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Fear Street Sagas #10
The Awakening Evil
Now the terror begins…
Everyone knows the story of the Evil. The Evil that terrorized Corky Corcoran and the cheerleaders of Shadyside High. The evil that destroyed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.
Everyone thinks they know the story.
But the true story has remained hidden. Only Sarah Fear knows where the Evil began. What it wants. And why it kills.
Read Sarah’s story…and discover the truth at last.
Everyone knows the story of the Evil. The Evil that terrorized Corky Corcoran and the cheerleaders of Shadyside High. The evil that destroyed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.
Everyone thinks they know the story.
But the true story has remained hidden. Only Sarah Fear knows where the Evil began. What it wants. And why it kills.
Read Sarah’s story…and discover the truth at last.
146 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
13 people are currently reading
1195 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 26, 2021
ALERT – Quote from book in review
This is the sixth (and last) in the “Evil” series. Although not officially in a series this is a prequel to the original trilogy in that it tells the story of Sarah Fear all those years ago before the cheerleaders took on the “Evil”.
Sarah marries Thomas Fear and moves to Shadyside to start her new life. She soon hears the dark rumours about the Fear Family and the “accidents” begin! She can not explain what is happening and realises there is an “Evil” to fight. Spooky, grim and some gore.
I love this quote from the book about the Fear family library.
“Dusty leather volumes lined the shelves on every side. The smell of old paper and leather filled the air”
Nothing better than the smell of books! I could sit in this library every day reading book after book.
A great book to end the series and the story of the “Evil”.
As I have read six YA books it is time to read a horror literary book. We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
This is the sixth (and last) in the “Evil” series. Although not officially in a series this is a prequel to the original trilogy in that it tells the story of Sarah Fear all those years ago before the cheerleaders took on the “Evil”.
Sarah marries Thomas Fear and moves to Shadyside to start her new life. She soon hears the dark rumours about the Fear Family and the “accidents” begin! She can not explain what is happening and realises there is an “Evil” to fight. Spooky, grim and some gore.
I love this quote from the book about the Fear family library.
“Dusty leather volumes lined the shelves on every side. The smell of old paper and leather filled the air”
Nothing better than the smell of books! I could sit in this library every day reading book after book.
A great book to end the series and the story of the “Evil”.
As I have read six YA books it is time to read a horror literary book. We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
November 12, 2020
Everyone knows the story of the Evil that haunted Corky Corcoran and the cheerleading squad at Shadyside High, but The Awakening Evil goes back to the beginning of the story and the Evil’s origins a hundred years before Corky. Sarah Fear is navigating her new life as the wife of Thomas Fear. A stranger to Shadyside, she can’t help but encounter dark rumors of the Fear family. Then strange accidents begin happening around her, things she can’t explain, and Sarah will have to fight an Evil that may come from her very own house. Trigger warnings: death, suicide, drowning, body horror, gore, dismemberment, severe illness, threats.
I wasn’t aware of this book until Thomas pointed it out to me (thank you!). While it’s not listed as part of the Cheerleaders series, it’s Cheerleaders-adjacent, and I’m a completionist at heart. It would be totally possible to read this as a standalone or a prequel, and like most prequels, it’s fairly irrelevant unless you’re really invested in the Evil’s origins. The basics of the story are covered in The Evil Lives!, and if I were going to recommend one or the other, I would go with this one. It goes into more depth on the backstory without the bland framing of a new cheerleading squad.
The Awakening Evil is also a bit more focused on character than that one, and we get a good sense of Sarah’s personality and home life here. I was able to sympathize with her situation in moving to a new place to marry a man she’s never met. Their marriage is kind of sidelined in order to add to the “mystery” of Thomas Fear, fueled by neighborhood rumors. I think the ending would have been more effective if their relationship had been more developed, but it’s a mistake to expect these books to be too deep. It has plenty of spooky occurrences and a rather grim ending, as expected. The New Evil remains my favorite out of the series.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
I wasn’t aware of this book until Thomas pointed it out to me (thank you!). While it’s not listed as part of the Cheerleaders series, it’s Cheerleaders-adjacent, and I’m a completionist at heart. It would be totally possible to read this as a standalone or a prequel, and like most prequels, it’s fairly irrelevant unless you’re really invested in the Evil’s origins. The basics of the story are covered in The Evil Lives!, and if I were going to recommend one or the other, I would go with this one. It goes into more depth on the backstory without the bland framing of a new cheerleading squad.
The Awakening Evil is also a bit more focused on character than that one, and we get a good sense of Sarah’s personality and home life here. I was able to sympathize with her situation in moving to a new place to marry a man she’s never met. Their marriage is kind of sidelined in order to add to the “mystery” of Thomas Fear, fueled by neighborhood rumors. I think the ending would have been more effective if their relationship had been more developed, but it’s a mistake to expect these books to be too deep. It has plenty of spooky occurrences and a rather grim ending, as expected. The New Evil remains my favorite out of the series.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
September 16, 2023
Spoilers for anyone who hasn't read any of the Cheerleader book so just a heads up...
The last Fear Street Sagas book that actually has anything to do with the Fear family setup in earlier books which is kind of sad :(
No more Simon, no more Angelica and we are fixed primarily on members of the "Fier" family that aren't really canon...are they? I wouldn't know because #11 is as far as I got in getting those other Sagas books...
Now the third Cheerleader book gave us a look at some of Sarah Fear and the second one gave us some more info before that. If they hadn't come first, you could say it was kind of a sneak peek into Sarah Fear's story. She did get a mention in The Burning when Daniel Fear was getting the lowdown on his family history but it sort of contradicts what we get here in The Awakening Evil.
Eric Weiner, who actually wrote this one, probably had the Cheerleaders trilogy on hand to get some of the details right. IDK maybe it's just me being all OCD on continuity...
Sarah Burns arrives in Shadyside Village in May/June of 1898 from New York to wed Thomas Fear through an arranged marriage. She is rightly nervous as they have never met but ever since she arrived, it has been gloomy and threatening rain.
Some say rain is lucky on a wedding day but Sarah has doubts...
Her carriage gets lost trying to find the church and the driver picks up a young man walking by the side of the road who says he knows the way. He introduces himself as Hamilton Davies to Sarah and she is tongue-tied in confusion by his tall, dark, handsome looks, playful charm and hypnotically beautiful eyes.
Don't get too mad at Sarah for finding him attractive and flirty on her wedding day because it turns out...he's actually her groom, Thomas Fear. Once they were out of the carriage, Thomas made the reveal and the driver took off in shock from having a Fear in his coach.
Those stories are still going around but Thomas doesn't seemed bothered since he doesn't practice any dark arts. The way he looks at Sarah it is clear he doesn't want her to believe these tales either which must have been why he didn't say his real name.
Thomas and his cousin Daniel would have been so close in any other universe...it's sad :( Just young men looking for love...
Sarah assures Thomas that she wants to marry him and they go through with the ceremony. She does take note, however, that the minister and everyone in the wedding party look as if they are at a funeral. It also goes without saying that...um...isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?
Oh dear...
Thomas and Sarah go off to Niagara Falls on a honeymoon trip and the story shifts to six, almost seven months later. Thomas is a very busy man running the mill in town so he is always at work and Sarah is left alone in their big house with the servants. Despite that, Thomas is loving and kind to Sarah for he isn't as cruel as others in his family despite all the gossip.
Most of that comes from Liza Teasedale, the widow who is their nearest neighbor. Sarah paid her a call to be friendly and all she got were stories about her husband's family being so evil and how no woman in town would have him, explaining the arranged marriage.
Wow...
Sarah arrives back home and finds that an old schoolmate of Thomas' is there on a visit. His name is Aaron West and Thomas tells Sarah that Aaron says he knows her since her name was Sarah Burns before marriage. It is a mistake as Sarah looks and acts completely different from the Sarah that Aaron knows and they shrug it over.
Thomas has to leave for work so he leaves Sarah at least with some company and also tells his wife he has a wedding present for Sarah he had yet to give her. Aaron and Sarah find it to be a collection of silver knives that Thomas reveals is a family heirloom.
Knives, the perfect Fear family heirloom.
Sarah hears noises and keeps finding that the knives are going missing from the box but she certainly isn't going crazy when Aaron humors her request to make sure she isn't daffy...and finds all ten knives gone. When they find them, one is about to stab Sarah in her eye as they are all floating in the air.
Aaron and Sarah run away but the knives give chase through the house upstairs but no harm comes to Sarah. Aaron is not so lucky as the knives hack away at his leg, scraping bone, severing the limb from his body and having him die from the blood loss.
Thomas tells Sarah that it was just a nightmare and that it was an accident. Aaron was helping her carry the heavy case of knives upstairs, the latch came loose and the knives fell out in a manner that hacked off his leg.
Sarah just became overwhelmed by the blood and being alone when it happened that she was hysterical and Thomas had to call the doctor to give her medicine to sleep...it just wasn't strong enough to keep frightening nightmares away.
Sounds logical enough but it doesn't cover up the fact that Thomas almost killed his nephew Michael when they went roller skating, spinning the boy so fast he slammed into a wall and they feared him dead. Thomas said he felt paralyzed and then nothing like himself that he has no memory of it.
That is less logical...so now Sarah is beginning to believe some of the vicious gossip. Maybe the family is cursed but Thomas couldn't really be...evil?
There is no more doubt in Sarah's heart but love for Thomas when she goes to see him at the mill and sees how handsome he looks...until it's revealed he's fighting with his foreman, Mr. Taft. The other man pushes Thomas and he falls into the cistern, struggling not to drown, and Sarah discovers herself...paralyzed.
In fear perhaps but the terror of her husband drowning is replaced with utter horror to find that the water is steaming, bubbling and boiling. The foreman is able to get a rope thrown to Thomas but it is clear to Sarah that her handsome husband...was almost boiled alive but escaped with terrible white blisters.
The doctor is fetched for bandages and ointments and medicines to help Thomas sleep and Sarah promises herself not to leave Thomas' side until he gets better. The doctor says the blisters and burns will heal with rest but not long after he leaves...Sarah has the maid fetch him again.
Thomas Fear has pneumonia from exposure to the cold water before it turned scalding. A fever, chills and a coughing so bad that it is deep in his lungs. It is not the only bad news Sarah receives although it is far too late when she learns that a dear friend has drowned along with others on a ship that was heading for London.
Everything after that just spirals into a deep, dark nightmare and Sarah Fear's perfect life is beginning to circle the drain...
It is kind of hard not to spoil the book but if you have read the Cheerleaders trilogy, most of it is a foregone conclusion. There are some very gruesome and graphic deaths in this book that are sort of foreshadowing of a few kills in the Cheerleaders trilogy that makes you realize just how terrible The Evil truly is.
This is no petty, jealous spirit but an entity fueled by pure rage and malice...
If you have not read any of the Cheerleader books or The Awakening Evil, this would be a good place to start but you don't really have to. Sometimes trilogies, series, and franchises have an origin story after the fact and it doesn't do any harm to put The Awakening Evil after the first four books or before them.
Another excellent Fear Street Sagas book and a perfect start or finish to the Cheerleaders series yet...
I would read The Evil Lives after the first four books as dead last but that is for another time...
The last Fear Street Sagas book that actually has anything to do with the Fear family setup in earlier books which is kind of sad :(
No more Simon, no more Angelica and we are fixed primarily on members of the "Fier" family that aren't really canon...are they? I wouldn't know because #11 is as far as I got in getting those other Sagas books...
Now the third Cheerleader book gave us a look at some of Sarah Fear and the second one gave us some more info before that. If they hadn't come first, you could say it was kind of a sneak peek into Sarah Fear's story. She did get a mention in The Burning when Daniel Fear was getting the lowdown on his family history but it sort of contradicts what we get here in The Awakening Evil.
Eric Weiner, who actually wrote this one, probably had the Cheerleaders trilogy on hand to get some of the details right. IDK maybe it's just me being all OCD on continuity...
Sarah Burns arrives in Shadyside Village in May/June of 1898 from New York to wed Thomas Fear through an arranged marriage. She is rightly nervous as they have never met but ever since she arrived, it has been gloomy and threatening rain.
Some say rain is lucky on a wedding day but Sarah has doubts...
Her carriage gets lost trying to find the church and the driver picks up a young man walking by the side of the road who says he knows the way. He introduces himself as Hamilton Davies to Sarah and she is tongue-tied in confusion by his tall, dark, handsome looks, playful charm and hypnotically beautiful eyes.
Don't get too mad at Sarah for finding him attractive and flirty on her wedding day because it turns out...he's actually her groom, Thomas Fear. Once they were out of the carriage, Thomas made the reveal and the driver took off in shock from having a Fear in his coach.
Those stories are still going around but Thomas doesn't seemed bothered since he doesn't practice any dark arts. The way he looks at Sarah it is clear he doesn't want her to believe these tales either which must have been why he didn't say his real name.
Thomas and his cousin Daniel would have been so close in any other universe...it's sad :( Just young men looking for love...
Sarah assures Thomas that she wants to marry him and they go through with the ceremony. She does take note, however, that the minister and everyone in the wedding party look as if they are at a funeral. It also goes without saying that...um...isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?
Oh dear...
Thomas and Sarah go off to Niagara Falls on a honeymoon trip and the story shifts to six, almost seven months later. Thomas is a very busy man running the mill in town so he is always at work and Sarah is left alone in their big house with the servants. Despite that, Thomas is loving and kind to Sarah for he isn't as cruel as others in his family despite all the gossip.
Most of that comes from Liza Teasedale, the widow who is their nearest neighbor. Sarah paid her a call to be friendly and all she got were stories about her husband's family being so evil and how no woman in town would have him, explaining the arranged marriage.
Wow...
Sarah arrives back home and finds that an old schoolmate of Thomas' is there on a visit. His name is Aaron West and Thomas tells Sarah that Aaron says he knows her since her name was Sarah Burns before marriage. It is a mistake as Sarah looks and acts completely different from the Sarah that Aaron knows and they shrug it over.
Thomas has to leave for work so he leaves Sarah at least with some company and also tells his wife he has a wedding present for Sarah he had yet to give her. Aaron and Sarah find it to be a collection of silver knives that Thomas reveals is a family heirloom.
Knives, the perfect Fear family heirloom.
Sarah hears noises and keeps finding that the knives are going missing from the box but she certainly isn't going crazy when Aaron humors her request to make sure she isn't daffy...and finds all ten knives gone. When they find them, one is about to stab Sarah in her eye as they are all floating in the air.
Aaron and Sarah run away but the knives give chase through the house upstairs but no harm comes to Sarah. Aaron is not so lucky as the knives hack away at his leg, scraping bone, severing the limb from his body and having him die from the blood loss.
Thomas tells Sarah that it was just a nightmare and that it was an accident. Aaron was helping her carry the heavy case of knives upstairs, the latch came loose and the knives fell out in a manner that hacked off his leg.
Sarah just became overwhelmed by the blood and being alone when it happened that she was hysterical and Thomas had to call the doctor to give her medicine to sleep...it just wasn't strong enough to keep frightening nightmares away.
Sounds logical enough but it doesn't cover up the fact that Thomas almost killed his nephew Michael when they went roller skating, spinning the boy so fast he slammed into a wall and they feared him dead. Thomas said he felt paralyzed and then nothing like himself that he has no memory of it.
That is less logical...so now Sarah is beginning to believe some of the vicious gossip. Maybe the family is cursed but Thomas couldn't really be...evil?
There is no more doubt in Sarah's heart but love for Thomas when she goes to see him at the mill and sees how handsome he looks...until it's revealed he's fighting with his foreman, Mr. Taft. The other man pushes Thomas and he falls into the cistern, struggling not to drown, and Sarah discovers herself...paralyzed.
In fear perhaps but the terror of her husband drowning is replaced with utter horror to find that the water is steaming, bubbling and boiling. The foreman is able to get a rope thrown to Thomas but it is clear to Sarah that her handsome husband...was almost boiled alive but escaped with terrible white blisters.
The doctor is fetched for bandages and ointments and medicines to help Thomas sleep and Sarah promises herself not to leave Thomas' side until he gets better. The doctor says the blisters and burns will heal with rest but not long after he leaves...Sarah has the maid fetch him again.
Thomas Fear has pneumonia from exposure to the cold water before it turned scalding. A fever, chills and a coughing so bad that it is deep in his lungs. It is not the only bad news Sarah receives although it is far too late when she learns that a dear friend has drowned along with others on a ship that was heading for London.
Everything after that just spirals into a deep, dark nightmare and Sarah Fear's perfect life is beginning to circle the drain...
It is kind of hard not to spoil the book but if you have read the Cheerleaders trilogy, most of it is a foregone conclusion. There are some very gruesome and graphic deaths in this book that are sort of foreshadowing of a few kills in the Cheerleaders trilogy that makes you realize just how terrible The Evil truly is.
This is no petty, jealous spirit but an entity fueled by pure rage and malice...
If you have not read any of the Cheerleader books or The Awakening Evil, this would be a good place to start but you don't really have to. Sometimes trilogies, series, and franchises have an origin story after the fact and it doesn't do any harm to put The Awakening Evil after the first four books or before them.
Another excellent Fear Street Sagas book and a perfect start or finish to the Cheerleaders series yet...
I would read The Evil Lives after the first four books as dead last but that is for another time...
January 30, 2012
This was one of my favorites from R.L Stine I read this book when I was very young but this book stuck with me and it made me cry something fierce. I loved how this could have been a great love story but ended tragically.
June 14, 2012
I figured since I was whipping my way through the Cheerleaders Fear Street books that I might as well reread this one as well. I mean, it's not like it takes that long. This is the story of how the Evil was born. The story of Sarah Fear. My main problem with it is that it doesn't completely match up to what was already reveled about Sarah Fear in the Cheerleaders series. For example, her hair color is different. Yes, okay, not a big deal, but why? Also we're told about Sarah's full life, filled with friends and family before her miraculous recovery from an illness. In this book she's alone and lonely. It seems a bit silly to be picking apart a Fear Street book, but a book is a book and why contradict what's already been stated? This could have been a lot better if canon was flushed out instead of creating a new one. Perhaps it was for the sake of brevity. It's ultimately satisfying though and I guess that's all you can really ask for.
November 14, 2016
I honestly didn’t like this at all. The first couple chapters were great and I was curious as to where the story was going. However, there hit a point though where all I felt was confusion. The knife scene in particular was pretty stupid. I’m sorry, but .
Once the twist was finally revealed, I just thought it was dumb and I wasn’t into it at all. The villain was cheesy and the remainder of the story was extremely dull. I should have had some kind of reaction to all the people that got murdered, but I actually found myself bored and wishing the book would end already.
Once the twist was finally revealed, I just thought it was dumb and I wasn’t into it at all. The villain was cheesy and the remainder of the story was extremely dull. I should have had some kind of reaction to all the people that got murdered, but I actually found myself bored and wishing the book would end already.
February 10, 2012
Except for one slight problem concerning canon, I liked this book. Any questions the reader might have from the Cheerleaders series are answered, including .
December 28, 2017
Boy, what a mindfuck this one was. I had no clue what was going on until halfway through the book (I guess I forgot to read the tag line!). I would give Stine the credit for this, but this series was ghostwritten. It also felt more gruesome too.
Moral of the Story: Don’t ever switch places with your best friend. I’m serious. Don’t ever do it. You’ve been warned.
Here was my (confused) thought process throughout the first half of the book:
Okay, pretty tame so far.
Of course, the Fears are evil.
Okay, so the Evil lives in Thomas Fear.
He’s so weird.
Oh my god, Sarah is being attacked by knives.
They stole this plot from Carrie.
And now Thomas is injured.
And now he’s dead.
Okay, he can no longer be the culprit.
He wouldn’t do that to himself.
Right?
Oh jeez, Sarah Fear is really Jane Hardy.
I shouldn’t be this confused in a teen book.
So Jane and Sarah switched places and Jane married Thomas.
This sounded like a good plan until Sarah died on a boat trip on her adventure.
But I’m not sure why this is relevant.
Okay, now Jane is sick.
Now she’s not.
Listen, maybe I’m the crazy one here.
Now her room is messy.
Now it’s not.
I hope they explain this soon.
Oh. OH.
Sarah’s evil spirit somehow flew across the ocean and possessed Jane.
And Jane is having the life Sarah should have had.
Jane should have died on the boat.
NOW it makes sense.
Yeah, so, after that three people die. Sarah makes Jane kill them. Mrs. Teasdale is choked to death with her laundry line. The maid is stabbed and buried in the yard. And the Constable is fed to everyone for dinner, which they stole from Sweeney Todd. Finally, Sarah tries to make Jane kill her stepbrother, Jason. He says Jane Hardy over and over and allows her to defeat Sarah. She tentatively believes she has won. But! Not so fast! On a boating trip the next day Sarah rises up in Jane again to kill her companions. This time, Jane fights back. She jumps into the water and drowns herself, which explains why Corky and the others have to drown the Evil in the present day. However, Jane doesn’t survive, and Sarah is trapped in her body. But she vows to get free someday...
Moral of the Story: Don’t ever switch places with your best friend. I’m serious. Don’t ever do it. You’ve been warned.
Here was my (confused) thought process throughout the first half of the book:
Okay, pretty tame so far.
Of course, the Fears are evil.
Okay, so the Evil lives in Thomas Fear.
He’s so weird.
Oh my god, Sarah is being attacked by knives.
They stole this plot from Carrie.
And now Thomas is injured.
And now he’s dead.
Okay, he can no longer be the culprit.
He wouldn’t do that to himself.
Right?
Oh jeez, Sarah Fear is really Jane Hardy.
I shouldn’t be this confused in a teen book.
So Jane and Sarah switched places and Jane married Thomas.
This sounded like a good plan until Sarah died on a boat trip on her adventure.
But I’m not sure why this is relevant.
Okay, now Jane is sick.
Now she’s not.
Listen, maybe I’m the crazy one here.
Now her room is messy.
Now it’s not.
I hope they explain this soon.
Oh. OH.
Sarah’s evil spirit somehow flew across the ocean and possessed Jane.
And Jane is having the life Sarah should have had.
Jane should have died on the boat.
NOW it makes sense.
Yeah, so, after that three people die. Sarah makes Jane kill them. Mrs. Teasdale is choked to death with her laundry line. The maid is stabbed and buried in the yard. And the Constable is fed to everyone for dinner, which they stole from Sweeney Todd. Finally, Sarah tries to make Jane kill her stepbrother, Jason. He says Jane Hardy over and over and allows her to defeat Sarah. She tentatively believes she has won. But! Not so fast! On a boating trip the next day Sarah rises up in Jane again to kill her companions. This time, Jane fights back. She jumps into the water and drowns herself, which explains why Corky and the others have to drown the Evil in the present day. However, Jane doesn’t survive, and Sarah is trapped in her body. But she vows to get free someday...
October 26, 2022
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
Having read The Evil Lives!, I sort of already knew where this story was headed. This was a little more in depth retelling of the story we got from the last Cheerleaders book. And just like that book, this one was fine.
Going in I already knew the plot twist plus how things would end, soooo... Yeah. I still don’t know how I feel about said twist. It's interesting but idk that I'm super into it? The deaths I also wasn’t super impressed with. And while I’m usually not into historical-type books, I really do love the setting in these Fear Street books. But yeah, this book was just... fine.
The Fear Street connection: Sarah married into the Fear family. Ooof.
Having read The Evil Lives!, I sort of already knew where this story was headed. This was a little more in depth retelling of the story we got from the last Cheerleaders book. And just like that book, this one was fine.
Going in I already knew the plot twist plus how things would end, soooo... Yeah. I still don’t know how I feel about said twist. It's interesting but idk that I'm super into it? The deaths I also wasn’t super impressed with. And while I’m usually not into historical-type books, I really do love the setting in these Fear Street books. But yeah, this book was just... fine.
The Fear Street connection: Sarah married into the Fear family. Ooof.
No matter what it took, she would find a way out. Yes, even if it took her a hundred years. She would find a way...
June 20, 2022
Full review at: https://www.jackreacts.com.au/fear-st...
Snippet: It was great to finally learn the origins of Sarah Fear and the evil spirit, but it also presented us with a lot of inconsistencies when compared to the first four books. Thomas was said to die two years into the marriage, but the book seems to follow a much shorter timeline of less than a year. Then some of Sarah’s family supposedly moved in, but that never happened. Sarah also had something to do with Thomas’s father’s death, but that was never mentioned here. And then that whole sailboat scene at the end doesn’t match up with the memory Corky saw back in The Third Evil...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
Snippet: It was great to finally learn the origins of Sarah Fear and the evil spirit, but it also presented us with a lot of inconsistencies when compared to the first four books. Thomas was said to die two years into the marriage, but the book seems to follow a much shorter timeline of less than a year. Then some of Sarah’s family supposedly moved in, but that never happened. Sarah also had something to do with Thomas’s father’s death, but that was never mentioned here. And then that whole sailboat scene at the end doesn’t match up with the memory Corky saw back in The Third Evil...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
March 7, 2023
I gotta say that I really enjoyed this one. Read it in a couple of hours because I had to know how the evil started. This series started out so good, and then, at times, the books were so bad. But
"The Awakening Evil" is one of the better books of the Fear Street Saga series. Although the book is predictable and the main character is incredibly naive, she is a formidable foe to the big bad and sacrifices her life to protect those she cares about. That takes some strength. I also love the Cheeleaders series and love finding out where the Evil of began. So this book is #10 in the fear Street sagas and a prequel/origin story of the Fear Street Cheerleaders books.
"The Awakening Evil" is one of the better books of the Fear Street Saga series. Although the book is predictable and the main character is incredibly naive, she is a formidable foe to the big bad and sacrifices her life to protect those she cares about. That takes some strength. I also love the Cheeleaders series and love finding out where the Evil of began. So this book is #10 in the fear Street sagas and a prequel/origin story of the Fear Street Cheerleaders books.
May 18, 2024
As a fan of the Fear Street Cheerleader Saga I was pleased to find this rare book on Ebay and was thrilled. After wondering how the curse began for the cheerleaders this books takes us back to the 1800's where two friends have decided to trade souls. One is Jane who seems excited about marrying Thomas Fear the only thing is Thomas knows her as Sarah Burns. Little does Jane know that Sarah was really a very evil person and after dying tragically she decides to ruin Jane's new life by murdering those around her. If there was one thing I wish Stine would have added a bit more of it was more of Sarah's past and how exactly she and Jane switched places.
December 26, 2018
Maybe I liked this one so much because of it's connection to the Cheerleader Series...but I really did enjoy this one. We all know the evil originated in Sarah Fear, how Jennifer's corpse was possessed when she landed atop Sarah's grave...so Awakening Evil tells how the Evil came into existence and how it haunted Jane and posessed her...and how it was ultimately defeated...for now. It was pretty solid, moved at a decent pace, and tied perfectly to the original series. Definitely better than the long string of books proceeding it.
January 24, 2019
Finally! After having read first, second and third evil, (especially third, owing to Sarah Fear in it) I thought I had the story of the evil mapped out, but as I picked up this book, I was in for a bit of surprise.
From decapitating someone with a clothesline to serving someone's meat breakfast, this book had a bit of gruesomeness to fit the appetite :D
From decapitating someone with a clothesline to serving someone's meat breakfast, this book had a bit of gruesomeness to fit the appetite :D
July 18, 2023
I loved this book. The more Fear Streets I read the level of horror becomes better and better. The teenage me would have loved the scary moments.
R L Stine has retaken his title of being one of my favourite authors. I love his writing style.
In this story we have the origin story of Sarah Fear. We see how she becomes evil.
It is not what I expected.
Get ready and lets begin …,,
R L Stine has retaken his title of being one of my favourite authors. I love his writing style.
In this story we have the origin story of Sarah Fear. We see how she becomes evil.
It is not what I expected.
Get ready and lets begin …,,
June 4, 2017
I think I liked the Fear Saga more than just plain old fear street the series just had more to it for me .... I really loved all the twisted tales from this series so much fun
I had an absolute blast reading all of these again in 2013 .... :)
I had an absolute blast reading all of these again in 2013 .... :)
November 4, 2023
The Fear family lore keeps expanding and I loved it. Sarah Burns is absolutely bat-shit crazy. I get why she's mad but they made an agreement. Don't be a sore loser, Sarah.
I respected Jane for her self-sacrifice, that was noble of her.
I respected Jane for her self-sacrifice, that was noble of her.
April 24, 2025
The Awakening Evil is the last of the Fear Street Sagas that I've been able to get my hands on. While I would like to eventually read the other books, I'm satisfied with stopping here for now. It's been a wild ride.
October 21, 2025
It was nice to see the backstory of Sarah Fear/Jane after reading all the Cheerleader books. It did fall a little flat but still a must read if you are trying to get the full story of the Evil Cheerleader series.
June 22, 2019
This is truly an disturbing evil story.
July 7, 2021
Good palate cleanser, though it doesn’t hold up as well as other fear street sagas
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August 1, 2021I just don’t like historical books that much.
August 5, 2025
3.5 stars - Sarah Fear has come up in other books, and we finally get the inside scoop of what happened to her. I'm still not entirely clear on what gave her possession powers though.
October 16, 2018
Only Sarah Fear knows where the Evil came from & why. In this book, we finally learn why the Evil was with Sarah in her grave.
This is the story of how Sarah came to be in Shadyside. On the day she arrives Sarah Burns marries Thomas Fear & begins a new time in her life. Only to have this time threatened by the Evil that is lurking just arpund the corner.
This is the story of how Sarah came to be in Shadyside. On the day she arrives Sarah Burns marries Thomas Fear & begins a new time in her life. Only to have this time threatened by the Evil that is lurking just arpund the corner.
October 24, 2012
I just now remembered finding this at the Half priced book store when I was back in high school. And have to say that it was honestly my second R.L. Stine book I've ever read(Used to watch the show a bit more than read the books). And to say the least I had thought this was the original book of the fear series. But can see that this was only a very slim part of the Shady side world. But to say the least I did find this to be a very good yet scary story. I'm not big on horror reads but from what I remember it had me hiding under the covers for sure, lol. Great story and totally makes me glad we can not switch bodies or anything else with other people on that personal a level.
March 5, 2015
I've actually only read this book once before, unlike the multiple times I've read most other Fear Street books. My library never carried these Saga books, so I ordered this one from Interlibrary Loan sometime in high school so I could finally find out Sarah Fear's true story and the origin of The Evil. I was pleasantly surprised by it then, and I still loved it now.
This book is actually legitimately good, and the story behind The Evil and Sarah is fantastic. I didn't exactly remember how it all came to be, so I was quite surprised by the big revelation.
On to the last Cheerleaders book!
This book is actually legitimately good, and the story behind The Evil and Sarah is fantastic. I didn't exactly remember how it all came to be, so I was quite surprised by the big revelation.
On to the last Cheerleaders book!
May 21, 2008
I just read it today it is about a girl named sarah who is arranged to marry thomas fear. They married and while sarah visits a woman to drink tea with she tells her all these stories about the fear family and how their family is cursed. sarah choses not to listen and says that thos are just nasty rumors made up by the woman. but when weird unexplainable things start to hapen sarah starts to think about what the woman tols her.
May 2, 2016
I had read this book when I was 12 (or maybe 13) and the story has stayed with me all these years. I keep coming back to this book mostly because every time I read it, I hope to find solace. Someday I will be able to read this book without being overwhelmed by sadness.
December 13, 2023
Definitely follows the the style of the Sagas series, and faithful to the Cheerleaders for the most part. The way the story, characters, and writing style in this book goes, should be the way the whole Sagas series had gone as. Only complaint is that this is too short of a read!
January 1, 2008
For fans of thrillers - you'll definitely want to read this one! It actually scared the heck out of me (one of the only thriller/horror books I've read that has)!
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