BOOK REVIEW: Lights Out {Fear Street # 12} by R.L. Stine

Okay, so I originally read R.L. Stine's Lights Out {Fear Street # 12} when I was 7-years-old, and one of the deaths stuck with me so strongly since then that I literally never forgot it. True story. Unfortunately, I misplaced my copy during a move, and I have legit spent years trying to find another that was under $20 {I know, right?!} to relive the horror, and I finally did {thanks eBay!}. NGL here, adult me wasn't as enthralled with the book as a whole as grade school me; but, it is a bomb story to check out during summer or spooky season as it brings all of the Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th vibes. And really now, who doesn't want that?!

Sixteen-year-old Holly Flynn doesn't have an outdoorsman bone in her body; but when her Uncle Bill asks her to work as a Junior Counselor at Camp Nightwing for the summer, Holly can't turn him down. After all, since the death of a camper last year, Uncle Bill's beloved camp is at risk of being shuttered if he can't pull in enough cash to keep the place afloat this year; so taking one for the team, and leaving her comfort zone feels key to helping him out. The fact that Holly's BFF, Thea, will be by her side for the entire summer doesn't hurt either. But from the moment Holly steps foot on Camp Nightwing property, she knows that the summer will be a disaster.

For one, her arch nemesis, Geri, is a fellow counselor, and is determined to make her summer a living nightmare - first by turning the other counselors against her, and second by tormenting her with unkind pranks. Then there's the fact that Thea is more boy crazy than ever - doing everything in her power to hook the recently-single Holly up with a cute counselor; while at the very same time finding her own love connection. And then there are the red feathers and unexplained disasters that Holly feels are being purposely planned to sabotage Camp Nightwing. Unfortunately, she's the only one who feels that way; and every time she tries to broach the subject with Uncle Bill she is quickly shutdown. When a harsh Senior Counselor turns up dead, Holly thinks that Uncle Bill will finally take her seriously. Instead, the death is ruled as an accident, and life goes on as usual. Holly knows murder is at play; and now the killer has their sights set on her.

As a 7-year-old reader, a lot of the stuff in Lights Out went over my head. Case in point, the complete and total cruelty of pretty much every character towards Holly; the fact that 99% of the characters are completely unlikable {including Holly!}; and the unbelievability that is Uncle Bill's perception of what is taking place at his camp! Reading this book as an adult, all of these things are glaringly obvious, and, NGL, change my former thoughts and feelings. Yes, I still think that the death that takes place is one of the most memorable that I have ever read {which accounts for a lot of my star rating for this book}; but the rest is kind of ho hum. If you're seeking a quick read for spooky season, this one def brings the creep; but be prepared to dislike the cast because they kinda leave a lot to be desired.



Star Rating: ***1/2


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