Red Rain: A Novel

What do I say about this novel? I'm still not sure that I know what to think.In Red Rain, travel blogger Lea Stutter visits a small island off the coast of South Carolina hoping to write an article on the mysteries that surround seldom-visited Le Chat Noir. After visiting a rather odd local ceremony a hurricane hits the island, leaving few alive and the community devastated. Walking on the beach after the storm, Lea finds two young boys-twins-who were left with nothing after the storm. She brings them home with her to Sag Harbour. Her husband, psychologist and controversial writer, Marc, isn't thrilled with her decision, but they try to welcome the boys to their family. And then, a new part of the story begins.Of course, the boys aren't as innocent as Lea first takes them to be, but it's hard to tell what they have planned and you wouldn't want to be the one standing in the way-or anywhere in the area.And now the difficult part, evaluating the novel. Difficult because I can't decide what criteria to judge it on. Is it really an adult novel? Well, there's sex and mature themes that wouldn't appear in R.L. Stine's traditional novels. But, it doesn't seem like an adult novel in the traditional sense-in many ways, it is simply Goosebumps or Fear Street grown up. It's the same writing style and the same creepy and slightly off-handed tone you're used to (if you're an R.L. Stine reader), but longer and with adult material thrown in. In fact, at least as much of the novel follows the twin boys, or Lea and Marc's other two children as it does adult characters.I think some of the main characters could have been more developed. If I ask myself about their motivations at certain points, I'm still left with a rather murky picture. Especially when it comes to Lea. Granted, she went through a traumatic situation and bonded with the boys-complete strangers-within minutes of meeting them after the hurricane. It's realistic that she would have tried to cope in this way, but sometimes I wondered what the hell she was thinking. For example, Marc's sister Roz and her young son were living in the guest house, and the family fixed up the attic for the boys to live in. So far things make sense, but then the twins beg to have the guest house and everyone except Marc jumps right on board. Yes, let's let two pre-teen boys we don't know live relatively unsupervised in our guest house . . .My love and respect for R.L. Stine is unwavering, but I can't say I loved this. Overall, I liked the story even though there were some aspects that could have been better. Don't expect a quintessential adult book, it is simply R.L. Stine being R.L. Stine with some adult content thrown in. If you can live with that, then it's worth checking out.

I'll tell you what, I was really excited when I first heard about this novel coming out. It's been FOREVER since I read anything by R.L. Stine... and seeing he was working on an ADULT novel was great! However, as excited as I was, I kept my expectations in check. No offense against Mr. Stine, but kids novels are his bread and butter, so I wasn't expecting anything more than a worthy effort on the adult front... something you can pick up, read, finish- and not demand the author buy the book back from you- it doesn't have to change my outlook on life or anything like that, especially since his previous adult effort (Superstitious) was not too well received, though I enjoyed it as a teen.For me, RED RAIN met my expectations... I was HOPING for more. A LOT more actually. But, I was not, by any means, expecting it. The story is a little hokey, but nothing out of the realm of R.L Stine, but he keeps his crisp writing style that allows you to zip through the pages, and he didn't lose that jumping into the "adult" realm. I DID find the writing a little juvenile though, like it was obvious this author was not used to writing for adults... so, it's a YA novel with some sex and four letter words thrown in. Which was fine for me, being in that group that devoured everything with R.L. Stine's name on it in the 90s. Again, my expectations were- he wasn't going to get it right- just have to grade the effort. Yes, I'm being an apologist. I can't say anything bad about R.L. Stine's work.Where this novel falls short, is the missed opportunity I see. While Reading it, I couldn't help but be reminded of Fear Street, or Point Horror, the other novels he wrote besides Goosebumps, and I was thinking THIS is just a LONG one of those. R.L. Stine said he wrote this novel in response to requests from his 90s readers (myself included).... why NOT make an ADULT Fear Street Novel? Because that's EFFECTIVELY what this is. Seeing an "Adult novel" with FEAR STREET stamped across the top would be amazing. That would have Nostalgia to boot!I gave this 3 out of 5. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what I EXPECTED it to be. But, as an ADULT novel, he didn't hit his mark. Worthy effort, though!

R.L Stine has been scaring children for years with his "Goosebumps" series of books. Now, it's the adults turn to be scared, and "Red Rain" does a masterful job of doing just that.Lea Sutter is a travel writer who writes a blog about interesting places to visit. Her current destination is the island of Le Chat Noir. While on the island, a devastating hurricane strikes, killing dozens and destroying numerous buildings. Lea herself is injured, but it's the two twin boys who emerge from the rubble that catch Lea's attention. Lea had always wanted more children than the two she and her husband Mark have, so she makes the impulsive decision to adopt the boys and raise them as her own.Needless to say, her husband is not enthusiastic about welcoming two new children into his family. Plus, he's unsure about how his children Ira and Elena will react. Mark is struggling with bad press about his new book and does not need another distraction in his life. At the beginning, the twins seem to fit in. Appearances can be deceiving, for soon after their arrival, the twins begin stealing items from the home and doing other nasty deeds. But these are only a prelude, for as the story goes along, it is revealed that the boys are definitely not the little angels Lea thought they were.I found "Red Rain" to be an excellent book. The story is definitely loaded with terror and suspense, and the characters are well-developed. Stine also displays a sense of humor in the book with the constant banter back and forth between the two police officer characters. The ending has a twist as well.I've never read R.L. Stine before, but I will again. Hopefully, he'll have another new adult novel out soon. Highly recommended.

This is the story of a woman who goes to an island to write a story for her blog. Supposedly, this island has a creepy tradition - the dead come back.In the beginning, the imagery of a natural disaster which sweeps through the island in her first few days is terrifying in itself, and the foundations are laid for an unnerving story. However, I found that as I was reading, I was getting bored. The woman is approached by two boys, twins, after the disaster as they tell her that they have been orphaned, and she feels obligated to take them back home with her and give them a better life. The dangerous secret is that they are not what they seem, and back home, work their black magic to eradicate the rest of the family (her husband and two children).I was so excited because the author of Goosebumps had such an influence on me growing up, and I thought that he would be able to get under my skin as an adult writer, but this book did nothing for me and I flicked through the last quarter just desperate to get to the end so it could be over.

R.L Stine is perhaps better known for his Goosebumps series for young adults. "Red Rain" is for the grown ups. It's not particularly scary but it does have some chilling moments. The book has a Village of the Damned feel about it, but is in no way a reworking of the classic. It is a good, thrilling read.

A true mindbending story. Absolutely fantastic from the king of horror

Liked: story and plot.Disliked: my boyfriend disturbing me when reading!!!

Ja, die Story hat Schwächen, ist vorhersehbar und vieles wird einem gleich zu Beginn enthüllt. Dennoch habe ich mir ein Wochenende gegönnt und fast durchgehend gehört. Ich fand es dennoch spannend und wollte unbedingt das Ende wissen. Auch hier muss ich wieder von der Stimme des Sprechers/Vorlesers schwärmen. Michael Cerveris liest überzeugend und fesselnd.