A Man With An Agenda

Deadlands Square: Sandy Hollow is still overrun with vampires who exist to tell us that girls can't be friends and that Stine invented the whiney undead.

Overall this is a pretty limp sequel to 'Goodnight Kiss', which wasn't that impressive to begin with. Stine has gone on the record saying he hates bothering with continuity and likes a clean slate and it shows. A lot of rumors circulate around Sandy Hollow and 'Vampire Island', but no one talks about events of the last book except for April. It might have been interesting to get a broader picture of this weird vampire colony that chooses to live and hunt in a seasonal beach community. Is the nectar better?

Also, the Shadyside connection is pretty slender, with April and some guy named Rick showing up, otherwise the main characters are from Holcomb, a town that nobody cares about. 

The plot is simple: Billy has returned to town for REVENGE. Last summer his girlfriend Joelle was killed by a vampire and, he confesses to his friends, he had to spend the whole school year in an institution because of it. His friends think he's working a summer job, but he's really on the look-out for vampires to slay. The problem is he's really, really bad at spotting vampires. Us readers know the vampires from the beginning (or DO We?!), but Billy has zero instincts on this point. There's also some major plot holes that I can't discuss without spoiling the shocking twist of it all. Let's just say that none of the characters in this book are burdened with good instincts.

The typical abusive relationship patterns are present here, but this time its only the women who are the problem. R.L. Stine: Feminist. Vampires Irene and Kylie are crazy possessive, demanding, and are nasty to each other about their looks - that's what good friends are like on Fear Street, I mean Sandy Hollow.

There is a twist to the book, but logically it makes no sense even for a 'Fear Street' novel. Also, the plot hinges on a bet between the vampires about who can turn a teen into a vampire first...which...is exactly what the plot was last time. Way past lame, Stine. Way past.

Fear Street Super Chillers

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