Kiss of a Killer

Sweet Valley High #128

by Francine Pascal (Creator), Kate William

Book Three in a chilling three-part  miniseries!

Jessica wants to be with Jonathan .  . . forever.

Jessica Wakefield  has finally gotten Jonathan Cain to admit that he  loves her. Then she finds out the shocking truth  about him. Is Jessica willing to give up her   life to keep Jonathan's  love?

Elizabeth Wakefield has made a terrifying  discovery! Jonathan Cain's past is more horrible,  more twisted, than she'd ever imagined. And Jessica  is under his spell. Now Elizabeth must save her  twin from a fate worse than death. But is  Elizabeth strong enough to stop a creature of the night?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Teen, Childrens

199 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Francine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.

Reviews

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointingly obvious end to the vampire trilogy. Boo.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything in Sweet Valley is better with pants.

Welcome to "Pants of a Killer" or SVH #128, "Kiss of a Killer."

Jessica pronounces her love to Jonathan Cain so many times in this book that I have decided to substitute the word "pants" instead in order to really amuse myself.

pg 29 : "Pants," Jessica moaned softly, running her fingers over the silky fabric. She hungrily kissed every inch of it. "I love you, pants." Then everything went black.

pg 43: "I'm in love with pants," Jessica replied defensively. "I guess because you're so mixed up about Todd and Joey, you just can't understand how it is to love only one pair of pants."

pg 67: "You're the pants I love," she declared. "Nothing can change my feelings."

pg 90: Jessica's heart skipped a beat as she watched the velvet fabric unfold. No matter what, she knew she could never get rid of these pants. She loved velvet pants so much, her heart ached.

pg 97: "No!" Jessica shot back hotly. "I'm sick of hearing you say terrible things about the pants I love."

pg 122: Jessica snuggled closer to the pants in the cave and entwined her arms around them. "I love you so much," she declared.

pg 136: No one can understand how deeply I love pants, she thought.

pg 151: The fabric is so beautiful, she thought. It seemed every time Jessica caressed the pants, she loved them more and more.

pg 156: "I love pants," she declared. "Since the moment I first bought them, they have been my destiny. I'll wear them anywhere."

pg 178: "I don't care, pants. I love you. Whenever anybody tries to wash you, I won't let them. I'll never leave you," she promised.

pg 196: "Goodbye, pants. I'll love you forever."


Srsly tho. Jonathan Cain is a vampire, and Jessica Wakefield is the dumbest fictional bitch ever.
That's really all I have to say.

Minus #99 and #100, I'm done with all the SVH my library has to offer. I'm moving on to a few early SVU's and then... Fear Street! I expect much better things from that series.

Until next time...

[Clementine]

It's just a steady decline into total incoherence.

[Marian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sick of sitting around the house every night, wondering who'll die next.

Oh.
My.
Glob.


I'd forgotten just how bananas Kiss of a Killer is. I wouldn't dare call either of the two previous books in this arc restrained by any means but this book said nope, we're just going to go for it. I'm 99% sure this arc, and others like it, are why I was able to handle Riverdale for so long. Hell, if you told me all the Riverdale writers after S1 had read and loved this arc, it would explain SO, so much about that show. But I digress.

Kiss of A Killer manages to be absolutely insane (Liz telling the cops she thinks Jonathan is a vampire!) and still shies away from actually showing Jonathan kill anyone or do any actual vampire things that aren't immediately undercut with Jessica thinking she's dreaming or swooning. It's bonkers and I wish it had decided to go all in and have Jonathan go full freakin' vampire.


Let's check in on the various subplots, shall we?

Liz/Todd/Joey. I cannot imagine anyone was satisfied with this triangle. While I have no memory of the Camp arc beyond it happening, I doubt any Joey fans were thrilled with the douche canoe parading around calling himself Joey in this arc. He repeatedly scoffs about things being SO high school...to the high school girl he's chasing. Like yeah, asshole, she snuck out to a party where a girl was killed and her parents grounded her. Also there's a fucking curfew and why the hell would the cops NOT have someone posted up at notorious makeout point Miller's Point? Why does Joey think he "found" all these places in a town Elizabeth grew up in? He's just the absolute worst and it's a waste of having Todd find out about one of Liz's flings for it to be on this jerk.

I don't get the storyline of trying to make Todd feel pathetic like he doesn't have options outside of Liz. Any time there's even the hint of trouble in paradise, the girls who have Todd on their list come out of the woodwork. Hell, one is even mentioned in the first book in the arc. Todd's not hurting for options and never has been in the SVH world. It's weird and there are better ways to get his hurt feelings across than inventing a problem that does not exist.

Enid/Katrina.
Putting these two together because I can. Katrina dies and the school falls to pieces even though she's just visiting for a few weeks. Enid's in the goddamn hospital and only Todd and Liz visit her. WTF, SVH? Katrina's dead but Enid isn't and her mom is a single mom and she might appreciate the knowledge that her kid is loved and cared for too!
I did love Todd going to see Enid and it works for a few reasons. It's further proof that he's a good guy but it also makes sense because of how much time they'd spend together because of Elizabeth.
That being said, Enid? Honey? I know you're under serious mind control and all but like, maybe don't make the dead girl's funeral all about you, even if it's just in your head. Not that way, anyway.
Cackling at the thought of Enid's mother buying Jonathan a music gift card to thank him for 'saving' Enid, btw.
Katrina being buried in SV makes very little sense, though an explanation is given and I do like how at least her best friend from home shows up, but you'd think there'd be more people from out of town, even if it was just friends of her parents. Also, we know nothing about Katrina aside from her being possibly interested in Todd. I felt nothing when she died and her funeral is only sad in that way that a funeral for any teenager is sad. We really should've gotten to know her some and it wouldn't have been all that difficult to weave her in. Cut back on a couple of "gothic style" bits and you could've given Katrina a personality.

Jessica/Jonathan.
If there weren't glimpses of this ghosty being able to actually make things believably flirty, I don't think I'd be as angry that we're just TOLD how much they love one another without there being any evidence. Yeah, Jessica's mind controlled, but Jonathan interacted with her like three times before declaring his love. If you're going to build your arc around a 'ship, give me more, dammit. There are glimpses of what I think they wanted to go for: Jessica being mind controlled into her feelings for Jonathan (or at least amplified) but underneath she realizes how wackadoodle this all is, but since we're never given enough of Jonathan's backstory or seeing them fall in love or even like, it all falls flat.

Maria.
Sugar, how the fuck do you go from "vampires LOL" to leading the goddamn mob after a guy, knowing they legit want to kill him? HOW.

What the fuck is up with later SVH books going mob mentality? Wasn't that part of the problem in the gang arc? I know it comes up again in another book, too. It's weird. Consistency can be found in the strangest places for this series. o_O
I also want to bitch about how the SV kids don't seem to really care about the other two deaths and are only invested when Katrina dies but that's actually probably the most realistic thing in this arc.

Random stuff:
I cannot believe everyone stood around like dumbasses until Liz, who had time to fucking FAINT, came to her senses and demanded someone call 911.

Enid thinking that if she helps Jonathan clean up after the party, he'll magically love her. Enid. Honey. No. I really hated how it was later mentioned again by Jonathan as he laughs at how pathetic she is. Like yeah, it is, but you murdered your girlfriend's kitten so fuck right off, fang face.

Jonathan is such an unbelievable ass when the cops are questioning him, being snarky about what he's previously said and offering them some wine that I am honestly surprised they don't think he had anything to do with Katrina's death.

Jessica leaving Amy to run right back to Jonathan is fucked up. Even if Lila stays with her, Lila's not the most nurturing person on the planet and while Jessica's not that much better, it's still rude.

Speaking of Amy, I totally buy her going full on vigilante. But I do not buy her boyfriend joining the mob at the end of the book. He's just... no.

Jonathan makes a big deal about Liz inviting him in, but dude was implied to have carried Jessica in after the killer party sooooooo...

How the fuck did the cops even think to look in/near Jonathan's secret cave (not a euphemism) for blood that they could test to match the victims? How?

Jessica flips her shit over the idea of never seeing Jonathan again and is even going so far as to damn near tear her hair out of her head and Alice backpeddles on the ban enough to invite him for dinner. Ma'am, your daughter just threw a goddamn tantrum that seems like something one of the addicts would do when denied something. Maybe don't give in to that shit? And then she manages to con them into letting her borrow the credit card to go shopping. I don't normally come down that hard on the Wakefields for shitty parenting because the story's gotta happen but this? This is extra shitty. This is the kind of shitty Lila's father wouldn't even do at the start of the series and his whole thing was being a terrible parent.

It's weird that Enid's previous stint in the hospital wasn't brought up, nor was the fact that Liz should already know to talk to someone in a coma, even if she was the coma patient in question before.

I absolutely hate Liz running off to incite a goddamn riot when Enid says Jonathan's name in the hospital. She knows the girl is obsessed with him and that there's likely a very good, non-attack reason she'd mention him, but she's still so sure she's right that she doesn't even stop to think it through, even when she's confronted with logic. Just nope, I'm right and let the facts be damned. First she runs to Jessica and that goes as well as expected. Then Maria who brings more logic, then the cops who prove they couldn't solve a case in this town if they tried, annnnnnnnnnnd then the angry mob. Oof.

With all that being said, there are moments in this book/arc that I like. I love the little moments of Enid and Jessica simmering under the surface of Jonathan's hypnotic attraction and Jessica's childlike heartbreak when she asks, "why did he have to go away?" at the end. Amy is really well done here, all things considered, and the aftermath for Katrina's family is handled fairly well for SVH, especially the history between Amy/Maria/Liz and how in times of crisis, time melts away and your heart just breaks for an old friend.
It's just that this feels like someone either cut a lot of stuff out or never fully fleshed the outline out beyond the barest sketch and this arc kind of needed it.

Finally, I am most disappointed that Jessica didn't throw it in Elizabeth's face that Liz was the one who dated the nutjob in England who thought he was a goddamn werewolf who went around tearing people (and animals) to bits. You reference just about everything else, ghosty, why not that?

[EuroHackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Or the one in which the ghostie fails to stick the landing.

At the end of the last book, we have Tragically Dead Teenager #3, who just happens to be SVH-adjacent, being a cousin of Amy Sutton. Katrina Sutton is found dead at a party being thrown at Jonathan Cain's crumbling mansion. There's a curfew in place, so things Get Real really fast after the police are called to report the dead girl.

Everyone is super-upset now that the killings have hit (relatively) close to home. Well, mostly. Pathetic Enid actually sticks around to clean up the party after the cops question everybody, and Jessica returns from hysterical Amy's house to fall back into Jonathan's arms because she just can't stay away.

Everyone gets another day off school to attend the funeral, at which Olivia is taking pictures for a special edition of the school paper (yikes!). Liz is cosying up to Todd in her grief. Enid stays behind at the cemetery after the services are over and is attacked by our serial killer. She's left for dead, but is rescued by Jonathan just in time to be taken to the hospital and put on life support. Liz is beside herself with grief (somehow it was her fault that Enid stayed behind and was attacked? IDK), so when Enid briefly wakes up and says Jonathan's name, she takes off on a rampage, determined to make a complete ass of herself by declaring that Jonathan is the serial killer.

Oh, Liz. You are completely nuts and you continue to be completely nuts for the rest of this book. I'm pretty happy that Maria called her on her shit for a good portion of it, only to lose the SV brain cell near the end when she does some research ~on the Internets!~ about vampires and becomes convinced herself. Jonathan never eats! He's not in any of the pictures from the funeral! He's deathly pale! He must be a centuries-old bloodsucking serial killer!

Jessica doesn't believe a word of it (of course), but she's also getting pretty pathetic with the hold Jonathan has over her. She breaks curfew again to be with him, and is roundly punished (though she ignores this). She decides that she wants to run away and be with him and him alone, forever, and he basically does nothing to discourage her.

There is definitely some weird shit going on with Jonathan, but it's like the ghostie couldn't decide how committed they wanted to be to the supernatural stuff, so in the end, they kinda half-assed it and it REALLY didn't work. There are a couple of random flashbacks to his(?) past life. He starts to tell Jessica some long story about Prussia but Jessica is feeling pretty groovy and doesn't listen. Enid has a coma vision about him at a family funeral. In the end, he walks off into the ocean and turns into a crow or something? WTAF. Either go all in, or don't bother, ghostie.

Meanwhile, Liz is trying to find someone older and wiser to give her advice during Jessica's shenanigans. She decides this person is Joey because he's in college, but of course Joey blows her off. My question is - what happened to Steven?? He does not even make one iota of an appearance in this arc, not even after we're told that the Wakefield siblings stick together! GAH, WTF ghostie?!

The other WTFery was the fact that the SVHers decide that since the cops haven't arrested the serial killer in the two weeks that have passed since One of Their (Near) Own died, they need to take matters into their own hands. A bunch of high school kids have a better chance against a serial killer than trained LEOs? I mean, REALLY?! And the fact that Liz starts spouting her vampire theory and whips them up into an unreasonable mob (including Winston and Lila and dear, sweet AJ Morgan - I mean, how?!?!?!?!) and then suddenly realizes that oh, maybe she shouldn't have done that?! My eyes rolled so hard I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head.

But the WORST PART OF ALL - yes, even worse than Jonathan-the-crow-man; the SVH bully mob who two arcs ago killed someone in a gang war themselves, and Liz's vampire theory held together with chewing gum and chicken wire - IS THAT THE MURDERS ARE NEVER SOLVED. The book ends without any resolution to any of the Tragically Dead Teenagers' deaths, or the attack on Enid, and...no one cares? Liz and Todd are busy kissing and making up, Jessica is staring at her burned finger where Jonathan's ring once resided, and....that's the end. There's a blurb for The Fowlers of Sweet Valley, and finis.

So for all we know there's still a serial killer out there, stalking the non-SVH teenagers now, 30 years later, all because this ghostie couldn't wrap that shit up.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the cover just not the story.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a weird spot to jump into the Sweet Valley High series but I'm all caught up on the Double Love podcast and wanted to see how this all wrapped up and was too impatient to wait for the next episode!

The kindle edition formatting is certainly a choice, we just swap between povs when we want I guess :D. Or maybe it's like that in the physical books too? I hope not.

Anyways as someone who has never read a SVH book before but has listenened to hours and hours of a podcast covering these books, I find that the books are much more entertaining when presented to me via podcast than to actually read them myself, so not sure I'll keep on with them. But it was fun to read one atleast!

[Sarah Baines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jessica is the super annoying one in this one. Mind you can you imagine their arguments in years to come:-
Liz to Jess "You have lousy taste in men and you always have. They've pretty much all been wronguns"
Jess to Liz "What about you? You were in love with a werewolf ffs"
Liz to Jess "Who?? Oh him what was his name again?? Luke?? Anyway what about you?? YOU dated a vampire and you were gonna run away with him!!"
Jess runs off crying "You just don't understand and you never have" throws herself on her bed sobbing.

[Chrissy Hale · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love these books as a teenager. As an adult I thought I would reread them. Now I am questioning my life choices. Lol. I have no idea why I loved this book series so many years ago. I couldn’t wait to get through this book.

[Carla Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lila is a queen

Honestly the best parts of the book is when Liz is shocked that everyone laughs at her for thinking that Jonathan is a vampire and lilas statement when she learns enid is in the icu.

[LC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a weird strange ending to the trilogy. I found myself wondering towards the end if there was another special book after this. Definitely ended on this book for the best. I needed my kick on some sweet valley reads and after this book it ends here (for now)

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the thrilling books of the Sweet Valley High series, it's very mysterious and I loved it! I really like the Sweet Valley High series, but this one is extra dark.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I didn’t see that coming!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing ending to a weird but intriguing plot line.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

what an absolute let down of an ending to this very stupid plot line.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica has the worst luck ever with guys...

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really shocked me. The subject seemed so mature because Jessica really put herself in danger, but I really enjoyed it and I thought about it for a long time afterward.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe that instead of the twist I was expecting the big reveal here was AN ACTUAL VAMPIRE lmao this series is perfect

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me feel literally insane while reading it, so I guess kudos to the ghostwriter for capturing both twins' UTTER LUNACY.