From The Pumpkin Patch

This time of year always reminds me of being a kid.

Visiting the library after school, curling up in bed with my huge pile of books and reading for hours while the rain pattered against my bedroom window are some of my favourite childhood memories.

As a result, I knew I wanted to read something nostalgic this Halloween season.

I chose Halloween Night by R.L. Stine for two reasons. Firstly, because it’s R.L. Stine. And secondly, because the book cover is amazingly creepy and vintage-looking.

So let’s get into this spoiler-free review!

Brenda can’t stand her cousin Halley. She’s taken over Brenda’s room, stolen her boyfriend and destroyed her car. Now Halley is messing with Brenda, writing sick messages in blood on her wall and leaving rotten meat in her bed.

It’s time for payback. It’s time to get rid of Halley once and for all. And what better setting for a murder than a Halloween party?

There’s something special about books from the 90’s. The plot relies on in-person interactions and phone calls instead of social media and text messages, and everything feels a little more wholesome.

Even murder.

Brenda and her friends Traci and Dina have been assigned to write a murder mystery plot for English class, so they use this to plan a real murder. I really liked this concept, as it was fun to watch the girls become more serious about their idea as the story progressed.

Stine also did a good job at giving the characters motivation to commit murder, as it’s a pretty big jump from completing an English assignment to actually killing someone.

Not only does Halley steal Brenda’s boyfriend, she also steals Traci’s. Combined with the sick pranks being played on Brenda, it’s easy to see how the stress and frustration could cause her to snap.

The final scene of the book plays out at a Halloween party, with plenty of creepy twists and turns. I figured out where the story was going pretty early on, but it was still fun to watch it all come together.

My only criticism is that none of the characters were particularly likeable. Brenda came across as extremely self-absorbed, her little brother Randy was bratty and her parents were completely terrible. Of course, Halley was a boyfriend-stealing nightmare.

Despite this, I still found myself rooting for Brenda. I wanted her to triumph over Halley and get her revenge, no matter what it took.

It’s safe to say that I absolutely loved Halloween Night. It was the perfect book to read during October, and really got me in the mood for the spookiest night of the year.

I hear there’s a sequel, so I already know what I’ll be reading next Halloween…