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rkking's review against another edition
3.0
I recently got a bit of the nostalgia bug when thinking back to the Goosebumps books I read as a kid. Goosebumps, and by extension the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series, definitely introduced me to the genre of horror. After Goosebumps I moved onto classics like Dracula and Jekyll/Hyde, then on to the gown up stuff throughout my life and to this day. Well, this nostalgia bug got me wanting to re-collect the original 62 run of Goosebumps books, and in their first run printings because of the amazing covers. Perhaps the best part of the series was the covers. Next up;
#2, Stay Out Of The Basement
A middle-of-the-ground entry in the series.
The common tropes are here; parents who are distant or don't believe anything the kids say. Fake jump scares. Siblings constantly annoyed with each other but need to work together to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, many of the other books do these tropes way better.
One constant thing that nagged me was the lack of reaction from the mother. Ok, so she has to go visit her sick sister as a way to be kept out of the main events. Good, fine. But when the kids call her, multiple times, there is just zero care for what at the very least would seem to be a neglectful father.
The surprise isn't much of a surprise at all, although the sudden axe attack is actually surprising.
An end twist made me laugh, although it was maybe not meant to be funny...
Another iconic cover, but a mid story.
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#2, Stay Out Of The Basement
A middle-of-the-ground entry in the series.
The common tropes are here; parents who are distant or don't believe anything the kids say. Fake jump scares. Siblings constantly annoyed with each other but need to work together to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, many of the other books do these tropes way better.
One constant thing that nagged me was the lack of reaction from the mother. Ok, so she has to go visit her sick sister as a way to be kept out of the main events. Good, fine. But when the kids call her, multiple times, there is just zero care for what at the very least would seem to be a neglectful father.
The surprise isn't much of a surprise at all, although the sudden axe attack is actually surprising.
An end twist made me laugh, although it was maybe not meant to be funny...
Another iconic cover, but a mid story.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King
moonlitcrows's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dr_hankziety's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kristallmarie's review against another edition
5.0
When I was a kid, I was a massive Goosebumps fan, and this one was one of my favorites. Coming back to read it as an adult, I can totally see why! The story's a blast! The characters are a little bland and the writing's a little choppy, but it's a kids book from the 90s, so I'm not counting that against it. I might have to read another Goosebumps book next!
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure what to think of it, it had some scaryish parts, but mostly it was predictable and the ending is so typical R.L. Stine.
I couldn't find a normal version in my library, so I read the one with all the dictionary definitions. Which made me just laugh at times I probably should be afraid or scared. There were also images with what the items were at times. The images were at times creepy, but most just made me laugh, because of the words and the arrows pointing to the items.
The story was so-so. I was bored for most of the book, and knew what was happening long before the ending popped up. Maybe, just maybe, I am getting too old for these stories and maybe it is just the story that is too predictable and easily figured out.
The main character and her brother were decent, I didn't particularly like how they didn't seem to understand listening to stuff. I know, they were curious and they wanted to help out, but it kind of annoyed me that they never listened. Not once. It makes me wonder how they are normally, with no scary things in the basement.
Of course they were also brave, and they tried their best to find out what happened to their dad, why he changed so much, and what is going on in the basement.
The actual ending? It was decent, and I was kind of excited to see what the kids would do, what choice they would make and also would it be the right one? I am still not entirely sure if they picked the right person or not, especially with that ending. A typical R.L. Stine ending which just ends it with a twist. I don't mind twists but these books are standalones and it just annoys me that we will just have to think up the ending for ourselves, sometimes I just want the ending without having to think about stuff, without pondering about it.
Would I recommend this book? Meh, not really. It had some parts that were fun, but mostly it was just a bit too boring and a bit too predictable. Also that ending was just annoying.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I couldn't find a normal version in my library, so I read the one with all the dictionary definitions. Which made me just laugh at times I probably should be afraid or scared. There were also images with what the items were at times. The images were at times creepy, but most just made me laugh, because of the words and the arrows pointing to the items.
The story was so-so. I was bored for most of the book, and knew what was happening long before the ending popped up. Maybe, just maybe, I am getting too old for these stories and maybe it is just the story that is too predictable and easily figured out.
The main character and her brother were decent, I didn't particularly like how they didn't seem to understand listening to stuff. I know, they were curious and they wanted to help out, but it kind of annoyed me that they never listened. Not once. It makes me wonder how they are normally, with no scary things in the basement.
Of course they were also brave, and they tried their best to find out what happened to their dad, why he changed so much, and what is going on in the basement.
The actual ending? It was decent, and I was kind of excited to see what the kids would do, what choice they would make and also would it be the right one? I am still not entirely sure if they picked the right person or not, especially with that ending. A typical R.L. Stine ending which just ends it with a twist. I don't mind twists but these books are standalones and it just annoys me that we will just have to think up the ending for ourselves, sometimes I just want the ending without having to think about stuff, without pondering about it.
Would I recommend this book? Meh, not really. It had some parts that were fun, but mostly it was just a bit too boring and a bit too predictable. Also that ending was just annoying.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
lavenderwarlock's review against another edition
3.0
This book is super nostalgic for me but rereading it knowing the twist does change it a lot. It's not bad, a short book you can easily get through. The dialogue is very much of the time it was written. It goes very quickly due to being a short book but it's not bad. The concept is interesting and kinda scary even if some of the actions aren't. The kids are far too scared about worms and dirt in a bed. But it's pretty scary to think about and the ending where they had to choose the right dad was really fun. not necessarily scary but fun and i love the flowers talking at the end, so iconic.
briarsreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I remember this one! Ahh, the nostalgia of a Throw Back Thursday review for my favourite childhood series... Goosebumps. Is it any wonder I love Halloween, FNAF, and scary movies? Really? I binged these like mad! I read some of them hundreds of times a year (literally... I have a problem and I always have).
Dr. Brewer, Margaret and Casey's Dad, works in the basement and is working on some strange project with his plants... He recently got fired and now he spends a LOT of time down there. One day, they sneak down and find out... something's growing... and it's more than just a harmless experiment.
I remember being creeped out by this one and I stopped helping with the plants for a while. I was a young kid (probably too young to read them at the time... honestly...) and it weirded me out that the plants might try to destroy my life. I am now an avid gardener and the plants can gladly take over paying the bills and working any day of the week. Have fun, guys!
This is one of the better Goosebumps books, in my opinion. It's spooky, has you on the edge of your seat, and it's just a fun read. But the dreaded cliffhanger... I feel like this is one of the few I like since it's supposed to make you creeped out and not expecting another book.
Regardless, one of my fave Goosebumps!
Five out of five stars.
Dr. Brewer, Margaret and Casey's Dad, works in the basement and is working on some strange project with his plants... He recently got fired and now he spends a LOT of time down there. One day, they sneak down and find out... something's growing... and it's more than just a harmless experiment.
I remember being creeped out by this one and I stopped helping with the plants for a while. I was a young kid (probably too young to read them at the time... honestly...) and it weirded me out that the plants might try to destroy my life. I am now an avid gardener and the plants can gladly take over paying the bills and working any day of the week. Have fun, guys!
This is one of the better Goosebumps books, in my opinion. It's spooky, has you on the edge of your seat, and it's just a fun read. But the dreaded cliffhanger... I feel like this is one of the few I like since it's supposed to make you creeped out and not expecting another book.
Regardless, one of my fave Goosebumps!
Five out of five stars.
xhekap30's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0