YA Weekend: You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Return to Fear Street
Publisher: HarperTeen (July 24, 2018)
Length: 344 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Nostalgia’s a powerful thing. It seems that to this day, I cannot look at R.L. Stine’s name on a cover without feeling a thrill of excitement, remembering how my mom would take my brother and I to the library or bookstore as children, where we would both geek out over picking up latest Goosebumps book. Later, I graduated to the Fear Street series. Looking back, those weren’t exactly great books, but as a preteen, I adored them. Those stories provided me hours of entertainment and quite possibly the spark that resulted in my love of the horror genre today.
So yes, when I found out about Return to Fear Street, I was curious about the series’ latest revival (there had been others, which largely passed me by). My interest was further piqued by the cover to the first book, which kicks things off with a retro “pulp” look along with the tagline “two sisters, divided by time.” Sure enough, the story of You May Now Kill the Bride is presented to us in several parts, the first of which takes place in 1923, introducing Rebecca and Ruth-Ann Fear. These early chapters tell of how a bitter rift was formed between the two sisters, when Rebecca, the older one, causes a scandal by stealing Ruth-Ann’s sweetheart. However, on the day of Rebecca’s wedding at a lodge atop a scenic mesa, the groom commits an unspeakable act before all the assembled guests. Inevitably, Ruth-Ann is blamed because of the suspicion that she’d been dabbling in the dark magical arts of her family, and also because her anger over her older sister’s betrothal was no secret. What should have been a joyous day of celebration instead turns into a day of horror, tragedy, and death.
Fast forward to present day, and the story shifts its focus onto another pair of Fear sisters, Harmony and Marissa. Like her ancestor Ruth-Ann, Harmony has a knack for the family magic, which she has used in the past to play tricks on her siblings. But at Marissa’s wedding, taking place in the exact place of Rebecca Fear’s disastrous 1923 nuptials, Harmony goes a little too far with her pranks. Marissa goes missing, leaving her groom at the altar. At first, everyone thinks its cold feet, but Harmony doesn’t think so, after finding an ominous note in her sister’s room. Repeated failures to locate Marissa and reach her on her cellphone lead to the police being called to search the lodge and its surrounding gullies. Harmony is beginning to wonder if the stories about this being a cursed place is true, especially once she starts experiencing strange things happening to her.
First off, let me just put it out there: You May Now Kill the Bride isn’t likely to be the magnificent comeback you’re looking for, but damned if I didn’t have fun. And amazingly, while experience has taught me that few things are as good as you remember, I actually thought this was amongst the better Fear Street stories I have ever read. On the whole, the writing was also quite good, a step up from what I recall. Best of all, this book was an electric shot of nostalgia, just like I wanted. It has retained a lot of the series’ unique quirks, such as the corny attempts to end almost every chapter on a cliffhanger. Funny how little things in the writing like that could bring me such glee.
In terms of the story, I’ll be honest—I didn’t expect much. But again, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Following the current YA trends, You May Now Kill the Bride clocks in at about 350 pages, or approximately double the length many of the original Fear Street novels used to be. I really appreciated the deeper character and story development this afforded. The horror was also well done. On some level, I think I had expected the campy, pulpy murder mysteries from back in the day, but of course, the genre has evolved a lot since then, and this return to Fear Street feels better suited to today’s YA horror readers who are more used to darker fare with a hint of the supernatural. Nevertheless, the content is still rather tame, despite the story’s more twisted and violent bits. Dubious plot points and questionable explanations aside, the ending even finished on a somewhat happy note.
Back when I used to read the Fear Street books, it wasn’t for the logic or artistry in the stories. I picked them up because they were full of fun thrills and silly teenagers meeting their untimely demises. In a way, this reboot of the series is in keeping with the same spirit, though I also think that it’s different enough to establish itself as something separate. That said, I don’t know if Return to Fear Street will be successful in attracting a whole new generation of R.L. Stine fans, as something tells me that these books would be better received by readers much like myself, for whom series like Goosebumps and the original Fear Street were staples of their childhood. We’ve may have all grown up a bit since then, but I still found great enjoyment and delight in reading You May Now Kill the Bride. If you’re looking for a nostalgia kick, I recommend checking it out.
The BiblioSanctum 
I never read R.L. Stine, I kind of missed that boat. But cool that he’s still writing and I’m glad he’s getting better!
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It’s been a gap of a couple decades since I picked up an R.L. Stine book, so my memory can’t really be trusted, but the writing did seem better!
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I don’t see this taking off as a series. Unless it becomes popular in its own right, it will limp along on the nostalgia factor.
One of the few positive things about being a pessimist: if I’m wrong, that’s a good thing
😀
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I really don’t see it happening either, his popularity was a phenomenon that took place at the right place at the right time, and I don’t think it can be replicated or that he would make a comeback. But yes, I’ll enjoy the nostalgia while it lasts 🙂
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I never read RL Stine growing up, but I’ve read a few of my kids’ Goosebumps book, and they are surprisingly scary for what they are!
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I’ll have to see if I can find some old copies of Goosebumps! I don’t remember them being all that scary but no doubt my perspective would have changed a lot since then! There might have been a few genuinely creepy ones 🙂
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Oh wow. Didn’t realize RL Stine was writing YA now. I think I was a little above the age group when RL Stine was popular (and was always more of a Christopher Pike girl), lol. This one sounds pretty interesting though!
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Yeah he apparently began with YA with Fear Street before branching to children’s with Goosebumps. I read more of his GB than his FS tbh, because by the time I was old enough for his YA stuff I was reading more Christopher Pike too, lol! Man, the Last Vampire books rocked my world then 🙂
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Omg yes, those Last Vampire books gave me so much life back then lol. I think I still have a couple of my Pike books on my shelves somewhere. Maybe even one of the Vampire ones.
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Oooo this gets me with nostalgia too, used to LOVE his books when I was younger! Interesting to see the latest series reboot, the cover and content certainly wan’t what I was expecting. Great review 🙂
x
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Yeah I was like in nostalgia heaven! It was fun for what it was 🙂
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I have never read him 😉
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Haha, growing up, he was like the hottest author for middle grade and YA. And then I think he just kinda faded away as he employed more ghost writers and just sat back and collected royalties 😛
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I’ve never read Stine, but the title of this one cracked me up! Glad it was pretty good!
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I did enjoy the tongue in cheek title, and I thought it was brilliant with the retro pulp cover 🙂
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I love the title and this sounds like a heap of fun. I’ve not read RL Stine so not sure I’d necessarily choose to go down this route given I don’t have that added nostalgia factor but still, finding a book that is a blast is always good.
Lynn 😀
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I really think the nostalgia factor will be what sells it. But I can maybe see non Stine fans enjoying this too – though probably not as much 🙂
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This would defo be a cover buy for me!
Not usually fan of this kinda stories, but it actually sounds interesting enough. Never read anything by this author though.
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Yeah, that cover is beyond cool. Would make a great poster!
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Nice to see that the book lived up to your nostalgia and was great fun, at the very least. 🙂
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Haha I’ve hated (or at least avoided) horror for my entire life, but the Goosebumps series was a staple in my childhood too! They were a tad campy, but oh-so-entertaining, so I think it’s fair expectation that you don’t expect too much story-wise going into a book like this. I can totally imagine how gleeful you were reading this considering nostalgia always wins out, and it does sound super fun, so maybe I’ll revisit it someday for kicks. 😉 Terrific review!
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I remember picking up those random Goosebumps stories as a kid, and have contemplated the idea of revisiting books by R.L. Stine, but I never really figured out where I should start. Guess it’ll depend on the book that’ll cross paths with me first! 😀 Glad to hear your trip down memory lane turned out so good! Awesome review as always!
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Amazing review! I was already so tempted to order this one and now it’s a done deal. I grew up on Stine’s writing, too, and I’m honestly really excited to return to Fear Street, even if it isn’t anything jaw-droppingly amazing, haha!
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