u/Darkvolk1945

Spoilers Ahead

TLDR (Enjoyed it but Samantha was a huge moron)

So this one was a bit odd

Samantha was someone who just happened to be stuck.

Stuck with height she didn't want and forced to use it by being peer pressured by her teachers.

I like that Stine captured an aspect of horror that no monster, curse or demon is able to replicate.

The horror of bullying.

The horror of returning to an environment where you are constantly being mocked.

Again and again for most of the year.

No wonder her first wish was to wish for something to make the mockery stop.

I do think the wording was a bit confusing though.

When she asked to be the strongest player on the team and everyone around her became severely ill i felt confused.

I have heard they changed the words depending on the print.

I heard she originally became a huge mass monster that destroyed the gym but idk how truthful that is.

In the version i read they all got very sick and weak.

Samantha (and I) definitely got some catharsis from watching those horrible girls fumbling in front of others.

And then she went to Judith's home

Even if she felt bad, why would you visit your bully ?

Also how did she know where she lived ?

But the thing that annoys me the most is that Clarissa seemed to be omnipotent yet somehow very unreliable.

Sam was desperately looking for her yet she refused to show herself.

And she was always there ???

I am not convinced Clarissa was just not very good at what she did.

That excuse "this is how i know how to do it" was absolutely hamfisted.

There was definitely malice to her actions.

Even if you suck at what you do, it is a lot easier to disappear ONE human than the entire human race.

I think Samantha should have caught on that this woman was evil from the very beginning with the scene where she finds her and assaults her by grabbing her when she was trying to get away.

I know she is like 12 but even then you should know.

If someone screws you over twice, they are likely to do it again.

But she still chose to play with fire by adding to her third wish (the one that undid all previous wishes).

I would have milked tf out of that 3rd wish.

I would have told Judith to be my personal servant and that she was gonna have to get into med or law school after graduation so she could support the both of us.

I'd be set for life !!!

But kids don't think that way.

Sam just got tired of the attention after a day.

And Clarissa was once again magically there.

I don't know why she offered Sam a 4th wish when it was only 3 ?

But i was blind at how truly dumb Sam actually was.

Even though Clarissa was evil, Sam knew she had the power of god.

And the worst thing you can do is give it to someone who (without the 3rd wish) sees you with contempt.

I was coming from the cuckoo clock of doom where the protagonist was competent.

So coming from that to this was a kick in the nuts.

She deserved to get turned into a fucking bird.

Regardless, i still enjoyed the book.

I don't think it's in my top 5 though.

The cover art was really really good.

And even though Sam was a dumb dumb, i got what i wanted.

A classic authentic goosebumps story.

Spoilers ahead

TLDR (Loved it until i got to the end)

I was actually really fond of the buildup and atmosphere of this book.

I liked that the danger was real. At least initially. When Mike got bit by snakes I was tricked into believing Stine would actually add consequences to the story.

And that he would break the unwritten rule of children don't generally die or get seriously hurt.

I also liked there was worldbuilding like the sabre myth, the forbidden bunk and the dangerous creatures lurking in the woods. There were also questions.

What happened in the forbidden bunk, why were the counselors unreliable, why were the letters not being sent ?

Now.

The counselors and uncle al being negligent af is expected as Stine has written adults to be comically reckless like in how to kill a monster.

But going from that to deliberately gaslighting children made me know something was very wrong.

Billy was also a smart kid. But I don't know why he chose to save Larry if he knew he was sketchy af and had openly hurt a fellow camper for no reason.

I was so convinced something really bad was gonna happen after that canoe trip.

But then we got to the ending.

I hated it.

I am not opposed to a twist if it's constructed well and if it fits. But this one was some bs.

For one, Stine wants me to believe the danger was never real. All of that tension and world building was for nothing because it was a government test.

And then,

You're telling me the entire story happens in a different planet that just so happens to be 99% similar to earth and that everyone was an alien ??? Cmon that's bs.

There was no buildup to this twist other than one scene at the beginning with the wolf dog hybrids. Where Stine describes a creature not found in planet earth.

But even then, this is the same universe where (on planet earth) you have monsters who are allergic to humans, magical artifacts like blood that makes a dog grow to the size of a pony, a haunted mask that fuses into your face, time warping and dimensionsal travel etc.

I think what happened is that Stine wrote a story so serious and high stakes that he had to do some emergency twist just to keep it family friendly.

Either that or he had no better ideas.

He should have given this book a more grim ending to match the serious nature of the book.

I wrote my own ending as a little thought experiment as i really disliked the canon ending.

(Billy still shoots al but the rifle shoots air. Al staggers and Billy runs into the woods.

He accidentally goes into the forbidden bunk. Inside, he sees all of his peers frozen in some sort of display chamber.

Then, his parents appear and Larry is with them. Larry then explains camp nightmoon is actually a preservation facility. Where parents who can't stand the thought of their children getting older send their children to "preserve" them.

Larry then explains all the trials Billy went through were designed so he would reach his physical and emotional peak.

His bravery by saving larry, his courage by defying uncle al and his selflessness by advocating for his friends.

They were all tests to "ripen" him so the best version of billy would be preserved.

Billy sees his parents and they say

"We are so proud of you, now you'll be our brave little hero, forever..."

Uncle Al shows up and shoots Billy with the tranquilizer.

Before Billy passes out and is placed into the chamber, he sees a bus arrive with more children.

Who will eventually share his own grim end...)

I am not claiming i am a better writer than Stine, i just think a dark ending is more fitting than a whacky we are aliens ending.

Overall it's not a book i would go back to but i think my main issue was the destination. The journey to it however, was pretty good.