Oh, how I do love a good B slasher type movie and this book basically incorporates this feel for me. I am not a fan of reunions and the two that I’ve been to in my life could’ve maybe used the spark that The Fra brought to this one. Just kidding... ahem. But I think we all do know what it feels like in high school. I was in the “not quite” category. Not quite popular. Not quite the athlete. Not quite..... I basically lived in purgatory and quite honestly, I liked being on the “outside” and being friendly with everyone and not really sequestered. But I also moved around a lot so it was easier that way.
I thoroughly enjoyed the pop culture references that made this a fun read. I’m curious where the author got the idea to name the villain The Damned **Fra Angelico. What I did notice was the continual use of the name over and over again which got a bit cumbersome as within 2 pages this evil was referred to as the Fra, The Damned Fra, The Fra Angelico. I would’ve preferred to just pick one if you’re going to keep using the name in within such small spacing. Also, I kept thinking of the liquor and fun fact: “It remains the premier hazelnut liqueur and its origins go back over 300 years to the Christian monks who inhabited that area of Italy. The name Frangelico is derived from one of those monks, Fra. Angelico and the bottle reflects this heritage, which looks like a glass monk, complete with a rope belt.” Kinda loving the juxtaposition of it all.
Now I’m not an artsy person so it was a bit eye-rolly for me regarding this portion of the book. But for such a short book, I appreciated all that was packed in, sexual identity, sex itself (unnecessary but always a part of slashers!), the clear contrast of individuals we all see in school.... and the evil entity. Though I did have to wonder why certain things didn’t *quite* make sense. But who cares?! A fun ride for anyone who likes slashers.
**Note: The author explained to me that the Fra got his name from a Renaissance painter of the same name.
3.5 stars
