Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Sweet Valley High #98 The Wedding, #99 Beware the Babysitter, and #100 The Evil Twin

Note: This post contains major plot spoilers.

In Sweet Valley High #98, The Wedding,  Jessica's feelings towards Elizabeth begin to thaw, but she can't bring herself to begin speaking to her sister again.  Lila's parents remarry, and Todd tries to end his relationship with Jessica, to no avail.

Jessica organizes a memorial dirt bike race in honor of Sam's memory.  Margo has arrived in Sweet Valley and begins stalking the Wakefields.  She hires James to compete in the dirt bike race and then romance Jessica.  James is to learn everything he can about Elizabeth and Jessica and report back to Margo.

In Sweet Valley High #99, Beware the Babysitter, Winston's neighbor drops off a baby at his house.  She is supposed to be back soon, but she disappears for many days.  Winston and his friends are stuck taking care of the baby.

Josh is in Sweet Valley in order to track Margo down.  He wants to bring her to justice for killing his younger brother.  He soon learns that Margo is obsessed with the Wakefield twins, which places them in grave danger.

James regrets that he agreed to work with Margo.  He has fallen in love with Jessica and has realized that Margo is insane.

In Sweet Valley High #100, The Evil Twin, Margo becomes more daring, entering the Wakefield home and impersonating both twins at different times.  She plans to bring her plan into fruition at Lila's New Year's Eve party.

Meanwhile, Margo tells James to leave town, but he decides to warn Jessica first.  Margo overhears the phone call and manages to have Josh present at James and Jessica's meeting place.  She kills James, and everyone thinks that Josh did it.  With her two biggest threats neutralized, Margo is certain that her plan will succeed.

These three books are all better than the previous books in this miniseries.  #95, 96, and 97 are depressing, and the story of Liz's arrest, trial, and feud with Jessica is dragged out across too many books.  The brief glimpses of Margo were my favorite parts of those books.

#98 and 99 are not nearly as dark as the previous books, so they aren't depressing.  Margo comes more to the forefront, and it is interesting to see her plan develop.  #100 is the best of the group and hits the right tone for a horror story.  It is suspenseful all the way through.  That said, Sweet Valley High was never supposed to be a horror series.

No comments: