revenge. For all that he lives in a Puritan colony, apparently he is a secret devil-worshipper and practitioner of black magic, so he lays a heavy curse on the Fier family in order to avenge his lost loved ones.
After a short interlude with Nora, whom we learn is writing down this history, we move to the wilds of Pennsylvania in 1710, where the Fier brothers and their families have settled, again with much apparent success and power. Edward, inexplicably, lives next door to his horrible father Benjamin, and though he did not go through with the original betrothal, has married a woman and has a very anxious 6-year-old son, Ezra. Matthew has also married and had a kid, the now seventeen-year-old Mary. Mary knows nothing of her family’s sordid past back in Wickham, so she’s happily moving along in her own life and is very close to her cousin Edward.
Then, suddenly, bad things begin to happen to the Fier family. First Edward falls off the roof of his father’s house, breaking an arm, and then Benjamin begins to lose the use of his limbs, one by one. Everyone is concerned (and Matthew is acting strangely) when a beautiful young man happens along to their property and offers his services as a farmhand. Mary is instantly smitten with Jeremy Thorne and soon they begin meeting each other secretly, much as Edward and Susannah did in the first section. One evening, Edward and Mary see a spectacular vision of a girl being burned at the stake and crying in agony,; Edward recognizes Susannah in her death throes; and then the bad things happening to their family start to escalate in a big way.
Mary confides in Jeremy about all the weird things happening to her family: Edward’s wife is found hanging from the rafters, and then Benjamin’s lifeless body is discovered on the stake of a scarecrow. Jeremy ultimately tells her that his father is responsible for the deaths, and relates the history from Wickam. He pleads for Mary to marry him, which would unite their families and thus end the dreadful curse. (I have a feeling this will be the first in a long line of Goodes and Fiers/Fears trying to fix things in this fashion, and all of them failing miserably.)
Mary agrees to this, and tells Edward (who has confronted Matthew and learned that Jeremy’s stories from Wickham are true) and her father that she wants to marry Jeremy even though his is far below her station. Matthew very reluctantly agrees, given she go through one week of mourning for their family losses (ha!). When the big day comes that Jeremy is supposed to bring his father over to hear Matthew’s apology for killing Goode’s family, only Jeremy shows up. Then Matthew whips out his weird little amulet and starts shouting, which causes Jeremy’s head to burst open and reveal that it’s really been Mr Goode all along; he used his dark magic to disguise himself with the intention of stealing Mary Fier away from her family, but he has failed in the face of Matthew’s even stronger dark magic. Matthew starts laughing maniacally at his success in once again defeating Mr Goode; Edward has witnessed all this and decided that this is too much – he grabs his son and Mary and they get the hell out of there.
We skip forward another 15 years and find the now-grown Ezra returning to the Fier homestead in Pennsylvania. He is bitter and angry because his father grabbed him and fled into the night, and they basically had to live hand-to-mouth until Edward fell over from exhaustion, and then Mary passed away without marrying or having kids of their own. Ezra goes back to Matthew’s house and finds two skeletons that have wasted away after being encased in a stone wall in old Matthew’s study. Ezra picks up the amulet from Matthew’s body and puts it on and considers the revenge he must seek on the Goode family for putting his father and grandfather through hell.
This is a very plot-driven story; characterization is the bare minimum needed to keep the action moving. The first place Stine lost me was when Edward somehow reconciled with the father who left his first(?) true love to burn at the stake. Edward then spent the next 20 years under his father’s thumb, when he had the spirit to defy him as a teenager. I’m not sure I was totally sold on him staying so close to his horrible father and never doubting his actions until he overhears Jeremy telling the story to Mary.
Then, after Edward and Mary actually witness Matthew acting like a crazy lunatic as he literally blows his foe away in a rush of black magic, somehow Ezra grows up thinking it’s the *Fiers* who have been wronged and who need to be avenged. Really?
Apparently the next two books in the series continue the saga of the various generations of the Fier/Fear family and their run-ins with the Goodes, at least until Nora’s present-day in 1900. The themes and motifs are crystal clear, and thus far there are no variations on the theme. Iit will be interesting to see how Stine keeps this plot fresh for however many more times this story of “forbidden love” keeps repeating itself and being thwarted.
October 13, 2016
Wow. Oh my god, all that family drama was intense. This was pretty much the origin story for the ‘Fear Street’ series and how it all began with a family feud in this small puritan village. If there was ever a justifiable reason to curse someone’s family, this was it. Aside from the obvious victims of the situation, I felt particularly terrible for William Goode. Like, it wasn’t bad enough that . William also . The Fier brothers just came off as horrible monsters of people.
Once I got to the second part, the book started to feel more like the Fear Street books I was used to. The one thing I didn’t understand was Edward’s thoughts on . I read this for the first time like 15 years ago and while I didn’t remember everything, I had a strong feeling about that plot twist before it happened. It was a bit strange and it had me wondering what that person would have done if they’d followed through with the whole thing. The way they dealt with the bad person was kind of anticlimactic, but the scene at the end with was great. It was so creepy and the letter explaining things made it even more so.
Overall, I loved this. The entire curse situation had me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I didn’t mind bad people getting what they deserved. On the other, it sucked for the people that got targeted simply because they were related by blood or marriage, like poor Mary who had nothing to do with the original incident. She was a perfectly nice person and didn’t deserve to get mixed up in all that drama.
Once I got to the second part, the book started to feel more like the Fear Street books I was used to. The one thing I didn’t understand was Edward’s thoughts on . I read this for the first time like 15 years ago and while I didn’t remember everything, I had a strong feeling about that plot twist before it happened. It was a bit strange and it had me wondering what that person would have done if they’d followed through with the whole thing. The way they dealt with the bad person was kind of anticlimactic, but the scene at the end with was great. It was so creepy and the letter explaining things made it even more so.
Overall, I loved this. The entire curse situation had me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I didn’t mind bad people getting what they deserved. On the other, it sucked for the people that got targeted simply because they were related by blood or marriage, like poor Mary who had nothing to do with the original incident. She was a perfectly nice person and didn’t deserve to get mixed up in all that drama.
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