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Scream #6
New Year's Evil
Determined to correct the behavior of Bran Hatten, the school bully, Tess Ryan and her friends at Penbrook High ask Charisse Bienville, rumored to be a witch, to help—and are shocked when bad things start happening.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 19, 2025
Bought a kindle copy as I couldn't find a paperback copy.
Part of the Z*Fave "Scream" series, it was written under the pen name of Michael August, but it is by author Sidney Williams. It's actually a good thing that many early 1990s YA are being published again even if you have to fill your Kindle or eBook reader chock full of them.
I have only read a handful of these and all of them have been really good and New Year's Evil is another one I can add to the list.
It may seem as if you are going to get a holiday slasher, but it is thrown on its head when you add witchcraft to the formula.
Tess Ryan and a few of her friends have been terrorized by Bran Hatten for years. He goes out of his way to embarrass and harass others because he comes from a home where his stepfather beats him and his mother loves chugging wine more than the men in her life. When new girl, Charisse, moves to town she is the only one who doesn't suffer Bran's hateful attacks.
Something about Charisse is different and when she tells Tess that she can help keep Bran from bothering them as well, the teens are intrigued. It involves candles, blood and an incantation from a book and only Tess seems really spooked. Her best friend S.W. thinks it is kind of cool while rebel Casey and brainiac Nathan are more amused that they are using witchcraft, but boys will be boys.
After the Thanksgiving holiday, Bran starts acting strange as if he is not moving or thinking on his own but being controlled. Paranoid about that thanks to his stepdad, Bran soon starts having dreams and behaving even more erratic to terrifying levels.
Not only that but S.W. starts hanging out with Charisse and even gets a makeover and it makes Tess nervous when a black cat starts to follow her around. Tess knows that Casey may not believe her that Charisse is a witch but Nathan, being more logical, promises to help.
All of this is part of a bigger plan than just helping new friends out of the kindness of her heart and once it strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, the fate of the high schoolers of Pembrooke will be decided...
Not much more I can say except that you should give New Year's Evil a read if you are looking for something supernatural and full of thrills.
Part of the Z*Fave "Scream" series, it was written under the pen name of Michael August, but it is by author Sidney Williams. It's actually a good thing that many early 1990s YA are being published again even if you have to fill your Kindle or eBook reader chock full of them.
I have only read a handful of these and all of them have been really good and New Year's Evil is another one I can add to the list.
It may seem as if you are going to get a holiday slasher, but it is thrown on its head when you add witchcraft to the formula.
Tess Ryan and a few of her friends have been terrorized by Bran Hatten for years. He goes out of his way to embarrass and harass others because he comes from a home where his stepfather beats him and his mother loves chugging wine more than the men in her life. When new girl, Charisse, moves to town she is the only one who doesn't suffer Bran's hateful attacks.
Something about Charisse is different and when she tells Tess that she can help keep Bran from bothering them as well, the teens are intrigued. It involves candles, blood and an incantation from a book and only Tess seems really spooked. Her best friend S.W. thinks it is kind of cool while rebel Casey and brainiac Nathan are more amused that they are using witchcraft, but boys will be boys.
After the Thanksgiving holiday, Bran starts acting strange as if he is not moving or thinking on his own but being controlled. Paranoid about that thanks to his stepdad, Bran soon starts having dreams and behaving even more erratic to terrifying levels.
Not only that but S.W. starts hanging out with Charisse and even gets a makeover and it makes Tess nervous when a black cat starts to follow her around. Tess knows that Casey may not believe her that Charisse is a witch but Nathan, being more logical, promises to help.
All of this is part of a bigger plan than just helping new friends out of the kindness of her heart and once it strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, the fate of the high schoolers of Pembrooke will be decided...
Not much more I can say except that you should give New Year's Evil a read if you are looking for something supernatural and full of thrills.
January 3, 2015
Actual page number: 202 pages
Book’s just fun. Nothing too deep as it’s about the main character finding ways to stop the witch but obstacles made from witch served to prevent her from doing it.
I think it’s refreshing to see witch as the supernatural villain since in these books; it’s usually vampire, werewolf, or ghost.
What I like about this book is the suspense from the bad events happening to the main characters as her life endangers from it or from the fact they’re facing a witch who can easily end their lives with a snap. It certainly makes the book page turning.
For the characters, they’re okay but forgettable
Tess is the main character and she’s the typical worrywart nice girl. Not that I don’t like the character but that’s pretty much her character. Oh she worries about having a relationship with her boyfriend which I suppose teen girls relate to but it’s not important to the plot.
Tess’s boyfriend, Casey, is the supportive kind who sticks up for Tess as they find ways to kill witch. He supposed to be the rebel but I have not seen him do any actions that a rebel would do, aside from his clothes maybe.
S.W., the main character’s best friend who joined Charisse’s side. Would have be an interesting character because of her willing to side with Charisse, if it weren’t her for her reason.
Nathan Drake is the geek character and… and… and he’s dead.
Bran is the bully. I found him sympathetic because of his bad parents or he’s turn into a hapless victim of Charisse’s magic but he still manages to be unlikable as he find amusement in tormenting kids. If his background has a bit more depth, he could have been the more interesting character.
Last is the witchy villain, Charisse. Another character who is sympathetic to the readers due to her background but turn into a generic villain. Initially, she considered herself to be lonely and she tried her best to make friends with anyone but they’re scared of her and her past companions who are slain added in to her loneliness. I do see her character more interesting but throughout the book, it seems this is dropped and all she wants to do is to gain more power. Much like all power hungry villain I see in all media. I still find her a bit likable and I do wish I get to this side more than her power hungry side.
Is the book scary? Ehhh, I find it a little bit tenseful but the horror is typical and tame. There’s blood drawing, pentagram, books mysteriously falling from shelves, and a rapid black cat. This is expected from these old horror books as it dabbles in clichés. There were some gory parts from Tess being attacked by the black cat or head decapitations without being descriptive.
I think the reason why I rated the book 3 stars is while it’s suspenseful, the book lacks inventiveness. Maybe make more suspenseful parts with the witch casting many spells instead of minor ones or controlling someone’s mind and also give Charisse some character to stand with instead of having it thrown away during the climax.
This real author’s name is Sidney Williams. Based on his other works, he did write horror books for adult but I expected they’re on the same level as this book.
If you like campy horror book, you will enjoy this book.
Book’s just fun. Nothing too deep as it’s about the main character finding ways to stop the witch but obstacles made from witch served to prevent her from doing it.
I think it’s refreshing to see witch as the supernatural villain since in these books; it’s usually vampire, werewolf, or ghost.
What I like about this book is the suspense from the bad events happening to the main characters as her life endangers from it or from the fact they’re facing a witch who can easily end their lives with a snap. It certainly makes the book page turning.
For the characters, they’re okay but forgettable
Tess is the main character and she’s the typical worrywart nice girl. Not that I don’t like the character but that’s pretty much her character. Oh she worries about having a relationship with her boyfriend which I suppose teen girls relate to but it’s not important to the plot.
Tess’s boyfriend, Casey, is the supportive kind who sticks up for Tess as they find ways to kill witch. He supposed to be the rebel but I have not seen him do any actions that a rebel would do, aside from his clothes maybe.
S.W., the main character’s best friend who joined Charisse’s side. Would have be an interesting character because of her willing to side with Charisse, if it weren’t her for her reason.
Nathan Drake is the geek character and… and… and he’s dead.
Bran is the bully. I found him sympathetic because of his bad parents or he’s turn into a hapless victim of Charisse’s magic but he still manages to be unlikable as he find amusement in tormenting kids. If his background has a bit more depth, he could have been the more interesting character.
Last is the witchy villain, Charisse. Another character who is sympathetic to the readers due to her background but turn into a generic villain. Initially, she considered herself to be lonely and she tried her best to make friends with anyone but they’re scared of her and her past companions who are slain added in to her loneliness. I do see her character more interesting but throughout the book, it seems this is dropped and all she wants to do is to gain more power. Much like all power hungry villain I see in all media. I still find her a bit likable and I do wish I get to this side more than her power hungry side.
Is the book scary? Ehhh, I find it a little bit tenseful but the horror is typical and tame. There’s blood drawing, pentagram, books mysteriously falling from shelves, and a rapid black cat. This is expected from these old horror books as it dabbles in clichés. There were some gory parts from Tess being attacked by the black cat or head decapitations without being descriptive.
I think the reason why I rated the book 3 stars is while it’s suspenseful, the book lacks inventiveness. Maybe make more suspenseful parts with the witch casting many spells instead of minor ones or controlling someone’s mind and also give Charisse some character to stand with instead of having it thrown away during the climax.
This real author’s name is Sidney Williams. Based on his other works, he did write horror books for adult but I expected they’re on the same level as this book.
If you like campy horror book, you will enjoy this book.
January 20, 2023
Ahhh 1994! When dudes wore white shirts, black vests, jeans and a ponytail! 🤣
A fun outing by author Michael August, about an evil TEEN WITCH 🧙♀️😈
Here's THE GOOD:
- Lots of fun 90's pop culture references...the protag and her boyfriend go see a matinee of Addams Family Values! Meanwhile a blue floppy hat is deemed "too Downtown Julie Brown" 🤣
- The witch has a big NYE blow out party where she plays Depeche Mode and Chris Isaak. WHERE'S MY INVITE, WITCH.
- A few gruesome moments caught me by surprise. Love me some
- A big fun dramatic showdown at the end, but that's par for the course for our beloved YA Thrillers!
Here's THE BAD:
- Definitely some lulls in here. This is already a slightly thicker YA book than, say, your typical Fear Street. Some filler could have definitely been trimmed.
- Rife with TYPOS and errors. "He watched the drizzle fall onto his purchases, ruining the." I don't mind a few here or there, but there were enough to where it got distracting and took me out of the moment.
- The bully shoves the nerdy guy, making him drop his brand new book purchases in a puddle in the rain. TRIGGERED. 😤
- The protag and her boyfriend listen to a SNOW tape with "fast paced lyrics" 🤣 If you were around in the 90's, you'll remember this rapper, although you may prefer NOT to remember hahaha.
A fun outing by author Michael August, about an evil TEEN WITCH 🧙♀️😈
Here's THE GOOD:
- Lots of fun 90's pop culture references...the protag and her boyfriend go see a matinee of Addams Family Values! Meanwhile a blue floppy hat is deemed "too Downtown Julie Brown" 🤣
- The witch has a big NYE blow out party where she plays Depeche Mode and Chris Isaak. WHERE'S MY INVITE, WITCH.
- A few gruesome moments caught me by surprise. Love me some
- A big fun dramatic showdown at the end, but that's par for the course for our beloved YA Thrillers!
Here's THE BAD:
- Definitely some lulls in here. This is already a slightly thicker YA book than, say, your typical Fear Street. Some filler could have definitely been trimmed.
- Rife with TYPOS and errors. "He watched the drizzle fall onto his purchases, ruining the." I don't mind a few here or there, but there were enough to where it got distracting and took me out of the moment.
- The bully shoves the nerdy guy, making him drop his brand new book purchases in a puddle in the rain. TRIGGERED. 😤
- The protag and her boyfriend listen to a SNOW tape with "fast paced lyrics" 🤣 If you were around in the 90's, you'll remember this rapper, although you may prefer NOT to remember hahaha.
January 5, 2024
Witchy and bitchy. You’d join a coven too if it made you just a little prettier…right?
Our protag accidentally joins a black magic ritual led by a mean girl and suddenly the school bully is acting weirder than usual. And now the mean girl is stealing all her friends, who have had conspicuous glow-ups overnight. Hmm.
Starts off a bit slow but gets better about halfway through. I was worried the cat attack would be the only exciting moment, but we did get a few bone crushing moments afterwards and a very over the top climax. Ends with a literal wicked witch of the west moment. I laughed.
Riddled with very noticeable spelling errors but it’s an enjoyable read.
Our protag accidentally joins a black magic ritual led by a mean girl and suddenly the school bully is acting weirder than usual. And now the mean girl is stealing all her friends, who have had conspicuous glow-ups overnight. Hmm.
Starts off a bit slow but gets better about halfway through. I was worried the cat attack would be the only exciting moment, but we did get a few bone crushing moments afterwards and a very over the top climax. Ends with a literal wicked witch of the west moment. I laughed.
Riddled with very noticeable spelling errors but it’s an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2022
Before The Craft made every slightly maladjusted teen want to learn the Black Arts, this Scream book was the supernatural equivalent of How to Win Friends and Influence People. A quick read with an exciting conclusion.
January 9, 2026
I wish this was an actual New Year horror story, it’s more of a holiday season story that wrapped up on New Year. But it was decent not my favorite scream book. Also I’m not a huge witch fan so that dragged some of it down. But like most books in this series it’s fifty pages longer than needed and the story is fairly predictable.
Read
January 11, 2021DNF with about 4 hours left on the audiobook. This isn’t even a holiday story more of a witch book. This couldn’t keep my attention on audio. Maybe I’ll try reading the physical book instead.
February 8, 2023
Full review at:https://www.jackreacts.com.au/scream-...
Snippet: I really enjoyed this one. Tess was a strong heroine and the main characters were nicely fleshed out, even the villains, and I liked how the author humanised Bran by giving us a glimpse into his mind and home life, only for him to become a vessel for evil. One thing that did annoy me was that some of the language the characters used didn't really seem like anything teenagers would say. It reminds me of some of Christopher Pike's stuff, but this was a little more obnoxious...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
Snippet: I really enjoyed this one. Tess was a strong heroine and the main characters were nicely fleshed out, even the villains, and I liked how the author humanised Bran by giving us a glimpse into his mind and home life, only for him to become a vessel for evil. One thing that did annoy me was that some of the language the characters used didn't really seem like anything teenagers would say. It reminds me of some of Christopher Pike's stuff, but this was a little more obnoxious...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
October 12, 2019
A surprising treat
January 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this retro read, can't go wrong with teens out for revenge and under a spell. Throw in a few threats and murder and set in festive times. Totally enjoyed!
Read
October 16, 2023FUKING LET ME READ IT!!
July 26, 2010
A teen horror novel by a talented writer. His real name is not Michael August.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews