It's time to continue our journey through the Nightmare Room's Thrillogy. It's part two of three, meaning it's the creamy middle of the dizzying highs and terrifying lows. Our previous book gave us a Survivor knock-off, witch accusations, and some other shady doings. What else is in store for April and the gang? Find out when we ask What Scares You the Most?
We pick up where we left off with the kids still frightened and confused about what's going on. As a convenient storm picks up, they go to check the small makeshift island village to see if the staff left anything. But there's nothing. No generator, no food, nothing. Though Marlin notices a torn-up mouse left in the fridge as some sort of prank, I guess? Anthony, despite being worried, believes this might be the bravery test and it's all going to be over soon. Marlin and April suggest trying to get some rest and then think of what to do later. April then has a dream about Pam being invited to her place and her parents saying that Pam is better than April because it's been a while in this story since we were reminded how obsessed she is about this.
The next day, the kids remember that there should be a motorboat on the shore, to which they find, full of gas and everything. They start to sail off, but a force spins them around and knocks them out. April sees Anthony also in the water and gets him back to shore where he coughs a jellyfish. They reunite with Kristen, but once again Marlin has gone missing. They search all over the island for him, but no such luck. They then try the radio they found on the boat. But all they get is the sound of a woman singing, which turns to cruel laughter. The three shut it off for now and try to rest. Suddenly, April feels something under her covers. It turns out the bed is now full of bugs. The signing continues and April is now moving out of the cabin and outside beyond her control.
April then smells something putrid and ends up in front of the woman. She has long brown hair, red lips, cats eyes and a blue cloak. Well, the last time we had a cat witch, she brought Monster Blood to life then was retconned. Hope things go better for this one. The woman touches April, causing her to go cold, then the woman sucks out the air from April similar to what happened to Marlin last book, before asking April [[TITLE OF THE BOOK]] then says that she'll have her revenge. Suddenly Kristen shows up and tackles the woman, only to be forced pushed into a nearby rock wall. The woman then disappears when Donald Marks shows up again saying that congratulations, they've won the Life Games.
So, yeah, despite whatever the hell went down with the mystery woman, Marks suddenly shows up to reveal that the abandonment thing was the bravery test. And because their team overcame it, they won the hundred grand. Also Marlin was found on the other side of the island with broken ribs, but that's nothing a quarter grand of winnings won't cure, I guess. The girls gather their bearings while their memory appears to have faded a bit. But Kristen then notices something on April's face that she never saw before. Almost like a weird blue moon birthmark. So what the hell is going on here? We'll get more answers after we take yet another trip to Ravenswoode in the year of 1680.
Deborah is pretty much about to be sent to the island with the mob on their way. She goes to find her mother, only to find her mother in the middle of a pentagram, with a decapitated chicken with its head on fire inside a jar. Damn the drugs must have been good in the 1600s. So, as I had figured in the last book, it's actually Katherine, Deborah's mother, who is the witch. And when the villagers arrive her mother is like "Yeah, Deborah's the actual witch so send her off." Damn that's colder than the cold fire from the last book.
So Deborah gets sent to the ship, due to set sail in the next day. Then Katherine shows up. Turns out she's gotta go to the island as well to make sure Deborah stays there. Deborah asks why she'd do this, why put all the blame on her, to which Katherine says that she couldn't have the villagers suspect her as the witch. Well, #1: I guess that makes sense and #2: DAAAAAMN THAT'S COLD-BLOODED! See, she never wanted a daughter, but Deborah turned into the perfect patsy to take all the blame while Katherine continued to curse the village. The same village that she hated so much.
They arrive at the island where Deborah is taken down from the boat to the island when suddenly the sailors all go blind. See, Katherine thought up this whole plan, but there was one fatal flaw: The night prior she was reading a book of magic. And when she fell asleep, Deborah managed to sneak the book and study a blindness spell. She then uses a freezing spell to freeze Katherine long enough to send her mother flying over the rail and giving herself enough time to escape. So yeah, the woman on the island, the one who terrorized April and the others, that's not Deborah, that's Katherine. Deborah disguises herself as Katherine while the sailors recover, allowing her to finally escape. But Deborah holds on to the spell book, since now she might actually have to use it.
Back to the present (of 2001) as we enter that September (Awkward collar tug). April is now a local celebrity after winning the Life Games. She's more popular now, and even Pam seems to be more interested in her than before. Pam is also living with April for a month on account of her parents going to Ghana. And the thought of that is Ghana drive April crazy. But what drives her crazier is a foul smell in her room and a pile of bones similar to the ones on the island. Then another invitation from The Academy shows up. This time for a reunion back on the Island. April is hesitant, but Pam ends up convincing April's parents. Oh, and this time Pam's coming with her. So she gets to be a character now.
That night, April is suddenly out walking in her pajamas, heading to a cave at the nearby park and climbing it, not unlike the rock hill at the island. When a cop finds her, April's mind is blank, not sure as to why. Also Pam followed her given she was worried about her. She then has another strange vision of her on the island, unable to break a coconut. Jimmy Snuka's head nowhere to be found. There's my one per blog! Marlin shows up, saying that he disappeared on the island and must stay there forever. April also notes the blank expression but the crescent moons in his eyes.
April wakes up with her mother reminding her of the strange episode the previous night and that maybe they should see a doctor about whatever's messing with her head. But April chooses for a jog instead. However, Pam used her Discman (Obligatory "REMEBER THOSE!?" here) the other night and left a new CD in it. When April listens however, it's the voice of the woman of the island singing. So either Pam's in on this, or something else is going on. So, things can't get worse, right? Oh right, there's an assembly for her at school to talk about her experience on the island. Complete with an island-looking set for added trauma. And that trauma manifests as April hears the chopping noises, and soon sees the woman coming after her. Of course, nobody else sees it, so it just looks like she's losing her mind which, I mean that IS sort of happening.
April runs off, but gets caught by Pam who says that she's concerned about her and tells her that going back to the island might not be a good idea. You know, for someone April wanted to tear the face off of at the beginning of the book, Pam's been pretty frigging cool so far. I mean, it's obvious what's happening, but for now at least she comes off genuine. April keeps running and somehow ends up two towns away where Kristen lives. She ends up at a mall where Kristen is also there and who has also been getting the same visions. She mentions Anthony hasn't mentioned a thing about it while soaking up the popularity. However, Marlin is still missing. They find the number to Marlin's house, but her mother say that he's gone with the academy. So it becomes obvious that whatever Donald Marks said about Marlin being safe was a lie.
Still confused, April calls Donald Marks, but he never lets her answer anything, but says that he's glad that she'll be back for the reunion. Then suddenly her dog Alfy jumps on her, then starts to suck her breath in the same way the woman did. Wait, like in a weird dog mouth to human mouth thing? Ewww. Of course, when her mother and Pam show up, it's all normal again. But it's enough for April to start to realize what we all have so far. Every time one of these strange visions of the island or the woman happen, Pam is always there. But for now, the two end up going to LA to prepare for the trip back to the island. No sign of Marlin. In fact, each former team is missing a player. But on the island, Donald Marks is talking with Katherine, promising that her daughter is coming back to the island. And she'll have her revenge... In the next book, obviously, because we out!
Yeah, this was a strong second part. Did the important jobs of keeping the story moving forward while also piecing together at least some of the story. What works for me is the twist of the story that Katherine is the one stranded on the island, not Deborah. That Katherine was our villain the whole time back in 1680. And damn what a cold hearted villain she is. Loving to make others suffer while at the same time making her daughter be the one to constantly take the fall. Speaks to a real monster of a villain that with no shades of gray. Pure cold blackness. Making her come off as perhaps one of my favorite villains in any Stine book because of how evil she is. Hope Stine stuck the landing with her, but we're not there yet.
I also like that there's still a lot of questions to ask. Is April Deborah? Either as the original or perhaps reincarnated? It would explain how the blue crescent showed up. There's also the mystery as to what really happened to Marlin, and why Donald Marks is working with Katherine. What does he have to gain from working with her other than the obvious being not being killed by her? And how Pam factors in this. Does she play a part in why April keeps getting the visions again, or is she an obvious red herring? My god, Stine actually put in the effort in a second part of a story to make things still compelling. Also, we get more with Kristen which was my issue last book. She feels less Superfluous Clay this time. That distinction's gone to Anthony.
Is the book perfect? No, there is a lot of wheel spinning in the middle and of feet dragging too. Not the worst case ever. Not like Shadow Girl and the phone book. But after like the third or fourth vision of the woman and the island, you do get the point by now. There's some decent horror here too with the visions, with the reveal of Katherine as the villain and the unsettling concern of just what did happen to Marlin. It's so weird that after so many Goosebumps and Fear Street books where Bob feels on autopilot, he actually is trying here. Again, gotta hope part three wraps this up just right. So break out the Crayolas and color me Tickled Pink. I'm impressed. Stine ran with the pole, stuck it right and went over the bar with relative ease. Can he stick the landing? We have one more book to find out.
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