Oh my gosh, hey fellow reader!

How’ve you been? I don’t know about you, but 2026 is crazy for me! And when things get crazy I get a hankering for some reading. So when I saw my book bestie Misty’s recent book haul of some R.L. Stine books, I just had to ask if we could read one together!

We decided to start with Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand #1) by R.L. Stine.

Before now, if I reviewed a book of Stine’s on my blog it would always be the original Goosebumps series. But this series seemed very similar which seriously drew me in. This post will be my individual review, and then Misty and I will have a buddy chat about what we liked/didn’t like. Sound good?

Okay, let’s get this review on the road!

Blurb

It’s a whole new ride from master of horror and bestselling author R.L. Stine–with a story so fiendish that it can’t be contained to just one book!

Fright-master R.L. Stine invites you on an all-new, all-terrifying adventure! Britney Crosby thinks her cousin Ethan is pretty weird–and she happens to be right. Ethan won’t stop tormenting Britney with an old ventriloquist’s dummy. And the puppet has plans for Britney, too! Next, someone will be offered a vacation at a popular “scream park.” An entire week for free? You’d have to be a real dummy to refuse that! But some guests aren’t allowed to escape HorrorLand after just six days and seven frights…

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***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I’ve only read the original Goosebumps series before now and this was a lot of fun.

This novel centers on Britney Crosby. She hates having her troublemaking cousin Ethan taking over her room at home. Things get worse when his shenanigans with a wooden dummy inflict suffering on both her and others. As she tries to thwart his path of destruction, Britney begins to worry that Ethan’s dummy might be alive. But that’s crazy, right?

First things first, I loved the lessened cringey dad jokes and lame jump scares. Are they still there? Yes, but having them more spaced out made the experience better and more enjoyable. I liked the more modern touch with technology in this one, and this felt like it was well edited.

Britney was a fun main character, and I really believed her friendship with Molly. Their dialogue and actions really convinced me they were besties. Oh, and I loathed cousin Ethan, so good job on his character, Stine!

If I had to poke at anything, I would say the HorrorLand part of the book felt like something of an afterthought, but overall this was really enjoyable. Highly recommend!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. Like what you see? Leave a tip!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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