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abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
cool-o-rama!!! sometimes a bit on the J side, but a definite page-turner! supernatural mystery with a dash of horro (but not too much for me!)
mrsbear's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable book but it lost me in the middle. The ending was not fair. LOL
ebeubanks8's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in middle school and loved it. I don’t think I ever finished the series but I’m going to. I need more to the story. This time around I actually caught the supernatural reference :)))
notblue's review against another edition
4.0
After 2 years of reading off and on, I finally finished it!
busydrinkingboba's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
vorpalblad's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, take this with a grain of salt because it's been a while since I read this, but I was not impressed. The opening was pure cheese and then the rest was, well, an opening. Honestly, this book was an introduction. It wasn't a bad introduction per se, but I was irritated that the book did nothing but give us the premise behind the house without anything happening. It was frustrating enough to put me off the rest of the series.
heidenkind's review against another edition
A little too MG for my mood right now. It is well-written, though.
rusticreadingal's review
4.0
With it being October, I was in the mood for a bit of a spooky read and thought I'd try House of Dark Shadows. I don't read too many scary stories, mainly because I'm such a chicken where they're concerned, lol, but this one sounded really interesting so I thought I'd give it a chance.
It was really good! It was just the right amount of spooky for me. Not enough to give me nightmares, but there were definitely a few times when it gave me goosebumps. It's a page-turner, for sure. Once I started it, I had a hard time stopping. There was so much suspense and I never knew what would happen next. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what was going on with the house alongside brothers Xander and David.
My only complaint is that there wasn't a satisfying ending. I know it's the first book in a series, but it felt like the story had just got started going and then it ended with no resolution. It ended too soon for me. I definitely want to continue the series, but I'm just not the biggest fan of endings like this.
It was really good! It was just the right amount of spooky for me. Not enough to give me nightmares, but there were definitely a few times when it gave me goosebumps. It's a page-turner, for sure. Once I started it, I had a hard time stopping. There was so much suspense and I never knew what would happen next. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what was going on with the house alongside brothers Xander and David.
My only complaint is that there wasn't a satisfying ending. I know it's the first book in a series, but it felt like the story had just got started going and then it ended with no resolution. It ended too soon for me. I definitely want to continue the series, but I'm just not the biggest fan of endings like this.
booksong's review against another edition
4.0
Good, creepy-fare type of novel that has a really intriguing premise and good characters.
Xander is not entirely pleased about moving away from California and into "Hicksville," but when he sees his family's new house, he starts to change his mind. The house seems pretty cool to Xander and his younger brother David, if a little creepy. But slowly the "creepy" starts to ramp up, from unexplained noises to shadowy figures lurking in doorways. Soon, Xander, David, and their parents and sister will realize that they have much more than an old house on their hands; they have a house with deadly secrets and a terrifying power.
I liked the way the novel didn't need to use cliched monsters or other standard horror staples to make it scary and suspenseful. The tension is built slowly, and with enough realism that the house becomes scarier than if it harbored actual ghosts, vampires, or other demon creatures. Xander and his family are likable characters; they aren't oblivious, dumb, or naive like characters in other "horror" novels, and Xander and David show some real courage and compassion while still making mistakes to keep them human.
The ending was certainly cliffhanger enough to make me look into the rest of the series.
Xander is not entirely pleased about moving away from California and into "Hicksville," but when he sees his family's new house, he starts to change his mind. The house seems pretty cool to Xander and his younger brother David, if a little creepy. But slowly the "creepy" starts to ramp up, from unexplained noises to shadowy figures lurking in doorways. Soon, Xander, David, and their parents and sister will realize that they have much more than an old house on their hands; they have a house with deadly secrets and a terrifying power.
I liked the way the novel didn't need to use cliched monsters or other standard horror staples to make it scary and suspenseful. The tension is built slowly, and with enough realism that the house becomes scarier than if it harbored actual ghosts, vampires, or other demon creatures. Xander and his family are likable characters; they aren't oblivious, dumb, or naive like characters in other "horror" novels, and Xander and David show some real courage and compassion while still making mistakes to keep them human.
The ending was certainly cliffhanger enough to make me look into the rest of the series.
rmmcdowell's review against another edition
4.0
I am eager to read the rest of the series to see how it ends up. My problem with Christian fiction has always been that it tends toward the preachy and "life is perfect if you just pray enough." This first book is none of those things, with only passing mentions of church. So far I think it is engaging enough to draw in all types of readers who enjoy the suspense genre.