R.L Stine is back at it again with Fear Street

If you're the person that is already prepping for Halloween, then this book is for you. I’m aware that we’ve got a couple of months until Halloween, but as true Halloween people know the holiday starts way, way before October. Now, lucky for us, R.L Stine has us covered. The author just released a new book this June from his revived Fear Street collection, and I have to admit, it’s quite good.

In his novel You May Now Kill the Bride the year is 1923, and Rebecca and Ruth-Ann are two sisters that couldn’t be more different from each other. Rebecca, the family favorite has everything going for her. Her younger sister, Ruth-Ann is the typical black sheep. However, despite the tension rising between the two sisters neither of them could have foretold the ominous future that awaited them. Decades later, Marissa and Harmony, descendants of Rebecca and Ruth-Ann, have space between them that neither sister can find a way to close. Will history repeat itself or can Harmony figure out that black magic and family feuds don’t mix?

The Fear Street novels are relatively new to me. I'm more familiar with its sister novelette series, Goosebumps. Now, for anyone else who hasn't read the Fear Street series here's the rundown: The Fear Street novels are an older and longer series, dating back to 1989 (the first Goosebumps book was published in 1993). The Fear Street series was just recently revived in 2014, the first book of the revival series being Party Games. Back in the late 80's, R.L Stine used to publish 12 Fear Street books a year! I'm a bit late catching this train, but they say books are timeless for a reason.

The novel is compelling from the beginning, getting your attention from the start with a bit of suspense and even a cliffhanger in the first chapter. The behavior, the slang, and the character description of the roaring 20's had me captivated. The dark undertone in setting had sent a chill down my back, and I found myself really appreciating the drama and the tension that R.L Stine created between the Fear sisters.

Later on, the novel transitions from the year 1924 into the current time period, and while that all in itself is interesting it’s not quite as enthralling as the first 30% of the novel is. Harmony is the current version of her ancestor Ruth-Ann, however, I found her character to be slightly annoying and the reasons for her actions to be petty at best.

My overall opinion is that this book is money and time well spent. The novel was riveting and at times, humorous. The book is definitely meant for teens. Although I can't see it being used for anything else but a pleasant read. I have learned that the book is not yet available at local public libraries (i.e. Solon Public Library, Aurora Public Library) However, it can be bought at Barnes & Noble for $8.95 and Amazon Kindle for $9.99. I don’t know about everyone, but I always seem to have trouble on finding a book on keeping me entertained. If you’re someone who wants to read something but doesn’t know what this would be high on my recommendations list.