Information:
- Author: Sara Farizan
- Genre: Horror
- Page count: 272
- Year published: 2022
Read This If You Like:
- Stranger Things/Gravity Falls vibes
- 90s references
- Queer representation
- Really creative plotlines
- Arcade games
- Multi-POV
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Cori, Maz, and Sam were once close friends who connected over arcade games and Halloween. But one Halloween night, Sam disappeared suddenly. Now it’s 1992, the police have ditched their investigation on Sam, and Cori and Maz aren’t speaking due to their clashing theories on Sam’s disappearance. But then Sam returns suddenly, yet he didn’t age and is still 12 while Cori and Maz are 17. The teens soon find themselves thrown back into the mystery, but discover that there’s more than dark secrets, but also supernatural forces involved.
Review/Opinions
This was one of the more creative horror novels I have found. I adored the 90s setting- it is always fun to see some other time periods other than current times in YA, and the 80s-90s era is among my favorite decades to see referenced, mostly due to the pop culture references. And I was satisfied by the fact that there were plenty of throwbacks to the decade, including many in the first chapter.
The characters were well-thought out and developed. I was a fan of Cori’s character the most- she was established as the popular girl and princess, but hid a love of horror movies and the fact that she’s a lesbian, which added some nice lgbtq+ representation. I do wish this representation was expanded a bit more, as despite the fact that she has a secret girlfriend who appears as a side character throughout the novel, Cori doesn’t take any steps toward revealing her identity toward others or faces any real challenge over it despite her internal conflict. Sam’s character was one that I didn’t really like- I get that he is younger than the other main characters, but he was written more like a 9 year old character than a 12 year old- he seemed a little immature and annoying for his age. At least it was made up for using [REDACTED SPOILER].
The horror aspects were also thought out and developed. This novel felt like one of those cheesy teen halloween movies- the kinds with the really creative plotlines. The main “villain” of the story was something that no YA novel has attempted before, and was perfect given the 90s setting. It does take some time for the true horror to settle in- the start of the book is mostly character development. But then the book becomes a joyride and there were so many twists.
Overall, I recommend this story for anyone wanting a quick, fast paced horror novel. It has a beautifully developed 90s setting and a creative plot.
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