Point snorer

Well saw that ending coming a mile off

The Phantom is the first Barbara Steiner penned Point Horror book that I've read so far, and unfortunately it's not a promising start. The set-up is fine but squandered as there is very little tension throughout the book. Attempts at any mystery are filtered through protagonist Amelia, who is written quite inconsistently and is hard to really root for. Throw in your classic Point Horror elements of pranks and accidents and threatening notes and it all adds up to a very underwhelming book, with a very predictable ending.

I did like the high school setting and the peek at the ruthlessness of high school American football, but these were ultimately fairly minor elements. It's somewhat telling that the most compelling part of this book actually happens off-page before the plot kicks in and is only referenced.

2/5

Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) The Dead Game - 4/5
3) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
4) Nightmare Hall - The Silent Scream - 3.5/5
5) Fatal Secrets - 3.5/5
6) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
7) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
8) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
9) The Hitchhiker - 3.5/5
10) April Fools - 3.5/5
11) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
12) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
13) Freeze Tag - 3/5
14) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
15) The Accident - 3/5
16) The Vampire's Promise - 3/5
17) Funhouse - 3/5
18) Nightmare Hall - Deadly Attraction - 3/5
19) The Window - 3/5
20) The Invitation - 2.5/5
21) The Perfume - 2.5/5
22) The Train - 2.5/5
23) The Waitress - 2.5/5
24) The Snowman - 2.5/5
25) Nightmare Hall - The Roommate - 2.5/5
26) Beach House - 2.5/5
27) The Mall - 2.5/5
28) The Boyfriend - 2/5
29) The Fever - 2/5
30) The Cemetery - 2/5
31) Mother's Helper - 2/5
32) The Baby-Sitter III - 2/5
33) The Phantom - 2/5
34) The Dead Girlfriend - 2/5
35) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
36) Hit and Run - 1.5/5
37) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
38) Beach Party - 1/5