This was one of the books I read on my vacation that made me want to stop in the middle. Now, I realize this was supposed to be a "teen" novel from my childhood, but as an adult, it just annoyed ever loving wits out of me. I saw a lot of problems with the characters that it wasn't very enjoyable.The Good: A few times I could identify with Martha. Things like losing her mom and her dad dating/marrying again were relatable. Being a new student was relatable. However, there were more than enough times I wanted to smack someone.The Bad: There was almost no believability and bad characters. The main character, Martha, was almost Shatner-esque in how she overreacted to everything. I get that she's a teenager, but she was just over the top and didn't try to make any friends. The only friends she had were because they put in the effort, not her. That's something that always ticks me off. The whole "Pity me because I'm new" syndrome that I've come across in many teen novels. As a person who had to go to several different schools and been that new kid, it's a two way street, you have to make an effort to make friends. All Martha did was let them come to her, and she complained throughout the whole book about how no one else was her friend.Her father and stepmother also annoyed me. They vanished after like the second chapter. I'm sorry, but that was not believable. I don't care that the father got a new assignment RIGHT after they move into a new home, no parent (especially one we're expected is as loving and close as Martha's dad) is going to up and leave for an unknown period of time before his child starts school and not have any communication with said child. There are no phone calls or anything, not when Martha is being stalked, breaks her arm, or in the ending. It's like they just fell off the face of the earth.The supporting characters were very flat, as well. We have the ever-popular Blake, who appearently has no other friends than Martha. After all, he sits in his own little table and no one comes over to say hi? He never has any plans with anyone else, just Martha. For someone who is supposed to be very popular and a sports star, we never got to see it. His cousin Wynn is the typical quirky friend who seems to only live to be friends with the Main Character. Again, we don't see any life beyond Martha here.The last thing that just struck me as way off was the 15 page author bio in the back. Seriously, I counted the pages, and it had pictures. I did not need to know where Richie went to school, who she married (with pictures) or how she researched her other books. I've never seen an author bio go on for 15 pages before. Did it do that in the original paperback? If not, why put it in the Kindle book?Over all, not impressed.
Hooray! 90s YA cheese is re-emerging! My evil plan is working! What?Yes, TRICK OR TREAT was originally 90s cheese of my now major obsession. No, it's not a total turd like some cheese is. I was actually really surprised reading this and realizing just how well it transcended time. Initially I thought it might have been updated but with the mention of records, cassettes and VHS tapes, my fears were eased.I am always super giddy for horror and sometimes that eagerness comes around to bite me in the ass. Not this time. While TRICK OR TREAT may come off as your standard haunted house story, the twist at the end will have you totally creeped out. I certainly didn't see it coming. Then again I'm not really adept at spotting those kinds of things in advance so take that as you will.Martha comes off a bit insufferable, a drama queen and a definite whiner to begin with so it's really not a surprise when no one believes her when she starts complaining about the creepy house and her cold bedroom. And Conor is a bit of a creep factor. He's really elusive and isn't straight forward when he speaks. Some people might find that mysterious. I pegged him as a baby serial killer. Enter the absentee parents that leave their teen kids alone in a house for weeks while they honeymoon (brilliant!) and you have the beginnings of a super horror story.So while Martha comes off as a bit ingratiating eventually I did get past her initial complainer attitude and start to sympathize with her plight. The house was affecting her so badly that it was starting to show physically. And still no one believed her. But by the time people started seeing the forest for the trees, it might have been a little too late. Or was it?TRICK OR TREAT is one of those old school YA horror books that actually has some genuine creepiness to it. Chances are you won't want to read it in the dark. Or during a thunder storm. Or around Halloween. Because who knows what you'll see when the lightening flashes on that old, dying oak in your front yard? Or equally creepy lawn element? TRICK OR TREAT is a good piece of nostalgia that transcends the current YA market and injects some honest to god horror back into the YA world. I love it. I need more.
What do You think about Trick Or Treat (2015)?
First of my Point Horror marathon re-read.This book is ludicrous. I loved it. However, I can't possibly give it 5 stars because my loving something doesn't necessarily mean it is good. I love Take Me Out, I'm partial to a KFC and the last song I downloaded was Will2k. Recap of the story - Martha and Conor are step siblings thrown together after their parents whirlwind romance; they've been moved out from Chicago to the town of Bedford and a ramshackled roaming house with "potential". They go to
—Georgia
Martha and Conor's parents have gotten married and moved the family to the old Bedford house at the outskirts of a small town. Martha isn't happy about this, especially when the old house gives off massively creepy vibes that make her suspect that her stepbrother is even creepier than she thought. She settles in fairly well at school, meeting the dashing Blake and his sister Wynn, but the house turns out to have been the scene of the murder of Elizabeth... who was Wynn's best friend and Blake's girlfriend. Martha starts to recieve threatening phone calls and several incidents like a creepy scarecrow hung on their porch and an unexplained fire in the kitchen make Martha even more worried. Is Elizabeth's ex-boyfriend Dennis, who was presumed dead, really alive and threatening Martha? Can all of the friends survive the Halloween dance?Strengths: Since I just lost Cusick's Fatal Secrets to a juice box in a back pack, I was in mourning and very pleased to see Open Road Media rerelease this 1989 title. It was fast paced, super creepy with moaning trees and secret passages, and I wanted to order two copies!Weaknesses: Imagine my suprise when I logged into Follett's Titlewave and found this listed as "out of print"! I was beyond crushed! Why had I not realized earlier that Open Road Media is only digital content? Since these were originally paperbacks, there is just no way to get a copy to circulate. Back to the mourning!
—Ms. Yingling
Goodreads describes this book as:Martha knew there was something evil about the house she was moving into. It was so cold...and creepy. And it wasn't just the house that was giving her a weird feeling. Martha was sure someone was following her...watching her every move.Then the practical jokes began--the scarecrow with the carving knife in its head, the fire. And the phone calls: 'Trick or Treat, Martha...you're dead.'It was October, but these were no Halloween tricks. Someone would be coming home this year with more than just a bag of treats. And Martha was the prize. Trick or Treat"Started this book earlier then couldn't put it down so had to finish it. The story centers around Martha and the house she moves into when her father remarries. She has bad feelings about the house from the beginning and can't seem to shake them throughout the story. Her stepbrother also feels the weirdness and together they work to sort it out after their parenst leave on their honeymoon.Good: The story is descriptive and keeps the reader moving towards the climax. The author gives just enough of the background story to make the present story creepier. While it talks about "practical jokes" in the description, there are actually very few of those in the story. Bad: The author failed to get me intested in Martha or her delimma. The girl seemed too emotional from the very beginning so there was no build-up to help me sympathize with her plight. With so few characters in the story, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on and who the killer was. I remind myself that this is a YA book though so it doesn't have the interweaving of other storylines in it like an adult book would. One barely gets to know her parents as they are gone very quickly. I admit I like YA books because they get right to the action and stay there the entire story without all the frivolity of the adult book. However, I thought this one could have used a bit more of the background issues dealt with. I give the book a B-I received this book from Netgalley.com with the stipulation that I would read the entire thing and then write a review. I am not required to write a positive or negative review and the thoughs here are expressly my own.
—Kathy Jackson
