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Class Trip II
Becoming lost in an isolated mountain town, Hallie and her friends are charmed by Holyoake's old-fashioned customs and friendly ways until they realize that the people there have no intention of letting them leave. Original.
- GenresHorrorYoung Adult
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 25, 2021
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this WAY more than the first book (though it’s completely unrelated apart from the title) but it was still meh. The characters had no personalities, which is par for the course in these 80s/90s YA horrors, so I’d already accepted that.
But I would have enjoyed this book a lot more had the prologue not been included. Why spoil the tension? Even though Hallie and Adam were idiots and couldn’t piece the most obvious things together, I’d have liked the tiniest bit more guessing. It’s like Stephen King and the bloody Shining. Completely ruined the tension by telling you everything that’s going to happen.
Still, I liked the creepy town vibe, and the getting lost, and the Pagan rituals. I had fun, and what more can you really wish for?
I enjoyed this WAY more than the first book (though it’s completely unrelated apart from the title) but it was still meh. The characters had no personalities, which is par for the course in these 80s/90s YA horrors, so I’d already accepted that.
But I would have enjoyed this book a lot more had the prologue not been included. Why spoil the tension? Even though Hallie and Adam were idiots and couldn’t piece the most obvious things together, I’d have liked the tiniest bit more guessing. It’s like Stephen King and the bloody Shining. Completely ruined the tension by telling you everything that’s going to happen.
Still, I liked the creepy town vibe, and the getting lost, and the Pagan rituals. I had fun, and what more can you really wish for?
April 15, 2015
As you can tell by the description, nothing is carried out from the first book, making this a non-sequel as the main characters from first book or even the reference to the first book is referenced however. Despite so, I really enjoyed this book more than the first book.
The setting has engrossing details, making it easy to picture and understandable for me to be interested in its background and the whole characters being isolated from civilization and stuck with sinister town keeps me at suspense as well.
The main character, Hallie. is okay. She's a pretty cautious girl so at least she isn't ditzy and makes some good decisions so I like her.
Simon was interesting due to his background and his attitude and I wish he had appeared more so his character development is shown more.
The only con is that it's a pretty straightforward plot. No twists but just about characters fighting for survival and the background of the village is more typical horror genre village having gruesome custom.
You can skip the first book and get your hands book on this only but if you want to read some suspense no matter what, this is a good start.
The setting has engrossing details, making it easy to picture and understandable for me to be interested in its background and the whole characters being isolated from civilization and stuck with sinister town keeps me at suspense as well.
The main character, Hallie. is okay. She's a pretty cautious girl so at least she isn't ditzy and makes some good decisions so I like her.
Simon was interesting due to his background and his attitude and I wish he had appeared more so his character development is shown more.
The only con is that it's a pretty straightforward plot. No twists but just about characters fighting for survival and the background of the village is more typical horror genre village having gruesome custom.
You can skip the first book and get your hands book on this only but if you want to read some suspense no matter what, this is a good start.
May 11, 2025
A reprint I got from Amazon as I could not find an original on Thriftbooks for a decent price.
I believe that Rice did not intend this to be an actual sequel to Class Trip. There is no connection between characters or setting and there is only a tiny mention of anything school related.
The vibe of the story is also completely different as there are no bitchy teen girls, jerk jocks, cat fights or any deaths actually if you were expecting more of that teen slasher goodness. However, if you are a fan of horror along the lines of The Wicker Man film from the 1970s this will be more to your liking.
There are only four teenage characters.
Hallie is riding with her bestie Becky and Becky's boyfriend Adam in Adam's van on their way to join their teacher and classmates to perform Shakespeare at a Renaissance Faire for a class project.
Hallie did not want to ride on the school bus because she was just dumped by her own boyfriend and did not want to spend the whole trip watching him with his new girlfriend so I can completely understand. Yet Hallie finds herself a third wheel and feeling a little sour because Adam is not a jerk towards Becky for having Hallie tagalong.
The trio get lost and soon Adam's van is out of commission just as they receive directions to the nearest town from a passing motorist. Holyoake is more like a village cut off from the outside world where there are only a handful of cars, no television but some electricity to power phones.
Yet right now the phones do not work.
Becky is a person into historical and old-fashioned traditions and is charmed by the town and loves the home of the woman providing them rooms while the town fire chief and mechanic tries to repair Adam's van. Mrs. Grisby's teenage nephew Simon does not seem pleased to have the three of them here despite being very handsome.
Everyone in this small village is blonde, pale and blue-eyed except for Simon with his dark black hair and tanned skin. There are a few redheads but all of the people in Holyoake seem stunned by Becky's fiery hair compared to the dull carrot color of the locals.
Hallie notices that there are no babies and very few toddlers, the children no older than ten and almost sickly.
Here in the idyllic town of Holyoake they are about to have a spring festival on the first of May and they have only one reason to entertain Hallie and her friends...a sinister one.
The first chapter of the book spoils everything that is going to happen, so it is no shock. The process of how we will get there, and the resolution is more or less what drives the plot to its conclusion.
There really are no twists or swerves but we get a little backstory and exposition.
The ending?
If you have not read Class Trip II and wish to do so, I'll just keep that as my own little secret for you to discover on your own.
Good? Bad? Or just plain meh?
I believe that Rice did not intend this to be an actual sequel to Class Trip. There is no connection between characters or setting and there is only a tiny mention of anything school related.
The vibe of the story is also completely different as there are no bitchy teen girls, jerk jocks, cat fights or any deaths actually if you were expecting more of that teen slasher goodness. However, if you are a fan of horror along the lines of The Wicker Man film from the 1970s this will be more to your liking.
There are only four teenage characters.
Hallie is riding with her bestie Becky and Becky's boyfriend Adam in Adam's van on their way to join their teacher and classmates to perform Shakespeare at a Renaissance Faire for a class project.
Hallie did not want to ride on the school bus because she was just dumped by her own boyfriend and did not want to spend the whole trip watching him with his new girlfriend so I can completely understand. Yet Hallie finds herself a third wheel and feeling a little sour because Adam is not a jerk towards Becky for having Hallie tagalong.
The trio get lost and soon Adam's van is out of commission just as they receive directions to the nearest town from a passing motorist. Holyoake is more like a village cut off from the outside world where there are only a handful of cars, no television but some electricity to power phones.
Yet right now the phones do not work.
Becky is a person into historical and old-fashioned traditions and is charmed by the town and loves the home of the woman providing them rooms while the town fire chief and mechanic tries to repair Adam's van. Mrs. Grisby's teenage nephew Simon does not seem pleased to have the three of them here despite being very handsome.
Everyone in this small village is blonde, pale and blue-eyed except for Simon with his dark black hair and tanned skin. There are a few redheads but all of the people in Holyoake seem stunned by Becky's fiery hair compared to the dull carrot color of the locals.
Hallie notices that there are no babies and very few toddlers, the children no older than ten and almost sickly.
Here in the idyllic town of Holyoake they are about to have a spring festival on the first of May and they have only one reason to entertain Hallie and her friends...a sinister one.
The first chapter of the book spoils everything that is going to happen, so it is no shock. The process of how we will get there, and the resolution is more or less what drives the plot to its conclusion.
There really are no twists or swerves but we get a little backstory and exposition.
The ending?
If you have not read Class Trip II and wish to do so, I'll just keep that as my own little secret for you to discover on your own.
Good? Bad? Or just plain meh?
September 20, 2024
Not a direct sequel to Class Trip fyi—you can read it without having read the first one.
(Good, because…I don’t remember what happened in that one and I’m actually not sure why this didn’t just get a completely new title, because they’re unrelated in just about every way)
This one is a slow burn and it’s not cRaZy like some other YA horrors from this period, but I like that it’s more subtle with the scares. Sometimes it’s the things that are a bit off that are more disturbing once you take a closer look.
Hallie and her friends get stuck in a remote village and immediately notice things are a bit…strange in the area. Everyone looks the same. Some of the residents are acting hostile towards them.
But hey, the town festival is coming up and they’ve chosen Hallie’s friend Becky to be the Mayqueen.
Should be fun…right?
I got light Midsommar vibes from this one, so if you’re into creepy small towns with deadly secrets, this one’s for you.
(Good, because…I don’t remember what happened in that one and I’m actually not sure why this didn’t just get a completely new title, because they’re unrelated in just about every way)
This one is a slow burn and it’s not cRaZy like some other YA horrors from this period, but I like that it’s more subtle with the scares. Sometimes it’s the things that are a bit off that are more disturbing once you take a closer look.
Hallie and her friends get stuck in a remote village and immediately notice things are a bit…strange in the area. Everyone looks the same. Some of the residents are acting hostile towards them.
But hey, the town festival is coming up and they’ve chosen Hallie’s friend Becky to be the Mayqueen.
Should be fun…right?
I got light Midsommar vibes from this one, so if you’re into creepy small towns with deadly secrets, this one’s for you.
December 26, 2022
“What a day! Lost in the mountains. And then stumbling upon this strange little village.”
“This village is like a prison. To try to leave, or to betray our secrets, brings an automatic death sentence. You’re going to have to escape on foot, over the mountain.”
“The bonfire. The bonefire. The sacrifice of the Fire Maiden.”
This was a fast paced enjoyable read. It was much different than the original Class Trip, but with different characters and a different storyline in the sequel, I think that was a wise decision. And while the first Class Trip was a nice whodunnit, this was more of a tension filled ride where you root for the main characters. I think the author did a nice job fleshing out the characters and the scenes. The only thing missing would have been a nice epilogue to wrap it all up.
“This village is like a prison. To try to leave, or to betray our secrets, brings an automatic death sentence. You’re going to have to escape on foot, over the mountain.”
“The bonfire. The bonefire. The sacrifice of the Fire Maiden.”
This was a fast paced enjoyable read. It was much different than the original Class Trip, but with different characters and a different storyline in the sequel, I think that was a wise decision. And while the first Class Trip was a nice whodunnit, this was more of a tension filled ride where you root for the main characters. I think the author did a nice job fleshing out the characters and the scenes. The only thing missing would have been a nice epilogue to wrap it all up.
July 14, 2022
Full review at: https://www.jackreacts.com.au/class-t...
Snippet: Another great book from Bebe Faas Rice! I missed the slasher aspect of the original and can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if there were more teens for Holyoake to axe one by one, but that’s just being picky. The plot was suspenseful and moved along nicely, although I feel like Hallie and Adam were willingly ignoring a lot of red flags and could have realised something was up a lot sooner...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
Snippet: Another great book from Bebe Faas Rice! I missed the slasher aspect of the original and can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if there were more teens for Holyoake to axe one by one, but that’s just being picky. The plot was suspenseful and moved along nicely, although I feel like Hallie and Adam were willingly ignoring a lot of red flags and could have realised something was up a lot sooner...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
June 5, 2022
I really enjoyed this. Being a little ahead of its time for the folk horror revival. Unrelated to the first and only a sequel by name. This is pretty much a Wicker Man styled reboot with a group of teens in the US.
May 26, 2019
Decent
A 90's YA take on a Wicker Man-esque story. Not the most thrilling read, but fun for what it is. If you have Kindle Unlimited give it a peak.
A 90's YA take on a Wicker Man-esque story. Not the most thrilling read, but fun for what it is. If you have Kindle Unlimited give it a peak.
March 20, 2020
Firered
It's been my favorite book since I was a kid.
I highly recommend it to all who seek a interesting can't put the book down
It's been my favorite book since I was a kid.
I highly recommend it to all who seek a interesting can't put the book down
June 10, 2023
I enjoyed it more than the first class trip.
April 27, 2024
It was so obvious from the start so there's no actual suspence and anticipation here. The ending was so abrupt and the romance came out of nowhere. I'm glad holyoake got what's coming for them.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews