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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.
lil_emf's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted this book to be way more creepy and gothic-horror than it was.
tylmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hebbie4792's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun start to a series. I enjoy the concept and execution. Characters are meaningful and engaging so that I care what happens next. Does end on a cliff hanger.
janeeyre22's review against another edition
2.0
Basically just an introduction to the series. Barely any plot.
paracosm's review against another edition
1.0
I first read this book many years ago and just now I'm realizing it's a big pile of wasted potential. The main premise is that there's this house in the middle of the woods, inside the house there's a hallway full of doors, those doors are actually portals that allow you to travel in time. The portals change so you can always find new places to visit. That's an amazing premise, which makes it the only good thing about this book.
Let's start with the characters. They are the most cliché white family you can imagine. All of their interactions, which are at best boring and at worst cringy, feel artificial, like they are really bad actors following a terrible script.
The writing style is also bad, I remember there's a single paragrah in which the name of one of the characters is repeated seven times. The book is filled with pop-culture reference that are used instead of explaining things. For example, instead of telling you a hotel is spooky it explains that it's just like the Overlook Hotel from The Shinning. Pop-culture references can be fun, but only used with moderation.
It's so obvious that the author did zero research while writing his novel, which is a specially big problem for a book that is supposedly based on real events. It takes one single Google search to learn that combats in the Roman Colloseum had a strick reglament and weren't actually to death.
Now I'm gonna go into spoilers but I don't think it matters because the book is so bad. At the end a man comes out of one of the doors, kidnaps the mom and goes back. We learn that the same thing happened with the grandmother, so the dad came back to the house to find her. How did he was planning to do that? The grandmother could be literally in any point of recorded history and most likely dead. It's so dumb.There are another five books in the series and I don't know if I'm gonna re-read them.
Let's start with the characters. They are the most cliché white family you can imagine. All of their interactions, which are at best boring and at worst cringy, feel artificial, like they are really bad actors following a terrible script.
The writing style is also bad, I remember there's a single paragrah in which the name of one of the characters is repeated seven times. The book is filled with pop-culture reference that are used instead of explaining things. For example, instead of telling you a hotel is spooky it explains that it's just like the Overlook Hotel from The Shinning. Pop-culture references can be fun, but only used with moderation.
It's so obvious that the author did zero research while writing his novel, which is a specially big problem for a book that is supposedly based on real events. It takes one single Google search to learn that combats in the Roman Colloseum had a strick reglament and weren't actually to death.
Now I'm gonna go into spoilers but I don't think it matters because the book is so bad. At the end a man comes out of one of the doors, kidnaps the mom and goes back. We learn that the same thing happened with the grandmother, so the dad came back to the house to find her. How did he was planning to do that? The grandmother could be literally in any point of recorded history and most likely dead. It's so dumb.There are another five books in the series and I don't know if I'm gonna re-read them.
paracosm's review against another edition
1.0
I first read this book many years ago and just now I'm realizing it's a big pile of wasted potential. The main premise is that there's this house in the middle of the woods, inside the house there's a hallway full of doors, those doors are actually portals that allow you to travel in time. The portals change so you can always find new places to visit. That's an amazing premise, which makes it the only good thing about this book.
Let's start with the characters. They are the most cliché white family you can imagine. All of their interactions, which are at best boring and at worst cringy, feel artificial, like they are really bad actors following a terrible script.
The writing style is also bad, I remember there's a single paragrah in which the name of one of the characters is repeated seven times. The book is filled with pop-culture reference that are used instead of explaining things. For example, instead of telling you a hotel is spooky it explains that it's just like the Overlook Hotel from The Shinning. Pop-culture references can be fun, but only used with moderation.
It's so obvious that the author did zero research while writing his novel, which is a specially big problem for a book that is supposedly based on real events. It takes one single Google search to learn that combats in the Roman Colloseum had a strick reglament and weren't actually to death.
Now I'm gonna go into spoilers but I don't think it matters because the book is so bad. At the end a man comes out of one of the doors, kidnaps the mom and goes back. We learn that the same thing happened with the grandmother, so the dad came back to the house to find her. How did he was planning to do that? The grandmother could be literally in any point of recorded history and most likely dead. It's so dumb.
There are another five books in the series and I don't know if I'm gonna re-read them.
Let's start with the characters. They are the most cliché white family you can imagine. All of their interactions, which are at best boring and at worst cringy, feel artificial, like they are really bad actors following a terrible script.
The writing style is also bad, I remember there's a single paragrah in which the name of one of the characters is repeated seven times. The book is filled with pop-culture reference that are used instead of explaining things. For example, instead of telling you a hotel is spooky it explains that it's just like the Overlook Hotel from The Shinning. Pop-culture references can be fun, but only used with moderation.
It's so obvious that the author did zero research while writing his novel, which is a specially big problem for a book that is supposedly based on real events. It takes one single Google search to learn that combats in the Roman Colloseum had a strick reglament and weren't actually to death.
Now I'm gonna go into spoilers but I don't think it matters because the book is so bad. At the end a man comes out of one of the doors, kidnaps the mom and goes back. We learn that the same thing happened with the grandmother, so the dad came back to the house to find her. How did he was planning to do that? The grandmother could be literally in any point of recorded history and most likely dead. It's so dumb.
There are another five books in the series and I don't know if I'm gonna re-read them.
thereadingcat15's review against another edition
2.0
Full review link: https://thecatwithabook.wordpress.com/2018/11/04/book-review-house-of-dark-shadows/