'Twas the month of Christmas and all through this blog
Books were reviewed, though way too many were a slog
The books to review upon the bookshelf with care
And others through Kindle if the physical's not there
Books of Y/A horror, most fill me with pure dread
While visions of the worst of them tortured my head
Some of them quite decent, while most of them are quite pap
Read over a hundred this year, I deserve a nap
This year's been tough enough, my nerves are shattered
Yet I press on, because covering these mattered
For I love the great stuff, the ones with panache
Though the majority belong in the trash
Plus the month of December, of Christmas and snow
Makes some picks much easier, wouldn't you know?
And what to my wandering eyes should appear
Than a handful books from that street they call Fear
Thicker than most, some real page fillers
I knew that these were Super Chillers
These ones I've heard of, a trio of pure fright
Of course this month I would cover Silent Night
What holiday horrors are these on about?
Let us cover the first one and soon find out.
For our first of the three Silent Night books, the cover is not bad. Not the most incredible, but it sets us up for what we're about to deal with. Our protagonist, Reva Dalby, looking out the window of a front door with a look of fright on her face. I like how the snow is drawn, and the added touch of the streaks made by her fingers as she grabs at the cold window makes for a really solid touch. Though, the structure also makes it look like she's in some kind of mirror or weird giant egg. But, it's eye catching and definitely works.
We open with a prologue set two weeks before Christmas. It's a Saturday and Reva Dalby is stuck working at the perfume counter at Dalby's her dad's store. And if you think Reva's going to be a likable protagonist, guess again. She spends her time being catty about how other women look over at the makeup counter, or when asked by her boss Ms. Smith to get some of the Chanel product, she sites doing her nails as a reason she can't do it. Also, despite the Christmas job, super rich and white. So, yeah, this is going to be a trilogy with an unlikable character. Tis the season to suffer. Instead of helping anyone, Reva instead begins to apply her lipstick, only to feel a sharp pain and notice her lips are bleeding. It appears as if someone put a sharp needle in her lipstick container. Guess someone's going to great lengths to get her vaccinated.
We start proper by going back two weeks before the two weeks before Christmas. Reva is with her then boyfriend Hank Davis. She feels that they've drifted apart and they aren't the hot item they used to be. So she breaks up with him. No real reason given, and mostly she enjoys watching him suffer as he gets the news. Hank is pretty pissed and leaves Reva's car, promising she'll be sorry. She begins to drive off, then comes back to tell Hank "Happy Holidays" before laughing all the way home. So, this is feeling very The Boyfriend so far, right down to how we set up how unlikable Reva is. Really, we milked three books? Okay then.
So, Reva's already got plans for her next boyfriend, Mitch Castelona, who is currently in a relationship with Lissa Dewey. But she already is thinking up ways to break them up. She turns on the radio as Silent Night is playing because we need some early irony. She makes it to Dalby's to pick up her dad. While going through the dark, closed store, she bumps into a mannequin and gets scared for a second. She approaches her dad's office, as someone barges out. It's the store's security guard, the father of Mickey Wakely from Shadyside High. Turns out that Mr. Dalby fired him for drinking on the job. Mr. Dalby's also stressed about the mall Santa quitting as well. Reva's bored, but when Mr. Dalby asks if she can drum up teens to do part-time work, she sees this as a way to land Mitch.
Reva calls Mitch for the job and he accepts. However, he also asks for Lissa to get a job as well as she needs the money. Of course, this isn't ideal for Reva, but to not screw her plans up, she accepts. But, because we need reminding that she's just the worst, Reva tricks Lissa into thinking she'll be getting a reception job, only to be stuck in the storeroom. She laughs at it for a bit before her six year old brother Michael shows up. And it's here we at least get some goodness to Reva I guess. She does care about her younger brother, and we learn that their mom's been dead for some time. Long enough for Michael to have no memories of his mother and more of his nanny.
After that quick exposition, Reva gets a call from her cousin Pam, who of course Reva is jealous of because we need reminding that she's awful to seemingly everyone. Pam asks for a job at the store, but Reva lies and says there aren't any. Pam hangs up and realizes pretty quickly how full of crap Reva is and promises to find a way to get her back. So, props to this book, wherever we're going with the actual villain, we're given enough motives so far. Hank for the breakup, Lissa and Pam for the blatant lies. Pam is about to call her boyfriend Foxy (Foxy?) but instead meets up with Mickey Wakely and his friend (not as superfluous) Clay Parker at the 7-Eleven. They talk to Pam while having severe concerns as to if Zagnut bars are still on the market. They are, but not made by Hershey, but Leaf instead. And that is what has to be the most conversation on Zagnut bars ever.
They take their stuff up to the register, however, the cashier is convinced they have stuff in their pockets. He demands them to empty their pockets when Clay snaps at him and attacks. Pam and Mickey try to get Clay to calm down just as police arrive. The trio leap into Pam's Pontiac and drive with the cops chasing after them. The cops close in, but Clay swerves through a block and past a red light. They manage to ditch the cops, and given that there's no license plate on the Pontiac, they can't be traced. Oh, and Clay did indeed steal some dip for his chips. Clay then mentions that he heard from Mitch that Reva was offering jobs at the store, so now Pam's got her confirmation. Reva's a liar and now she really needs to be taken care of.
Back to Reva as she drives in her Volvo and complains about "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" which she refers to as one of the worst Christmas songs. Oh god, don't make me like her now, book. She runs into Robb Spring, one of her friends, but also someone she refers to as a "buffalo" and also doesn't mind screwing with. Case in point, she offers him a job at Dalby's, but doesn't tell him it'll be for the mall Santa, but for public relations. Starting to really see why someone would want to stab her in the mouth. Back home, she plays with Michael for a bit, then continues to dream up her big plan to split up Lissa and Mitch when she hears a noise. She heads to the hallway to investigate.
Turns out it's Hank at the front door. He still seems broken up about the break-up, but is instead asking for a job at Dalby's. Reva of course declines his offer. He grabs at her, which is enough for her Doberman King to attack him. He again promises to pay her back. You know, we're only on page 55 of this 216 page book. I think we can hurry up with the actual paybacks now. Aside from maybe doing something racist I don't see what else the book can do to hammer it in that Reva Dalby really sucks. Like we're getting to cartoonish super villainy at this point.
We get to the store and sure enough, Reva's jokes on Lissa and Robb go through. Everyone else is annoyed since, you know, this is still a job, but Reva's laughing like the deranged sociopath she is. She tells one of the workers, Donald Rawson to ensure that Mitch and Lissa are far enough away from each other so that Reva can put her plan in motion. She of course is still laughing about everything, but thinks that despite humiliating them and treating them like shit, they'll all be grateful to her for giving them jobs. She heads down the escalator when she's grabbed by Hank again. Turns out he didn't need Reva's help to get a job at Dalby's as he took over the security job. He is again forceful towards her and promises to be watching her through the twelve TV monitors in the security room.
Back to Pam, Clay and Mickey at Mickey's house. While Clay plays with a giant knife, Pam is still annoyed. Turns out her boyfriend Foxy got a job at Dalby's, but not her. She still wants that revenge though. But, she doesn't want to ruin her parents' Christmas or start a family feud. And given that Mickey's dad's been fired and is now just drinking himself to death in the kitchen, he has a reason to hate Reva and her dad. And then there's Clay who tells the two of them that he straight up plans to rob Dalby's. The others are freaked out by the idea, but Clay has it all planned out. John Maywood is the night guard, and he's got an axe to grind with Mr. Dalby, so he'll let Clay inside to take whatever he needs. And as long as they make it look like a robbery, it'll be easy pickings. But just anything from the store, not the money from the safe. Pam thinks it over, and it doesn't take long for her to be on board, especially as a way to get back at Reva.
We cut back to the timeline of two weeks later, just a little after the whole needle in the lipstick thing. Reva invites Pam to the Christmas party then heads to work, still hoping to break up Mitch and Lissa. She meets up with Mitch and quickly kisses him as Lissa shows up. Of course, despite thinking that somehow Mitch was going to go wild over Reva, that actually doesn't work as Mitch chases after an angry Lissa, with Reva following. They stop at the TV section and, okay, I've officially found my favorite random moment in all of Fear Street. All of the TVs are turned to Oprah, so the book describes that there are fifty Oprah Winfreys behind Reva and Mitch, all talking in their microphones as if giving play by play. You know, I'm starting to love this book. Mitch is, of course, still wanting to be with Lissa, but he is conflicted. Reva leaves feeling satisfied that her plan is working as the fifty Oprahs wave goodbye on TV. FIFTY OPRAHS. We've really reached the pinnacle.
Reva gets a good laugh, and a bigger guffaw watching a kid sneeze on Robb, only to be told by Ms. Smith that there's a package for her. Inside is a weird bottle filled with what looks like cologne, but it's actually blood. Wait, what? She drops the bottle in shock as it shatters and splashes blood all over her. She's surprised, but I need to know what the fifty Oprahs think. We're then reminded of an incident at kindergarten she had with a girl named Sara who threw red paint all over her. I'm sure the Keebler people were very upset. The present also says "Happy Holidays from a friend". Reva immediately assumes that friend is Hank getting revenge. She goes and argues with Hank, but Hank claims his innocence. But she still thinks he's lying so she goes to her dad's office to get Hank fired. When, suddenly the sound of gunfire can be heard downstairs. Reva heads downstairs to see her dad's been shot. Well this just went from zero to fifty Oprahs in a matter of moments. Actually, it wasn't gunfire, it was exploding Christmas lights and her dad fainted. So more like zero to maybe twenty six Oprahs.
Reva heads home to change when she notices a white Ford Taurus behind her being driven by a big man with a mustache. She tries to avoid him, but he stays on her tail. Eventually Reva stops and is confronted by the man who just wanted to tell her that her taillight was broken. Okay, so that happened. That's sure a way to go into our next part of the book there, Bob.
Time to cut back to Pam, Mickey and Clay and the big Dalby's heist. They head to Dalby's to begin their plan. Pam goes inside with them, since she'd be worried all night staying in the car as their getaway driver. They don't have to worry about security cameras since they're broken and need to be repaired. They head inside, with Clay revealing that he brought a gun just in case. They hope that Maywood is there to meet them, but it turns out another security guard is there and not a part of the plan.
As the three are about to make a run for it, Clay pulls out his gun and shoots the guard. The kids then make a run for it, Pam realizing she may have ruined her life, as they head to the car. But oh no! The car is gon-oh wait, they went out the wrong doorway. It's where it always was. They drive off, now realizing that they're murderers. The next day, Pam wakes up to hear the radio report on the burglary. The security guard was fatally shot, and the safe was robbed of twenty five grand. Which is odd to Pam since they never went for the safe.
Back to Reva as she goes to work the day after the murder. Mr. Dalby is of course concerned, but she really isn't because this is Reva. But she gets good news as Lissa indeed did break up with Mitch. And, now that she got what she wanted, of course she turns down a date with him because my god there's like 70 pages left and the point hasn't been made hard enough yet I guess. So, after that, she gets another package. And inside is a human corps-no, it's just a mannequin. But with another "Happy Holidays From a Friend" card which is enough to send Reva running in a panic. Back to Pam and the others as they try to figure out what happened with the twenty five grand. The phone then rings with someone on the other end saying he saw what the kids did and he wants his share.
As Pam is talking with Foxy, the man calls again, saying he wants ten grand or else he'll reveal that they murdered the security guard. She then tells Foxy the truth, but says that they still can't tell the cops. The two talk this over with Mickey and Clay. Clay who, since he already has blood on his hands, promises to kill whoever is trying to blackmail them.
Back to Reva who is still blaming Hank for everything. She confronts him again, but he again says he's innocent. She still thinks it's because he hates her, but Hank drops the truth bomb that everyone hates Reva. She's got no friends, and with all the enemies she's made, no wonder someone's out to scare her. And Reva says that she's been this way since her mom died. She shut down her emotions and really didn't let anyone in. It's what turned her into a bad person. I'm going to have a lot to talk about with this in particular when we get to the conclusion because I'm not buying that one bit. But, for now, Reva doesn't suspect Hank.
Pam walks home when she gets grabbed by someone who tells her not to turn around. The assailant then pressures her into giving him the money. As Pam turns around, she sees who it is, but the assailant runs off as Foxy shows up. Reva arrives to work, still wondering who's after her, when she sees Mitch and Robb fighting. Donald Rawson breaks it up and fires neither of them because it's the Friday before Christmas. A backroom brawl is the least crazy thing to happen on this day. Reva and Michael talk to Santa, the kid realizing it's just a fake, then Reva gets another package. Inside is no mannequin. It's Mitch with a knife in his back. So yep, he's dead.
It's definitely a moment where Reva realizes that she really screwed up. All of the manipulation, how she treated Mitch and Lissa, and now Mitch is dead. The walls of Reva are closing in. She heads home and tries to sleep it off, only to wake up and realize that she knows who killed Mitch. Pam thinks so too as she accuses Clay of doing it. Clay acts coy, and mentions that he saw Mitch that night in the store, but he didn't kill him. He leaves, but Pam is still unsure if he's telling the truth.
Reva drags her dad to the security room and has Hank get footage from the Santa area. She studies the Santa and realizes it's not Robb. When Michael mentioned how the Santa just had pillows under his coat and not a fat belly, she realized it couldn't be Robb and that Robb possibly took that time to murder Mitch. That day, Robb is still in his Santa role when the cops arrive and handcuff him. Merry Christmas kids, now watch as Santa Claus gets arrested. Robb seems confused as he's carried off. Pam then arrives and wonders why they're arresting Foxy. Yep, Foxy and Robb were the same person this entire time. As the cops drag him off, he says that he only did this for Pam. To get even with Reva. To show her.
Later that night, Pam tells Reva what's been going on. That the one blackmailing them was Mitch. It was Mitch who grabbed her in the street. And when Robb saw what was going on, that Mitch was the one blackmailing Pam, he got his revenge. It's why they were brawling in the backroom. And, for the first time, Reva seems legitimately sorry for everything she's done. Reva heads up to Mr. Dalby's office, but instead finds Mr. Wakely holding a gun.
He reveals what we could all guess, he was also working with Maywood to rob Dalby's, specifically the safe. Pam, Mickey and Clay were just a distraction. Also, he saw the security guard about to attack his son, so it was him who shot the guard, not Clay. He was also the one who killed Mitch, not Robb. He saw Mitch there that night and knew of the blackmail, so he killed him. He then stuffed the body in the present box, which Reva thought was for her. He starts to shoot at Reva who backs herself to the balcony by the escalator. He lunges at her, only to fall over and crash through the Christmas lights and other electrical objects, killing him instantly. The book ends with Reva, Robb and Hank at the police office as Pam exits. She's essentially in custody of her parents, but she'll likely only get charged with trespassing. No clue about Mickey or Clay yet. And we end with Reva back together with Hank lamenting that maybe all of this wouldn't have happened if she wasn't so awful. Though given there's two books to go, maybe she didn't really learn her lesson.
Speaking of Reva's arc, I did say I'd elaborate more on why I don't buy her blaming her mother's death for her being so horrible. Because sure, it makes sense in the case of her not being close to others outside of her father and Michael. Her family matters to her. Well, her immediate family since she treats Pam bad as well. But it's hard to blame her mother's death on every other rotten thing she does. How she treats relationships like something she can toy with. How she messes with people, making them think they're getting a different job than they are. How she can have whatever boy she wants and can just dump them when she gets bored, thereby ruining their lives for her satisfaction. That feels less like "I'm a bad person because of my own trauma" and more "I'm rich and set for life, so I have the right to play around with the lower class". It doesn't leave me really feeling like she learned her lesson here. Given two more books with her, I can see that's the case.
The Pam plot is decent, but also feels rushed, even down with us not knowing of Mickey and Clay's fate. Pam is more likable than Reva, since that's the point, but it does make her feel far more bland by comparison. The good girl caught in a bad situation which we've had Stine pull out of his hat many a time that it doesn't even feel too fresh here. As for the mystery, it's a better crafted one than usual. Stine doesn't make things too obvious early on. And even the Robb/Foxy twist is better thought out. Though it also feels like Stine had no idea how to tie these two plots together without having Foxy also be another established character as well.
So, in the end, this one works well, uses the Christmas element just enough, the mystery is actually better than usual for Stine, and we have a character that's easy to hate, yet you also are invested enough in what she goes through. All that makes for a win. Though this really didn't need to be a Super Chiller at 216 pages. And the ending feels too much like The Babysitter than anything original. Just replace falling in a rock quarry with falling off a balcony. More or less the same. So, that leaves this book as still a win for Fear Street. I have no idea where this could possibly go, especially with Reva. But she did say her being nicer was New Year's resolution, so that at least explains it. Who the hell keeps their resolutions? Silent Night gets an A-.
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