Superstitious

Sara is swept up by Liam's Irish wit, but is bothered by his compulsive superstitions. Then people start getting murdered, and the author reverts to his blood-curdling roots of young adult fiction.

A chilling standalone horror novel from R. L. Stine that sends readers into a suburban nightmare haunted by ancient curses, eerie symbols, and creeping dread. Mallory, plagued by terrifying nightmares and dark superstitions, moves into a new house—only to discover that some signs are more than superstition—they’re a warning. At nearly 400 pages, it’s longer and more complex than Stine’s typical teen stories, offering psychological depth alongside eerie suspense. A solid pick for older middle‑school and high‑school readers craving a slow‑burn scare.

March, 2001
Superstitious
R.L. Stine

An “adult” thriller by Stine, rather than the usual teenage fare. I like his teenage fare, of course – not as much as Pike, but enough – and this wasn’t TOO far away from teenagers, really. This time the protagonist is a college girl, Sara, and there is a good bit of sexuality, so that’s what I mean by “adult” (Pike had plenty of adult themes in his teen horror books, but Stine was a lot “cleaner”, aka “boring”!).

Sara attends a small PA college, where a series of really gruesome murders are taking place – people being literally ripped apart, etc. She falls in love with her older, Irish professor Liam, who has an odd relationship with his sister and, more disturbingly, seems to show more have a link of some kind to the murders. The ending is pretty out there, and it’s much more than a murder mystery, for sure. I enjoyed it, though it was hokey in places. Plus, I think it’s out of print now, and I have the hardback in mint condition! I love that. It’s something I’ll definitely read again. show less

RL Stine's first foray into adult lit is EXCELLENT. I loved this book. I felt connected to the characters and couldn't put this down.

i loved it it was so scarey i didnt get some of it though so ok i loved it i recamend it 1 hundred regarts get it its great

Liam O'Connor, il professore irlandese appena arrivato in una piccola università della Pennsylvania per tenere un corso di tradizioni popolari, è proprio superstizioso. Ma è davvero l'unico difetto che Sara riesce a trovargli: lui è così gentile, romantico, affascinante... Del resto, se la superstizione lo porta a fare l'amore con lei alla luce di sedici candele fino a che non si sono consumate tutte, perché lamentarsi? Sara accetta di sposarlo e, travolta dalla passione, non presta particolare attenzione al dramma che sta sconvolgendo il campus: sono stati commessi quattro omicidi, uno più raccapricciante dell'altro, e tutti per mano di qualcuno - o qualcosa - che possiede una furia cieca e tremenda. Finché le sue notti non show more vengono turbate da strane telefonate anonime che fanno scattare un terrificante campanello d'allarme... show less