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147 of 153 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great new series!, May 5, 2008
Xander King is seriously bummed when his family moves from Pasadena, CA to a little hick town called Pinedale. He loved his life back home and can't imagine what this new town and new school could possibly have to offer. When the King's arrive they begin searching for a house to buy and finally stumble across an old, abandoned Victorian home deep in the woods.
Xander's parents instantly fall in love with the old house and set to work trying to make it livable. Xander and his brother, David, begin exploring and make startling discoveries. It seems one of the closets is some sort of gateway to a locker in their new school. If that wasn't strange enough, they also discover a secret passageway that is full of rooms that are portals to other worlds. After a couple of exploring adventures gone bad, the boys soon realize that this house is much more dangerous than they could have ever imagined. Unfortunately, the King's are about to discover just how real that danger is.
Robert Liparulo is known for pulse-pounding thrillers. With winners like Comes a Horseman, Germ, and Deadfall under his belt, he has truly left his mark on the genre. Now Liparulo graces his fans with a new young adult series that has everything we've come to expect from him and more. House of Dark Shadows is a fun story that is full of thrills and chills that never feel watered down for the young adult audience. Xander and David's mini adventures and discoveries are laced with just the right amount of action and intrigue to keep you nervously flying through the pages. The house itself is one of the strongest characters in the book, bringing a delightfully creepy tone to this well crafted tale.
As always, Liparulo's writing carries deeper meaning beyond the action and thrills. At its heart this story is about the bond of family and love, and the power therein. With every new novel Liparulo continues to prove what an incredible storyteller he is and this new series is no exception. The end will leave you begging for more and loving every moment. This is Robert Liparulo at his best!
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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Write Faster, Bob, June 6, 2008
If you are thinking about buying House of Dark Shadows, you may want to go ahead and grab Watcher in the Woods because once you reach... "Not the end" you are going to want book two within reach. These books are quick reads, too. Don't say you haven't been warned if you have to wait for the next book, and don't expect a resolution of the King family problems in book two either. I may have to have a word with Bob or the publisher about possibly speeding up this series.
Robert Liparulo respects the YA genre by refusing to dumb down his storytelling mastery. House of Dark Shadows delivers rich characters, intense action and crisp setting along with a strong vocabulary. Adults are going to love these books as much as the teens they're written for.
Centered around a family that has "no secrets," the story starts with foreboding and provides bang after wham after sucker-punch as the reader discovers one secret after another along with the characters. More questions are left than are answered.
Shadows introduces the King family, all named after royalty, as they are moving from city to country...make that backwoods. Not only does Xander, the 15-year-old point-of-view character have to deal with leaving friends and a girlfriend, his dad is now his principal in the smallest school he's ever attended.
Xander's folks then find a house they fall in love with. Lots of room, and full of character, creepy noises, shadows and odd acoustics. What's not to love?
Xander discovers how very strange the house is as the entire family is plunged into the truth of the secrets.
The intensity of the themes may be too much for younger or easily frightened readers.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Want More!, May 23, 2008
I have read 2 of Liparulos books (Comes a Horseman & Germ) and love the way he writes. When I found Out that he was writing a YA book I thought I would check it out. Actually got this and his book Deadfall the same day and decided to read this one first. The King family moves from Pasadena, CA to the small town of Pinedale,OR. When the arrive they begin searching fo a house to move into. The one they find seems to be a little scary to Xander the oldest son. Sounds seem weird, it feels like someone is watching you, and people seem to show up in different places then where they actually are. The Family still decides to move in and that is when the story really takes off. I couldnt put the book down and now have to go pickup book 2. The series will be 6 books in total. There is also a contest at www.robertliparulo.com thatyou can write in and decide where you want to see the family go and he may use it in a future book in the series and give you credit. This book is not just for the YA crowd but for adults too.
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