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Happy Birthday To Me: The Novel
Hardcover
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 11, 2024
I’ve read Muñoz’s other horror novelizations and while I thought they were weak, this was weak and sloppily written. Sentences changed tenses on nearly every page, words are substituted for their homophones with regularity (whined is used at least twice instead of “whined”), and half the time the sentences are in a Yoda-speak that’s so backwards it’s difficult to tell what it’s even about. The author thanks editors in his special thanks, but they were definitely asleep at the wheel.
Reads like the papers I wrote in middle school where I had to stretch a paragraph into a three-page essay. Every single point is stated, re-stated, and reiterated immediately afterward. Hyphenated adjectives often aren’t, making the reading experience choppy and stumbling.
The hallmarks of Muñoz’s other horror novelizations are here — an added subplot of a sentient animal (a wolf in My Bloody Valentine, a dog in Silent Night, Deadly Night, a mouse here), additional death scenes that don’t match the film in tone or execution, and the killer self-righteously giving themselves a stupid nickname (in this case, the Cake Cutter, an appellation that inspires no fear). When the killer announces near the end “I am the Cake Cutter!” I genuinely expected the other characters to say “Who?” as literally nobody in the story has used that nickname except the killer in regards to themself.
Sloppy, poorly-paced, and with the sexual and violent content of a 12-year-old’s fever dream. I’m not against pulpy, horny, grossly violent books, but these have no subtlety, no charm, no interest. It’s like being in middle school and listening to the guy who’s clearly making up a story about sleeping with his babysitter. Maybe if I was younger I’d be more into these, but they’re just not good.
Reads like the papers I wrote in middle school where I had to stretch a paragraph into a three-page essay. Every single point is stated, re-stated, and reiterated immediately afterward. Hyphenated adjectives often aren’t, making the reading experience choppy and stumbling.
The hallmarks of Muñoz’s other horror novelizations are here — an added subplot of a sentient animal (a wolf in My Bloody Valentine, a dog in Silent Night, Deadly Night, a mouse here), additional death scenes that don’t match the film in tone or execution, and the killer self-righteously giving themselves a stupid nickname (in this case, the Cake Cutter, an appellation that inspires no fear). When the killer announces near the end “I am the Cake Cutter!” I genuinely expected the other characters to say “Who?” as literally nobody in the story has used that nickname except the killer in regards to themself.
Sloppy, poorly-paced, and with the sexual and violent content of a 12-year-old’s fever dream. I’m not against pulpy, horny, grossly violent books, but these have no subtlety, no charm, no interest. It’s like being in middle school and listening to the guy who’s clearly making up a story about sleeping with his babysitter. Maybe if I was younger I’d be more into these, but they’re just not good.
February 8, 2025
I couldn't disagree more with the one star review this book has. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I love the original movie and it's Scooby Do ending so all the added characterization and subplots were a joy to read. I've enjoyed every book I've read by the author so far in these Beyondthekiller/Stopthekiller series but this one is so far my favourite.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews