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Fear Street Cheerleaders #2
The Second Evil
Corky Corcoran is sure it's just her imagination when she sees her dead sister rise from the grave. Or is it?
Corky is trying to put the nightmare of Bobbi's death behind her—she's back on the Shadyside cheerleading squad and has become friends with Kimmy and Debra. But everything is not back to normal for Corky—she hears horrible screams in the gym, her friend has become obsessed with the occult, and a strange young man is following her. And then the murders begin again...
Has the evil spirit from the Fear Street cemetery returned to destroy them one by one?
Corky is trying to put the nightmare of Bobbi's death behind her—she's back on the Shadyside cheerleading squad and has become friends with Kimmy and Debra. But everything is not back to normal for Corky—she hears horrible screams in the gym, her friend has become obsessed with the occult, and a strange young man is following her. And then the murders begin again...
Has the evil spirit from the Fear Street cemetery returned to destroy them one by one?
167 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
73 people are currently reading
2254 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 147 reviews
April 6, 2019
Good ol' R.L. This was fun, and he's thrown in a few mysterious clues for book three. You can't go wrong with evil cheerleaders though right?
June 29, 2020
Ahh, I do love returning to Fear Street. A place that I still say is the inspiration for the Hellmouth on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "The Second Evil" I found to be too short and also it doesn't give you a chance to mourn any characters that we lose. Of course the ending leaves open another book (which I am so reading).
"The Second Evil" follows some months after the events in the first book. Corky is left mourning her sister Bobbi who was murdered. She's left the cheerleading squad and is now dating Chip. Yeah that Chip. Chip who has gone from dating another member of the squad (Kimberly) and then Bobbi and now Corki. I was not a fan of Chip. When Corky starts seeing things and one of the squad keeps intoning the evil has returned, she starts to worry that what they all did a few months ago didn't vanquish the evil for good. And she's right to worry.
Corky is definitely a MC you can root for. I do miss Bobbi, but Corky has more of an investigative spirit I thought. She starts trying to run down leads with Chip and then some of the girls on the squad. I have to say though there's not much development of anyone else really in this one besides us getting more information on Sara Fear. I definitely loved the more information on the Fear family and wanted to know even more about them. When I was a pre-teen and later teen reading these books I would get so freaked out about the whole idea behind Fear Street. A few blocks down from my home was a cemetery that sat besides the railroad tracks. We would go down there during the summer and picnic and play touch football or tag, but we were always taught to be respectful of the graves and people visiting. In the daylight there was never anything that was too scary about the place, but as soon as dusk came around 7, 8, or 9 (depending on the time of year) the place felt lonesome and you felt like someone was out there wanting to touch you. Stine at times makes me recall how I felt the first time as a pre-teen reading this (I was 12 when this book was published) and that alone was enough for me to give this 4 stars.
The writing was solid, but there's not a lot of scares (at least for me) in this one. We do get some gruesome scenes here and there, but Stine quickly moves along as if he is afraid of freaking out his readers. The flow is a bit stop and start in a few places too, but since this is a fairly short book (180 pages) it doesn't hamper things.
The setting of Shadyside and Fear Street still resonate with me and I so wish that Netflix or someone else would consider picking up this series. You can easily update these books and I think would be a fun horror series to sink your teeth into.
"The Second Evil" follows some months after the events in the first book. Corky is left mourning her sister Bobbi who was murdered. She's left the cheerleading squad and is now dating Chip. Yeah that Chip. Chip who has gone from dating another member of the squad (Kimberly) and then Bobbi and now Corki. I was not a fan of Chip. When Corky starts seeing things and one of the squad keeps intoning the evil has returned, she starts to worry that what they all did a few months ago didn't vanquish the evil for good. And she's right to worry.
Corky is definitely a MC you can root for. I do miss Bobbi, but Corky has more of an investigative spirit I thought. She starts trying to run down leads with Chip and then some of the girls on the squad. I have to say though there's not much development of anyone else really in this one besides us getting more information on Sara Fear. I definitely loved the more information on the Fear family and wanted to know even more about them. When I was a pre-teen and later teen reading these books I would get so freaked out about the whole idea behind Fear Street. A few blocks down from my home was a cemetery that sat besides the railroad tracks. We would go down there during the summer and picnic and play touch football or tag, but we were always taught to be respectful of the graves and people visiting. In the daylight there was never anything that was too scary about the place, but as soon as dusk came around 7, 8, or 9 (depending on the time of year) the place felt lonesome and you felt like someone was out there wanting to touch you. Stine at times makes me recall how I felt the first time as a pre-teen reading this (I was 12 when this book was published) and that alone was enough for me to give this 4 stars.
The writing was solid, but there's not a lot of scares (at least for me) in this one. We do get some gruesome scenes here and there, but Stine quickly moves along as if he is afraid of freaking out his readers. The flow is a bit stop and start in a few places too, but since this is a fairly short book (180 pages) it doesn't hamper things.
The setting of Shadyside and Fear Street still resonate with me and I so wish that Netflix or someone else would consider picking up this series. You can easily update these books and I think would be a fun horror series to sink your teeth into.
June 9, 2021
The Fear Street Cheerleaders saga continues with a sequel to The First Evil. Love the covers in this series of books.
The story follows on from The First Evil with Corky (one of two sisters from The First Evil) battling the Evil Spirit again. She has re-joined the Cheerleaders, who after the events of The First Evil, are all best friends now.
The story progresses as the long-ago history of Sarah Fear, her family, her mysterious death, and The Evil Spirit is mentioned.
Stine does like to write a cliff-hanger at the end of a chapter which turns out to be nothing but a false alarm. This is a YA book though and a good one.
Bring on The Third Evil.
The story follows on from The First Evil with Corky (one of two sisters from The First Evil) battling the Evil Spirit again. She has re-joined the Cheerleaders, who after the events of The First Evil, are all best friends now.
The story progresses as the long-ago history of Sarah Fear, her family, her mysterious death, and The Evil Spirit is mentioned.
Stine does like to write a cliff-hanger at the end of a chapter which turns out to be nothing but a false alarm. This is a YA book though and a good one.
Bring on The Third Evil.
April 3, 2019
O.M.G! Bob!! This one is great. He really turned up the horror. This knocks out Missing as my favorite of my Fear Street re-reads. You know the characters and the premise behind the book but the journey Corky goes through is good scary fun.
April 4, 2019
4.25
Not much to say, being the second book, but I enjoyed the first one and enjoyed this one even more! I found the first one fun, but predictable, and I thought this was going to be predictable as well, and it proved me wrong.
I loved the girls supporting girls, the supernatural element, the plot twist. I look forward to reading the next one!
Not much to say, being the second book, but I enjoyed the first one and enjoyed this one even more! I found the first one fun, but predictable, and I thought this was going to be predictable as well, and it proved me wrong.
I loved the girls supporting girls, the supernatural element, the plot twist. I look forward to reading the next one!
July 13, 2025
In this second book of the series, the survivor of the last book is on the cheerleading squad, but she's haunted, being stalked, and then murders start happening. Maybe she should have joined the volleyball team.
Not bad, but more campy than scary, IMHO.
Not bad, but more campy than scary, IMHO.
August 30, 2020
After thinking she banished the evil spirit in the first book, Corky has now come to a horrifying revelation that it still lurks in the darkness intent on killing her as it did her sister in the first installment. But who is the evil spirit inhabiting now? And why is this happening at all?!
We get some more backstory on Sarah Fear in this one - which is ALWAYS a fun experience because we definitely need all the Fear and Shadyside history we can get in these books! We also read the word "evil spirit" about 666 times in the book (which got a little repetitive and lost its effect after a while).
But oh honey we have a death that is as memorable as that iconic one from the first book!
Good times and fun to be had as The Cheerleaders series progresses!
We get some more backstory on Sarah Fear in this one - which is ALWAYS a fun experience because we definitely need all the Fear and Shadyside history we can get in these books! We also read the word "evil spirit" about 666 times in the book (which got a little repetitive and lost its effect after a while).
But oh honey we have a death that is as memorable as that iconic one from the first book!
Good times and fun to be had as The Cheerleaders series progresses!
July 24, 2022
Not much to say. The series is a fun "lighter" horror, with not much actually scary parts but fun to read and I enjoy picking something up by RL Stine sometimes
November 27, 2024
The Second Evil picks up a few months after The First Evil, with the Cheerleaders being divided on whether or not the evil spirit is still with them. With two of the biggest characters from the first book now dead, Corky, Kimmy, and Debra are left to pick up the pieces. There’s one pretty gruesome death scene, and we got some history on the infamous Fear family, but overall The Second Evil was a lot more of the same. The Evil itself is revealed to be impulsive and, quite frankly, stupid. It definitely lacks the level of planning I would expect from something ancient and powerful. Middle books in trilogies are notoriously difficult, and The Second Evil was unfortunately no exception. I hope the third book is better.
Score: 2.5
Full review with snark, spoilers, and gifs:
https://www.danstalter.com/cheerleade...
Score: 2.5
Full review with snark, spoilers, and gifs:
https://www.danstalter.com/cheerleade...
October 23, 2021
The writing is very easy to read and follow, it's fast-paced. The first one was too but in the first one it did have a slow beginning until the story really kicked in but this one was fairly fast-paced already from the beginning and with a lot more happening internally for the girls. The girls seem a lot more rounded out in this one, in the first one everyone was pretty shallow, they still are but their fear makes them start thinking about other things as well.
The characters still aren't that likeable though, that hasn't changed but they are slightly less annoying to read and slightly more realistic to how would respond to such (or at least similar) traumas.
The characters still aren't that likeable though, that hasn't changed but they are slightly less annoying to read and slightly more realistic to how would respond to such (or at least similar) traumas.
October 7, 2016
Actually, for as stilted and basic as the writing is in these books, this is better than the first in the series. You get an actual back story for Sarah Fear, another posession and a couple more gruesome deaths. Its not the end though. After all, you can't drown the evil spirit...*creepy smile*
June 24, 2021
Such a bittersweet read!
Thanks to the author for killing off all my potential favorite characters while I looked on, loving every minute of it 😂😂
Thanks to the author for killing off all my potential favorite characters while I looked on, loving every minute of it 😂😂
September 6, 2010
Oh, R.L. Stine. Your books always make me smile.
I recently read the first one about a month ago and my bookstore never got a copy, so I had to purchase one from the Internet. It just came in the mail yesterday, and I finished it last night. It's about these cheerleaders who are getting "stalked" by an evil spirit or something. Like someone's said in a different review on here, I don't like how it's just an evil spirit and that's all it is. Can't you explain to us what exactly it is? Besides just stating that it's some kind of spirit. Obviously, it's a spirit. But you should dig deeper!
Anyways. I love how R.L. Stine writes his Fearstreet books. His writing style is very simple, and I love it. His books are known for those surprising endings, and I was only a little bit surprised, but not much this time. It was pretty much hinted a few chapters before. Still, it was a really good book. I was pretty mad Bobbi died in the first book, so I didn't like this one as much since she was my favorite. But I guess I'll live.. *Sigh* 4 Stars out of five. :)
I recently read the first one about a month ago and my bookstore never got a copy, so I had to purchase one from the Internet. It just came in the mail yesterday, and I finished it last night. It's about these cheerleaders who are getting "stalked" by an evil spirit or something. Like someone's said in a different review on here, I don't like how it's just an evil spirit and that's all it is. Can't you explain to us what exactly it is? Besides just stating that it's some kind of spirit. Obviously, it's a spirit. But you should dig deeper!
Anyways. I love how R.L. Stine writes his Fearstreet books. His writing style is very simple, and I love it. His books are known for those surprising endings, and I was only a little bit surprised, but not much this time. It was pretty much hinted a few chapters before. Still, it was a really good book. I was pretty mad Bobbi died in the first book, so I didn't like this one as much since she was my favorite. But I guess I'll live.. *Sigh* 4 Stars out of five. :)
March 30, 2020
There are major spoilers ahead for Cheerleaders: The First Evil. Proceed with caution if you haven’t read it. Corky has fought the evil spirit that killed her sister and won, but that doesn’t make moving on from Bobbi’s death any easier. Kimmy, Debra, and Ronnie convince her to rejoin the cheerleading squad, but almost immediately, strange things begin happening. Corky hears horrific screams that no one else can hear during practice, and a strange man has been following her around town. Is it possible that the evil is still with them? And if it is, how they can trust anyone? Trigger warnings: death, self-injury, mild gore, some body horror, mild eye horror, dismemberment, blood, stalking, threats, drowning, burns, grief.
Like a lot of sequels, this book lacks the punch of the first. There was no way Stine was going to be able to replicate the shock of killing one of his main characters in such a gruesome manner, and all the deaths in The Second Evil are lackluster, the scares mainly a rehash of the ones from the first book. On the other hand, I enjoyed the expansion of the world and finding out more about the Fear family, and it seems like that’s being built up to play a bigger role later in the series. We still don’t know exactly how Sarah Fear died or what the evil presence had to do with it, so I’m curious to find out more.
There are some attempts at character development that are wobbly at best. I appreciate that Bobbi’s death is never glossed over, and grieving is an important part of Corky’s development in this book. It’s less successful with the rest of the characters as Debra becomes obsessed with the occult, and the strange man following Corky around has the potential to bring something interesting to the plot and instead just vanishes midway through the book. (Chip has always been a flat love interest, so let’s not even go there.) In terms of villains, again, there isn’t a lot of development. The evil could be inhabiting anyone, and there’s little indication throughout the novel who it is. With nothing to support it, it feels as though Stine drew a name out of a hat for the possessed person, and that was that. They’re fun and spooky, if not terribly deep.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Like a lot of sequels, this book lacks the punch of the first. There was no way Stine was going to be able to replicate the shock of killing one of his main characters in such a gruesome manner, and all the deaths in The Second Evil are lackluster, the scares mainly a rehash of the ones from the first book. On the other hand, I enjoyed the expansion of the world and finding out more about the Fear family, and it seems like that’s being built up to play a bigger role later in the series. We still don’t know exactly how Sarah Fear died or what the evil presence had to do with it, so I’m curious to find out more.
There are some attempts at character development that are wobbly at best. I appreciate that Bobbi’s death is never glossed over, and grieving is an important part of Corky’s development in this book. It’s less successful with the rest of the characters as Debra becomes obsessed with the occult, and the strange man following Corky around has the potential to bring something interesting to the plot and instead just vanishes midway through the book. (Chip has always been a flat love interest, so let’s not even go there.) In terms of villains, again, there isn’t a lot of development. The evil could be inhabiting anyone, and there’s little indication throughout the novel who it is. With nothing to support it, it feels as though Stine drew a name out of a hat for the possessed person, and that was that. They’re fun and spooky, if not terribly deep.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Read
October 6, 2018Vintage Teen Horror Challenge Book 9
The evil spirit is back and possessing yet another girl. This cheerleading squad can't catch a break.
Memorable Quotes:
"His eyes continued to stare at her like two car headlights coming out of the darkness."
"A cat wailed, sounding human, like a baby."
The evil spirit is back and possessing yet another girl. This cheerleading squad can't catch a break.
Memorable Quotes:
"His eyes continued to stare at her like two car headlights coming out of the darkness."
"A cat wailed, sounding human, like a baby."
October 1, 2025
3.5⭐️ - Still not over the fact that the main character’s name is Corky especially with the last name Corcoran. Rude ass parents.
June 2, 2021
4.5 stars. This one has a lot of the same elements as the first book, but it lacks the nail biting suspense. However, that classroom scene when Corky is attacked was A+ teen pulp horror. Review to come
September 1, 2024
The Second Evil unfortunately didn’t live up to the first. There wasn’t anything crazy that grabbed my attention here like the original. It felt more like a transition book leading into the third.
Still excited for book 3 and hope that one brings a proper conclusion to the trilogy.
Still excited for book 3 and hope that one brings a proper conclusion to the trilogy.
September 21, 2023
Spoilers naturally for the other books so heads up...
How in the world could anything top the first Cheerleader book?
It's always a pretty big deal to equal the success of something so epic but The Second Evil is a pretty decent follow-up.
Corky Corcoran's life drastically changed when she lost her older sister Bobbi. They were best friends and cheerleaders but toward the end...they were barely speaking.
Bobbi was hearing screams in the empty halls at Shadyside High and she claimed she was paralyzed by some strange force that she couldn't raise her arms and catch fellow cheerleader, Kimmy Bass, during a new routine.
Corky didn't believe Bobbi but tried to be a good sister until Bobbi claimed she saw former cheerleading captain Jennifer Daly walking even though she was paralyzed in a terrible accident.
They fought about it and then the next day...Bobbi was dead. They say she had a seizure in the showers and became scalded by the hot water but Corky opened the showers to a wave of boiling water. It had to be Kimmy, she was jealous of Bobbi for being prettier, thinner more talented and stealing her boyfriend, football player Chip Chasner.
Corky thought she had proof but she was wrong...the real answer was so much more frightening.
The night of the crash, Jennifer Daly died landing on Sarah Fear's grave and an evil spirit took over her body...one that had been waiting almost one hundred years. Corky saw her walking and learned she was behind all the horror, including Bobbi's death.
Corky and the evil fought over Sarah Fear's open grave as Kimmy and fellow cheerleaders, Debra Kern and Ronnie Mitchell, looked on in confused terror. It planned to bury Corky but she was able to save herself and banish it back into the grave at the cost of Jennifer's permanent death.
Corky quit the cheerleading squad and visits Bobbi's grave near their home on Fear Street, haunted by the awful night in the cemetery with terrible nightmares. Imagining that Bobbi rises up from the grave.
Now she thinks she sees a young man with eerie, ghost-like gray eyes following her in the cemetery and chasing after her.
Kimmy, Debra and Ronnie want to have Corky back on the squad, they want to be her friends but Corky is reluctant even though all the girls sound sincere. Debra tells Corky that ever since Bobbi's death and that night in the cemetery...she can feel an evil presence.
Debra has turned to the occult to learn and be prepared, wearing a crystal for good luck but all Corky wants to do is forget and move on from the evil...it's gone.
Or is it?
Corky burns her hand with boiling water from a kettle when it seems her right arm has a mind of its own, the rest of her body not moving. She knows that it had to be the evil because it was in her own house when Kimmy, Debra and Ronnie brought her home from the cemetery.
Corky decides to join the squad again to make sure no one else meets Bobbi or even Jennifer's fate and try to get as back to normal as possible. Corky goes to see Bobbi's grave for the last time to talk to her sister for awhile, Chip accompanying her, and they get a scare from a young woman doing a nighttime gravestone rubbing of Sarah Fear's tombstone.
She introduces herself as Sarah Beth Plummer, a graduate student doing research on Shadyside's history and that of the Fear family. Corky is interested in finding out all she can about Sarah Fear so she can learn how this evil came to be in her grave so she and Chip ask Sarah Beth to tell them everything she knows.
Corky goes back to the squad but soon she starts to hear the same screams that Bobbi heard and everyone thinks she is still troubled with their side glances but then the young man chases her through the halls at school...and she isn't dreaming out at her sister's grave anymore!
The evil is making its presence known to Corky and it is even more angry than before...
The switch up of protagonist from Bobbi to Corky works well, enemies turn to allies with Debra, Kimmy and Ronnie feeling a little guilty for their earlier jealousy and introducing some new characters with a little backstory of Sarah Fear being the only real reason for Sarah Beth's existence.
A few repeats of some of the scares that we got in the first book happening to new people is a little stale but made up for by having a really gut-punching death in this one to equal that same loss we got from Bobbi.
The reveal is actually still a little shocking because we are given a few red flags about other characters and not the one it turns out to be. The climax is intense like in the first book and leads way to, of course, a very open ending to lead into the next one...
How in the world could anything top the first Cheerleader book?
It's always a pretty big deal to equal the success of something so epic but The Second Evil is a pretty decent follow-up.
Corky Corcoran's life drastically changed when she lost her older sister Bobbi. They were best friends and cheerleaders but toward the end...they were barely speaking.
Bobbi was hearing screams in the empty halls at Shadyside High and she claimed she was paralyzed by some strange force that she couldn't raise her arms and catch fellow cheerleader, Kimmy Bass, during a new routine.
Corky didn't believe Bobbi but tried to be a good sister until Bobbi claimed she saw former cheerleading captain Jennifer Daly walking even though she was paralyzed in a terrible accident.
They fought about it and then the next day...Bobbi was dead. They say she had a seizure in the showers and became scalded by the hot water but Corky opened the showers to a wave of boiling water. It had to be Kimmy, she was jealous of Bobbi for being prettier, thinner more talented and stealing her boyfriend, football player Chip Chasner.
Corky thought she had proof but she was wrong...the real answer was so much more frightening.
The night of the crash, Jennifer Daly died landing on Sarah Fear's grave and an evil spirit took over her body...one that had been waiting almost one hundred years. Corky saw her walking and learned she was behind all the horror, including Bobbi's death.
Corky and the evil fought over Sarah Fear's open grave as Kimmy and fellow cheerleaders, Debra Kern and Ronnie Mitchell, looked on in confused terror. It planned to bury Corky but she was able to save herself and banish it back into the grave at the cost of Jennifer's permanent death.
Corky quit the cheerleading squad and visits Bobbi's grave near their home on Fear Street, haunted by the awful night in the cemetery with terrible nightmares. Imagining that Bobbi rises up from the grave.
Now she thinks she sees a young man with eerie, ghost-like gray eyes following her in the cemetery and chasing after her.
Kimmy, Debra and Ronnie want to have Corky back on the squad, they want to be her friends but Corky is reluctant even though all the girls sound sincere. Debra tells Corky that ever since Bobbi's death and that night in the cemetery...she can feel an evil presence.
Debra has turned to the occult to learn and be prepared, wearing a crystal for good luck but all Corky wants to do is forget and move on from the evil...it's gone.
Or is it?
Corky burns her hand with boiling water from a kettle when it seems her right arm has a mind of its own, the rest of her body not moving. She knows that it had to be the evil because it was in her own house when Kimmy, Debra and Ronnie brought her home from the cemetery.
Corky decides to join the squad again to make sure no one else meets Bobbi or even Jennifer's fate and try to get as back to normal as possible. Corky goes to see Bobbi's grave for the last time to talk to her sister for awhile, Chip accompanying her, and they get a scare from a young woman doing a nighttime gravestone rubbing of Sarah Fear's tombstone.
She introduces herself as Sarah Beth Plummer, a graduate student doing research on Shadyside's history and that of the Fear family. Corky is interested in finding out all she can about Sarah Fear so she can learn how this evil came to be in her grave so she and Chip ask Sarah Beth to tell them everything she knows.
Corky goes back to the squad but soon she starts to hear the same screams that Bobbi heard and everyone thinks she is still troubled with their side glances but then the young man chases her through the halls at school...and she isn't dreaming out at her sister's grave anymore!
The evil is making its presence known to Corky and it is even more angry than before...
The switch up of protagonist from Bobbi to Corky works well, enemies turn to allies with Debra, Kimmy and Ronnie feeling a little guilty for their earlier jealousy and introducing some new characters with a little backstory of Sarah Fear being the only real reason for Sarah Beth's existence.
A few repeats of some of the scares that we got in the first book happening to new people is a little stale but made up for by having a really gut-punching death in this one to equal that same loss we got from Bobbi.
The reveal is actually still a little shocking because we are given a few red flags about other characters and not the one it turns out to be. The climax is intense like in the first book and leads way to, of course, a very open ending to lead into the next one...
March 29, 2015
This story was ridiculously bad. Going back down memory lane and clearing some of these oldies written for kids isn't always going well. How many exclamation marks can dialogue have. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RL Stine did write some good ones, but others are positively painful. The ending was hastily tossed together without as much thought as the first one, too, even though neither were enjoyable. Not quite hideous enough for one star considering the age group it was written for.
October 19, 2020
2.5 stars.
Fun, but feels like the weaker one in the series. It just moves a bit too fast, yet is also very repetitive. Feels like Jon should’ve gotten more space in order for his presence to be more effective. Still enjoyed it, but not as great as the first one
Fun, but feels like the weaker one in the series. It just moves a bit too fast, yet is also very repetitive. Feels like Jon should’ve gotten more space in order for his presence to be more effective. Still enjoyed it, but not as great as the first one
January 15, 2024
More tragedy happens for Bobbie in this one, can this poor girl catch a freakin' break? Looks like the evil spirit is back and it's up to Bobbie and her cheerleader gang to figure out where it is and destroy it...and the WAY Bobbie destroys it is pretty hilarious 🤣🤣
Only one death in this one and TBH a lot of this book is Bobbie and her friends saying "we must destroy the evil spirit" over and over until the big finale 🤣 I did however love more details on the history of Sarah Fear, and we get to meet one of her weird and creepy descendants...also named Sarah 😈
Again, not much happens til the 3rd act but still an enjoyable read. Looking forward to the 3rd Evil,
Only one death in this one and TBH a lot of this book is Bobbie and her friends saying "we must destroy the evil spirit" over and over until the big finale 🤣 I did however love more details on the history of Sarah Fear, and we get to meet one of her weird and creepy descendants...also named Sarah 😈
Again, not much happens til the 3rd act but still an enjoyable read. Looking forward to the 3rd Evil,
March 29, 2021
The Cheerleaders series continues with Corky as the main character. The squad, with Kimmy as the cheer captain, wanted Corky back despite all the teen drama that happened in the first book, because they went through a paranormal and weird experience after all. One of them suddenly became obsessed with the occult in order to understand what happened in the first book. Did it solve the issue altogether? No, I mean there's a third book after all. Anyway, there were more red herrings in this installment rather than the first book.
June 8, 2021
really, Bob?:
p27: He told here about the center on the opposing team who repeatedly slamdunked even though he was the smallest guy on the floor!
ocr:
p41: She arched her back, straightened her legs, and waited for Kimmy's count>>
plus a missing full stop or two
Gravity wins, eh?
p27: He told here about the center on the opposing team who repeatedly slamdunked even though he was the smallest guy on the floor!
ocr:
p41: She arched her back, straightened her legs, and waited for Kimmy's count>>
plus a missing full stop or two
Gravity wins, eh?
April 19, 2023
This was a fun read. The twists were cool and unexpected. There were even parts that were a little gory, which I enjoyed. The ending was quite a dramatic and entertaining read as well. I would definitely recommend this to others.
October 14, 2023
evil schmevil
November 18, 2023
This was predictable, yet gruesome. I love the nostalgia and the drama that comes along with the cheerleaders. So cool. :)
July 7, 2016
The second installment of the Cheerleaders saga offered a lot of the same that the first book did: Gruesome deaths, ghostly terrors, lots of suspects, and some cheesy climatic moments. But unlike the first book, it had a lot of characters that I actually LIKED. I'll get into more details in a moment.
Plot Synopsis: Months after her encounter with the evil spirit, Corky Corcoran is still trying to recover from all the horrors she experienced-and the death of her sister Bobbi. But when Kimmy invites her to rejoin the cheerleading squad, it seems like the horrors that plagued her and her fellow cheerleaders are over. But it's not long before terror strikes again. Horrifying events plague Corky, she encounters a strange woman in the Fear Street cemetery, and a mysterious man seems to be stalking Corky. When murder strikes, it becomes clear to Corky that the evil spirit is back. But can she stop it before it succeeds in killing her?
Plot-wise, The Second Evil has a lot more plot developments than its' predecessor. There were a lot more characters and, by extension, a lot more suspects than the previous installment. There were also a lot more instances of paranormal horrors, most of which are scary without being overly corny. Even the few details of the climax that would've felt more at place in a Goosebumps story don't do much to hinder it. My only complaint is that .
But what I really liked about The Second Evil was the characters. With Bobbi dead, Corky takes over as the main character and R.L. Stine does very well in writing her as a emotionally fragile and damaged girl still reeling from her sister's murder and her terrifying encounter with the spirit. Toward the end of the story, Corky begins to react to the evil trying to kill her less with horror and more with stoic resignation, almost as if she's accepted the fact that she's going to die. It's a natural, sympathy-building process that really develops Corky into a developed character.
I was even more pleased with the side characters this time around. With The First Evil, my biggest complaint was that the side characters were all so irredeemably awful that I didn't really care what happened to them. But here, the first thing we see them do is watch as Corky visits her sister's grave, feeling clear sympathy for her loss. All of the girls have finally accepted Corky as a cheerleader, even going as far as to beg her to return to the squad. The best characterization goes to Debra, who was really only a member of Kimmy's Mean Girl posse in the first book. Here, she gains an interest in the evil that plagued her squad and is even the first to suspect the spirit has returned. She also takes a special interest in protecting Corky, as evidenced by her constantly trying to talk to Corky about the evil spirit. It was all enough to make Debra my favorite character of the story.
Kimmy's change was also very satisfying to me, as she was the character I disliked the most in the original. In the beginning, she's shown to have remorse for her treatment of Bobbi and wants to make amends with Corky and show her support in her time of need. Her frequent encouragement and kind words to Corky are very welcome given how she was in the past. .
The central mystery of the story is which character is possessed by the evil spirit and, since there are several characters in the book, it's a real guessing game as to who it is. And since most of the story is focused around Corky trying to find out more about the spirit, your mind isn't really on who this is and makes the reveal more of a surprise. In hindsight, the mystery can be easy to solve, but it makes for a good read nonetheless.
Other than the moments of corniness I mentioned earlier, there's not many complaints that I have. The writing is good, the pacing keeps the reader engaged, the characters are all well developed, and the moments of horror (paranormal or otherwise) are well handled for the most part and keep the story's tension alive. This is a fairly solid saga so far and I can't wait to read the final pat of this trilogy.
Pros: The characters, the writing, the pacing, the horror moments, and the chilling ending.
Cons: The cheesy moments.
Plot Synopsis: Months after her encounter with the evil spirit, Corky Corcoran is still trying to recover from all the horrors she experienced-and the death of her sister Bobbi. But when Kimmy invites her to rejoin the cheerleading squad, it seems like the horrors that plagued her and her fellow cheerleaders are over. But it's not long before terror strikes again. Horrifying events plague Corky, she encounters a strange woman in the Fear Street cemetery, and a mysterious man seems to be stalking Corky. When murder strikes, it becomes clear to Corky that the evil spirit is back. But can she stop it before it succeeds in killing her?
Plot-wise, The Second Evil has a lot more plot developments than its' predecessor. There were a lot more characters and, by extension, a lot more suspects than the previous installment. There were also a lot more instances of paranormal horrors, most of which are scary without being overly corny. Even the few details of the climax that would've felt more at place in a Goosebumps story don't do much to hinder it. My only complaint is that .
But what I really liked about The Second Evil was the characters. With Bobbi dead, Corky takes over as the main character and R.L. Stine does very well in writing her as a emotionally fragile and damaged girl still reeling from her sister's murder and her terrifying encounter with the spirit. Toward the end of the story, Corky begins to react to the evil trying to kill her less with horror and more with stoic resignation, almost as if she's accepted the fact that she's going to die. It's a natural, sympathy-building process that really develops Corky into a developed character.
I was even more pleased with the side characters this time around. With The First Evil, my biggest complaint was that the side characters were all so irredeemably awful that I didn't really care what happened to them. But here, the first thing we see them do is watch as Corky visits her sister's grave, feeling clear sympathy for her loss. All of the girls have finally accepted Corky as a cheerleader, even going as far as to beg her to return to the squad. The best characterization goes to Debra, who was really only a member of Kimmy's Mean Girl posse in the first book. Here, she gains an interest in the evil that plagued her squad and is even the first to suspect the spirit has returned. She also takes a special interest in protecting Corky, as evidenced by her constantly trying to talk to Corky about the evil spirit. It was all enough to make Debra my favorite character of the story.
Kimmy's change was also very satisfying to me, as she was the character I disliked the most in the original. In the beginning, she's shown to have remorse for her treatment of Bobbi and wants to make amends with Corky and show her support in her time of need. Her frequent encouragement and kind words to Corky are very welcome given how she was in the past. .
The central mystery of the story is which character is possessed by the evil spirit and, since there are several characters in the book, it's a real guessing game as to who it is. And since most of the story is focused around Corky trying to find out more about the spirit, your mind isn't really on who this is and makes the reveal more of a surprise. In hindsight, the mystery can be easy to solve, but it makes for a good read nonetheless.
Other than the moments of corniness I mentioned earlier, there's not many complaints that I have. The writing is good, the pacing keeps the reader engaged, the characters are all well developed, and the moments of horror (paranormal or otherwise) are well handled for the most part and keep the story's tension alive. This is a fairly solid saga so far and I can't wait to read the final pat of this trilogy.
Pros: The characters, the writing, the pacing, the horror moments, and the chilling ending.
Cons: The cheesy moments.
April 13, 2020
Hellllllo evil!
Well we're back with the Shadyside cheerleaders and friends they just can't catch a break.
A couple more deaths, a new Fear family member, lessons in How Not to Survive as told by Chip who spends the book taunting the Evil by saying "what could go wrong?"
You can read my live tweets here: https://twitter.com/PRationality/stat...
Look I'll always look.askance at any dude who jumps from one sister to the other (LITTLE WOMEN primed me early for that dislike), but Chip didn't need to die like that. It was painful to hear about. Repeatedly.
Obvious red herrings aside, I enjoyed this one moreso than the First since it was nice to see someone property afraid (Debra) and folk take the Evil seriously. Plus mature conversation about how everyone got along before the Evil is heartening to see.
Well we're back with the Shadyside cheerleaders and friends they just can't catch a break.
A couple more deaths, a new Fear family member, lessons in How Not to Survive as told by Chip who spends the book taunting the Evil by saying "what could go wrong?"
You can read my live tweets here: https://twitter.com/PRationality/stat...
Look I'll always look.askance at any dude who jumps from one sister to the other (LITTLE WOMEN primed me early for that dislike), but Chip didn't need to die like that. It was painful to hear about. Repeatedly.
Obvious red herrings aside, I enjoyed this one moreso than the First since it was nice to see someone property afraid (Debra) and folk take the Evil seriously. Plus mature conversation about how everyone got along before the Evil is heartening to see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2019
So The Evil is back, in either Kimmy, Debra, or Corky. Corky is having a tough time of it ever since Bobbi died last book. She visits the grave a lot, and she’s quit cheerleading. Debra is now into the occult, looking tragic and pale all the time. Kimmy wants Corky to join the squad again, but strange people start coming out of the woodwork. A boy starts following Corky around. Turns out it’s Jennifer’s brother, who clearly doesn’t believe the story that she was killed by evil. Then there’s Sarah Beth Plummer, who also likes to hang out in cemeteries.
Sarah Beth is actually Sarah Fear, but not THE Sarah Fear, the one with the Evil inside her. We don’t actually find out what happens to SB, only that she is the conduit for Corky to learn Sarah Fear’s story. If you want to know that story, you can check out my review of The Awakening Evil, because it all starts in that book.
Kimmy does finally manage to get Corky back on the squad. But it’s never a pleasant experience. Corky can’t cheer because she hears loud noises in her ears all the time. In one of the greatest scenes ever, she is trying to take a make-up test and all the jars in the science lab burst everywhere, and a cow’s eye lands on her desk. Finally, Kimmy ends up dropping Corky on the ground during a cheer, just like Corky accidentally dropped Kimmy in the first book.
And we have two deaths: that of Jon and Chip. Chip is wild about those Corcoran girls, and he’s gone from dating Bobbi to dating Corky. The Evil kills him by slicing off his head and hand. Jon is found drowned.
After Corky’s fall, she comes home and her mother prepares her a hot bath. This is important because good old Sarah Fear died in boiling water (I don’t know how a river or ocean could be boiling, but okay). Corky goes into the bathroom.... and finds Kimmy there talking in the raspy voice of The Evil. Surprise! Kimmy tries to drown Corky, but Corky’s arm cast has given her a makeshift weapon. She holds Kimmy’s head down until the water starts swirling and bubbling (which seems like it would flood the bathroom, but okay) and then a gross green liquid comes out of Kimmy’s mouth and goes down the drain. Corky makes sure she sees it go down this time. When she pulls Kimmy back up Kimmy doesn’t remember anything past the night that Corky killed The Evil in Jennifer. It’s been in Kimmy this whole time.
But since the Evil can only transfer to another person near it, I think you can see where book three will be going...
Also, Corky gets a note afterwards that says IT CAN’T BE DROWNED. But actually it can if you’ve read The New Evil.
Sarah Beth is actually Sarah Fear, but not THE Sarah Fear, the one with the Evil inside her. We don’t actually find out what happens to SB, only that she is the conduit for Corky to learn Sarah Fear’s story. If you want to know that story, you can check out my review of The Awakening Evil, because it all starts in that book.
Kimmy does finally manage to get Corky back on the squad. But it’s never a pleasant experience. Corky can’t cheer because she hears loud noises in her ears all the time. In one of the greatest scenes ever, she is trying to take a make-up test and all the jars in the science lab burst everywhere, and a cow’s eye lands on her desk. Finally, Kimmy ends up dropping Corky on the ground during a cheer, just like Corky accidentally dropped Kimmy in the first book.
And we have two deaths: that of Jon and Chip. Chip is wild about those Corcoran girls, and he’s gone from dating Bobbi to dating Corky. The Evil kills him by slicing off his head and hand. Jon is found drowned.
After Corky’s fall, she comes home and her mother prepares her a hot bath. This is important because good old Sarah Fear died in boiling water (I don’t know how a river or ocean could be boiling, but okay). Corky goes into the bathroom.... and finds Kimmy there talking in the raspy voice of The Evil. Surprise! Kimmy tries to drown Corky, but Corky’s arm cast has given her a makeshift weapon. She holds Kimmy’s head down until the water starts swirling and bubbling (which seems like it would flood the bathroom, but okay) and then a gross green liquid comes out of Kimmy’s mouth and goes down the drain. Corky makes sure she sees it go down this time. When she pulls Kimmy back up Kimmy doesn’t remember anything past the night that Corky killed The Evil in Jennifer. It’s been in Kimmy this whole time.
But since the Evil can only transfer to another person near it, I think you can see where book three will be going...
Also, Corky gets a note afterwards that says IT CAN’T BE DROWNED. But actually it can if you’ve read The New Evil.
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