#teen horror
Prom Dress is easily one of the better Point Horror books I’ve read so far. I really enjoyed the way that the story followed the dress rather than a single character. I’m not typically a fan of that style of story, where I have to jump to a new character right as I’m starting to get invested. But that wasn’t the case here. Each of the girls felt real; the way that the dress played on their unique insecurities made for a great variety of horror. I liked the way that each girl experienced it differently. Figuring out what havoc the dress would cause next was exciting and unpredictable. I had some issues with the climactic ending, but not enough to ruin the overall experience for me. I couldn’t help but find myself wanting to write a present-day rendition where a cursed dress gets passed along to different drag queens. Maybe I’ve been watching too much Drag Race. Regardless, Prom Dress was a surprisingly fun read.
Score: 4.5
My full review and recap with plenty of memes, snarl, and spoilers can be found on my blog:
The Stepsister was a twisted one. I figured out the big plot twist about a third of the way in, but I still enjoyed seeing it unravel. I think part of that is just me getting better at Stine’s particular use of misdirection in these books. Regardless, this was a solid psychological horror story. Emily was made to feel like she was losing her mind piece by piece. Looking back after finishing the book, this was probably the most unsettling bit of the whole book. There’s also a lot of high school drama and some believable (but also frustrating) clueless parenting. Even when I didn’t like the characters, they were all (mostly) very believable. I had a few issues with how the actual ending unfolded, but overall this was one of the better Fear Street books. I’m very curious to see how this will be brought back as a sequel.
Score: 4
For a deeper dive filled with memes, snark, and spoilers, you can read it on my blog:
https://www.danstalter.com/the-stepsister/
Katharine Isabelle / GINGER SNAPS(John Fawcett, 2000)