Genre: Horror

I received this book for free from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Generations of children and teens have grown up on R.L. Stine's bestselling and hugely popular horror series, Fear Street and Goosebumps. Now, the Fear Street series is back with a chilling new installment, packed with pure nightmare fodder that will scare Stine's avid fan base of teen readers and adults.

New student Lizzy Palmer is the talk of Shadyside High. Michael and his girlfriend Pepper befriend her, but the closer they get to her, the stranger she seems… and the more attractive she is to Michael. He invites her to join him on a snowmobile race that ends in a tragic accident. Soon, Michael's friends start being murdered, and Pepper becomes convinced that Lizzy is behind the killings. But to her total shock, she and Michael are drawn into a tragic story of an unthinkable betrayal committed over 60 years ago. Frightening and tense in the way that only this master of horror can deliver, The Lost Girl is another terrifying Fear Street novel by the king of juvenile horror.

As a kid I loved R.L Stine. I seriously would read his books over and over again. I had not yet gotten into any of the newer books he had written until now. I really do need to go back and read the first two books of this series, but this was fun and creepy. It’s wasn’t outright scary, but it does have a very subtle underlying feeling of doom throughout. I’m not a very easy person to scare, so it might be pretty scary to others, but I found it very enjoyable. The story was very interesting too, and I really liked how it all ended.

Michael is the MC in this. When Lizzy comes to town, he is instantly drawn to her, and his group of friends even take her in. Mostly anyways. Pepper, Micheal’s GF isn’t so pleased, but she does give her a chance. Michael seems to become more and more attracted to Lizzy and can’t stop it. He’s really a nice guy and he adores his GF, but there is just something about Lizzy that draws him in. When he accidentally hits someone on a snowmobile, he starts getting threatening phone calls, and all of his friends are at risk. He feels constantly watched and in danger. He of course doesn’t always make the best choices, but who does at that age.

This was really cool in how we get a look into an event that happened a long time ago, and how everything that is happening ties into it somehow. For most of the book I couldn’t figure out how the two related at all, but as the book gets closer to the end and things are getting pretty insane, we see how it all fits. This is full of secrets and revenge, and of course mischief and murder. Of course there is also teen angst and drama. It didn’t blow my mind or anything, but it was a quick and entertaining read. Perfect to read as we get closer to Halloween. I will be continuing with this series now that I have read this one.

3 Hot Espressos