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Fear Street Sagas #8
Dance of Death
Having fallen in love with Justin Fier, Madeline is warned by two unusual sources that Justin is driven by an evil quest that destroys any woman who would get close to him. Original.
150 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1997
13 people are currently reading
1160 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.7k 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 34 reviews
April 17, 2021
I remember this as the very first of the Stine/Pike YA thrillers that I skipped from collecting when I was a preteen. At the time I regretted that I might have sacrificed something pivotal (and tempting!) just because I was getting too big for my britches. I mean really, look at that cover. But in retrospect I can see that I haven't really missed much.
It presents the same hackneyed tropes that bedevil more than a few of Stine's works. There's the conventionally pretty heroine who turns hysterical at the drop of a dime; the slightly sinister, handsome swain she so easily falls for; malignant relatives and/or neighbors with hidden designs on our poor protagonist; creatively gory deaths to spice things up some; etc. Stine did previously admit that he's not big on characterization because he wants the reader to be able to easily identify with the lead/s so there is that. There are also some of the expected Gothic touches here: crazy scarred Havishams still wearing their bridal finery, ghosts seeking revenge, young murdered wives buried beneath masses of roses, etc.
For what it's worth though, this is such a quick read that it didn't feel like I wasted my time. It's a silly nostalgic trip down memory lane, a reminder of all the 90s YA horror that I loved before. These books may be trite crock but hey, they did fuel many a young un's lifetime passion for reading, including yours truly. That's why I can never dismiss children's/YA lit - they do have their uses. Sadly though they have their proper place too, and as one's tastes mature one can't help but outgrow them.
5/10; 3 stars.
It presents the same hackneyed tropes that bedevil more than a few of Stine's works. There's the conventionally pretty heroine who turns hysterical at the drop of a dime; the slightly sinister, handsome swain she so easily falls for; malignant relatives and/or neighbors with hidden designs on our poor protagonist; creatively gory deaths to spice things up some; etc. Stine did previously admit that he's not big on characterization because he wants the reader to be able to easily identify with the lead/s so there is that. There are also some of the expected Gothic touches here: crazy scarred Havishams still wearing their bridal finery, ghosts seeking revenge, young murdered wives buried beneath masses of roses, etc.
For what it's worth though, this is such a quick read that it didn't feel like I wasted my time. It's a silly nostalgic trip down memory lane, a reminder of all the 90s YA horror that I loved before. These books may be trite crock but hey, they did fuel many a young un's lifetime passion for reading, including yours truly. That's why I can never dismiss children's/YA lit - they do have their uses. Sadly though they have their proper place too, and as one's tastes mature one can't help but outgrow them.
5/10; 3 stars.
August 9, 2018
This was more original than some of them, even with the Bluebeard aspect (multiple dead wives). Plus, that little thing where you drink the blood of young & beautiful girls for eternal youth (yet not vampiric in nature - instead named "soul stealers"). It was also gruesome with the description of death in the scene of the final fight. That epilogue made me laugh, poor girl. Goes from Shadowbrook to a new place, where "no one has heard the name Fear." So of course it's Shadyside! 😂😂😂
March 5, 2016
RL Stine is so prolific that it's difficult to review one of his books without taking into account all of his books that one has read. Any review I could write would inevitably contain an Overall factor.
The lead characters in Dance for Death are representative of how fluidly RL Stine can write protagonists of both genders. They vary in personality, but are always sympathetic. His female characters tend to be strong without being overbearing or annoying. He is my hero for having female characters who can be feminine, timid, and other "weak" characteristics while still being strong.
Dance of Death has descriptive scares as well as some suspence, but it relies less on the Reveal than other Fear Street books. It's a quick, easy read, and one I have read more than once.
The lead characters in Dance for Death are representative of how fluidly RL Stine can write protagonists of both genders. They vary in personality, but are always sympathetic. His female characters tend to be strong without being overbearing or annoying. He is my hero for having female characters who can be feminine, timid, and other "weak" characteristics while still being strong.
Dance of Death has descriptive scares as well as some suspence, but it relies less on the Reveal than other Fear Street books. It's a quick, easy read, and one I have read more than once.
July 21, 2024
This is one of those Fear Street Sagas that is actual very dark and creepy. It always gives me vibes of an old 1950s horror film that would be set in the late 1700 or 1800s but instead of being brought to you by some British film studio...it is All-American.
A very Bluebeard type of plot...not for those faint of heart really. Especially if you are not into what an old Hammer Horror would be providing in the gore department...
We get a short prologue set in 1793 New York. A man watches as another man named Tobias is dying because there is a scalpel in is throat and he is bleeding out. To pull that blade out would cause even heavier blood flow but yet Tobias finds the strength to make it to his journal to try and warn some future soul or his own love named Honoria how to defeat his murderer and save innocent souls...
We will get flashbacks to this point in time but the story starts the real action in 1873 as Madeline Simms arrives in the same New York town from our prologue: a town called Shadowbrook. She is coming to stay with her cousins Deborah and Marcus after the death of her parents and it is hinted that Madeline's mother is the cause of her now being an orphan.
That point will be expanded upon later but aren't most women in Victorian times in literature crazy?
Madeline is picked up by a servant named William and as they make the trip to her cousins' home, she spots a well-to-do home with a magnificent rose garden. William tells her that it is the residence of Doctor Justin Fear and not surprisingly, the horse picks that time to be frightened and start acting wild.
Could it be driving by the residence or does it have to do with the young man with dark hair in the middle of the road spooking the horse?
Madeline is knocked unconscious and when she comes around to a man saying her name, she believes she might just be dead because the man in front of her is handsome like an angel! He has golden blond hair and blue eyes and a comforting tone and this is Justin Fear.
He witnessed the accident and came to treat Madeline and get her home. She mentions the young man but neither Justin nor William saw another soul in the road so Madeline is beginning to think she might be a little troubled like her dearly departed mother...
One thing that is clear is that Justin seems very attracted to Madeline and she returns the flirtations as she enters the house of her cousins. It isn't really made clear if they are her paternal or maternal cousins but Marcus' last name is Simms and they are a married couple but implied Deborah is the same age as Madeline's mother...so who knows?
Makes it kind of...uneasy if you think too hard about it.
Besides that, we see that their maid Molly is not a fan of Justin's. She can't bear to look him in the eye and runs from the room sobbing with her apron thrown over her face, dropping a basin of hot water and calling him evil. Deborah says the girl is high-strung, one of those really beautiful ones if Madeline's description of her looks are any indication.
Madeline does note that Justin's touch is cold and like that of a snake but he explains that in his doctor travels he came down with an illness that now leaves his hands feeling this way. Madeline feels guilty and endures the touch and it seems to make Justin happy because other women are usually repulsed. It doesn't bother Madeline when his lips touch the back of her hand in gratitude however...which makes her just as glad.
Later that night, as Madeline gets ready for bed, she is given two shocks. First, she sees the young man from the middle of the road reflected in her mirror and chases him out into the hallway. He disappears but then Madeline hears footsteps and dragging sounds to come across and old woman in an ancient white wedding dress.
She is thin, the veil dirty and mended in spots with blood-red stitching, and she keeps calling out the name of Tobias...sound familiar?
Deborah finds Madeline and the old woman goes away down the hall. Deborah explains that they call the old woman "Auntie" and that she came with the house when they moved in and being not as wealthy as Justin, they can't really afford to send her anywhere so she has her own wing of the house.
Madeline keeps it quiet that she was going after a young man that was in her room and tells Deborah she got confused in the dark. They begin talking about how Justin is taken with Madeline and Deborah is ready to set up her pretty cousin with the doctor as he has invited Madeline over to his home for tomorrow to have some tea and view his gardens.
Deborah gives Madeline a dress and she arrives to Justin's pleased expression the next day. They end up kissing and Justin goes to hand Madeline one of the new roses he has grown...a white one with red about as if the bush had been splattered with blood. She sees him remove all of the thorns with a pocket knife but one remains and stabs into Madeline's palm as Justin wraps her hand about the stem.
She yells out in pain as blood drips onto her dress through clenched fingers and Justin begins to drink the blood. Madeline is freaked and runs away but she hears Justin yelling that he was only sucking out poison from the thorn as she runs back to her cousins' home.
Lots of gaslighting later, Madeline agrees to marry Justin and all the pieces begin to fall in place as the past reveals everything...but will it be too late for Madeline to escape?
Any more would spoil it but it isn't hard to figure out. The ending is filled with a lot of emotions of triumph over the wicked, souls put to rest and a feeling of being liberated by one's past.
Then we get one dark yet slightly hilarious last line swerve.
If I didn't know this was ghostwritten by author Cameron Dokey, you would swear it had to have come from R.L. Stine's sense of humor. Dance of Death is a Fear Street Sagas book worth reading if you have yet to do so.
A very Bluebeard type of plot...not for those faint of heart really. Especially if you are not into what an old Hammer Horror would be providing in the gore department...
We get a short prologue set in 1793 New York. A man watches as another man named Tobias is dying because there is a scalpel in is throat and he is bleeding out. To pull that blade out would cause even heavier blood flow but yet Tobias finds the strength to make it to his journal to try and warn some future soul or his own love named Honoria how to defeat his murderer and save innocent souls...
We will get flashbacks to this point in time but the story starts the real action in 1873 as Madeline Simms arrives in the same New York town from our prologue: a town called Shadowbrook. She is coming to stay with her cousins Deborah and Marcus after the death of her parents and it is hinted that Madeline's mother is the cause of her now being an orphan.
That point will be expanded upon later but aren't most women in Victorian times in literature crazy?
Madeline is picked up by a servant named William and as they make the trip to her cousins' home, she spots a well-to-do home with a magnificent rose garden. William tells her that it is the residence of Doctor Justin Fear and not surprisingly, the horse picks that time to be frightened and start acting wild.
Could it be driving by the residence or does it have to do with the young man with dark hair in the middle of the road spooking the horse?
Madeline is knocked unconscious and when she comes around to a man saying her name, she believes she might just be dead because the man in front of her is handsome like an angel! He has golden blond hair and blue eyes and a comforting tone and this is Justin Fear.
He witnessed the accident and came to treat Madeline and get her home. She mentions the young man but neither Justin nor William saw another soul in the road so Madeline is beginning to think she might be a little troubled like her dearly departed mother...
One thing that is clear is that Justin seems very attracted to Madeline and she returns the flirtations as she enters the house of her cousins. It isn't really made clear if they are her paternal or maternal cousins but Marcus' last name is Simms and they are a married couple but implied Deborah is the same age as Madeline's mother...so who knows?
Makes it kind of...uneasy if you think too hard about it.
Besides that, we see that their maid Molly is not a fan of Justin's. She can't bear to look him in the eye and runs from the room sobbing with her apron thrown over her face, dropping a basin of hot water and calling him evil. Deborah says the girl is high-strung, one of those really beautiful ones if Madeline's description of her looks are any indication.
Madeline does note that Justin's touch is cold and like that of a snake but he explains that in his doctor travels he came down with an illness that now leaves his hands feeling this way. Madeline feels guilty and endures the touch and it seems to make Justin happy because other women are usually repulsed. It doesn't bother Madeline when his lips touch the back of her hand in gratitude however...which makes her just as glad.
Later that night, as Madeline gets ready for bed, she is given two shocks. First, she sees the young man from the middle of the road reflected in her mirror and chases him out into the hallway. He disappears but then Madeline hears footsteps and dragging sounds to come across and old woman in an ancient white wedding dress.
She is thin, the veil dirty and mended in spots with blood-red stitching, and she keeps calling out the name of Tobias...sound familiar?
Deborah finds Madeline and the old woman goes away down the hall. Deborah explains that they call the old woman "Auntie" and that she came with the house when they moved in and being not as wealthy as Justin, they can't really afford to send her anywhere so she has her own wing of the house.
Madeline keeps it quiet that she was going after a young man that was in her room and tells Deborah she got confused in the dark. They begin talking about how Justin is taken with Madeline and Deborah is ready to set up her pretty cousin with the doctor as he has invited Madeline over to his home for tomorrow to have some tea and view his gardens.
Deborah gives Madeline a dress and she arrives to Justin's pleased expression the next day. They end up kissing and Justin goes to hand Madeline one of the new roses he has grown...a white one with red about as if the bush had been splattered with blood. She sees him remove all of the thorns with a pocket knife but one remains and stabs into Madeline's palm as Justin wraps her hand about the stem.
She yells out in pain as blood drips onto her dress through clenched fingers and Justin begins to drink the blood. Madeline is freaked and runs away but she hears Justin yelling that he was only sucking out poison from the thorn as she runs back to her cousins' home.
Lots of gaslighting later, Madeline agrees to marry Justin and all the pieces begin to fall in place as the past reveals everything...but will it be too late for Madeline to escape?
Any more would spoil it but it isn't hard to figure out. The ending is filled with a lot of emotions of triumph over the wicked, souls put to rest and a feeling of being liberated by one's past.
Then we get one dark yet slightly hilarious last line swerve.
If I didn't know this was ghostwritten by author Cameron Dokey, you would swear it had to have come from R.L. Stine's sense of humor. Dance of Death is a Fear Street Sagas book worth reading if you have yet to do so.
May 23, 2013
This is a great book. I love this author he always has a twist in his books. I didn't expect some parts. Others I did expect. I like how he can put great factors into it. Like just enough romance that it doesn't ruin the suspense, horror, and mystery of the story. The ending was awesome I love it. Good way to end it.
October 4, 2011
I read this while I was younger so it holds a certain nostalgia for me. While I can't say it's the most well-written book I've ever read, I can say that it holds nothing but the fondest memories of being a terrified 12-year old reading under my covers at night. (:
June 4, 2017
I think I liked the Fear Saga more than just plain old fear street the series just had more to it for me .... I really loved all the twisted tales from this series so much fun
I had an absolute blast reading all of these again in 2013 .... :)
I had an absolute blast reading all of these again in 2013 .... :)
April 13, 2011
I can smell the roses when I think of this book.
December 26, 2018
Back in middle school this was my absolute favorite Fear Street book; I had pages upon pages of doodles of characters hidden in the margins of my school notebooks. Upon the re-read, I still think this was better than the last few but it's still not good. This series is really suffering by not having Stine at the helm. The pacing is so...bad. A girl insta-loves a doctor who happens to be evil cause her family pushes them together. It was a cool concept but there were so many missed opportunities and no real horror or tension throughout.
January 25, 2019
I usually reserve five stars for philosophical books, or novels that struck deep within me, but this book forced my fingers to move that few millimeters from the fourth star to the fifth.
A beautiful, beautiful write.
The last scene where the two ghosts are united had me teary eyed almost.
Would highly recommend it to anyone, even if they don't like other books by Stine, they'll love this surely.
A beautiful, beautiful write.
The last scene where the two ghosts are united had me teary eyed almost.
Would highly recommend it to anyone, even if they don't like other books by Stine, they'll love this surely.
July 21, 2023
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Fear Street story with a vampirish theme? Then the wait is now over.
Justin Fear - his touch leaves you cold. His voice - soothing to the point his desires are met. His wives all beautiful but die young.
Madeline Simms - a perfect choice to be a Fear bride. Young and beautiful.
Step Drag
Step Drag
Where is the noise coming from
Whose ghost stalks the Fear Gardens
A brilliant read.
Justin Fear - his touch leaves you cold. His voice - soothing to the point his desires are met. His wives all beautiful but die young.
Madeline Simms - a perfect choice to be a Fear bride. Young and beautiful.
Step Drag
Step Drag
Where is the noise coming from
Whose ghost stalks the Fear Gardens
A brilliant read.
July 31, 2025
OK, Madeline, do you like Justin or not? She goes back and forth until she ultimately discovers that Justin is stealing the youth from his brides. I feel like the end was the only redeeming factor in this book.
June 22, 2019
I love the ending part! It's a short read but worth reading it towards the end.
August 9, 2019
Such a good read. I loved it ^_^
April 10, 2020
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever read this one before, but a lot of it seemed familiar so I guess I had.
This definitely isn’t one of the best Saga books, but it was still pretty good.
This definitely isn’t one of the best Saga books, but it was still pretty good.
March 14, 2023
I absolutely loved this book as a teen.
December 15, 2023
Interesting take with the MMC being a soul eater and draining his beautiful wives of their blood to stay young and attractive forever.
October 14, 2025
No one can gaslight more so than the characters of R.L. Stine 😆
October 30, 2016
I don’t think I can give this anything less than five stars, purely for nostalgia reasons. Aside from maybe ‘Switched’, this was my favorite ‘Fear Street’ book as a kid. It honestly used to scare the crap out of me. While it wasn’t as terrifying as it was to me in elementary school, I still feel like it held up well after all this time. The creepiness was definitely still there. I think this had the most fleshed out plot out of all of the others in this series. I wouldn’t have minded if this had been longer because I was so into the idea behind this story. The whole ‘finding the key to eternal life’ thing was so good. Also, it was very atmospheric with the rose gardens, bizarre behavior of characters, and ghostly apparitions. Justin was a high point for sure. It was eerie to see this gorgeous doctor who had something dark going on underneath his charming personality. I can’t say how predictable or shocking the twists were since I’ve read this before, but I loved how the present and the past parts came together in the end.
September 10, 2016
Far better than it had any right to be.
December 13, 2015
My favorite character in this book would be Madeline because she is a sweet, beautiful and innocent girl. She wants to start a new life in Shadowbrook. I can relate to Madeline because both of us are clumsy, and I tend to get injured a lot, just like Madeline. I wish the author would write a chapter of how Marcus and Deborah first meet Justin Fear. I would recommend this book to another person. I think a person who likes scary stories or thrillers would like this book.
December 13, 2013
This book doesn't really follow the typical R.L. Stine formula, and for that reason I liked it better than some of the others I've read. It's definitely creepy- maybe a little too much so for its target audience, even. The characters are better developed and it just seems like there's overall a better story.
February 6, 2008
he's rich and handsome. whats not to like? but what you don't want to know is that he's a soul steeler. ghosts try to warn you but you don't belive them. what look slike a happily ever after turns out to be a tragic never after
February 8, 2025
I read all the R.L Stine books when I was 10 years old through junior high. I remember I loved them, and couldn't put them down. I was obsessed. So, my rating is based on then and how much I loved them.
February 1, 2009
#8 in the Fear Street Saga Series.
December 31, 2017
I read this book while in middle school. I was a HUGE R.L. Stine fan and like most of his other books, especially the Fear Street Sagas, I couldn't put it down.
January 29, 2025
I am between 5 stars to 3 stars here. I really loved this story and it will stay with me forever. I think the writing is sub par though.
June 26, 2011
651st - 2011
August 8, 2011
This was very good
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews