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paperbacks_and_ponytails's review against another edition
3.0
House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo, I really enjoyed this first book in a series. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I read the physical book instead of the audiobook. An interesting read that is reminiscent of Adventures In Odyssey and Ted Dekker books for a younger audience...
The Kings family move into an abandoned house and discover mysterious doors that lead to other worlds and times. Danger is lurking around every corner and they won't know what is hidden behind, until they go through the door....
The Kings family move into an abandoned house and discover mysterious doors that lead to other worlds and times. Danger is lurking around every corner and they won't know what is hidden behind, until they go through the door....
marlene27's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
eserafina42's review against another edition
2.0
Fifteen-year-old Xander King is very unhappy when his father takes him and his siblings out of school in the city and moves them to an old house in the back of beyond. However, the house turns out to have mysterious properties like rooms that lead to other times and places. This sounded like an interesting premise but I was seriously underwhelmed by the book. I couldn't get emotionally involved with the characters and the plot (plot?) just didn't seem to hang together - it was just event after event. If mysterious things are happening, at least some of them should be explained in the first book.
Also, what was the point of Xander being an amateur filmmaker? Was it so that he could constantly refer to things or people being like something or somebody in movie X, or will it become more relevant in future books? (Incidentally, I'm old enough to remember Dark Shadows, but no one in this book's target audience will have a clue.)
Finally, while it was great that the father had a warm, caring relationship with his sons, the female characters (the mother and young sister) only seemed to be there to 1) scream, 2) cry, 3) have things kept from them to "protect" them, and 4) get kidnapped. Obviously, #3 didn't work very well.
I have the next book out of the library on audio and I may try it to see if things get any better, but if they don't pretty quickly, I won't even bother finishing the book.
Also, what was the point of Xander being an amateur filmmaker? Was it so that he could constantly refer to things or people being like something or somebody in movie X, or will it become more relevant in future books? (Incidentally, I'm old enough to remember Dark Shadows, but no one in this book's target audience will have a clue.)
Finally, while it was great that the father had a warm, caring relationship with his sons, the female characters (the mother and young sister) only seemed to be there to 1) scream, 2) cry, 3) have things kept from them to "protect" them, and 4) get kidnapped. Obviously, #3 didn't work very well.
I have the next book out of the library on audio and I may try it to see if things get any better, but if they don't pretty quickly, I won't even bother finishing the book.
juliwi's review against another edition
I am incredibly ashamed to admit that I only got this book for my Kindle because it was free. Usually I'm not that cheap, but hey, I'm a Kindle Newbie! Actually, now that we're talking about my Kindle, I got myself a huge virus by downloading E-books!!! Back to the book:
In the beginning I thought this was a children's book, but as it developed I just couldn't put my Kindle down. It starts of with Xander's family moving to a little village in the middle of nowhere called Pinedale. Xander is convinced this move will mean the death of his aspirations of becoming a director. While searching for a house they find an old house that is in need of some serious repairs! When checking out the house Xander gets the awful feeling the house has a terrible history. Voices seem to come from different places then where the people are they belong to and when visiting a real estate person he finds out that a woman disappeared in the house and shortly after the entire family. The father was suspected of having murdered them all.
Xander does however want to live in the house and they move in shortly afterwards. He has confided in his younger brother, David, and they are shocked when they find out that a closet in their new room leads to a locker in their new high school. Together they snoop around the house more.
Eventually they find a secret passage, that leads to a long hall with many doors. Each door leads to a room. Each room has a theme and Xander and David enter a Gladiator-inspired room. Xander puts on some of the weapons and armor and magically a door opens that was before locked. When he goes in the door disappears and he finds himself in the Colosseum of 1500 years ago. He is one of the two remaining gladiators and has to fight for his life. His father saves him just in time.
Strange things happen and the book only gets more exiting. This book had me on the edge of my seat. While I was supposed to be studying for my history-exam I kept on reading and reading. Xander's aspiration of becoming a movie director is amazing, because he keeps on comparing situations to movies. His brother David is an amazing character. Xander is the more careful one, while David wants to try everything that could be dangerous. Together they make a perfect team to discover all the house;s terrible secrets and are very enjoyable for the reader.
My favourite character is probably David, because he has this will to live and enjoy that I sometimes miss in a lot of characters.
My favourite scene of the book is probably where they discover a sort of magical meadow near their house. They seem to have super speed and strength there and the air seems thinner. A lot of stories have meadows in them, but they usually fail in impressing me, just like the meadow in Twilight. This one however is really well-written. Robert Liparulo has a very clear style of writing that is very pleasant to read. His characters are multi-layered, yet straight forward. In his best moments he reminds me of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which is a very big compliment coming from me! When reading the book you can't help but be drawn into the story. When you're not reading you are still thinking about it, about how it will go on, what will happen.
First sentence (Prologue): 'The walls of the house absorbed the woman's screams, until they felt to her as muffled and pointless as yelling underwater.'
I'm now actually praying to get my hands on the sequels to this book as there is so much left, so you'll read the reviews on those as soon as I got and read them!
In the beginning I thought this was a children's book, but as it developed I just couldn't put my Kindle down. It starts of with Xander's family moving to a little village in the middle of nowhere called Pinedale. Xander is convinced this move will mean the death of his aspirations of becoming a director. While searching for a house they find an old house that is in need of some serious repairs! When checking out the house Xander gets the awful feeling the house has a terrible history. Voices seem to come from different places then where the people are they belong to and when visiting a real estate person he finds out that a woman disappeared in the house and shortly after the entire family. The father was suspected of having murdered them all.
Xander does however want to live in the house and they move in shortly afterwards. He has confided in his younger brother, David, and they are shocked when they find out that a closet in their new room leads to a locker in their new high school. Together they snoop around the house more.
Eventually they find a secret passage, that leads to a long hall with many doors. Each door leads to a room. Each room has a theme and Xander and David enter a Gladiator-inspired room. Xander puts on some of the weapons and armor and magically a door opens that was before locked. When he goes in the door disappears and he finds himself in the Colosseum of 1500 years ago. He is one of the two remaining gladiators and has to fight for his life. His father saves him just in time.
Strange things happen and the book only gets more exiting. This book had me on the edge of my seat. While I was supposed to be studying for my history-exam I kept on reading and reading. Xander's aspiration of becoming a movie director is amazing, because he keeps on comparing situations to movies. His brother David is an amazing character. Xander is the more careful one, while David wants to try everything that could be dangerous. Together they make a perfect team to discover all the house;s terrible secrets and are very enjoyable for the reader.
My favourite character is probably David, because he has this will to live and enjoy that I sometimes miss in a lot of characters.
My favourite scene of the book is probably where they discover a sort of magical meadow near their house. They seem to have super speed and strength there and the air seems thinner. A lot of stories have meadows in them, but they usually fail in impressing me, just like the meadow in Twilight. This one however is really well-written. Robert Liparulo has a very clear style of writing that is very pleasant to read. His characters are multi-layered, yet straight forward. In his best moments he reminds me of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which is a very big compliment coming from me! When reading the book you can't help but be drawn into the story. When you're not reading you are still thinking about it, about how it will go on, what will happen.
First sentence (Prologue): 'The walls of the house absorbed the woman's screams, until they felt to her as muffled and pointless as yelling underwater.'
I'm now actually praying to get my hands on the sequels to this book as there is so much left, so you'll read the reviews on those as soon as I got and read them!
macgurlnet's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Nook version of this book and found the formatting to be rather broken. However, the overall writing is good, which makes up for the broken formatting. The premise of this story is intriguing, and I'll definitely be reading the rest of the books in the near future.
tessie72's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this (and the 2 other books in the series) at a Friends of the Library book sale a while back. I finally decided to read the first one, and I really liked it. I got through it in about a day. It pulls you in and makes you want to find out what happens next. Hope the next two books are just as good.
frootjoos's review against another edition
3.0
Super-creepy with a cliffhanger ending. This is one of those series where you're going to regret not having the next book on your bedside table ready to go when you finish the first one!
It took me a while to figure out that Liparulo was a Christian writer; but he's not heavy with the church stuff, if you know what I mean. Instead he relates values for every good boy and girl, no matter what faith, if any, you subscribe to: be brave, be honest, be loving, be smart, and listen to your parents--or risk being eaten by tigers, or something equally unpleasant. (just kidding, the House is fraught with peril whether or not the kids listen to their parents.
It took me a while to figure out that Liparulo was a Christian writer; but he's not heavy with the church stuff, if you know what I mean. Instead he relates values for every good boy and girl, no matter what faith, if any, you subscribe to: be brave, be honest, be loving, be smart, and listen to your parents--or risk being eaten by tigers, or something equally unpleasant. (just kidding, the House is fraught with peril whether or not the kids listen to their parents.
especiallybooks's review against another edition
5.0
I'm very intrigued what happens next in this series.
elleldee's review against another edition
4.0
Up until the last chapter I would have given this book an easy 5 stars. But the end was corny just disappointing.
tmdavis's review against another edition
4.0
Very good for the first in a series. Things do not feel rushed but are paced very well. Basically, the story here is that Xander's family moves into a new house that they soon discover has portals to other times and places. But when someone from one of these places kidnaps his mother and takes her back through one of the portals, Xander and his family begin to search for her. Which is where book 2 picks up.
I was hesitant at first about these books because they are published by Thorndike which is known for publishing Christian fiction. So far, I haven't noticed any overt Christian overtones.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and interested enough to check out the second book.
I was hesitant at first about these books because they are published by Thorndike which is known for publishing Christian fiction. So far, I haven't noticed any overt Christian overtones.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and interested enough to check out the second book.