Review: The Evil Lives! (Fear Street Cheerleaders #5, Fear Street Super Chiller #13) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Evil Lives!

Series: Fear Street Cheerleaders #5 | Fear Street Super Chiller #13

Previous books in the Cheerleaders series: The First Evil (#1) | The Second Evil (#2) | The Third Evil (#3) | The New Evil (#4)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: January 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

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Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Now the terror continues...

Everyone at Shadyside High remembers when Corky Corcoran destroyed the evil spirit. The evil that attacked the cheerleaders. The evil that killed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.

No one expected the evil to come back. No one knew that there was only one way to defeat it forever. No one knew that the answer lay hidden in Sarah Fear’s grave.

Now the cheerleaders must discover the secret…before it’s too late.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was so excited to read this because in this book we finally find out the origin of the Ancient Evil. But idk, it was a little disappointing. And not only because Corky and the rest of her squad weren't in this book.

The book had so many character introductions in the beginning I just couldn't keep them straight. As I said, we have a new cheerleading squad. This book was published 4 years after the last Corky book, so I’m assuming this takes place then. Our new main character, Amanda, finds a little something inside her gym locker. Something that belonged to none other than Corky Corcoran. One thing about this book that makes absolutely NO sense to me is why the ever loving fuck Corky would leave behind instructions on how to summon the Ancient Evil?? It makes NO sense! She fought hard to get rid of it! And now these idiots brought it back 🙄

And yes, we finally got the origin of the Evil and ummm? It’s odd...

The Evil was Sarah Fear’s RAGE? BEFORE she was even a Fear? Oh but not only that, she wasn’t even Sarah! She was Jane! A whole switcheroo thing happened so that Jane was the one that married into the Fear family. Sarah was pissed even though she had agreed to this, but then when she died she possessed Jane. So the Ancient Evil inside of “Sarah” Fear WAS Sarah. That’s insane! I don't know how I feel about it though 😕

I was even more on the fence about this book with that ending. They somehow go back in time and are able to defeat the Evil, essentially undoing everything that happened since Sarah Fear’s grave was disturbed in The First Evil, unleashing the Ancient Evil. BUT then it turns out that they actually didn’t and both Amanda and Brendon have the Evil???? WHAT?! Ugh. Why undo everything if the Evil is still alive? It makes NO sense!

This was an okay book. The origin of the Evil was interesting but idk that I was super into it. And then that ending... ugh! I am interested in reading the Fear Street Sagas book with Sarah Fear though... Hopefully that one will be better 😅

The Fear Street connection: Sarah Fear! Plus they go to Sarah Fear’s grave at the Fear Street Cemetery.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊