Monday 7 February 2011

Short Review: House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo

House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo
3 out of 5 stars

This book was quite al right, exactly what you would expect from this kind of book, and in that maybe slightly predictable. The characters weren't as worked out as they could be, but it has enough potential for growth in later books, as this is part of a series. The fifteen year old protagonist acts a little bit below his age, I would expect a little bit more responsibility from him, especially concerning his younger brother, that gets into trouble quite a lot. The book mostly consists of a lot of action scenes, and that is the strenght of it. Other than those there wasn't that much of a strong story line going on. This book will probably appeal to younger boys quite a lot, there is enough adventure to keep 'em happy for a few hours. This book isn't suitable for a too young audience though, some scenes are quite gruesome.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Pacing: 4/5
Action: 4/5

Blurb
When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.
But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into--as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.
They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.
Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places--in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.

4 comments:

Small Review said...

Too bad about the characters. I grabbed this one, but I haven't read it yet. I didn't know it was part of a series, so thanks for the heads up on that. Does the story end on a cliffhanger?

Celine said...

It ends on a humongous cliffhanger. The last line of the books says "NOT The End".
I didn't really like to not get any closure at all at the end of the book. Its sole purpose is to introduce us to the setting and the situation.

Melissa said...

I loved the Dreamhouse Kings series. Truly incredible adventure. All the books together read like one gigantic book, and that's fine with me. I wish there were more.

Celine said...

I don't like it if it reads like one big book. Why sell all these little ones for more money if it's just one story? I can't afford to buy them all.

I'm glad you like them though

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