Betrayal

Fear Street Collector's Editions

by R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine has alluded to the cursed Fear family, whose mansion burned down in a terrible fire. All that remains of the Fears is a legacy of evil. Now Stine takes readers back in time, telling them finally the awful truth of what happened to the Fears . . . and why their evil lives on after 300 years.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horror Thriller, Supernatural

527 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

Robert 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...

Reviews

[Maliha Tabassum (back from hiatus) Tisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've added the links to my individual reviews below in case you want to know where I'm coming from. I have absolutely no energy left for this prequel trilogy.
#1 The Betrayal: 2.5 stars
#2 The Secret: 2 stars
#3 The Burning: 2 stars

[JJ Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as an adult I’m giving 3 stars but when I read this in high school I would have given it as many stars as I could.

It was a fun, nostalgic read but I wasn’t as thrilled this second go round. I remembered NOTHING so I enjoyed seeing the story unfold.

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up, I was obsessed with anything and everything by R.L Stine and it has 100% shaped me into the spooky, horror-loving bitch I am today. So when saw this edition of the fear street saga this past weekend I had to snag it in preparation for Netflix's upcoming movies. Is this saga the best of the best? No, but I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was a classic superficial throwback horror tale written for a younger audience, and in my opinion was executed perfectly. Stine sought to capture readers attention and spook them in the process and I think sometimes readers forget that not all books need unnecessary 'fluff' to carry the story.

[Abs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. There were so many twists in it and a lot of it took my by surprise. I highly recommend reading it!

[Leah Rachel von Essen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was around eight, maybe a bit older, my great aunt took me to the used bookstore and I bought an old copy of the Fear Street Saga. I read it that night and the next day, by which time my great aunt was questioning whether my mother would be okay with me reading a scary book, but it was too late by then- I was finished and I'd loved it. I read it probably a dozen times at least throughout my childhood, until, at some point, I lost it, with it's no-cover and destroyed pages.

So for this Christmas, I asked for a used copy off of Amazon, and I am proud to say that it's exactly as I remembered it. For R.L. Stine fans, it's a must. And sure, it's low-grade horror- it's vaguely predictable (although that's probably mostly because of how many times I've read it before), sometimes kind of silly, and not the creepiest I've ever read. But it's R.L. Stine. It reads fast. It's creepy enough to be interesting but not actually scare scare me. And it's a classic of my childhood (strangely enough) that will never get old. I was very happy to read it again.

Update, October 2019: Have to add that Angelica is my hero. Truly iconic. The twist, when Simon Fier is all like "Oh by the way I hope you don't mind but I've been killing your suitors with dark magic so that I can marry you," and Angelica laughs and is like, "oh, please, that's adorable, you did nothing sweetie, I killed them both with my ACTUAL dark arts, which I've been studying my entire life, but this makes me think that we'll be perfect for each other," and then it turns out he already killed her father, and then it turns out that she didn't pour them wine, she poured them blood? Angelica is the only iconic dark arts Queen. By far the best twist of the entire saga.

[Morgan Puliafico · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my goodness, absolutely amazing. The curse was repetitive, but then again, all curses are. I wish there were more books in the Fear Street tale!

[Ann Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, although I took my time. While this storyline is on the slow side, it kept me interested. I usually avoid sad stories, where there is plenty of dread and little to no hope for most if not all the characters. However, this was the history of Fear Street. I guess I prepared myself before I even began reading.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was repetitive, so much happened but it felt as though nothing extended the plot. Sayings and phrases were used over and over again in the novel, and were more frustrating than anything else. It felt pretty pointless in general, and the ending felt rushed with a pretty underwhelming concluding line. Not a huge fan, but I think it would be a good book for younger readers, maybe 12, that are looking for a Halloween read that isn't too terrifying.

[madz🐈‍⬛🦇🕸️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 60 pages, sentences were repetitive and simple. Felt like it was written for a 2nd grader. It felt like there was no plot and it kept repeating the same thing. A huge let down because I’ve had this book for over a year and was excited to finally read it. Use to read R.L Stein when I was in elementary school and was really excited to read another one in my adulthood. But man this was painful I had to check the pages I was reading to see if I accidentally read the same page again. 0/5 stars

[EuroHackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Betrayal - ⭐⭐

The Secret - ⭐⭐⭐

The Burning - ⭐

[Elsa Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Slight Spoilers Ahead. Preceded With Caution*
*
*
*
Reading childhood favorites has become a guilty pleasure and I'm not even sorry about it. R.L. Stine's Fear Street novels were a HUGE part of my middle school readings! I'm pretty sure I read basically everything out of order but most of the stories were self contained and had everything pretty much wrapped up by the end. But anyway, let's review this particular story! Stories, actually since it's a bind up of 3 books. We start off with Nora (the present day MC) writing about the Fier family curse, a curse that also involved her own family. She takes us back to the very beginning of the Fiers history and how all this drama started. There are chapters of then and now type but it's easy to follow. The writing isn't very flowery or intricate but it's easy to read. Obviously this series isn't for everyone but like I mentioned it's gonna be one of my new guilty reading pleasures. As I was reading, I was reminded how dramatic the writing style was! So many gasps and frantic heart beats. Instant love and beautiful smiles 😆. Men with huge egos and women with fluttery nerves.....or at least that's what they want you to think!! I certainly thought that of one such MC we meet named Angelica! She's a prominent young lady in society and she had two young men vying for her affectios....and then under mysterious circumstances....they died. She's obviously shocked and heartbroken but.....her appropriate reactions to such deaths were fake!!! OMG she was faking the whole time!! Turns out the Fiers aren't the only ones with dark and sinister magic! That twist was well played.

[Samsnerdylife · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read sone fear street stories that were actually the beginning of the whole tale, well besides what happened in the old country (read cursed bindup for that!). I enjoyed the snippets of Nora Goode's narrative that tied all three stories together. I was also appreciative of the family trees as it helped me connect the characters. These tales are not for the faint of heart. Horror and betrayal await all those that dare enter the Fear Street series....

[Cora H · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way these books connect not only to one another, but also to his more child-friendly Goosebumps books is amazing. Before reading these books, you should know that they are very dark, and some of the evil deeds done by characters in the books can make one feel sick. I do think they are worth a read, just maybe read it at the same time as a friend, and definitely do not read them alone in the dark. Also, eating chocolate is always a good idea.

[Nana · Rating 1 out of 5]

sentence structure was on par with a first grader. literally everything was simple sentences. maybe I should break this down more. Book equals bad.

[lauu 𖤐⭒ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO he leído este libro, la reseña es del proyecto cpa de ainoha!!

no es la primera vez que leo a ainoha y la verdad es que su escritura me sorprendió bastante (para bien) cuando leí su primer proyecto, y me ha hecho ilusión volver a leerla jiji

antes de nada, imagínate tener un ex-novio que resulta ser el mejor amigo de tu hermano, él cuál rompió contigo por diverso motivos y te has visto obligada a reencontrártelo nada más volver a tu ciudad.. ¿que harías? o mejor dicho ¿que harías cuando los tres os juntáis para volver a formar aquella banda que se disolvió en el pasado? ¿aceptarías?

decir que la trama de la historia mola mucho, ¿a quien no le gusta leer sobre bandas de música, y segundas oportunidades? pregunto. A pesar de que los primeros capítulos son encontronazos entre ambos, y vemos cómo ava no quiere saber nada de él, me ha gustado ver como en todo momento se ha dado a entender que antes de ser ex-pareja eran mejores amigos, normalmente no sé suele ver reflejado de esa forma, por lo que, es una de las cosas que más me han gustado a la hora de leer esta historia.

al principio dejan ese rencor a un lado y deciden volver a ser amigos, aunque en realidad nunca han dejado de estar enamorados el uno del otro, solo que Ava se niega a volver a sentir eso y Zach lo vuelca todo componiendo las letras de sus futuras canciones.

ambos personajes me han gustado y se ve claramente la evolución de ambos. Zach, tiene problemas con su padre y vemos como poco a poco acaba cerrándole la boca y demostrándole que estaba totalmente equivocado, mientras que vemos a Ava capitulo tras capitulo como intenta vencer el miedo a volver a salir herida si decide darle otra oportunidad a Zach.

si es cierto, que al final, la “relación” que mantenían han sido unas idas y venidas y es totalmente comprensible la postura de ambos y como intentan protegerse. La acción de Zach al querer marcharse es totalmente válida, ya que, al final, solo se estaba haciendo daño al ver que Ava no le “correspondía” Igual que la postura de ella, el haberse callado sus sentimientos por el miedo que mencioné antes, la verdad que ambas posturas se entienden a la perfección.

la historia está contada en pasado y presente y eso es algo que personalmente me encanta ver/leer. Las escenas en pasado son muy cuquis y eso hace que podamos haber visto
cómo funcionaban las cosas entre ellos o la razón de por qué lo dejaron. Aunque, me hubiese gustado que, en el presente, hubiesen manteniendo esa conversación en profundidad.

en algunos capítulos vemos como hay varias menciones al padre de ava y ya por gusto, me hubiese gustado ver algunas escenas sobre este tipo.

esta reseña no debería de acabar sin la mención especial a Cam, cuando leo libros con este cliché, normalmente los hermanos suelen ser un poco gilipollas (cosa que no aguanto) pero él, es literalmente todo lo contrario y es un personaje que me ha encantado y que evidentemente necesito saber muuuucho más de él hehehe. Aunque todos los personajes secundarios son una monada 🙏🏻

[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[kori shalmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

surprisingly gruesome for a children’s book but also thoroughly entertaining. it’s not the same plot as the movies but i can def see how they got to the movie plot from this one

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

the movies are better 🙂‍↕️

☆ 3.5 rounded down

[Jenny Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good read with R.L. Stine!! This was one of my favorite series growing up and I'm so glad I re-read it!!!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a major soft spot for R.L. Stine. I grew up with everything Goosebumps and Fear Street. This saga made me happy despite the very dark tone.

[Justin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up reading Fear Street books and Christopher Pike books. I read them all and, before college, gave the whole set of both to my local library, thinking I was an "adult" and would never read them again. Ha! Now, as an "adult" I find myself buying the occasional old copy cheaply on Thriftbooks and having a quick nostalgia-fix. That said, many of them from both authors don't always stand up to the test of time. This one, though, a bound collection of the Fear Street Saga trilogy pretty much does. It's the mostly harmless intro to thrillers and suspense for YA, and has some great moments as well as a coherent, consistent storyline. I am over the 90s YA trap of ending each and every chapter, even if it's only 2 pages, with a "shocking cliffhanger." I never realized how much that interrupted the narrative flow of these books!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to read the Fear Street books when I was younger and picked this up for nostalgia. It is a super easy read, yet it took me almost four months to actually finish it. The idea is great-two families using dark magic against each other for centuries! And one or two of the deaths caught me off guard. But the complete lack of any character development made it difficult to even care that anyone was dying. The constant repeating of everything in every conversation (along with a lack of contractions, they can say "I don't understand" instead of "I do not understand") bored me quickly. And why do the females immediately become hysterical the second something happens?? They were always screaming shrilly-I felt like I could hear them... This is a book for young adults, give it a little more meat.

[elenaj450 · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this book actually got a 4.5 star rating. But goodreads just likes to not give us half stars so meh

Going into this book I was hesitant. Cuz well, there was blood on the cover. But I love mystery and so I thought “hey, why not?” So within the first 100 pages I was intrigued. I thought I was going to give this book a 3 star, but after finishing it, I realized that it had so much more to offer once you really got into it. There was A LOT of death, but I actually enjoyed it (the book overall, not the death specifically 😂). I would definitely read more books by R.L. Stine in the future. So yeah, overall, I really enjoyed this book

Oh yeah by the way, this book is not for people who can’t handle brutal death and violence. Because, there’s a lot of it. But I think that was a given.

[Jerrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

In anticipation of the upcoming 3-movie Fear Street film series, I read this trilogy compilation of Fear Street’s genesis. Harkening back to the Salem witch trial era in American history, R.L. Stine’s “Betrayal”, tells the story of a curse between the Fier/Fear family and the Goode family that led to the Fear Street series, which helped fill my imagination as an adolescent.

Reading this as an adult is different, but the horror, scares, and thrills were still fun to re-live as I recalled the feelings I knew in middle school with this book series. At times, it’s a bit campy, and the word choice is rather simple, but for the sake of a spooky story and a few chills, it’s still worth the journey.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

titular sentence:
p110: The Fiers would continue to pay dearly for their betrayal of the Goodes.

ocr:
p40: "...I told my father that I was in love with your !" Edward told her bitterly.

p43: "...1 implore you, Matthew--"

p72: He'S going to kiss me, Mary realized.

An origin story. Epic.

[Sati Marie Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for all 3 books.

[Ideally.Portia]

THIS IS MY FAVORITE FEAR STREET SERIES OF ALL TIME AND I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE THIS NEW BIND UP EDITION.

IM DYING.

[Samantha Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was absolute garbage, but overall I loved the story. Some of the plot lines through the different parts were pretty predictable up until the end.

[Adam Montano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Enticing story, and addicting read. Love the concept and time period. However, it grew repetitive often, and could have been quite a bit shorter and packed the same punch.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has taken me by surprise. I really didn't think to much about it when I seen it on the shelf. Until I seen R.L.Stine, and I thought this should be right up my ally. And man has it been good. I read the first 120 pages within a hour. I had to force myself to put it down. I'm on The Secret part now and loving every minute of it. This book has the 3 part series all Iin one.

MORE REVIEW TO COME.......

First of all I gave this book 4 out of the 5 stars because in some spots I believed lagged just a little. But overall it was a good, scary, mysterious, vindictive read. It is told by a Nora Goode. Who tells her story through writings has she herself find herself in trouble. So she is vigorously writing trying to finish her family's story. Which is basically for centuries the Fier family has believed that the Goode family all descendent s of William Goode,has put a curse on their family because of a evil deed carried out by the first of the Fier family. In the NEW WORLD the Goodes and Fier's cross paths back in 1692. When a Susannah Goode and Edward Fier fall in love. During this time in Massachusetts witch trails were a huge deal. Several of the villagers had been accused and burned at the stake for being a witch. If course no one could really prove it. These accusations was put forth by a Benjamin Fier. He was the town magistrate and a wealthy man. So his son Edward fell in love with a commoner name Susannah Goode. They met secretly regularly in the woods. Unbeknownst to both their families. However on one particular meeting Edward proclaimed his love for her and was said to tell his father. This made Susannah very happy.

So he tells his father who had already arranged for Edward to be married to the town overs daughter. Another wealthy family. But Edward wanted no part in the arranged marriage. He protested his love for Susannah and this made Ben mad. During this meeting miles down the road Susannah father William had told her Edward was already engaged. And this hurt her feelings tremendously. She vowed to never speak to Edward again. So several days later Ben made his way into the Goode home accusing both mother and daughter of being a witch. After finding some fake and planted witch rags they was both arrested. During the trial William Goode tried to get his family set fire. Edward turned his back on Susannah believing his father would never making up lies about a witch. After sentencing which was death by burning, Matthew Fier, brother to Ben Fier who was also a wealthy and respected man in town came to the Goodes home. He told William he would set his family free for 100 pounds. William had only 70 or so pounds and paid the rest with silver that had been handed down thru the family. This satisfied Mr. Goode and Mr. Fiber both. The very next morning he set out to bring his wife and daughter home. Only to be told that the Goers had stolen everything from the village and villagers. Never released the Goode women and they both burned. This started a curse that would / last centuries and cause countless deaths. For William Goode himself dabbled in witchcraft.

He eventually found them decades later. Edward had re married and had a son. Matthew had a daughter and married and both families of Fiers were doing well. Edward knew nothing of his father and uncles treachery. Soon William finds them and vegans his revenge. He makes himself in a young blonde lad who is looking for work around a farm. Reluctantly, Matthew hires him. Soon Edward breaks his arm mysteriously, Ben Fier breaks his right arm and then goes numb on the right side. All the while he believes that the family is cursed and talks about it daily. Soon Matthews daughter Mary. Who falls in love with the blonde lad named Jeremy. Strange things happen on the farm. Ben is killed along with Edwards wife. Soon Matthew figures out Jeremy is William in disguise. The Fiers wear a pendant around their necks with the Latin words Dominatio per Malum which means Power through Evil. This exposes Jeremy into William and instantly Jill's him. After learning from his uncle that his father murder Susannah and her mother falsely accusing them of being a witch him, Mary and Ezra leave and never return. Soon Edward goes insane, Mary too and die leaving Ezra alone. He is older now and has control of the pendant.

He holds a vendetta for the Goodes spending his life in search of the Goodes. He married has 3 children. He finds a small hope of the Goodes being alive in their old village of Wickham. His oldest son Jonathan has grown up hearing stories of the curse. And has had enough of his father e r Ezras crusade. But soon his middle daughter Abigail falls into the hands of a Goode ghost who kills her. Then Jonathan's mother and father Ezra dies and force to carry on the hate of the Goode's and the curse is Jonathan.
But he refuses to carry the curse so he buries the Fier pendant and it stays buried for over 100 years.

Then Western Massachutts 1843, family of Simon Fier. His family consist of his father Samuel Fier, sister Elizabeth and Kate and mother Katherine. Elizabeth digs up and finds the pendant. None of the Fier's know it's origin or meaning. So she wears it as a "good luck" charm. But it brings everything but good luck. Soon a homeless man name Franklin comes into the family. With lies of needing work and being homeless and with no family. The Fier's opening let him into their home and make friends with him. He turns out to be a descendent of the Goode family. And at this day and time the present Fier's are obvious to the on going feud between the two families. But Frank is not, he is all to familiar with the curse. He vows to kill every living Fier in that house. He seduces both of the girls in the family Kate and Elizabeth. Asking Kate to marry him but all the awhile courting Elizabeth as well. Unbeknownst to both woman. This sends a rage through Elizabeth and tension flies with her and Kate. Eventually Frank kills three is the Fier's. Katherine, Samuel and Kate. Simon finds out about Franklin through a old neighborhood witch named Old Aggie. She gives Simon a knife laced with snake vermin and tells him to simply cut Frank anywhere and the poison will seep in. As he makes his way home he finds his mother and father dead cut up by a axe. And his sister Elizabeth cowering in fear of Frank. There is a fight and Simon cuts Frank who dies from the poison cut. Simon vows to never die and set to change the course of the curse by changing his last name from Fier, to Fear. Because Fier spelled backwards is Fire. And this premonition is told to Simon by Old Aggie that the family of Fier wil parrish by Fire. He changed his name then.

Skipped to a decade later. Simon is in New Orleans, with the Fier pendant around his neck and in tow for a bride a wealthy bride. He falls in love with a very wealthy woman named Angelica. Who is just has dark and evil has he is. She murders her two suitors who her father insist she marry in hopes of marrying Simon. Of course against her father's wishes so Simon murders him. Then Angelica and Simon get married and have 5 children. The two eldercare Julia and Hannah. Hannah is his favorite bc she is outgoing, easy to talk to and beautiful like her mother. Julia is the oldest but opposite of Hannah. She is shy, and not easy going. Eventually a new maid joins the household of Fear's named none other than Lucy Goode. Of course Simon has no idea that she is a Goode. The head maid Mrs. Mackenzie makes sure none of them know. So eventually things start happening. Bad things, like Lucy breaking one of Julia's bowls, spilling hot soup on her shoulder. She tells her sister Hannah that she believes Lucy is out to get her. Hannah blows it off . Until a snake is found in her bed after Lucy turned down the covers. Then a sharp piece of glass ends up in her she of shoes cutting her foot. Julia gets wind of the evil deeds and vows to set her up. Days later they go on a picnic. Hannah, Julia and their three younger brothers. The dog eats some of the good and immediately dies. He is poisoned. Julia tells Hannah Lucy prepared the lunch. So Hannah goes running back home to tell her father all about Lucy. Lucy confronts her at the door and Hannah through a accusations at her. Mrs. Mackenzie over hears d turns up saying Julia prepared the picnic. This brings back all the evil done to her and Julia admits to trying to kill Hannah over jealousy that their father Simon loves her more. So Julia tries to choke Hannah who plays dead and then kills Julia or so she thinks. A funeral is being held that day and she buries Julia alive with the man in his coffin. Later that evening Simon goes lo ok ing for Julia. Hears muffled screams from ok m the ground digs her up but he is too late. He runs back home and notices the name on the sheet of maids as Lucy Goode. This sends him into a rage. He is then convinced Lucy killed Julia. In a blind fuel of rage he stabs who he thinks is Lucy but is his other daughter Hannah. She dies in Simons arms. And he finds out from his wife that Lucy Goode resigned that day. So this sends Simon and Angelica into a spiral downfall. Fast forward to 30 years later. Simon sends word to have his grandson Daniel join him for his 75th birthday. Daniel is the son of Robert, Simon and Angelica's son and Hannah and Julia's brother. There the manor is a wreck, both Fear's are crazy and home bodies. Daniel ends up fslling in love with a Nors Goode. They are both determind to get married and end the anicent curse. During the annocement of their marriage at Simon's 75th birthday party, the manison catches on fire. Simon is furious and begins screaming. Nora watches in horror has the place lights up fast and all the past murders over the centuries come into view. The Goode's and the Fier's all together in death swirling around the room. She cannot find Daniel and assumes he has made it out. only to find out he hadn't. He died in that fire at the Fear mansion. Nora is sent to a asylum for the insane. She triesnto write her story of the Goodes and Fier's but no one will listen. Eventually the manison was tore down what was left of it. And in its place a road was paved, named Fear street.

so all in all it had the horror , the different stories in it that i found myself enjoying. At times it kinda went astray felt like it was the same old way of death happening to the Fier. That is why I only gave it 4 stars. The rest was great. I enjoyed reading this book. From page 1 to the last page I was intrigued. So a must read for R.L. Stine.