As a kid I read a LOT of RL Stine. I started with Goosebumps, moved to Fear Street, then his stand-alone novels, and then, unfortunately, his adult novel.

And beyond the adult novel, “Superstitious” - which I seem to remember having VERY awkward sex scenes - this is the book I remember the best.

Because this book is bananas.

Not in a bad way. During this re-read, I have been less than hospitable to Stine and my own memories because a LOT of them don’t hold up but this is just as bananas and FUN as I remember.

The idea of coming home to your parents being missing is intriguing. As a teenager, you’re in that awkward stage where you know a lot of what’s going on and you know people should be listening to you and treating you seriously but everyone is hung up on the idea that you’re still a kid.

Because you are! Kind of! It’s an awkward time where you have zero power, aren’t treated seriously, but you aren’t oblivious like a younger kid would be. You see the threats, you know the danger, and you wish someone would listen to you.

It’s weird in the series. A protagonist kills a dog (weird in this series), two people die (also weird in the series), and this is before the CULT pops up. The cult that thinks America is on the wrong track and wants to use violence to take over the country and “Make America Great Again.”

Basically.

*shudder*

I never thought I’d say this, but RL Stine CALLED IT in a fuckin’ YA horror novel.

Y’all! Whodathunk?!

Also, there’s a lot of head-hopping between chapters with no chapter names to let you know who’s head you’re in and that slows you down as you figure it out. That’s the worst part of the book, though.

The rest is just a bananas, weird, fun time.

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