The second book of this slasher trilogy full of nostalgic eighties vibes, summer vibes and full of fun until the water turns red from the killer’s victims.
- Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
- Slasher factor: ★★★★★
- Summer factor: ★★★★★
- Gore factor: ★★★★☆
The Kill River Trilogy is about 13-year-old final girl Cyndi who first encounters a ruthless killer in an abandoned waterpark after escaping summer camp. When she survives, the fight is long but over. The killer follows her home and so does the waterpark. This slasher trilogy offers gore, gruesome deaths, a strong final girl and background mythology behind the killer. This is the second book in this series.
You can read the review of the first Kill River book here.
It consists of 340 pages.
Plot
Cyndi has escaped the horrors of the waterpark last year and suffers from nightmares and PTSD. She misses her friends Stacey and Zack and has no one to talk about what happened. The worst part is that she signed a contract. Kurt Carver, the owner of the waterpark and of the Bright Smiles Corporation, came personally to their house not long after the events and offers to pay for Cyndi’s future college expenses in exchange that they wouldn’t talk about it to anyone.
She can’t even tell her new boyfriend Johnny. She did get out of her shell more, and doesn’t need her walkman anymore but her boyfriend is in high school and she hasn’t made fiends at her own middle school. Instead her former friend Jennifer is out to make her life worse.
Then Cyndi sees the killer who shows up at the school dance she goes to with Johnny. She also sees him at the mall and first she thinks she’s just imagining it. But then ads appear for the opening of a new waterpark in town called Thrill River. And it has the same Kaptain Smiley logo on it. She is anything but thrilled.
When Johnny gets a job there, he invites her to opening day. She is reluctant to go. She spends the day with Eddie, Johnny’s best friend and Christie, Johnny’s younger 13-year-old sister. The park seems awfully familiar. It even has the exact same rides as the horror park did and memories surface causing Cyndi to act strange and sacred. Cyndi has a feeling something very bad is going to happen and she is not wrong. Somehow the killer has made it out alive and is out to finally get Cyndi and her new friends.
Continue reading below this announcement.
Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This design of a Seanohorse is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Ringer T-Shirt and other apparel in my shop at Threadless.
Short Review
This sequel is faster paced, has more characters and there is a lot more going on. While we had to wait for the horrors to start in the first book, now there are more horrors than just the psycho killer.
Cyndi’s social life has improved but now she also has to deal with the bitchy behavior of Jennifer who seems to enjoy bullying her. Johnny is working as a lifeguard at Thrill River as does his older friend Brady who isn’t exactly a nice guy and drags Johnny along with him, drinking alcohol and even wants him to take drugs. He’s also the cousin of Jennifer worsening things even more.
On top of that Cyndi struggles with nightmares and PTSD causing some creepy scenes. The waterpark feels eerie and just like Cyndi you can feel that the killer is lurking in the bushes somewhere. Although he shows himself to Cyndi very early in the book, he doesn’t act when the time is right at the afterparty of the opening day.
Just like the first book this is also full of water fun, eighties vibes, like looking for a pay phone to call someone to pick you up, eighties music and more. This book has a bigger story, with more people, more kills and more going on in Cyndi’s life.
Read more about the Kill River Trilogy:
- Kill River (2015) review
Did You Know I Also Make Art and Designs?
you can buy my designs on apparel or stationary, mugs and more. You can learn more about it on my art & design shop page or go directly to one of my shops.