Twisted by Twisted - Book Review
Release: January 7, 1987
Format: Kindle
Publisher: Scholastic Book Services
Source: Amazon
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: The dark heart of a brilliant and ruthless psychopath
Anything for a sister.
Abby would do anything to be in the school's most exclusive sorority. And now she's got the chance.
Because the sorority sisters have asked her to join them.
All Abby has to do is get through the initiation.
That might be a problem.
Because this year, the initiation is going to be....
Murder.
Goodreads
Amazon
About the Author Twisted : 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.
Great Idea, Disappointing Execution
The title definitely fits! This sorority thriller starts with a seriously twisted premise but doesn't quite stick the landing.
What Works:The whole setup is genuinely disturbing: a sorority head making girls commit actual crimes for initiation? That's dark in a way that grabs you. I found myself liking Abby and Jessie because I honestly couldn't predict what they'd do next, and they kept me guessing. Similarly, Nina and Leila rounded things out nicely too; I especially felt for Nina since she seemed like the only one reacting like a normal person to this insane situation while everyone else dove right in.
What Falls Short:There's so much wasted potential here. Leila and Abby's feud get built up but never really go anywhere meaty.Likewise, Ruby and Emily might as well be furniture for all they add to the story.
Moreover, you can tell this is early Stine. The writing style feels different—way too much description and dialogue that drags without building tension. There's literally two pages about Abby seeing a deer while they are on their way and how it makes her feel. Why? It kills any momentum the story had.
The ending also has two twists: one you'll see coming from miles away, and another that's so infuriating it made me dislike the characters even more.
Verdict:Twisted has a solid, creepy concept and a few characters worth following, but the execution is just odd. As a Stine fan, I wanted to like this more, but the bloated writing and weak payoff make it skippable unless you're curious about his early work.
Perfect for: Stine completists and readers who don't mind slow-burn 90s YA horror.
Twisted
by Twisted
1.5
★
★
★
★★★
1.5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis
"The dark heart of a brilliant and ruthless psychopath
Anything for a sister.
Abby would do anything to be in the school's most exclusive sorority. And now she's got the chance.
Because the sorority sisters have asked her to join them.
All Abby has to do is get through the initiation.
That might be a problem.
Because this year, the initiation is going to be....
Murder."
Release
January 7, 1987
Format
Kindle
Publisher
Scholastic Book Services
Source
Amazon
About the Author
Twisted
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.
My Review
Great Idea, Disappointing Execution
The title definitely fits! This sorority thriller starts with a seriously twisted premise but doesn’t quite stick the landing.
What Works:
The whole setup is genuinely disturbing: a sorority head making girls commit actual crimes for initiation? That’s dark in a way that grabs you. I found myself liking Abby and Jessie because I honestly couldn’t predict what they’d do next, and they kept me guessing. Similarly, Nina and Leila rounded things out nicely too; I especially felt for Nina since she seemed like the only one reacting like a normal person to this insane situation while everyone else dove right in.
What Falls Short:
There’s so much wasted potential here. Leila and Abby’s feud get built up but never really go anywhere meaty.
Likewise, Ruby and Emily might as well be furniture for all they add to the story.
Moreover, you can tell this is early Stine. The writing style feels different—way too much description and dialogue that drags without building tension. There’s literally two pages about Abby seeing a deer while they are on their way and how it makes her feel. Why? It kills any momentum the story had.
The ending also has two twists: one you’ll see coming from miles away, and another that’s so infuriating it made me dislike the characters even more.
Verdict:
Twisted has a solid, creepy concept and a few characters worth following, but the execution is just odd. As a Stine fan, I wanted to like this more, but the bloated writing and weak payoff make it skippable unless you’re curious about his early work.
Perfect for: Stine completists and readers who don’t mind slow-burn 90s YA horror.
