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The Fever
After hearing a violent crime committed in a room near hers, Duffy, hospitalized and weak with a fever that is coursing through her body, must figure out what happened that night and keep herself from becoming the next victim. Original.
187 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1992
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925 people want to read
About the author
Diane Hoh
83 books287 followersDiane Hoh is the author of fifty-seven novels for young adults. She grew up in Warren, Pennsylvania but currently resides in Austin, Texas. Reading and writing are her favorite things, alongside gardening and grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
October 14, 2016
Duffy Quinn was admitted into the hospital two days ago by her parents for a very high fever. One night, in her hospital room, she hears strange noises---metal rattling, a cry for help... Is she imagining this or is it real? Many of her schoolmates are volunteer workers at the hospital and they don't believe her when she tells them about this. They think it's the fever making her delirious. Duffy decides to take a look around the hospital (even though her doctor told her to stay in bed because her body is wracked with fever). One night, when she leaves her room, she almost walks into an empty elevator shaft. Another day, the brake is released on her wheelchair while she is outside on a hill (getting some fresh air) and she rapidly rolls down the steep slope, almost seriously injuring herself. When Duffy foolishly doesn't listen to doctor's orders (again) and she goes off to take a shower down the hall she is attacked in the shower room. She is also convinced someone is switching her medication.
Duffy's friends think she's paranoid. But Duffy really believes someone is out to do her harm. She desperately wants to leave the hospital, but she is still too sick with fever.
Duffy wasn't a very likable character. She complained endlessly and had snide thoughts about mostly everyone. Obviously, no one likes being sick, and no one likes to be in the hostpital, but she was a total whiner at times. Duffy also did a lot of stupid things, she never listened to doctor's orders. If she just stayed in bed and followed instructions she probably would have been released from the hospital. But with everything she was putting herself through, she kept making her fever rise. Even though, as the story progressed, her character improved slightly and I started to get caught up in the story, and I was curious to find out what was going to happen.
The setting of the hospital was different. It was old and creepy. (I wouldn't want to stay at this hospital---empty elevator shafts, mixed medications, old wooden creaky wheelchairs... The hospital seemed like it was falling apart and the hospital staff seemed to consist of teenage volunteers.) The story improved in the second half of the book, Duffy was more bearable and quit whining, and the suspense picked up towards the end. This was an okay young-adult Point Horror from the 90's.
Duffy's friends think she's paranoid. But Duffy really believes someone is out to do her harm. She desperately wants to leave the hospital, but she is still too sick with fever.
Duffy wasn't a very likable character. She complained endlessly and had snide thoughts about mostly everyone. Obviously, no one likes being sick, and no one likes to be in the hostpital, but she was a total whiner at times. Duffy also did a lot of stupid things, she never listened to doctor's orders. If she just stayed in bed and followed instructions she probably would have been released from the hospital. But with everything she was putting herself through, she kept making her fever rise. Even though, as the story progressed, her character improved slightly and I started to get caught up in the story, and I was curious to find out what was going to happen.
The setting of the hospital was different. It was old and creepy. (I wouldn't want to stay at this hospital---empty elevator shafts, mixed medications, old wooden creaky wheelchairs... The hospital seemed like it was falling apart and the hospital staff seemed to consist of teenage volunteers.) The story improved in the second half of the book, Duffy was more bearable and quit whining, and the suspense picked up towards the end. This was an okay young-adult Point Horror from the 90's.
February 19, 2021
3.5 stars
Duffy is in hospital suffering from a fever. One night she hears some noises and the following day tries to make sense of them but due to her illness and the medication she is taking things are a bit hazy. As she struggles to get better, Duffy ends up the victim of various accidents around the hospital. But are they really accidents or is someone behind them all? And if so, who and why?
This was an enjoyable read! Duffy felt like a believable teenager and even though she was a bit obnoxious at times I still found her to be a sympathetic character. I thought Hoh really captured the feeling of being in hospital and the sense of strangeness and loneliness. I liked how the story played out and all of the different characters who became suspects. The ending was really good and satisfying and was quite darker than I expected it was going to be!
Duffy is in hospital suffering from a fever. One night she hears some noises and the following day tries to make sense of them but due to her illness and the medication she is taking things are a bit hazy. As she struggles to get better, Duffy ends up the victim of various accidents around the hospital. But are they really accidents or is someone behind them all? And if so, who and why?
This was an enjoyable read! Duffy felt like a believable teenager and even though she was a bit obnoxious at times I still found her to be a sympathetic character. I thought Hoh really captured the feeling of being in hospital and the sense of strangeness and loneliness. I liked how the story played out and all of the different characters who became suspects. The ending was really good and satisfying and was quite darker than I expected it was going to be!
February 4, 2024
A rundown and underfunded hospital is such a creep setting, thrown into the mix that our main protagonist Duffy is suffering from an unknown fever that pretty much keeps her bed bound and restricted adds to the tense.
Duffy is convinced that she heard some suspicious noises, though frustratingly she's effectively being gaslight as everyone is putting it down to hallucinations through her illness.
The trapped feeling, no one believes her and the random attacks contribute to a very effective mystery.
This has all the elements that made this books so popular in the 90's.
Duffy is convinced that she heard some suspicious noises, though frustratingly she's effectively being gaslight as everyone is putting it down to hallucinations through her illness.
The trapped feeling, no one believes her and the random attacks contribute to a very effective mystery.
This has all the elements that made this books so popular in the 90's.
January 13, 2015
"When you play with fever... you might get BURNED."
Yes, this is the tagline on the front of this book. I picked it up at the used bookstore and I didn't think I had read this one, although I did remember reading several books by Diane Hoh in my high school years... but once I started reading, small details reminded me that I had read it.
Duffy is in the hospital with a fever, and one night she hears someone cry out in her room. No one believes her because everyone thinks she's delirious: her best friend Jane; Dylan, Amy & Cynthia, her classmates who volunteer at the hospital; Smith, the hot young orderly, and certainly not her parents or the doctors or nurses. Not even after strange accidents seem to keep happening to Duffy. Now Duffy is certain someone wants her dead. Is it her fever, or is someone really out to get her?
Okay, so here's the line that reminded me that I had read this book:
"...they were interrupted by the arrival of a short, chunky girl in too-tight Bermuda shorts and an oversized hot-pink sweatshirt, her dark, curly hair carelessly fastened with a huge hot-pink bow. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, heart-shaped around almost-violet eyes with thick, dark lashes and perfectly arched brows."
This is Duffy's friend Jane, and what a description. You have to do a double take mid-sentence, "Wow, what a horrendous outfit - huh? She's supposed to be pretty?" The "huge hot-pink bow" in her hair was the kicker. *shudder*
The story was fun, I was trying to figure out who was the killer throughout the whole thing, and even though I knew it would be the least likely person I still didn't guess who it was before the end... probably because all the characters were two-dimensional and you don't get to know any of them. I'm not sure how Duffy couldn't get an idea of whether her attacker was male or female, even though she was mostly being attacked in the dark, but towards the end the attacker speaks to her and is referred to as "a voice," when clearly you'd be able to tell exactly who a person was from their voice.
Also, who gets hospitalized for several days for a fever? Wouldn't you just give the person some aspirin or an ice bath or something? And every time Duffy got upset, everyone was like, "Calm down or your fever will spike again!" Does this really happen? Because I'm pretty sure it doesn't.
Yes, this is the tagline on the front of this book. I picked it up at the used bookstore and I didn't think I had read this one, although I did remember reading several books by Diane Hoh in my high school years... but once I started reading, small details reminded me that I had read it.
Duffy is in the hospital with a fever, and one night she hears someone cry out in her room. No one believes her because everyone thinks she's delirious: her best friend Jane; Dylan, Amy & Cynthia, her classmates who volunteer at the hospital; Smith, the hot young orderly, and certainly not her parents or the doctors or nurses. Not even after strange accidents seem to keep happening to Duffy. Now Duffy is certain someone wants her dead. Is it her fever, or is someone really out to get her?
Okay, so here's the line that reminded me that I had read this book:
"...they were interrupted by the arrival of a short, chunky girl in too-tight Bermuda shorts and an oversized hot-pink sweatshirt, her dark, curly hair carelessly fastened with a huge hot-pink bow. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, heart-shaped around almost-violet eyes with thick, dark lashes and perfectly arched brows."
This is Duffy's friend Jane, and what a description. You have to do a double take mid-sentence, "Wow, what a horrendous outfit - huh? She's supposed to be pretty?" The "huge hot-pink bow" in her hair was the kicker. *shudder*
The story was fun, I was trying to figure out who was the killer throughout the whole thing, and even though I knew it would be the least likely person I still didn't guess who it was before the end... probably because all the characters were two-dimensional and you don't get to know any of them. I'm not sure how Duffy couldn't get an idea of whether her attacker was male or female, even though she was mostly being attacked in the dark, but towards the end the attacker speaks to her and is referred to as "a voice," when clearly you'd be able to tell exactly who a person was from their voice.
Also, who gets hospitalized for several days for a fever? Wouldn't you just give the person some aspirin or an ice bath or something? And every time Duffy got upset, everyone was like, "Calm down or your fever will spike again!" Does this really happen? Because I'm pretty sure it doesn't.
April 23, 2024
I read this book years ago and to be honest can't remember the end and who the antagonist was.
I do remember enjoying parts of this nostalgic book but laughing at other plot elements.
Why is she in a hospital for a fever? Take aspirin and lie down! Why do 90%of her friends volunteer at this hospital? Is that like the pinnacle of adolescence in this town? Why is this hospital not shut down? Seems too old with things breaking and not working lol. I don't know
Still a fun read though.
REREAD 4/23/24. Rereading this a second time I increase my original rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. It was very entertaining. I do think its strange that half her friends volunteer at this hospital.
The author does a good job of setting up red herrings. Who is threatening Duffy's life and why? Elevator shaft incident, wheel chair incident, medication switch up, assault on shower. Is it her best friend Jane? Her good friend Kit who is MIA. Is it Dylan or Smith or Cynthia?
I may start reading more of Diane Hoh as I enjoyed The Invitation and this one.
I do remember enjoying parts of this nostalgic book but laughing at other plot elements.
Why is she in a hospital for a fever? Take aspirin and lie down! Why do 90%of her friends volunteer at this hospital? Is that like the pinnacle of adolescence in this town? Why is this hospital not shut down? Seems too old with things breaking and not working lol. I don't know
Still a fun read though.
REREAD 4/23/24. Rereading this a second time I increase my original rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. It was very entertaining. I do think its strange that half her friends volunteer at this hospital.
The author does a good job of setting up red herrings. Who is threatening Duffy's life and why? Elevator shaft incident, wheel chair incident, medication switch up, assault on shower. Is it her best friend Jane? Her good friend Kit who is MIA. Is it Dylan or Smith or Cynthia?
I may start reading more of Diane Hoh as I enjoyed The Invitation and this one.
May 20, 2018
Duffy is in hospital recovering from a fever, one night she’s sure she heard something in the night.
Everyone assures her that she imagined it and the delusions are part of the fever. But what if Duffy was right?
A great psychological thriller in the Point Horror range.
Everyone assures her that she imagined it and the delusions are part of the fever. But what if Duffy was right?
A great psychological thriller in the Point Horror range.
March 12, 2020
Lol this was wild. Girl has the flu and is in the hospital for too long. Everyone is crushing on her but someone may be trying to kill her, and nobody believes her. What kind of hospital is this. Ending was crazy/ridiculous in a satisfying way
June 24, 2025
I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub
Memorable For – Creepy hospital – check, attacks on the teens – check, runaway wheelchair – you bet ya!
Some Thoughts -
Suffering from a fever Duffy lands in hospital and thinks she has imagined an incident that happened in her room when she shouted out for help in the middle of the night (and was ignored…how very dare they). She is trying so hard to work out what she has heard that someone decides that Duffy deserves to die! That’s when the nausea, dizziness and funny lights start and fever aside basically all Duffy really wanted was a shower! The killer is so determined to bump off Duffy by any means! This includes swapping of an out of order elevator sign, releasing the brake off Duffy’s wheelchair down a hill (laughs hysterically), trys to kill her in the shower and with a pillow! Fear not Duffy has a pink razor, bug spray and a wide range of Point Horror boys to save her at every turn!
Other highlights include a lot of characters who all seem to want to be doctors 😂, Duffy’s Mum & Dad are extremely busy accountants and just do not have the time to look after their daughter whilst they are doing their tax returns 🤣, a whole runaway wheelchair “incident”, green pedal pushers and a plus size Point Horror girl who deserved her own Point Horror!
Memorable For – Creepy hospital – check, attacks on the teens – check, runaway wheelchair – you bet ya!
Some Thoughts -
Suffering from a fever Duffy lands in hospital and thinks she has imagined an incident that happened in her room when she shouted out for help in the middle of the night (and was ignored…how very dare they). She is trying so hard to work out what she has heard that someone decides that Duffy deserves to die! That’s when the nausea, dizziness and funny lights start and fever aside basically all Duffy really wanted was a shower! The killer is so determined to bump off Duffy by any means! This includes swapping of an out of order elevator sign, releasing the brake off Duffy’s wheelchair down a hill (laughs hysterically), trys to kill her in the shower and with a pillow! Fear not Duffy has a pink razor, bug spray and a wide range of Point Horror boys to save her at every turn!
Other highlights include a lot of characters who all seem to want to be doctors 😂, Duffy’s Mum & Dad are extremely busy accountants and just do not have the time to look after their daughter whilst they are doing their tax returns 🤣, a whole runaway wheelchair “incident”, green pedal pushers and a plus size Point Horror girl who deserved her own Point Horror!
March 10, 2011
I was probably about 12 when I read this but it sticks out in my mind because my group of friends and I passed this book backwards and forwards between us for ages. We loved it! We were Point Horror Addicts and this one happened to be our favourite. I found my copy when I moved out of home and it now sits on my bookshelf reminding me of school days. I expect I will read it again one day.
May 11, 2011
my favourite book ever read!!!!
June 6, 2016
Five Point Horror stars. Memorable for being the WORST hospital ever. Even without a murderer on the loose, it's frankly amazing anyone survives a stay here.
February 10, 2023
Gas lighting or simply medical incompetence? You be the judge.
February 11, 2019
Quite boring, and with the most irritating and awful protagonist since Funhouse.
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
August 20, 2023
Enfin terminé! C’était une lecture difficile, car c’était plus jeunesse que je pensais. Le déroulement était long et la fin précipitée. Ce livre est d’avantage pour un public adolescent 🤓
June 22, 2025
Point horror reviews are reviewed against other point horror books only.
I really enjoyed this one, there were lots of great scenes, and some good giggles along the way!
I remember reading this as a teen, but stopping because I didn’t enjoy it!
I really enjoyed this one, there were lots of great scenes, and some good giggles along the way!
I remember reading this as a teen, but stopping because I didn’t enjoy it!
August 22, 2019
Reading the blurb for this title I thought the premise was pretty neat, how refreshing to have a Point Horror book not set in a high school! Trapped in a murky hospital with a raging fever, did our MC witness a moider? Is somebody trying to silence her?
But no.
The protagonist is an entitled whiner who catastrophises the most minor of inconveniences. The soup was too thin? Get me out of this hell hole! The bed sheets were tinged yellow? Oh the humanity! She refuses to submit to essential medical care and thus exacerbates her illness while simultaneously raging at the hospital for failing to cure her fast enough. She is mean and rude to her friends, she resents success in others and on hearing her best friend has fled an abusive household her immediate thought it 'but what about MY feelings?'. I spent the entire first half of the book mentally screaming at her 'just stay in bed and shut your mouth you insufferable twit!'. What are we to make of protagonists such as these in the Point Horror genre? Complex character studies are somewhat outside of the scope of Point Horror, we need a protagonist we want to to cheer for, we want her to succeed, we want her to survive. To fear for her safety we have to at the very least like her... right? So why make her such an insufferable a-hole? I don't get it. I cheered for the killer and I booed when she avoided catastrophe.
As for the ending, it was unsatisfying, abrupt and baffling. Probably the worst since The Girlfriend.
So far the worst PH I've read on my journey through the series so far. Never thought I could hate a protagonist more than whats-her-face from Call Waiting, and yet here I am.
But no.
The protagonist is an entitled whiner who catastrophises the most minor of inconveniences. The soup was too thin? Get me out of this hell hole! The bed sheets were tinged yellow? Oh the humanity! She refuses to submit to essential medical care and thus exacerbates her illness while simultaneously raging at the hospital for failing to cure her fast enough. She is mean and rude to her friends, she resents success in others and on hearing her best friend has fled an abusive household her immediate thought it 'but what about MY feelings?'. I spent the entire first half of the book mentally screaming at her 'just stay in bed and shut your mouth you insufferable twit!'. What are we to make of protagonists such as these in the Point Horror genre? Complex character studies are somewhat outside of the scope of Point Horror, we need a protagonist we want to to cheer for, we want her to succeed, we want her to survive. To fear for her safety we have to at the very least like her... right? So why make her such an insufferable a-hole? I don't get it. I cheered for the killer and I booed when she avoided catastrophe.
As for the ending, it was unsatisfying, abrupt and baffling. Probably the worst since The Girlfriend.
So far the worst PH I've read on my journey through the series so far. Never thought I could hate a protagonist more than whats-her-face from Call Waiting, and yet here I am.
May 17, 2011
A short point thriller novel from the early nineties. I remember I used to love these books, and I still read them when I happen to find them at my local thrift store. Diane hoh is one of my favorites, as well as Rl Stine.
The Fever is about a girl who has a real bad fever so her parents put her in the hospital hoping it will help her get better. On her first night there, she hears weird noises in her room, and so she starts questioning the nurses and the volunteers about them. As soon as she starts questioning what the noises were, she starts to get into little accidents around the hospital. Now someone is out to get her and she is trying to find out who and why. And also why her best friend Kit is not coming to visit her.
The Fever is about a girl who has a real bad fever so her parents put her in the hospital hoping it will help her get better. On her first night there, she hears weird noises in her room, and so she starts questioning the nurses and the volunteers about them. As soon as she starts questioning what the noises were, she starts to get into little accidents around the hospital. Now someone is out to get her and she is trying to find out who and why. And also why her best friend Kit is not coming to visit her.
October 12, 2021
The fact that no one believed Duffy about all the things happening to her was really frustrating and completely ruined the potential of the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2023
My favourite Point Horror as a kid. Brilliant re-reading my old paperback again.
July 20, 2025
Not as good as I remembered it unfortunately, but still nostalgic. The prescribing of antibiotics for a viral infection, lack of paracetamol for the fever and the Dr refusing to take out a week old, heavily bruised and painful cannula, as well as multiple children administering medication would not have registered with me when I was a child, but it's absolutely tipping me over the edge as medically literate adult 😂 The plot made zero logical sense, I guess I must have loved it for all the boy drama!
June 22, 2025
I rate these against other point horror books only and read as part of a book club on Instagram @talesofpointhorrorbookclub check it out.
I really enjoyed this one, this has that chilling factor for me, the feeling of vulnerability at the mercy of others and not getting the chance to meet Kit was sad.
I really enjoyed this one, this has that chilling factor for me, the feeling of vulnerability at the mercy of others and not getting the chance to meet Kit was sad.
October 15, 2020
Onvan : The Fever - Nevisande : Diane Hoh - ISBN : 0590454013 - ISBN13 : 9780590454018 - Dar 192 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1992
October 10, 2022
I haven't actively disliked any of Diane Hoh's Point Horror books, but so far I have found all of the ones I've read -
Funhouse
,
The Accident
,
The Invitation
, and
The Train
- to be distinctly average, and typically for very similar reasons. Hoh has a tendency in her books to quickly introduce a lot of characters, but isn't particularly good at giving these characters discernible traits. Thankfully this isn't quite so prevalent in The Fever, but instead Hoh adopts another typical Point Horror trend of making the protagonist extremely unlikeable.
There is a kernel of a good idea within this book - the concept of being admitted to a hospital and then unfortunate things happening to you outside of your control whilst you are somewhat confined has real potential. Unfortunately here that potential isn't capitalised on. There's also a couple of predictable elements to this, which takes the wind out of the climax a little. Still, I did find this to be an easy read and it was never exactly boring, which is almost impressive considering Hoh was limited to just one location.
2/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
4) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
5) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
6) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
7) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
8) April Fools - 3.5/5
9) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
10) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
11) Freeze Tag - 3/5
12) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
13) The Accident - 3/5
14) Funhouse - 3/5
15) The Window - 3/5
16) The Invitation - 2.5/5
17) The Train - 2.5/5
18) The Waitress - 2.5/5
19) The Snowman - 2.5/5
20) Beach House - 2.5/5
21) The Mall - 2.5/5
22) The Boyfriend - 2/5
23) The Fever - 2/5
24) The Cemetery - 2/5
25) Mother's Helper - 2/5
26) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
27) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
28) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
29) Beach Party - 1/5
There is a kernel of a good idea within this book - the concept of being admitted to a hospital and then unfortunate things happening to you outside of your control whilst you are somewhat confined has real potential. Unfortunately here that potential isn't capitalised on. There's also a couple of predictable elements to this, which takes the wind out of the climax a little. Still, I did find this to be an easy read and it was never exactly boring, which is almost impressive considering Hoh was limited to just one location.
2/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
4) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
5) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
6) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
7) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
8) April Fools - 3.5/5
9) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
10) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
11) Freeze Tag - 3/5
12) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
13) The Accident - 3/5
14) Funhouse - 3/5
15) The Window - 3/5
16) The Invitation - 2.5/5
17) The Train - 2.5/5
18) The Waitress - 2.5/5
19) The Snowman - 2.5/5
20) Beach House - 2.5/5
21) The Mall - 2.5/5
22) The Boyfriend - 2/5
23) The Fever - 2/5
24) The Cemetery - 2/5
25) Mother's Helper - 2/5
26) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
27) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
28) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
29) Beach Party - 1/5
did-not-finish
June 13, 2025Read just a few pages and didn’t like the writing, this is the third book by this author I’ve tried and i rated one 3 stars and dnfed 2. I’m guessing she just isn’t for me
July 30, 2015
At first I thought THE FEVER was going to center around a mysterious illness but it really doesn’t. It lends a hand to the greater plot but the larger issue going on is that someone is trying to kill Duffy but no one will believe her because they think she’s delirious from being sick. She’s not a character I was really able to feel anything for because she was a bit whiny and bratty and snipped at people when she didn’t get her way. Toward the end her anger was understandable because no one was believing her but it would have helped if she were a little less snippy with people at the beginning to bring in the sympathy.
Once things started happening to her it did pull me a bit more into the story and I did want to find out who was doing these things to her. I never doubted her, though, and I would have liked to. I like it when, in horror, you as a reader start second-guessing everything that’s happening because it’s written in a way that lends itself to that kind of reading doubt. There was a hint of that here at the beginning but it really wasn’t reinforced so I never questioned whether what was happening to Duffy was real or not. Instead of really blurring the lines between delusion and reality Hoh relied on derpy people around her to continue questioning the bratty sick kid that complains a lot. And really she didn’t complain all that much. She whined, sure, but most of her illness-related complaints were legitimate; she was just a brat when relaying them.
It bothers me when crucial evidence isn’t taken to the appropriate authorities as a means of fueling a blow-out for an ending. Like when Duffy had her friend run her medication to her brother’s lab and have them tested, and they come back reaffirming her very big concerns about what was in them. Instead of going to the doctors with that very real lab paperwork plus the two outside witnesses that can attest to that information and stopping everything in its tracks Duffy sits on it and nearly gets herself killed in the inevitable showdown at the end. It’s kind of annoying.
The culprit ended up being someone routinely involved with the story but it was done in a way that if you think about the situation for more than a second there would have been no way the issue would have been pinned on this person to begin with to start fueling this murder spree. Not a chance. But every story needs a villain and this person was it.
I mean overall it was okay. It was a more fleshed out story and even at the end, when some rather horrible news was revealed, I did feel bad for Duffy when she reacted to it. It wrapped up rather nicely and there was only a fade-to-black moment after the villain was thwarted by Duffy so it delivered in that regard. I think the story could have been better if it didn’t rely on stupid characters to carry the story. It was a good story and one that could have been so much more substantial than what it was but I guess it’s good enough for old school YA horror. It’s definitely one of the better books in that it had me guessing and trying to figure out what was going on. But I didn’t feel a part of the story, I didn’t feel involved myself and I would have liked to have been.
3.5
Once things started happening to her it did pull me a bit more into the story and I did want to find out who was doing these things to her. I never doubted her, though, and I would have liked to. I like it when, in horror, you as a reader start second-guessing everything that’s happening because it’s written in a way that lends itself to that kind of reading doubt. There was a hint of that here at the beginning but it really wasn’t reinforced so I never questioned whether what was happening to Duffy was real or not. Instead of really blurring the lines between delusion and reality Hoh relied on derpy people around her to continue questioning the bratty sick kid that complains a lot. And really she didn’t complain all that much. She whined, sure, but most of her illness-related complaints were legitimate; she was just a brat when relaying them.
It bothers me when crucial evidence isn’t taken to the appropriate authorities as a means of fueling a blow-out for an ending. Like when Duffy had her friend run her medication to her brother’s lab and have them tested, and they come back reaffirming her very big concerns about what was in them. Instead of going to the doctors with that very real lab paperwork plus the two outside witnesses that can attest to that information and stopping everything in its tracks Duffy sits on it and nearly gets herself killed in the inevitable showdown at the end. It’s kind of annoying.
The culprit ended up being someone routinely involved with the story but it was done in a way that if you think about the situation for more than a second there would have been no way the issue would have been pinned on this person to begin with to start fueling this murder spree. Not a chance. But every story needs a villain and this person was it.
I mean overall it was okay. It was a more fleshed out story and even at the end, when some rather horrible news was revealed, I did feel bad for Duffy when she reacted to it. It wrapped up rather nicely and there was only a fade-to-black moment after the villain was thwarted by Duffy so it delivered in that regard. I think the story could have been better if it didn’t rely on stupid characters to carry the story. It was a good story and one that could have been so much more substantial than what it was but I guess it’s good enough for old school YA horror. It’s definitely one of the better books in that it had me guessing and trying to figure out what was going on. But I didn’t feel a part of the story, I didn’t feel involved myself and I would have liked to have been.
3.5
September 17, 2013
I actually never read this one as a kid. I thought I had read all of these Point Horror books, but this one did not ring any bells, nor did the cover.
As someone who spends a LOT of time in a hospital bed, this book was honestly frightening to me. The thought of someone messing with my medication freaks me out! It takes a lot of trust to just lie there and assume people are giving you the right dose as it is, I can't even imagine someone purposely tampering with my medications.
Duffy was such an insufferable brat, though! She was whining about being in the hospital after barely a day and refused to do anything the staff told her to. I love that someone told her that people with chronic illnesses are there all the time and don't complain near as much! It was very grating to have this story told through her eyes.
All in all, this was a satisfying read. I had no idea who the killer was, as per usual, but the biggest plus for me was the setting. Again, I can't imagine anything more horrifying than being incapacitated in a hospital bed and not able to fight back!
As someone who spends a LOT of time in a hospital bed, this book was honestly frightening to me. The thought of someone messing with my medication freaks me out! It takes a lot of trust to just lie there and assume people are giving you the right dose as it is, I can't even imagine someone purposely tampering with my medications.
Duffy was such an insufferable brat, though! She was whining about being in the hospital after barely a day and refused to do anything the staff told her to. I love that someone told her that people with chronic illnesses are there all the time and don't complain near as much! It was very grating to have this story told through her eyes.
All in all, this was a satisfying read. I had no idea who the killer was, as per usual, but the biggest plus for me was the setting. Again, I can't imagine anything more horrifying than being incapacitated in a hospital bed and not able to fight back!
February 23, 2022
Yep, read this one again and still loved it. I know there were plenty of cute boys to keep the teenaged girls (or boys, depending!) happy, but to be honest this book didn't have any of my all-time favourite heroes in it. There were certainly plenty of "potential bad guys" to choose from, but I guess that's the case in most of these books - you've got to have so many suspects you can't pick the real one. Maybe I'm the only one who can't pick them ahead of time, but generally I'm fooled!
Anyway, in closing I say RIP Kit!
Anyway, in closing I say RIP Kit!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2016
So much to enjoy here! Elevator switcheroos, bathroom attacks, out-of-control wheelchairs, attempted smothering, drug switcheroos - it's the hospital from hell! For Duffy, anyway. Duffy's whinging and refusal to listen to doctor's orders was a bit frustrating, but this was lots of fun. Diane Hoh was THE best YA mystery writer in my humble opinion!
May 20, 2024
So this is definitely my favorite Diane Hoh so far, much creepier and more intense than the other two I’ve read; Funhouse and The Accident. I guess I prefer the old run down hospital setting , heavily medicated unreliable narrator, neglectful doctors and suspicious volunteers , makes for a great horror story.
May 11, 2022
I have always been a fan of Diane Hoh since I started reading her back in middle school and The Fever has always one I have never gotten around to reading until now.
What better way to amp up horror than in a hospital am I right? I have never liked hospitals myself with the starkness and medicinal smell and after staying in one for so long waiting to have my daughter and take her home...it still hasn't changed my opinion that hospitals are unnerving.
Dorothy "Duffy" Quinn had to be taken to the hospital because she spiked a fever so high it could almost be in the book of world records. Lots of people have been coming down with the flu at the Twelvepines Community Hospital so the staff is overworked with patients, lots of volunteers from the high school and a building just wanting to fall apart.
With such a high fever, people can experience hallucinations thanks to their brains being so overheated...imagining all sorts of things. Duffy believes that she heard noises in her room and a voice saying "No, please, don't!" but that can't be possible...it was just an awful fever dream, right?
Duffy doesn't make it easy on the hospital staff taking care of her, most of them kids she goes to school with, as she's going stir-crazy lying in bed with an IV poking her hand and not being able to shower (don't blame her...I didn't like it either or being sick at home so out of it you can't even enjoy a hot shower). She's sure someone was in her room but Duffy can't get anyone to believe her.
"It's the fever" they say but when Duffy starts to experience terrifying "accidents" that are almost fatal...Duffy knows that it isn't her fever. Someone has figured out that Duffy heard them...carrying out a heinous act and in order to keep the crime hidden, they are going to make sure Duffy's fever doesn't break.
The higher it gets, the more delirious and crazy and delusional Duffy's ravings will become, covering up their deadly deed, and now Duffy's life is in more danger than she realized...
We get a good amount of suspects, some with clear motives and some a little vague or not completely explored, and it makes it even creepier in the hospital setting. It's a place where you are supposed to get help and be taken care of so having dubious, ominous incidents taking place in such a safe haven is...yeah still creepy.
I was never wondering if what Duffy experienced is true but just exactly what was being covered up and who was behind it, which is why I soaked up every page trying to find clues to the answer.
When it was revealed who the culprit was and their motive, the tragedy tied in with another plot but discussing it would be a spoiler. If you pay attention, you won't miss it once the other avenue explored leads to the paths converging. This leads to a very bittersweet ending and it left me a little teary-eyed.
If you haven't had a chance to read The Fever, I highly recommend it.
What better way to amp up horror than in a hospital am I right? I have never liked hospitals myself with the starkness and medicinal smell and after staying in one for so long waiting to have my daughter and take her home...it still hasn't changed my opinion that hospitals are unnerving.
Dorothy "Duffy" Quinn had to be taken to the hospital because she spiked a fever so high it could almost be in the book of world records. Lots of people have been coming down with the flu at the Twelvepines Community Hospital so the staff is overworked with patients, lots of volunteers from the high school and a building just wanting to fall apart.
With such a high fever, people can experience hallucinations thanks to their brains being so overheated...imagining all sorts of things. Duffy believes that she heard noises in her room and a voice saying "No, please, don't!" but that can't be possible...it was just an awful fever dream, right?
Duffy doesn't make it easy on the hospital staff taking care of her, most of them kids she goes to school with, as she's going stir-crazy lying in bed with an IV poking her hand and not being able to shower (don't blame her...I didn't like it either or being sick at home so out of it you can't even enjoy a hot shower). She's sure someone was in her room but Duffy can't get anyone to believe her.
"It's the fever" they say but when Duffy starts to experience terrifying "accidents" that are almost fatal...Duffy knows that it isn't her fever. Someone has figured out that Duffy heard them...carrying out a heinous act and in order to keep the crime hidden, they are going to make sure Duffy's fever doesn't break.
The higher it gets, the more delirious and crazy and delusional Duffy's ravings will become, covering up their deadly deed, and now Duffy's life is in more danger than she realized...
We get a good amount of suspects, some with clear motives and some a little vague or not completely explored, and it makes it even creepier in the hospital setting. It's a place where you are supposed to get help and be taken care of so having dubious, ominous incidents taking place in such a safe haven is...yeah still creepy.
I was never wondering if what Duffy experienced is true but just exactly what was being covered up and who was behind it, which is why I soaked up every page trying to find clues to the answer.
When it was revealed who the culprit was and their motive, the tragedy tied in with another plot but discussing it would be a spoiler. If you pay attention, you won't miss it once the other avenue explored leads to the paths converging. This leads to a very bittersweet ending and it left me a little teary-eyed.
If you haven't had a chance to read The Fever, I highly recommend it.
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