What do you think?
The Peephole
The FrightVision series continues with the ninth book—The Peephole.
Matty and Tom are best friends, destined to be future astronauts exploring the universe together … until the unthinkable happens. A tragedy tears the two apart, leaving Matty desperate to find his best friend.
Matty is led to the one place where Tom might be—an old, abandoned cabin in the woods where the two spent a lot of time. That is where Matty finds the peephole.
Appearing out of nowhere, the peephole leads Matty on the ultimate adventure of his lifetime, one that will leave him with the biggest choice he has ever had to make… stay or go?
---------
Ready for more nightmares? At the end of The Peephole, check out a FrightVision short written by one of our readers!
Matty and Tom are best friends, destined to be future astronauts exploring the universe together … until the unthinkable happens. A tragedy tears the two apart, leaving Matty desperate to find his best friend.
Matty is led to the one place where Tom might be—an old, abandoned cabin in the woods where the two spent a lot of time. That is where Matty finds the peephole.
Appearing out of nowhere, the peephole leads Matty on the ultimate adventure of his lifetime, one that will leave him with the biggest choice he has ever had to make… stay or go?
---------
Ready for more nightmares? At the end of The Peephole, check out a FrightVision short written by one of our readers!
121 pages, Paperback
Published March 25, 2021
About the author
Culliver Crantz
18 books33 followersAward-winning author Culliver Crantz has a unique perspective on storytelling. Born from a chance encounter with a cursed set of screws, Culliver's imagination runs wild with spooky thrills and nightmares. With each turn of the page, he invites readers to delve into the unknown depths of his mind and experience the eerie tales he's crafted. Join Culliver on a journey of the macabre, where anything is possible and nightmares come to life.
Let the adventures begin!
Let the adventures begin!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 25, 2021
It's no secret in our house hold how much we LOVE the FRIGHTVISION series.
The Peephole was no different! My oldest and I enjoy reading these spooky middle-grade stories during our morning and afternoon commutes. However, my youngest can't help but also get completed engulfed in the story and always asks for more.
I do believe The Peephole was the first book in the series that touched on some harder topics, but it was done so well, very respectful and really brought the whole story together but bringing that emotion forward.
If you have young readers in our household, or you yourself enjoy middle grade I would highly recommend this series!
Aside from the books themselves, FRIGHTVISION is an all around incredible company. Culliver Crantz is always looking for ways to get his readers involved. Holding writing contests (where the winners piece is publishing at the back of the next story), hosting a month long virtual Halloween event, etc. Definitely a middle-grade book series to support.
Thank you all for reading!
Happy Nightmares!
Nichi
The Peephole was no different! My oldest and I enjoy reading these spooky middle-grade stories during our morning and afternoon commutes. However, my youngest can't help but also get completed engulfed in the story and always asks for more.
I do believe The Peephole was the first book in the series that touched on some harder topics, but it was done so well, very respectful and really brought the whole story together but bringing that emotion forward.
If you have young readers in our household, or you yourself enjoy middle grade I would highly recommend this series!
Aside from the books themselves, FRIGHTVISION is an all around incredible company. Culliver Crantz is always looking for ways to get his readers involved. Holding writing contests (where the winners piece is publishing at the back of the next story), hosting a month long virtual Halloween event, etc. Definitely a middle-grade book series to support.
Thank you all for reading!
Happy Nightmares!
Nichi
June 29, 2021
So I ended up being offered a Kindle Unlimited free trial, and am taking advantage of it. That means other things are on hold for a bit as I do housekeeping of stuff I want to get to. Not a ton this time though.
Last time, I covered a Fright Vision, one of the more notable of the Goosebumps throwback series. It had a big push behind it alone and I had to get to it. Framed For Life was really good so I had to do another. I decided to do the newest one from this year based on how the summary made it sound. And especially after going through the preview.
Framed For Life showed a willing-ness to get a bit darker and tougher and boy did this keep that up. I said that one went into Ghost Next Door/The Howler territory and this one in more so. Man was it something, and it was really effective.
Matty and his friend Tom are very tight, bonding over their love of space and wanting to explore the stars together. But one tragic strikes, and Tom dies. Matty has a hard time dealing with this and goes out to a cabin they used to hang out in, hoping maybe he may sense him out there somewhere. There he finds a peephole that takes him to this weird purgatory where he has to help a spirit move on. And maybe along the well this help with his feelings as well.
Yeah, this one gets heavy. The set up is the same as The Howler but gets deeper into the themes and is more weirdly meta physical about it. I will say this wasn't free of flaws. It's short which I like but it can be a tad rushed. There's not much character description early, and I wished it eased itself into things a bit slower. We get enough given what the story is doing but still.
The ending is a tad abrupt, we get a good payoff to the main arc but I wanted a tad more of an epilogue, and instead it's a bit abrupt and what I think was an attempt at a twist. Also, there's a sort of forced villain. They do represent something in the story and I think it needed that, but it could have been done better. Despite some rushed stuff, the core is really solid.
It feels fairly dour, as you'd expect with the subject matter. It still has its happy moments with the flashbacks we get of the friends and all that. But especially for something like this, it's an emotional one and that works. When we get to the weird purgatory realm, it gets kind of meta physical and it captures that feel well.
It didn't go in the main direction I expected, with the spirit Matty helps. What we get with him just adds to the tragedy of this and one twist really hits like a truck. ...That may be in poor taste given how Tom dies. But yeah, that works. Honestly, I did get emotional at points for the gravity of what they do here.
These themes aren't uncommon per say, but given this is, it's effective in what it does. It effectively touches on grief and how while it is totally unfair that certain things happen, you can't dwell on it all the time and at some point you must move on. This got me thinking a bit more than usual for these, and that's something to applaud.
It can be rushed in some ways, so I can't say it's amazing and perfect. It's another closer to Very Good for those little things. But the core of it is still very good, touching on a tough subject matter in a good way, that should be good for the audience. It's an emotional read and it pulled that off well.
Man, this series is something else. I doubt the rest are quite like this, but it does show how could it can be. Mad respect, Culliver Crantz. But yeah, after this, I need something lighter, geez. Doubt this weeks Animorphs will bring that though lol. Anyway, next week, doing a blog review so no room for an extra book but after that, I got another recent series to get through and as the title says, it should leave me shook.
That is all.
Last time, I covered a Fright Vision, one of the more notable of the Goosebumps throwback series. It had a big push behind it alone and I had to get to it. Framed For Life was really good so I had to do another. I decided to do the newest one from this year based on how the summary made it sound. And especially after going through the preview.
Framed For Life showed a willing-ness to get a bit darker and tougher and boy did this keep that up. I said that one went into Ghost Next Door/The Howler territory and this one in more so. Man was it something, and it was really effective.
Matty and his friend Tom are very tight, bonding over their love of space and wanting to explore the stars together. But one tragic strikes, and Tom dies. Matty has a hard time dealing with this and goes out to a cabin they used to hang out in, hoping maybe he may sense him out there somewhere. There he finds a peephole that takes him to this weird purgatory where he has to help a spirit move on. And maybe along the well this help with his feelings as well.
Yeah, this one gets heavy. The set up is the same as The Howler but gets deeper into the themes and is more weirdly meta physical about it. I will say this wasn't free of flaws. It's short which I like but it can be a tad rushed. There's not much character description early, and I wished it eased itself into things a bit slower. We get enough given what the story is doing but still.
The ending is a tad abrupt, we get a good payoff to the main arc but I wanted a tad more of an epilogue, and instead it's a bit abrupt and what I think was an attempt at a twist. Also, there's a sort of forced villain. They do represent something in the story and I think it needed that, but it could have been done better. Despite some rushed stuff, the core is really solid.
It feels fairly dour, as you'd expect with the subject matter. It still has its happy moments with the flashbacks we get of the friends and all that. But especially for something like this, it's an emotional one and that works. When we get to the weird purgatory realm, it gets kind of meta physical and it captures that feel well.
It didn't go in the main direction I expected, with the spirit Matty helps. What we get with him just adds to the tragedy of this and one twist really hits like a truck. ...That may be in poor taste given how Tom dies. But yeah, that works. Honestly, I did get emotional at points for the gravity of what they do here.
These themes aren't uncommon per say, but given this is, it's effective in what it does. It effectively touches on grief and how while it is totally unfair that certain things happen, you can't dwell on it all the time and at some point you must move on. This got me thinking a bit more than usual for these, and that's something to applaud.
It can be rushed in some ways, so I can't say it's amazing and perfect. It's another closer to Very Good for those little things. But the core of it is still very good, touching on a tough subject matter in a good way, that should be good for the audience. It's an emotional read and it pulled that off well.
Man, this series is something else. I doubt the rest are quite like this, but it does show how could it can be. Mad respect, Culliver Crantz. But yeah, after this, I need something lighter, geez. Doubt this weeks Animorphs will bring that though lol. Anyway, next week, doing a blog review so no room for an extra book but after that, I got another recent series to get through and as the title says, it should leave me shook.
That is all.
November 10, 2021
Thank you to author Culliver Crantz for providing me FrightVision #9, THE PEEPHOLE.
It’s getting harder to post my FrightVision reviews since my nine-year-old daughter discovered them. This Goosebumps read-alike is the subject of her November book report.
Matty and Tom are best friends, who had big plans to be astronauts together – until a selfish driver kills Tom.
Understandably out of his mind with grief (in a way that will deeply resonate with bereaved children), Matty runs away to their hideout in the woods… where a mysterious peephole may lead him to a path to reunite with his friend.
But does he want to?
Loved
THE PEEPHOLE addresses every bereaved child’s fantasy: That there is somehow a way to be with your lost loved one again, or to bring them back. While maintaining the spooky, fast-paced vibe, Crantz debunks that narrative with a gentle firmness that kids need.
Tom’s afterlife has no religious tie-ins, making this book more inclusive and (rare spoiler) leaving Matty with a path to find peace after his loss.
Ends on a creepy note of dread – I’m really hoping this one has a sequel.
Caveat
TW: Main character Matty loses his best friend to a careless driver; the story opens right after his funeral.
While I don’t do spoilers… let’s just say the driver is put into morally gray territory. If Matty’s death hits too close to home for a reader, this plot twist may sit uncomfortably.
Verdict
This book tugged my heartstrings as an “adult bereaved child” (with his anniversary in a few days) and it is the strongest of the FrightVision series. However, it is the heaviest emotionally. It’s a powerful and necessary meditation on loss and morality that would be good education for a middle-grade reader – just be prepared for your children to ask you questions after reading.
Bonus
This volume ends with the truly creepy short story Just the Two of Us, by twelve-year-old Jasmine Robinson of Mount Dora, FL. It’s obvious why this talented young lady won the FrightVision Writing Contest for Kids.
In a day and age where books struggle to compete with mind-numbing video games, authors who work to engage their young readers’ creativity are to be commended.
It’s getting harder to post my FrightVision reviews since my nine-year-old daughter discovered them. This Goosebumps read-alike is the subject of her November book report.
Matty and Tom are best friends, who had big plans to be astronauts together – until a selfish driver kills Tom.
Understandably out of his mind with grief (in a way that will deeply resonate with bereaved children), Matty runs away to their hideout in the woods… where a mysterious peephole may lead him to a path to reunite with his friend.
But does he want to?
Loved
THE PEEPHOLE addresses every bereaved child’s fantasy: That there is somehow a way to be with your lost loved one again, or to bring them back. While maintaining the spooky, fast-paced vibe, Crantz debunks that narrative with a gentle firmness that kids need.
Tom’s afterlife has no religious tie-ins, making this book more inclusive and (rare spoiler) leaving Matty with a path to find peace after his loss.
Ends on a creepy note of dread – I’m really hoping this one has a sequel.
Caveat
TW: Main character Matty loses his best friend to a careless driver; the story opens right after his funeral.
While I don’t do spoilers… let’s just say the driver is put into morally gray territory. If Matty’s death hits too close to home for a reader, this plot twist may sit uncomfortably.
Verdict
This book tugged my heartstrings as an “adult bereaved child” (with his anniversary in a few days) and it is the strongest of the FrightVision series. However, it is the heaviest emotionally. It’s a powerful and necessary meditation on loss and morality that would be good education for a middle-grade reader – just be prepared for your children to ask you questions after reading.
Bonus
This volume ends with the truly creepy short story Just the Two of Us, by twelve-year-old Jasmine Robinson of Mount Dora, FL. It’s obvious why this talented young lady won the FrightVision Writing Contest for Kids.
In a day and age where books struggle to compete with mind-numbing video games, authors who work to engage their young readers’ creativity are to be commended.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews