Scan barcode
paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
John Hall wrote a bunch of decent if unremarkable YA thrillers in the 90s - Homecoming Queen for the almighty Point imprint, and Dear Sister and The Cheerleaders for another publisher. Killer Christmas has a copyright date of 2017, but I am pretty certain this was written 20 years ago, ready to be published, probably right around the time the 90s teen horror craze practically died overnight, and unfortunately had to be stuck back in the bottom drawer of the desk.
The plot has Hope Novak fending off the attentions of ex-boyfriend Shane Culver, who she unknowingly started dating while he was still dating her best friend, Deirdre. Deirdre now hates her. Shane simply won't take no for an answer, displaying behaviour that would easily earn him a restraining order, but Hope simply shrugs her shoulders in frustration and keeps telling him to bugger off. But then Hope starts receiving threats, with Santa telling her she's a naughty girl for stealing boyfriends, and she's going to be punished...
This was fun, because it was set around the Christmas period, with the author at least trying to make the book feel as if it was set at Christmas (a lot of authors can't even get that bit right.) Also fun was the fact it indeed felt just like reading a 90s YA horror tale and its associated silliness and outdatedness. The girls talk about Shane all the time, and have bitchy attitudes towards girls they don't like. The mentions of iPods and DVDs were already out-of-date by 2017, and there's not an iPhone in sight. There's no way a girl today wouldn't get a restraining order pronto against Shane.
However, there's a fun sequence where Hope is chased by a Santa carrying an axe, and it builds to a terrifically cheesily entertaining climax, one of the better ones you'll see in this genre. Some quick light horror entertainment for Christmas Day, before all the relatives arrive and you're too full to move!
The plot has Hope Novak fending off the attentions of ex-boyfriend Shane Culver, who she unknowingly started dating while he was still dating her best friend, Deirdre. Deirdre now hates her. Shane simply won't take no for an answer, displaying behaviour that would easily earn him a restraining order, but Hope simply shrugs her shoulders in frustration and keeps telling him to bugger off. But then Hope starts receiving threats, with Santa telling her she's a naughty girl for stealing boyfriends, and she's going to be punished...
This was fun, because it was set around the Christmas period, with the author at least trying to make the book feel as if it was set at Christmas (a lot of authors can't even get that bit right.) Also fun was the fact it indeed felt just like reading a 90s YA horror tale and its associated silliness and outdatedness. The girls talk about Shane all the time, and have bitchy attitudes towards girls they don't like. The mentions of iPods and DVDs were already out-of-date by 2017, and there's not an iPhone in sight. There's no way a girl today wouldn't get a restraining order pronto against Shane.
However, there's a fun sequence where Hope is chased by a Santa carrying an axe, and it builds to a terrifically cheesily entertaining climax, one of the better ones you'll see in this genre. Some quick light horror entertainment for Christmas Day, before all the relatives arrive and you're too full to move!
erica_kennedy_horror's review against another edition
3.0
A classic whodunit?
This was a good book for a teen or adult looking to get into the slasher genre. Murder without a lot of blood and gore.
A nice pallette cleanser for me as I typically read horror that is far more gory. So if you're into chill and vanilla horror, I say give it a try!
This was a good book for a teen or adult looking to get into the slasher genre. Murder without a lot of blood and gore.
A nice pallette cleanser for me as I typically read horror that is far more gory. So if you're into chill and vanilla horror, I say give it a try!
belle_north's review
5.0
I really liked the other John Hall I read as part of Point Horror, and I loved this. So grisly! What a fun twist.
pastryghost's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Kate Clarke.
5 stars voice performance, the narrator really made a so-so thriller into a fun holiday slasher! A lot of the mystery is campy and over-the-top, with candy cane murder weapons, bitter high school rivals, and suspicion around every corner.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but it was a fun listen and the narrator was expressive and invested in her reading. ❤️
5 stars voice performance, the narrator really made a so-so thriller into a fun holiday slasher! A lot of the mystery is campy and over-the-top, with candy cane murder weapons, bitter high school rivals, and suspicion around every corner.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but it was a fun listen and the narrator was expressive and invested in her reading. ❤️
More...