Review by Jill Williamson
Fifteen-year-old Xander King is not happy to be moving away from Pasadena, California to live in the tiny town of Pinedale. Everything he’s always wanted was in Pasadena: his friends, his girlfriend, Hollywood. An amateur filmmaker, Xander wants to make movies someday, and living in Pinedale isn’t going to help.
When the Kings finally find a house, it’s nothing like Xander would have imagined living in, and everything he’d expect to see on the silver screen. Haunted isn’t quite the right word, but sounds come from the wrong direction, strange footprints appear that are too big to belong to any of the Kings, and the linen closet teleports him to locker 119 at his new school. Something is beyond weird with the house, but the weirdness, along with the house’s history—the previous owner killed his wife thirty years before—intrigues Xander and his brother David. The two decide to explore a little more and discover not only that the house has a strange connection to their family; it also can put all their lives in danger.
What an intriguing premise for a book. I’ve read nothing like it in the young adult genre. Xander and Dave are very well-written. I enjoyed their differences, similarities, and relationship as brothers. This is the first book I’ve read by Robert Liparulo and I am hooked. The man can tell a great story. House of Dark Shadows kept me spellbound, unable to stop reading until I got to the end of the book, only to find these words: Not the end. No! Well, thankfully, I have the next book already. Whew! Highly recommended, but a little scary. Read with caution.
Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Part of a Series: book one of the Dreamhouse Kings series
Pages: 286
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: 2008
[...] Reviewed by Jill Williamson at Novel Teen Book Reviews http://novelteen.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/review-house-of-dark-shadows-by-robert-liparulo/ [...]
[...] is a schedule of some of the upcoming prizes: May: Knight’s Sword Letter Opener June: House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo (Click on title to read a review.) July: The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan [...]
I have’nt finished the book yet but soo far its very interesting.I am left with alot of questions and wonder how and why certain things are happening.That house is creepy and unpredictable. Its a good book to get away into your own little world