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Twilight: Where Darkness Begins #2
The Power
The lock of hair is strangely like her own. Meredith stares in horror at the curl resting in a box which hangs from her locker. And the attached note in blood red letters which reads: YOU ARE IN MY POWER!
Where did it come from? Meredith wishes she could dismiss it as a practical joke, but the words are hauntingly familiar. Then she discovered a roughly shorn patch of hair behind her left ear. Is Meredith the victim of a cruel game —or is she facing a far greater evil? add
Where did it come from? Meredith wishes she could dismiss it as a practical joke, but the words are hauntingly familiar. Then she discovered a roughly shorn patch of hair behind her left ear. Is Meredith the victim of a cruel game —or is she facing a far greater evil? add
147 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 30, 1982
1 person is currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Haynes
123 books111 followersABOUT ME
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 6, 2019
Surprisingly sinister 80s YA horror quickie in which Meredith Turner finds a lock of her own hair in a box in her locker, along with the note, "You Are In My Power!" Indeed, Meredith soon finds herself under a strange influence, committing actions she isn't aware of. When she starts to want to be with new boy Colin Dorn all the time despite barely knowing him, it becomes clear who has her under their thrall and what they want from her.
Having a girl be completely at the beck and call of a creepy guy, without any power over her actions and losing her independence, is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when this was first published back in 1982! Obviously, being YA and only a scant 147 pages, it can't explore its themes fully, and can't delve into the true horrors of what this sort of mind control could enable (perhaps thankfully), but it works well as a parable about abusive relationships and uneven power dynamics. The supernatural aspect seems like an afterthought, but I don't think that was really meant to be the focus of the story. It builds to a satisfying, surprisingly hard-edged finale.
Having a girl be completely at the beck and call of a creepy guy, without any power over her actions and losing her independence, is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when this was first published back in 1982! Obviously, being YA and only a scant 147 pages, it can't explore its themes fully, and can't delve into the true horrors of what this sort of mind control could enable (perhaps thankfully), but it works well as a parable about abusive relationships and uneven power dynamics. The supernatural aspect seems like an afterthought, but I don't think that was really meant to be the focus of the story. It builds to a satisfying, surprisingly hard-edged finale.
April 5, 2022
This one was just....OKAY. If you're looking to start in the Twilight series, there are plenty of other wacky ridiculous totally nutso (i.e. AWESOME) books to read first! I really enjoyed "The Haunted Dollhouse" and also "Demon Tree"!
This one was a little too even-keeled for me, and didn't really deliver in the wack department. Basically girlfriend Meredith finds a box hanging from her school locker. Inside is a lock of her own hair with a sweet little note that reads, "YOU ARE IN MY POWER!" She starts having blackouts in public, one of her best friends go missing, and OH a teacher is mysteriously found dead in the swamp and this is never mentioned again. Oh well! Nice knowing ya, Mr. Stephens!! 👋
The culprit is pretty easily identifiable from the start, so there's no mystery there. Essentially, I was a little bored, TBH. But the cover is freaky and awesome and I've gleaned a new gag to play on people in the future...chop off a lock of their hair when they're not looking and claim they are IN MY POWER!! MUAHAHAHAHA!! 😈
2 out of 5 notes left at your locker claiming that you are being controlled by STRANGE FORCES. And all with a lock of your hair!! Oh well, just be thankful that creep didn't shave your whole damn head.
This one was a little too even-keeled for me, and didn't really deliver in the wack department. Basically girlfriend Meredith finds a box hanging from her school locker. Inside is a lock of her own hair with a sweet little note that reads, "YOU ARE IN MY POWER!" She starts having blackouts in public, one of her best friends go missing, and OH a teacher is mysteriously found dead in the swamp and this is never mentioned again. Oh well! Nice knowing ya, Mr. Stephens!! 👋
The culprit is pretty easily identifiable from the start, so there's no mystery there. Essentially, I was a little bored, TBH. But the cover is freaky and awesome and I've gleaned a new gag to play on people in the future...chop off a lock of their hair when they're not looking and claim they are IN MY POWER!! MUAHAHAHAHA!! 😈
2 out of 5 notes left at your locker claiming that you are being controlled by STRANGE FORCES. And all with a lock of your hair!! Oh well, just be thankful that creep didn't shave your whole damn head.
not-finishing
November 11, 2023I *adored* the Twilight imprint when I was a kid -- I'd go to the Waldenbooks in the mall (pretty much the only new bookstore in town) with my carefully saved $2 and buy the newest paperback and take it home and read it over and over, and eventually I had a pretty full collection. Even back then this wasn't one of my favourites, and rereading it now was wild -- the first chapter unloads like 20 horror movie tropes in just a few pages! Unfortunately once it quit playing with tropes and settled into a pretty typical I ended up just skimming to the end, and I won't be reading it again, but it was fun to revisit and I'm looking forward to revisiting the others in time. [Oct 2023]
October 1, 2019
Hm. I haven't gone into this series expecting the books to be the Next Best Thing, but the first book did raise my expectations a bit, despite its flaws. The Power is almost nothing but flaws, which makes it hard to get excited about the remaining (25+) books in the series. But they're short, and I've committed to reading them. For some reason.
I have to give credit to Haynes for writing a horror story that's about the power women give the men in their lives, but man, the story itself is a bit ridiculous, and the supernatural element is just there. Haynes doesn't tie the magic in with the rest of the story, instead just putting it out there and expecting us to accept it. The connection is weak, but critical to the story, and I couldn't help but wish it had been developed more.
Seeing that this is a YA/juvenile novel from the '80s, the book has a style that's direct and tell-y, without much subtlety or nuance. Haynes gets right to the point and stays there for the entire story, developing all of her secondary characters only as much as the story requires. Even the main character is drawn with broad strokes, since she makes obvious and (sometimes) dumb decisions when the plot requires it. Again, I wasn't expecting the book to be deep, but I was still somewhat disappointed by the book.
The theme is meaningful, though, and actually feels a bit subversive, considering the time when the book was published. The series feels like it was written and marketed toward adolescent girls, and it's good to see a book that showed the dangers of giving up independence, even if that point is beaten into the reader. It's not the greatest story, but it's a far cry better than some of misogyny that was found in other horror novels from that time.
I have to give credit to Haynes for writing a horror story that's about the power women give the men in their lives, but man, the story itself is a bit ridiculous, and the supernatural element is just there. Haynes doesn't tie the magic in with the rest of the story, instead just putting it out there and expecting us to accept it. The connection is weak, but critical to the story, and I couldn't help but wish it had been developed more.
Seeing that this is a YA/juvenile novel from the '80s, the book has a style that's direct and tell-y, without much subtlety or nuance. Haynes gets right to the point and stays there for the entire story, developing all of her secondary characters only as much as the story requires. Even the main character is drawn with broad strokes, since she makes obvious and (sometimes) dumb decisions when the plot requires it. Again, I wasn't expecting the book to be deep, but I was still somewhat disappointed by the book.
The theme is meaningful, though, and actually feels a bit subversive, considering the time when the book was published. The series feels like it was written and marketed toward adolescent girls, and it's good to see a book that showed the dangers of giving up independence, even if that point is beaten into the reader. It's not the greatest story, but it's a far cry better than some of misogyny that was found in other horror novels from that time.
July 22, 2024
I read this book during my early teenage years and remember being a little 'shaken' by the whole concept of having one's own hair inside a small box with a sinister message attached, stating that 'I am in their power.' The book, as it progressed, didn't quite do it for me, though.
However, as I am a huge Twilight - Where Darkness Begins fan, I take the good books in the series along with the mediocre.
However, as I am a huge Twilight - Where Darkness Begins fan, I take the good books in the series along with the mediocre.
November 3, 2018
I found the story repetitive, and the climax lame. Didn't payoff for me.
October 12, 2013
This is the second book in Dell Publishing's "Twilight" series, and they made a good choice. The different author and characters show just what the series is going to be like. While all the books are going to be similar in an eerie quality, about magick or evil, they are not likely to be connected in any other way. They can easily be read out of order with no consequence.
I like how the artwork on the front cover is from the story. I hope all the books in the series are like that. This was a short book and I breezed through it rather quickly. That says something about the quality of the writing. There weren't any unusual words or sentence structures to pull me out of the story. I was with the characters and into the settings the whole time.
The story is set in high school, and lasts less than a week. We begin with Meredith Turner, a day before she's supposed to make a speech in front of the school while running for student council. Her ex-boyfriend is also running and as the book progresses, Meredith has cause to wonder about him. Is he a stand-up guy, or is he playing cruel jokes on her? She has a weird dream that night, and the nights following. Does the note she recieved, YOU ARE IN MY POWER, actually mean anything? Do the strange feelings she has mean she actually is in someone's power, or is the note just a cruel joke and the feelings just her nerves? But what about her missing friend? And the people turning up dead? Is her ex-boyfriend involved? What about the new boy at the school? Are either of them involved, or is this all due to the guy who escaped from the nearby mental hospital?
Not a very deep story, but a quick read and worth the time. A good addition to the "Twilight" series.
I like how the artwork on the front cover is from the story. I hope all the books in the series are like that. This was a short book and I breezed through it rather quickly. That says something about the quality of the writing. There weren't any unusual words or sentence structures to pull me out of the story. I was with the characters and into the settings the whole time.
The story is set in high school, and lasts less than a week. We begin with Meredith Turner, a day before she's supposed to make a speech in front of the school while running for student council. Her ex-boyfriend is also running and as the book progresses, Meredith has cause to wonder about him. Is he a stand-up guy, or is he playing cruel jokes on her? She has a weird dream that night, and the nights following. Does the note she recieved, YOU ARE IN MY POWER, actually mean anything? Do the strange feelings she has mean she actually is in someone's power, or is the note just a cruel joke and the feelings just her nerves? But what about her missing friend? And the people turning up dead? Is her ex-boyfriend involved? What about the new boy at the school? Are either of them involved, or is this all due to the guy who escaped from the nearby mental hospital?
Not a very deep story, but a quick read and worth the time. A good addition to the "Twilight" series.
September 9, 2015
If half stars were an option, The Power would receive 2.5. I liked it, but it was slow getting to the point. I was on page 25 and still wondered what the book was even about.
Meredith started having dreams where she saw two red eyes watching her, next thing she knew, bad things started happening to people from her school. Someone left a small box of hair tied to her locker door, then they began leaving letters telling her that she was in there power. Meredith had no clue what was going on, but she suddenly felt that she was no longer in control of her own thoughts and body.
In the end, the culprit behind all Meredith's troubles turned out to be a pathetic loser who got their jollies by forcing people to bend to their commands. If I could have crawled inside the book and beat the crap out of them, I gladly would have.
Meredith started having dreams where she saw two red eyes watching her, next thing she knew, bad things started happening to people from her school. Someone left a small box of hair tied to her locker door, then they began leaving letters telling her that she was in there power. Meredith had no clue what was going on, but she suddenly felt that she was no longer in control of her own thoughts and body.
In the end, the culprit behind all Meredith's troubles turned out to be a pathetic loser who got their jollies by forcing people to bend to their commands. If I could have crawled inside the book and beat the crap out of them, I gladly would have.
Want to read
July 27, 2017This is creepy AF but I'm loving the whole vibe of this book!
I love 80s teen book covers!!!
I love 80s teen book covers!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews