CATGORIES: BOOK BLOG POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
ABOUT THE BOOK
Author: kalynn bayron
Genres: young Adult horror
Publisher: bloomsbury
Publishing Date: 4/18/2023
Format: hardcover
Page Count: 240
goodreads summary
Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business. But the last weekend of the season, Charity’s co-workers begin disappearing, And when one ends up dead, Charity’s role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend, Bezi hope to survive the night, they’ll need to figure out what this killer is after.
Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?
MY THOUGHTS:
Kalynn Bayron, the bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead, switches things up on fans by transitioning from her typical young adult fantasy genre to young adult horror.
Admittedly, I don’t read much horror, but the captivating book cover on Twitter compelled me to pre-order it. My expectations were high after unboxing You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight. It had all the right elements: a lesbian woman of color as the protagonist, a young adult horror theme, and an intriguing synopsis.
The opening scene had me gripping my seat as it began in the thick of things – I loved that! The protagonist, Charity, is occupied with scaring the bejesus out of campers at what must be the coolest summer job ever – a full-contact terror game. She runs around pretending that a serial killer is wreaking havoc at Camp Mirror Lake.
"I stagger to the gate and grab the metal bars. I push on them and scream as loud as I can. "Help us! Please! Somebody help us!"On the other side of the locked gate, the machete-wielding, masked figure appears."
In the initial chapters readers get a solid understanding of the operations and personalities involved. I appreciated how relatable the teenagers were, with their maturity levels matching their ages. It irks me when characters of young adult books are depicted as if they’re in their late thirties rather than high schoolers.
One scene that stood out was when employees decide to mess with an obnoxious guest.
"The brunette gasps as she clings to her friend, her eyes wide, her mouth halfway open. She's terrified. Only me and the remaining staff know it's about to get a lot worse for her. The rude guests are always the ones who end up crying or pissing their pants first."
However, I felt there was way too much focus on setting up the story. At least 30% revolved around managing camp logistics. The story included excessive details on unimportant items like an old sofa or a faulty AC unit. I grew bored while waiting for an exciting event to unfold.
The roll-out was pretty standard for what I’d expect from a young-adult horror story: zero adult supervision, creepy noises, immature teens, teens pulling disappearing acts, etc. However, there was not enough tension to sustain my interest.
When things finally did ratchet up, I found I was not really invested in any of the characters enough to care when they went missing. I thought long and hard about why. Am I a sociopath? 😈 No. That can’t be right.
After pondering this, I concluded that it wasn’t because I lacked empathy. It was because their goals and insecurities were ill-defined.
In popular slasher movies, we often care for the characters and their life events. Unfortunately, readers only get to explore Charity’s perspective in this novel. Her goals remained unclear with no room for a character arc. While her girlfriend, Bezi, had a potential arc, it didn’t generate much interest since she wasn’t the main focal point until the end.
The vibe of this book was somewhere in between R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and the cult classic film Scream. There was some pretty gory scenes, which were both icky and intriguing and a very well-executed climax. The resolution though… not so much.
While there were some elements I loved about You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight— the banter between the characters, the plot twists, and the climax— it was not something I could really sink my teeth into. It needed more character growth and tension. I will definitely check this author’s other YA fantasy novels, but unfortunately, this YA horror novel just wasn’t for me.
Let me know your thoughts if you’ve read this title. Leave a comment below. Also, if you want more scary titles check out my post on the top psychological thriller audiobooks.