House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Series, Book 1) (Hardcover)

by Robert Liparulo (Author)
Key Phrases: sha ions, linen closet door, tiger roared, Grandpa Hank, Kathy Bates

Editorial Reviews

Review
"If you like creepy and mysterious, this is the house for you! Every room opens a door to magic, true horror, and amazing surprises. I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?" --R.L. Stine (Goosebumps)

Review
"A powerhouse storyteller delivers his most fantastic ride yet!"
-Ted Dekker, bestselling author of Chosen and Infidel

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595544941
• ISBN-13: 978-1595544940
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,136 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great new series! , May 5, 2008

By	Jake Chism "www.FictionAddict.com" (Krum, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Write Faster, Bob, June 6, 2008

By	Kelly Klepfer (Iowa) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary but hard to put down..., June 11, 2008

By	Michelle Sutton (Arizona) - See all my reviews

I haven't seen the Young Adult years in...years, but I can tell you that this series is SCARY even for adults. I finished House of Dark Shadows a little while ago and can testify that it's freakier than Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews and just about as scary as The Amityville Horror. Did I mention this book was scary, LOL? But I finished it. I just didn't read it at night. Seriously. And I'm thankful that my house has neither an attic or a basement or I wouldn't be able to sleep! I know it's just fiction, but while I was reading the story I was in it, so it seemed real to me. Too real.

So far I haven't found a spiritual element (like they didn't even pray when scared) but it's still an incredibly entertaining tale of horror. I dare say it ranks right up there with any number of scary secular novels. There is even some blood in the book. Did I mention it was scary? Bottom line...this is top notch fiction but it is tolerable even for big honking chickens like me. In fact, I want to read the next book right away...but it's dark outside, so that'll have to wait until tomorrow!