Tagline: …Where the terror began.
Back tagline: The End…and the Beginning
Summary: Simon Fear thought changing his name would stop the evil. He was wrong—dead wrong.
After generations of unspeakable horror, it is up to Daniel and Nora, brought together by their fateful love, to unite their feuding families. But is their forbidden love strong enough to withstand such awesome evil?
Poor Nora—desperate to tell the truth and bury the family curse…before it buries her.
First impressions: Nora’s been the whole framing device used for these books, so it’ll be nice to get to finally get her story. This cover is just as boring as the other two though. I was pleasantly surprised by the first and second books, so hopefully this is just as good. Let’s find out!
Recap
Roll call:
Simon Fear – A survivor from the previous book who travels to New Orleans.
Angelica Pierce – Simon’s love interest who he’s determined to marry no matter what.
James Daumier and Hamilton Scott – Angelica’s two suitors and Simon’s competition for her hand.
Julia and Hannah Fear – Simon and Angelica’s two eldest children.
Robert, Brandon and Joseph Fear – Simon and Angelica’s sons who have little relevance to the story.
Daniel Fear – Joseph’s son who visits to Shadyside.
Nora Goode – Daniel’s love interest who’s acted as a framing device for the whole trilogy.
We begin with an updated Fier family tree, naturally.
Looks like Elizabeth never settled down, but Simon was definitely busy! There seems to be a pattern of only the Fier men having children, which could potentially be relevant at some stage [Although the tree might only be showing us who was affected by the curse, I guess. Jonathan and/or Rachel must have had kids at some point to continue the bloodline].
Village of Shadyside, 1900
The sun is starting to rise now, and Nora’s been writing all night. She can’t stop now though, needing to finish the story ‘”before they come for me”‘ [Who’s they?!]. Dipping her pen into the inkwell, she begins writing about 21-year-old Simon Fear who ‘moved to New Orleans to seek his fortune’.
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1845
Two years after his encounter with Franklin Goode, Simon Fear’s arrived in New Orleans. It’s Mardi Gras season and the whole town is celebrating with debutant balls and parades and parties [The annual Mardi Gras we have in Australia is to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, rather than the religious event it started out as]. Determined to make a success of himself, Simon’s scoped out the most exclusive party of all, that of Henry Pierce and his daughter Angelica, and successfully sneaks in without an invitation by distracting the servant at the door [Ohhhh, he plans to become prosperous by marrying rich, huh? Good plan].
Simon stands out at the party for all the wrong reasons due to his northern accent and shabby suit, and is blatantly ignored by several rich young woman that he tries to talk to [Awkward lol]. He sneers in disgust, mad that the wealthy are sticking together and won’t allow any newcomers. Confidence is key though, and Simon’s determined to fake it til he makes it with his charm and good looks [He’s definitely confident lol].
As he makes his way through the crowd, he stops in his tracks when he notices the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen standing on the bottom step of the staircase to his right, chatting to another young woman. With lustrous black hair, catlike green eyes, ‘high, aristocratic cheekbones’ and creamy white skin [Is she the girl from Cat?], it’s love at first sight for Simon Fear, who finds out the girl’s name from an older man nearby – she’s none other than Angelica Pierce herself! The man’s suspicious that Simon doesn’t seem familiar with the hosts of this exclusive party, but Simon ignores him, determined to make Angelica his bride:
Angelica Pierce, you do not know me, Simon thought, dizzy with excitement, a kind of excitement he had never felt before. But you shall. You and I are meant for each other.
[Stage 19375594597 clinger alert!]. He continues to stare intently at her [Creepy] but before he can walk over and introduce himself, he’s seized by two servants who know he doesn’t have an invitation.
We jump to Angelica on the stairs, who’s gossiping with her cousin, Liza Dupree, when she notices a young man staring at her. She’s frightened of his gaze [I’d be scared too, the bloody stare bear] and as the girls continue to peek at him, he’s suddenly dragged out by two servants. This immediately gives Angelica a change of heart:
Angelica’s expression was thoughtful. Her emerald green eyes began to sparkle again. “That young man was rather interesting,” she told her cousin. “There was something about him…” Her voice trailed off.
[Turned on by creepy, potentially dangerous guys? Spoken like a true Shadyside gal! We’re in New Orleans at the moment though, but maybe Angelica started the trend when she moves there. Maybe it’s part of the curse!]. Liza reminds her cousin that she already has two suiters, James Daumier and Hamilton Scott, ‘”two of the best-looking, wealthiest young men in all of New Orleans”‘, the first of which is approaching the girls now, ‘showing off about eight hundred teeth’ with his big grin.
Angelica dances with the tall, broad shouldered and white-blonde haired James for a little while before Hamilton cuts in for his turn. Hamilton’s got red curls and a face full of freckles, and looks about 12 despite being 19. The two suiters are like chalk and cheese:
While James liked to talk to Angelica about fashion and friends and the sleek thoroughbred horses his father raised, Hamilton lectured her on the morality of slavery and the trade policies of the French.
[They both sound boring tbh]. She alternates between the two boys all night although she can’t get her mind of the mysterious stare bear intruder, and when the party’s over, she steps into the garden for some fresh air. Her father wants her to marry soon and is impatient for her to choose between James and Hamilton, but Angelica isn’t sure she’s in love with either of them, although admits she does like them both. As she’s deep in thought, she’s grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms [!!!].
It’s the mysterious stranger from the party, who introduces himself and Simon Fear and explains he fell in love with her as soon as he saw her. Angelica’s once again scared of him, wondering if he’s escaped an asylum or something, but Simon ignores her questions and insists she’ll be his wife [Wow this is sooooooooo problematic lol. I’d be terrified if I was Angelica]. She threatens to call the servants if he doesn’t leave and he apologises for alarming her before running off towards the back fence. He turns back one last time though and tells her ‘”You will marry me, Angelica Pierce. Mark my words!” before disappearing over the fence [Get him locked away, Angelica! I don’t like this].
Simon clearly thinks the encounter went well as he wanders the streets of New Orleans, ‘nearly delirious with happiness’ [She didn’t seem very impressed to me, Simon]. Distracted by his thoughts of Angelica, he realises he’s wandered a bit too far, leaving the lights and the people of the parades behind him. He’s surrounded by low wooden buildings, all dark and silent, and the streets he now walks on are only lit up by the silver light of the moon [Ooky spooky!].
With the darkness comes dark thoughts, as Simon remembers the two suiters he’d seen Angelica dancing with after he doubled back and hid by a window outside the mansion upon his removal from the party [Sooooo creepy, Simon]. Despite not being up to their level in ‘money or breeding’, Simons fancies himself the most worthy of Angelica’s hand.
After hearing the sound of rushing water, Simon realises he’s not far from the docks and has ‘wandered into an unsafe neighborhood’. As he has this thought, he’s grabbed by a heavy arm and ‘felt a sharp pain as something sharp was pressed against his throat’ [Couldn’t think of a synonym for sharp there, Stine?]. It’s a drunken young man who demands Simon’s purse, shoving him to the ground. Simon’s amulet falls into view around his neck, and the thief demands that too. Simon pretends to hand it over, but at the last second he smashes the thief in the face with it, the four jewels slicing his cheek. This only makes the thief angrier and he backs Simon into a corner. As he moves towards his victim, he suddenly howls in pain and clutches his face, screaming that it’s on fire. To Simon’s horror, the man’s face darkens, ‘as if badly sunburned’, before blisters form which quickly pop and begin to seep:
The man’s eyes rolled around. His hands flailed. His shrieks faded to whimpers as the blistered skin burned away.
Chunks of skin melted off, revealing gray bone underneath. Gasping in agony, the man continued to whimper until no skin remained. A gray skull, locked in a hideous grin of horror, stared pitifully at Simon.
Simon has resisted the evil power of the Fear family since the feud between the Goodes and the Fiers ended with Franklin’s death two years ago. We’re reminded that Simon changed his last name from Fier to Fear to avoid Old Aggie’s prophecy that the Fiers would meet their doom by fire, and he’s still just as determined to stop that prediction coming true, which is why he’s vowed to ‘never to use the power of the pendant’, until he unwittingly used it tonight [He also knows the Latin on the back means ‘power through evil’, btw].
Simon realises he’s got the power to get what he wants now, and what does he want most of all? Angelica Pierce! Only the two men she danced with earlier stand in his way, but their wealth and breeding are no match for a Fear because ‘what good are wealth and breeding if you are dead!’ [No good at all, I suppose]. Satisfied with his new plan, Simon heads home, humming happily to himself.
We jump forward two weeks now, where Angelica’s with Liza and James at the opera in her father’s private box. James seems so serious tonight, and Angelica wonders if maybe he’s planning to propose. It’s been two weeks of nonstop celebrations and Mardi Gras parties, with both James and Hamilton competing for her attention. Simon Fear had also paid her two visits – the first time, she got the servants to send him away, but agreed to see him the second time, since Liza was with her.
It was a short visit ‘since there was no adult available to chaperon’ [Hahaha love that], and Liza had been shocked when Simon boldly strode up to Angelica and kissed her hand. He spent the whole time staring into Angelica’s eyes [Which is so weird… like imagine going up to your crush and just staring at them intently the whole time, like… ???], and as the trio talked, Angelica kept thinking back to when he’d declared she’d be his wife. She ‘felt a chill of excitement—and fright’ whenever this happened [Girl please, this is such a red flag].
Once Simon left, Angelica comments on his lovely eyes, and Liza reminds her that her dad ‘”would have a fit”‘ [Which doesn’t sound like a very 1845 thing to say, right?] if he even knew Simon had been in the house, let alone that Angelica fancied him, but Angelica seems even more turned on by this.
Back to the present, at the opera, the show’s just about to start when Liza spots someone familiar in the audience. She hands Angelia her opera glasses, and she sees Simon Fear in a seat below their box, staring up at Angelica [He’s such a stalker, I can’t. All the Shadyside boys’ creepy behaviour can be traced back to this guy I reckon]. Liza comments that the opera is for society people, and Angelica thinks Simon is arrogant as he waves up at her. James wants to know who they’re talking about and leans over the railing for a look:
James turned to her, his silver gray eyes wide in expression of terror. His hands came off the railing. They rose stiffly in front of him, and he turned and started climbing onto the box railing.
“James—come down!” Liza shrieked. “James—get off there!”
James balanced awkwardly on the balcony railing for a moment, his mouth open in a silent scream. His arms began thrashing wildly at his sides. His legs trembled.
“James, you’re going to fall!” Angelica cried.
She grabbed for him with both hands.
Too late.
Without uttering a sound, he toppled over the rail.
[Bloody Simon! Poor James didn’t seem to be in control]. We cut to Simon, who watches James plummet to the aisle floor. Tucking the pendant back under his shirt, he quickly makes his way to Angelica’s box and comforts the two girls. He confirms that their friend is dead, having seen James land on his head [No mention of Stine’s trademark sickening crack, though!], and Liza’s in disbelief that James would jump. Simon fakes sympathy for the girls and offers his help to Angelica, assuring her she can always rely on him [Go away, Simon. He’s probably as bad as Benjamin and Matthew Fier].
A few days later, Angelica’s arriving home from James’ funeral with her father, Henry, who can’t stop talking about Hamilton Scott. With James gone, it’s clear he wants Angelica and Hamilton to be married as soon as possible, but Angelica’s too upset to think about marriage right now [Read the room, Henry]. Henry leaves as Liza arrives, and Angelica tells her cousin her father’s wishes. Liza’s sympathetic and asks if she even cares for Hamilton in that way, and instead of answering, Angelica explains that Simon Fear ‘”has been such a comfort these past few days”, so understanding and caring. Liza can’t hide her disapproval of Simon which Angelica assumes is because he’s a northerner and not from wealth, but Liza insists it’s because she doesn’t trust him. She asks again about Angelica’s feelings for Hamilton, but a butler interrupts their conversation to announce Hamilton’s arrival at the mansion.
We jump to Simon now, who’s leaning against the fence with a perfect view into the sitting room, watching as Hamilton enters [So he’s just out there in plain sight? At least be subtle about your stalking lol]. As he fingers his pendant [;)], Simon silently vows that Hamilton’s funeral will be next, and then he’ll be the one in the sitting room, ‘bowing low to kiss dear Angelica’s hand’.
A month later, Angelica, Liza and Hamilton are at the docks, saying goodbye to the girls’ aunt who’d been visiting for Mardi Gras. As the paddle boat gets ready to leave, the trio moves to a cordoned off pier for a better view, despite Liza’s hesitations because clearly no-one’s supposed to be standing there. As they wave goodbye to the boat, Liza spots Simon in the crowd behind them [Seriously, how is she not creeped out that he shows up everywhere she goes?], and as Angelica glances over, she sees him pull something silver from his pocket and raise it to the sky [Uh oh, bye Hamilton]. She dismisses it has more curious behaviour from the strange young man [Stranger danger, Angelica!] and turns back to the boat, surprised to find that Hamilton’s no longer by her side. And then she spots him, ‘caught in the blades of the paddle wheel’:
His limp body rose up, then made a loud crunching sound as it was crushed between the wheel and the boat. It plunged back into the water, then was dragged up again, only to be crushed with another loud crunch.
[…]
Hamilton disappeared under the water, Then his lifeless body rose again. His arms waved helplessly. His head, the skull crushed beyond recognition, rolled back, then forward as the wheel carried him into the boat again.
As the girls cry in horror, Simon suddenly appears by Angelica’s side to comfort her [Ugh go away!].
Two months later, Angelica’s ending her period of mourning for Hamilton, much to her father’s delight. Henry wants her to travel abroad, believing it will be good for her, but Angelica hasn’t thought about it much in her sadness. Liza had returned to Virginia sometime over the two months, but Simon Fear has been visiting a lot, something Henry clearly doesn’t like, although he’s been a huge comfort to Angelica [I bet he has!].
Henry soon goes to bed and half an hour later, a butler announces Simon’s arrival. Angelica agrees to see him and as soon as he’s sitting next to her, she tells him she’ll marry him [What?!]. Simon’s speechless at first and the newly engaged couple share a toast to the years of happiness that are sure to come [You’re Fears, so I doubt it]. Simon’s expression soon darkens, though, and he reveals he’s got something to tell her [Lol is he really going to admit to murdering James and Hamilton?]. He explains that he was so determined to have her, he’s sooooOoo0oo00Ooooo0 in love with her, that ‘”I murdered James Daumier and Hamilton Scott to win you!”‘ [I wouldn’t be sharing incriminating secrets this early lol]. Angelica’s reaction comes as a huge surprise [To me as well as Simon] as she laughs at him and reveals a big secret of her own:
“I killed them!” Angelica exclaimed through her tears of laughter. “I did it, not you! I have practiced the dark arts since I was a child. I knew I would never be allowed to marry you while James and Hamilton were around. And I knew that night at my party that you and I belonged together!”
[And here I was thinking she was some naive idiot!]. She continues that she cast spells to make James leap off the railing and Hamilton fly into the paddle wheel so she could be with Simon, and the evil couple have another toast as they agree to combine their powers. One thing stands in their way though – her father! Simon pulls Angelica to Henry’s room where they find him dead on the floor, which will look just like a heart attack, but really Simon had used his power to kill him before he came in to meet Angelica. Angelica is simply delighted now and cheers for their wealth and freedom [I feel like they’re being so loud though?! Like, isn’t the house full of servants? Surely someone’s heard everything?].
They clink their goblets together one last time in celebration, and Simon comments on the delicious bitter sweetness of the wine. Angelica grins and informs him that it’s not wine at all, but blood, and once again they drink eagerly from their goblets, ‘allowing the rich, dark liquid to flow down their chins’ [OK, but whose blood is it?].
Village of Shadyside, 1900
Back to Nora again, who pauses her writing for a light snack of bread and yellow gravy [Gross] that had been left for her. But Simon’s story still isn’t over, and this time she’ll pick up 20 years later, where Simon and Angelica have moved to Shadyside Village, living in the mansion they’d built in the woods, away from the villagers. They have five kids now – 17-year-old Julia, 16-year-old Hannah, and Robert, Brandon and Joseph, who are 14, 11 and 5 respectively [I’ve read Party Summer, which already spoiled the outcome for Julia and Hannah. They’re referred to as little girls in that book though, and there’s also no mention of any male offspring. The Saga came out a few years after Party Summer, so maybe we’ve got some retconning, or there’s been some Chinese whispers over the years!].
Shadyside Village, 1865
This period opens with Simon’s eldest child Julia, discussing the seating arrangement for tonight’s dinner party with her father. She’s unhappy about being stuck next to Mayor Bradford, who’s deaf and doesn’t make for good conversation. Simon argues that Julia doesn’t speak anyway, so they’re perfect seat buddies. Julia’s ‘a disappointment to Simon’ – she’s relatively plain-looking [And that’s putting in nicely. The way she’s described, he’s basically saying she’s fugly] and shy, ‘with little personality’ [Wow he literally hates her lol], and she only smiles or shows any enthusiasm when she’s at her pottery wheel.
Second daughter Hannah walks in and offers to trade seats with Julia, but Simon won’t allow it, needing Hannah to charm Mr. Claybourne to gain more support to build a library. Where Julia is withdrawn and awkward, Hannah is outgoing and delightful, and Simon relies on her to to charm guests and keep the conversation lively at his parties [Charm them yourself, Simon! Or use your special powers?]. Apparently he throws so many parties so he can gain the support of all the important citizens, and Julia’s over them.
Hannah sticks up for her sister, but the discussion is interrupted by housekeeper Mrs. MacKenzie, who’s showing new maid Lucy the ropes. Simon takes the opportunity to leave the room and makes a beeline for Angelica’s bedroom [What, they don’t share a bedroom?], finding her sprawled lifelessly on her back on the floor.
She quickly comes to, apparently having fallen into a trance after answering the call of the spirits, unable to control the trances as easily as she used to. Simon was super worried when he saw her lying there, though, and suggests it’s time to retire the dark arts. Angelica refuses since their powers have served them so well, and she doesn’t want him talking so negatively about the spirits. She also announces she can’t come to the party tonight because she read the cards this morning and ‘”they advised against any kind of celebration”‘ [Ooky Spooky!].
This dinner party is the most important so Simon really needs her there, but he knows better than to argue with Angelica, who can’t go against the cards and ‘”tempt the vengeance of the spirits”‘. It seems the spirits and the dark arts have taken over her life these days, keeping her in her room for days at a time, and the whole family miss and worry about her.
Simon heads downstairs to the parlour, drawn by a loud crashing sound. Rushing to the room, he finds a distraught Julia standing over her favourite bowl that she’d created, accidentally dropped by new maid Lucy. Lucy is just as upset as she apologises for the accident before heading off with Mrs. MacKenzie to fetch a broom. An impatient Simon is unsympathetic and quickly announces that Hannah will be hostess tonight before leaving. Hannah feels bad since as the oldest, the role should go to Julia, but Julia resolves to be a success tonight and prove her father wrong [Go, Julia!].
In the kitchen, Mrs. MacKenzie warns Lucy to be more careful as she won’t get many chances around here. She asks for her full name so she can write it on the servants list, and guess what her full name is? Lucy Goode [So Franklin wasn’t the last?]! Mrs. MacKenzie recognises the surname from Simon’s ramblings about a family that did him wrong and instructs Lucy to keep it to herself if she wants to stay employed, and Lucy’s eyes go hard and cold as she promises not to tell a soul [Oooh, this girl’s got a plan!].
At the dinner party, Hannah does well as hostess but feels bad for Julia, who’d taken extra care with her appearance tonight but is still stuck next to the sour old mayor. Lucy comes in and fills everyone’s bowls with lobster bisque, starting with Simon at the head of the table. Discussion soon turns to how good the soup is as Lucy continues around the table, and just as Hannah’s about to comment on the recipe, she’s interrupted by Julia’s shrieks of pain [!!!].
Julia’s had the boiling hot soup spilled on her shoulder and down her dress, and Lucy apologises, claiming her arm was bumped. Simon dismisses Julia from the table to freshen up and the poor girl is mortified that she’s embarrassed herself once again. Hannah wouldn’t have made such a commotion, Julia knows, and as she leaves the room, she notices Lucy with a pleased smile on her face [You’re really gonna be this obvious on your first day, Lucy?].
Later that night when everyone’s in bed, Hannah and Julia sneak into a secret room behind the pantry that only they know about, which they’d discovered as little girls. They’ve used it as a secret meeting place over the years, stocking it with blankets and cushions, and tonight, Julia wants to discuss Lucy. She’s positive that Lucy broke her favourite pottery piece and spilled soup on her deliberately, but Hannah argues that the new maid has no reason to do those things to her [Little do you know, Hannah].
Before the girls head to bed, Julia warns Hannah to keep an eye on the new maid because something isn’t right. As Hannah heads upstairs, she sees Lucy slip out of her [Her as in Hannah] bedroom and wonders why she’s still working this late. Entering the room, she sees it’s been tidied up a bit and thinks Lucy was just being nice [We’ll see about that]. As she settles into bed, she feels something slither up her leg [!!!].
Tossing back the covers, she finds a thlippery little thnake in the bed! But how could it have gotten there [Uhh…Lucy, probably]?! Leaping from the bed and throwing the covers back over the snake, she screams for help. Simon blames Hannah’s three younger brothers for the prank, since they were riding in the woods earlier that day and Simon had specifically told them to watch out for snakes [That’s…not concrete evidence?? Lucy was literally in Hannah’s room moments before, why wouldn’t you suspect her?] and despite their protests, the boys are punished.
The next evening, Lucy’s getting dressed for dinner [Did people really put on a whole new outfit for dinner back then? Does this still happen? How the other half live, I guess]. She can’t find her white heels that match her pretty white dress, and realises Lucy must have moved them, since she was cleaning in here earlier. Finally she finds them at the foot of her bed [Really? You didn’t notice them on the floor earlier?], but as she slides her foot in, something slices into her foot [!!!]. Removing the shoe, she sees a large shard of glass sticking out from the heel of her foot, blood trickling everywhere.
Mrs. MacKenzie and Julia hear her screams for help, and after the housekeeper bandages the wound and leaves, Hannah tells her sister of her suspicions that Lucy put the glass in her shoe. She wants to tell her father at once, but Julia wants to wait until they have actual proof Lucy’s done these things deliberately [I get that, but at the same time there’s been four incidents, half of which Lucy was directly responsible for, and the other two can be linked back to her, even if they were just accidents. Fire her for incompetence?]:
Hannah stared hard at her sister. Father is right about Julia, she thought with some sadness. Julia is too timid. She has no backbone. She is reluctant to stand up even to a servant girl.
[No, Hannah, she just doesn’t want to accuse Lucy without concrete evidence and then look like an idiot in front of her father for the 85686856th time. God, everyone’s so rude to poor Julia]. Hannah agrees to wait and sends Julia down to dinner, wanting to brush her hair before coming down herself [Hun, it’s a family dinner? The Fears must be very high maintenance!]. Hannah’s just putting the brush back down when she feels a presence beside her! It’s Lucy, looking all wild-eyed and darting forward to attack Hannah!
Except she’s [allegedly] not there to attack Hannah and wanted to see if there’s anything she could do after hearing what happened. Hannah thinks she’s done enough though, but immediately feels bad after Lucy’s clearly stung by her words. Realising Lucy’s red-faced and wild-eyed because she ran up the stairs to help her, Hannah softens he tone and tells the maid ‘”You may clean up the floor”‘, as if doing her a favour.
A few days later, with her foot healed, Hannah, her four siblings and their white terrier, Fluff, decide to go for a picnic in the woods. As they make their way across the backyard, they pass a freshly dug grave for the gardener, Jenkins, who’d passed away in his sleep two nights ago and is due to be buried this afternoon [I wonder if we need to be suspicious of his death?]. In the woods, the gang stop at a clearing to have their lunch and the boys run off to chase a deer as the girls set up. Julia had asked Lucy to prepare the lunch [Lol why would you get someone who you think is trying to harm you to make your lunch? It’s obviously gonna be poisoned], and although Hannah believes she was too hard on the maid, she’d still been avoiding her the last few days just in case.
Anyway, Lucy had made a meat pie for each of the siblings, and because fresh air makes them hungry [Which sounds like a weird thing to say to me], the girls decide to start without the boys. Before either can take a bite though, Fluff jumps into Hannah’s lap and tries to get to her pie. Giggling, Hannah brushes him off and breaks off a piece for him, which he gobbles up quickly. Apparently this distracts the girls from their own hunger because they decide to go look for the boys now. As they head off, Fluff starts making a terrible sound behind them [Oh no! :(]:
As Hannah watched in alarm, the dog’s entire body began to convulse. Fluff coughed, then his stomach heaved, and he began to vomit, his legs trembling, his entire body quivering.
Then all at once the dog crumpled to the blanket, dropped onto his side, and was still.
[I will never forgive Stine for killing so many animals. RIP Fluff, fly high, beautiful angle xx]. Naturally the girls are distraught, but it doesn’t take them long to realise it must have been something he ate – the pie! Luckily, neither girl had eaten any and they realise Lucy tried to poison them all [I just had a random thought. Could Lucy actually be innocent, and Angelica’s been trying to kill her own children for some reason? She barely comes out of her room, you know]. Hannah instructs Julia to fetch the boys while she runs back to the house to tell their father all about ‘that villainous maid’.
At home, Hannah fails to find her father but does run into Lucy, who she quickly accuses of murdering Fluff and attempting to murder the group of siblings. Lucy denies everything and Mrs. MacKenzie soon appears to back her up, dropping a bombshell:
“Lucy had nothing to do with your lunch, Miss Hannah. Your sister Julia prepared the lunch.”
[Wowee, was not expecting that!]. Lucy had offered to help, but Julia ordered her to stay out of the kitchen. Her head spinning from this new information, Hannah runs back outside and across the yard and sees her brothers coming out of the woods, followed by Julia. Hannah hurries over to her and demands to know why she tried to kill her. Julia turns cold, her expression blank as she tells her sister that she hates her:
“Why should you be the hostess?” Julia demanded, her black curls falling forward. She made no attempt to push them back. “Why should I not be the pretty one? The charming one? Why should I not be Father’s favourite? Why should I not take Mother’s place? I am the oldest—and the smartest. And—and—”
[Well it’s not Hannah’s fault, Julia! Kill your father, you idiot! He’s the one that makes you feel like a failure]. Julia’s scarily angry now as she admits to putting the snake in Hannah’s bed and the glass in her shoe [Wait, so was the broken pottery and spilled soup just innocent accidents on Lucy’s behalf then, and Julia used those incidents to her advantage? Why did Lucy smile when Julia got burnt by soup?], confessing she wanted her sister to be scared, to hurt, to die [In that exact order, too].
Julia tackles Hannah, who lands on Jenkins’ coffin, which had been placed next to the grave while the kids were on the picnic, and Julia quickly begins strangling the life out of her. Hannah starts to lose consciousness, but to her surprise, Julia releases her grip, apparently thinking she’s dead [Idiot]. Hannah jumps up, seizing the nearby shovel and whacking her sister in the head with it as Julia lunges for her. Julia drops to her knees and falls face first in the grass, blood pooling around her [Did the brothers not see any of this? I guess they must have just gone straight inside lol].
Before she knows what she’s even doing, Hannah’s lifting the lid on Jenkins’ coffin and stuffing Julia’s body inside [Omg lol]. Then she scurries over to the edge of the woods to ‘spew up the horror’ [Nice], and stays there as a gathering of mourners arrives for Jenkins’ funeral [No mention of any of the Fears attending, which I think is super rude]. As she watches from afar, the coffin is lowered into the ground and covered with dirt [So nobody in a giant house full of people looked into the backyard once during Hannah’s scuffle with Julia? And no-one notices the puddle of blood on the grass? Weird]. Hannah stays at the edge of the woods for a long time after that, distraught at killing her own sister in self-defence, but finally heads inside as the sun begins to go down [I bet Julia’s still alive down there].
Later, Hannah’s watching the two youngest brothers, Brandon and Joseph, throw a ball back and fourth in the sitting room when Simon comes in searching for Julia. Hannah pretends not to notice, but the boys explain they haven’t seen her since the picnic, and Joseph suggests she’s still outside somewhere.
We follow Simon now as he continues his search of the house for his eldest child before heading out to the yard to check out there. There’s a horrible howl, ‘like the cry of a trapped animal’ [Omg Julia is still alive!], that Simon realises is coming from the ground at Jenkins’ grave. Realising Julia must be down there, he quickly digs the grave up and pulls open the lid of the coffin:
Simon cried out when he saw his daughter sprawled on top of the gardener’s corpse.
Her black hair had fallen over her face. He brushed it back gently, his hand trembling, loud sobs escaping his throat. Dead. She was dead.
So pale. Her face was locked in a grimace of terror, her lifeless eyes wide. Dried blood was caked over her nose and chin.
[…]
He gaped in horror at his daughter. Her fingernails were torn and bloodied. Simon saw long scratch marks along the inside of the cotton lid.
[So she died as he was digging her up? She can’t have been dead too long, try CPR!] Even though he clearly didn’t like Julia, Simon is devastated [Seriously, I’m surprised he actually cares] and stumbles into the kitchen, searching for Mrs. MacKenzie [Why, what’s she gonna do?]. Instead, he finds the list of servants, with a newly written name at the bottom – ‘LUCY GOODE’ [So after Mrs. MacKenzie made a big deal about Lucy needing to hide her last name, she still wrote it on the list and left it where anyone and everyone could see it? Idiot].
‘”Not a Goode in my house!”‘ says Simon, who believed the bloodline had died with Frank back in Wickham all those years ago. Enraged, he heads to the parlour and picks out a large sword from his collection of war relics [I guess that’s why there’s a sword on the cover then], and the sword seems to gleam in the light. He follows its glow through the house, intent on murdering Lucy Goode, the sword shining like a torch with his vengeance. He walks straight past Angelica who begs him to stop, but Simon’s too blinded by his rage and the light of the sword to pay any attention. He finally sees Lucy walking towards him in the hall and plunges the sword ‘deep into the maid’s chest’ [I bet it was Hannah].
The sword stops glowing and with his vision restored, Simon sees that it wasn’t Lucy at all but, as expected, Hannah! Angelica shrieks in the background as Hannah collapses into her father’s arms and dies. Simon’s three sons and Mrs. MacKenzie are around now too, and when Simon explains he thought it was Lucy, the housekeeper reveals Lucy packed her bags and resigned this afternoon, unable to bear Hannah’s earlier accusations:
“I tried to hide from it, Angelica,” Simon sobbed. “I tried to pretend it no longer existed. But the curse that follows the Fear family has found us all today.”
“Simon! Simon! Simon!” Angelica shrieked behind him. “Simon! Simon! Simon!”
Simon Fear knew that her cries would haunt him for the rest of his life.
[This is definitely not how Simon’s daughters died according to Simon Fear III, but okeh].
Shadyside Village, 1900
Not back to Nora this time, because we’re finally starting from the beginning of her journey with the curse [Woo!]. Instead, we pick up with 18-year-old Daniel Fear arriving in the prosperous-looking [I was wondering when I’d see that word again] Shadyside Village from Boston by train. He hails a horse-drawn cab and requests to be taken to Fear Mansion, which surprises the cabbie – in all his years as a taxi driver, Daniel is the first visitor he’s taken there, which has been closed up for 35 years since Simon’s daughters died.
Daniel had no idea he’d had any aunts and through conversation with the cabbie, we learn he’s the son of Joseph, Simon’s youngest son, and he’s here to visit his grandparents. Joseph was sent away to school a few years after Hannah and Julia’s deaths [What about Robert and Brandon?], and apparently no-one in the family has ever returned to Shadyside. Joseph had never really spoken about his childhood, and Daniel didn’t even know he had grandparents until word came of Simon’s 75th birthday. He’d written a letter to Daniel requesting to see him, so here he is!
Daniel is dropped off at the gates of Fear Mansion, the cabbie refusing to go any closer than that, but wishes his passenger good luck. Daniel heads up the long driveway to the house, surprised by the overgrown yard and ramshackle state of the house. Knocking on the door, he’s soon greeted by a white-haired old woman with a solid grey, glazed over eye who warns him to stay away [Is this Mrs. MacKenzie?].
Daniel introduces himself and the old woman allows him inside, confirming she is Mrs. MacKenzie, apparently the only servant who stayed. She leads Daniel through the house, passing countless rooms with shuttered windows and furniture covered in white sheets, and stops outside Simon and Angelica’s room. Entering the room, Daniel notices Angelica relaxing on a velvet chaise lounge by the fire, wearing an elegant black dress:
She smiled at Daniel as he approached, but made no attempt to stand up. As she smiled, Daniel saw that her skin was delicate and translucent and tight against the bone, making her face resemble that of a grinning skull. Her hair fell loosely down her back. It was as white as snow.
[Angelica sounds terrifying and my mind immediately goes to the ghoulish women from ‘Rose Red’].
Instead of greeting her grandchild, Angelica orders him to put another log of the fire. Shocked at her coldness, Daniel does as his told, but his obedience is met with screams to go away from the old hag. As Daniel just stands there, stunned, a voice behind him instructs him not to pay attention to her. Turning around, Daniel comes face to face with his sickly grandfather who’s in a wooden wheelchair. Daniel greets the old man, who scoffs when Daniel says ‘”My father sends his love.”‘
Simon hasn’t forgiven Joseph for abandoning them all those years ago, despite Simon’s efforts to make him understand that ‘”Fears have no choice but to stick together, to band together, to hide together against our enemies”‘ and that ‘”you cannot hide from your blood or your fate.”‘ Apparently Robert and Brandon had stayed, but are gone now too [Gone where?!], but at least Daniel’s here to carry on Simon’s work!
Daniel protests he’s only here for the birthday celebrations, but Simon ignores him and whips out the amulet, placing it in Daniel’s hand. Simon reveals the words on the back mean ‘power through evil’ and instructs him to wear it always, as it’s been in the family ‘”since our days in the Old Country.”‘ Obeying his grandfather, Daniel slips it around his neck and immediately, ‘the entire room burst into flame!’.
Of course it’s the usual vision of flames that accompanies each new person’s first time wearing the pendant and only lasts a moment, and within the fire Daniel saw a pretty young blonde twisting in agony [Poor Susannah :(]. Simon smiles knowingly while Daniel feels both fear and curiosity as he realises the power of the pendant. Mrs. MacKenzie struts in to take Daniel to his room on the second floor, and once left alone, Daniel wonders how he’ll spend his time while here, since Simon’s party is weeks away [Wow, you got here way too early]. As he stares into the tiny fire that offers barely any warmth, Simon wishes he never came [Big mood].
The next day Daniel heads to town, ecstatic to be out of the gloomy mansion. Townspeople smile at him as they pass, a common occurrence for Daniel Fear because he’s ‘so good-looking and friendly’ [Lol I’m the opposite :'(]. He enters a general store for a drink, completely unnoticed by the young woman stacking shelves with her back to him:
Daniel cleared is throat impatiently.
She turned and smiled, surprised to see a stranger in the store.
And Daniel fell in love.
[Gee whizz, the Fear men fall fast!]. The woman is about his age with dark hair, green eyes and ‘creamy pale skin’ [Everyone’s skin is creamy in this book], and she’s by far the most beautiful girl Daniel’s ever laid eyes on, leaving him speechless. He requests an apple cider and notices how gracefully she moves, ‘like a poem’ [Does that sound as stupid as I think it does??], as she walks to a barrel and pours him a cup.
He confirms he’s new in town and asks her for any recommendations of where he should visit, surprised when she tells him the Fear Mansion might be of interest. Daniel plays dumb, allowing her to explain that frightening stories are told about the place, and although she’s not sure if any are true, she wouldn’t dare venture there because the Fears are said to be cursed. Daniel laughs it off, insisting every town has a house like that, and asks if she’d show him around town [Hehe!]. He tells her his name, intentionally leaving off the last name because he doesn’t want her to know he’s a Fear yet, and she introduces herself as Nora Goode [Woo!].
Five days later, Daniel and Nora are frolicking up the road toward the Conononka River, and Daniel’s never felt this way about anyone before [Grandpa Simon won’t like that lol]. Each day when she’s finished work, they’d head to the river to sit by a tree in the woods, getting to know each other. He tells her of his grandparents, who barely acknowledge his existence [He hasn’t mentioned they’re Fears though], and he learns that Nora’s mother died giving birth, so Nora spends her days working in the store and her evenings caring for her father.
Today, the pair share their first kiss [Cute!], and Daniel realises he needs to tell her of his lineage sooner or later. But before doing that, he decides he must learn whether there’s any truth to the stories the people of Shadyside tell about the Fears and whether there really is a curse on his family [Better figure it out quick smart, Daniel!].
When Nora arrives home that evening, her father, James Goode, is waiting for her with an angry frown on his face. He knows she’s been sneaking out with a Fear and forbids her from continuing to do so, and Nora’s shocked because she had no idea who Daniel really is. James tries to convince his daughter that the tales about the family are true, explaining that Simon’s own daughters ‘were found in the woods with their bones removed!” [Which is what Simon Fear III had said happened! So did the Fears spread that rumour themselves as a cover story, or did the truth just get twisted over time?] and that Angelica practices evil magic, and the people who’ve disappeared in the woods were her human sacrifices.
However, the lengthy feud between the Goodes and the Fears and all these other wild stories don’t bother Nora because she’s in love with Daniel. Growing just as angry as her father, she refuses to obey his orders and the chapter ends with him saying ‘”You have given me no choice…”‘ [Is he gonna lock her away or something?].
We jump back to Daniel now, who’s come to the Fear Mansion’s library later that night to try find any information about his family history. Unsuccessful, he heads into the kitchen for a drink and late-night snack and conveniently notices the secret room behind the pantry. Inside the mildew-covered room he finds a family bible with a Fier/Fear family history in the back. And then a hand clamps over his mouth [!!!]. It’s Mrs. Mackenzie, who’d hidden the bible there so no-one would find it [Why though? Like, who cares?]. She leads Daniel to her room to tell him the lengthy history of the family curse, beginning with Susannah Goode’s death and the decades and generations of murder between the families, and ending with the fates of Daniel’s aunts and uncles:
“Joseph, your father, watched his sister Hannah die. He knew from that moment on that he had to get away from this house, from this village. His brother, Robert, did not get away. He died of a strange fever, many said brought on by a spell from his evil daughter-in-law, Sarah Fear. The other brother, Brandon, and his son Ben—they just wandered into the woods and disappeared.”
[Ooky spooky! Click here to check out the Cheerleaders series for a better understanding of Sarah Fear, or here for the Sagas book specific to her (There’s nothing about Robert in there, though!). I also wonder if Brandon/Ben have their own book as well? Their demise sounds interesting]. Daniel is shocked to learn that the Goodes are the other family in the feud and tells Mrs. MacKenzie of his love for Nora, who suggests a marriage between them might break the curse, which is exactly what Daniel plans to do.
The next day, Daniel heads over to the Goodes’ general store around the time Nora usually finishes work, wondering what her reaction might be when he proposes and tells her about what he’s learnt of their two families. Unfortunately for him, he arrives at the store to find it completely boarded up and dark inside – Nora’s gone!
He quickly hears her calling out to him, and although her voice is faint, he finally notices her banging on her bedroom window above the store and climbs up there. He manages to pop the glass out with his shoulder and climbs ‘through the popening’ [I love typos hahaha], sweeping the beautiful Nora into his arms. Nora explains her father’s plan to take her far away from Shadyside so she can’t be with Daniel – he’s visiting a nearby town to make arrangements but will be back in a few hours. She also tells him she doesn’t care that he’s a Fear, and Daniel tells her of the long history of their feuding families.
To his delight, she agrees to be married straight away, although they don’t have a ring to bind the ceremony. Daniel does have the silver pendant though, which he places around her neck to serve as a ring [Maybe handing the Fier’s source of evil power to a Goode is what breaks the curse, not a marriage?]. Nora has a brief vision of fire before Daniel leads her out the window, declaring they’ll announce their marriage at Simon’s party tonight [Wasn’t his party weeks away like six days ago? Or has more time passed than I’m aware of?]. Nora’s worried about what Simon’s reaction might be, but Daniel assures her ‘”He can only be joyful that a centuries-old curse has ended”‘.
Later that evening, Daniel leads Nora through the Fear Mansion and into the kitchen, where Mrs. MacKenzie and hired help from a neighbouring town are bustling about, preparing food for the party. Daniel introduces his new wife to the housekeeper and leaves them together while he attends to his grandparents.
In the ballroom, Daniel’s surprised that there are absolutely no guests in sight, although Angelica is going through the motions of greeting guests who aren’t there and Simon’s smiling expectantly at the doorway. Realising they’re completely mad, Daniel goes along with the charade and debates just running away, although quickly decides he must introduce his grandparents to Nora so they can rejoice that the ‘Hundreds of years of bitterness, of treachery, of evil, had come to an end.’ [I don’t think there’ll be much rejoicing tonight, pal].
As the birthday cake is wheeled out, Daniel decides now is a good time to announce his marriage and quickly fetches Nora from the kitchen, dragging her back to the ballroom. As he introduces his wife, Simon instantly notices the amulet around Nora’s neck and screams in protest. He tries to stand up from his wheelchair and stumbles, knocking over the cake, and the still-lit candles begin a fire in the huge ballroom.
Nora’s separated from Daniel by a wall of fire and soon she spots Susannah Goode and her mother burning at the stake among the flames. As she watches in horror, ‘other tortured figures invaded the room, rising up through the crackling, blistering flames’:
Nora saw Rebecca Fier, her neck broken, hanging by a roper from a dark rafter. Old Benjamin Fier rose into the room, impaled like a scarecrow, a wooden shaft pushed up through the back of his skull.
Nora screamed and tried to shut her eyes. But she had to watch, she had to bear witness as the other victims of the past emerged in the burning ballroom.
As she stared in silent horror, she saw Matthew and Constance Fier, skeletons behind their walled-up prison. William Goode, his head exploded, his skull showing through rotted flesh, hovered into view.
The ghost of little Abigail Goode floated overhead. Abigail’s mother, Jane, staggered stiffly after her, her face bloated from drowning. Kate Fier rose in front of them, a knitting needle through her heart. Hannah Fear came next, a sword through her chest.
Then Nora saw Julia Fear, scratching the air, scratching at nothing, her fingernails cut and bleeding.
[Terrifying!]
The ‘phantoms of the past’ roared around the room, sweeping around faster and faster ‘until they became a raging whirlwind of pain, of brutal death.’ [Love this]. Unable to find Daniel among the flames and unable to bear the grisly sight before her, Nora flees the mansion and watches the blaze from the front lawn as Shadyside villagers come to watch the fire, leading us into the beginning of the first book.
Epilogue
The epilogue picks up with Nora finishing her writings of the Fier/Fear curse, and we learn that the Fear Mansion fire burnt for days, ‘leaving nothing but a black, charred shell in its place’ and a legacy of evil ‘that will hover over the entire village.’ Nora hopes someone will read her pages and be able to stop the evil before it rises again, but everyone thinks the fire and what she saw drove her mad, which is why she’s been locked n this asylum [Ohhhhhh, so that’s where she’s been this whole time! Poor girl].
The door to her room opens and two nurses come in, ready to escort her to the doctors. Nora hands one of them the stack of papers she’d spent all night writing, explaining that the doctors will need to read it so they understand. The nurse just tosses the papers into the fireplace though, explaining it’s for Nora’s own good. Watching her work burn up, Nora protests that the evil is still out there and people must know the truth, but the nurses just think she’s crazy and change the subject to some good news – ‘”The Fear mansion is gone but the village is to build a road out to the property!”‘ [Uh oh lol]:
“It means that lovely houses will be built there,” the nurse told her, edging her toward the door. “And do you know what they’re going to call the new road?”
“What?” Nora asked weakly.
“They’re going to call it Fear Street.”
[Ooky spooky!]
Final thoughts
This one definitely wasn’t as captivating as the first two books, but was a good conclusion to the Saga. Angelica being evil was a good little twist I didn’t see coming and even though Simon was super pushy and a huge stalker, they definitely deserve each other. I liked Liza though, and would have loved to see more of her.
The Hannah/Julia storyline was interesting too, and I liked the twist that Julia and Simon were at fault for the misfortunes that befell the Fears during this storyline of the never-ending saga, rather than a Goode having anything to do with it.
Nora and Daniel’s plot was pretty boring, but I really liked how the ghosts of the past appeared in the flames of the Fear Mansion, which was a great throwback and an excellent climax to wrap up the story. It’s sad the centuries-long feud didn’t end how Daniel and Nora intended it to and even more sad that neither of them managed to overcome the curse themselves, with poor Nora presumably doomed to a life in an asylum.
I know the Fear Street Saga started another spinoff series, Fear Street Sagas [Plural, see?], which I assume will be about other members of the Fier family outside of the ones relevant to this trilogy. I haven’t read any but I do own a decent amount of them, so maybe I’ll have to give them a shot soon if they’re anywhere near as good as the original Saga trilogy. There was a 100-year gap in the curse, remember, but the bloodline kept flowing so I’m sure there’s lots of stories to tell during that timeframe.
Anyway, this was my first Fear Street trilogy and I would say as a whole, they’re up there with the best of the series. This one was the weakest of the three, but wasn’t a bad book – it just didn’t have the same level of excitement or mystery for me.
97 goblets of blood being gobbled down eagerly out of 126!
