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| House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Series, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | List Price: $14.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 58 reviews)
Sales Rank: 47601
Category: Book
Author: Robert Liparulo
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Studio: Thomas Nelson
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
Label: Thomas Nelson
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 1595544941
EAN: 9781595544940
ASIN: 1595544941
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Dream house . . . or bad dream?
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 53 more reviews...
 A little trivial at times, but absorbing overall January 8, 2009
House of Dark Shadows is targeted toward young adult readers, but the first chapter both horrified and captivated me. An unknown and unspeakable creature was carting off the mother of a family on his shoulders into the dark recesses of a mysterious house and the battered, onlooking family was powerless to stop it.
I was hooked. I continued to pore through the pages of Liparulo's first book in the Dream King series quickly. At times, I felt he was borrowing too much from a certain tale involving a lion, a witch and a wardrobe. At others, the dialogue was a little too trite.
Add to that the almost obsessive use of current pop culture (mentioning Xbox 360 games like Halo 3, movies like Aliens and Then There Were None, etc.), and I got the impression the author was trying too hard to connect with a younger audience. Just tell the story, I kept thinking. Don't try to show us that you know what's "hip" today. After all, these references will date this series quickly.
However, as I continued to read, the story line finally began to stand on its own. Indeed, in the closing chapters, my thought of not progressing on to the next novel changed to wanting to order it immediately. He does a wonderful job leaving you hanging, wanting more at the end of the book.
I'd not recommend the Dream King series for those wanting more substance. As I mentioned, it does seem a little trivial at times, and some of the plot unfolds a little too quickly. If, however, you're looking for an easy-to-read, fun, and absorbing tale, you can't go wrong picking it up. It has some dark overtones that I'm curious to see how they resolve in future books, especially considering it's a Christian author.
Even more curious, there's a Reading Group Guide at the end of the book in which you can ask questions for a group. The questions seem more directed, however, to simply eliciting opinion than leading the group to any overall observations or conclusions of substance.
Creepiness and Intrigue January 4, 2009
Robert Liparulo's book, House of Dark Shadows, a hard back book with a photo to spook a mystery reader, is a great YA fantasy. Some would say more sci-fi than mystery, and yet the ominous sense of intrigue is a page turner.
There are readers that skip over the prologue, however, Liparulo's tantalizing tale begins from the first page and the prologue's last line is a definite page turner: "The door closed, separating her from her family forever."
To move from that phrase to the tale of an ordinary relocation of a family, could be a letdown. Not so, Liparulo allows the reader to relax before stirring the imagination with "Big Foot" and a haunted house.
There are good qualities to this book: Pre-teen to YA will enjoy the story from the move through the haunted house; Liparulo uses all the senses to portray the scenes--and he succeeds in scaring the reader at times; the author gives a definite sense this is a decent family, they respect each other and work together; although not overly religious, good moral values are portrayed and church is mentioned. I liked the idea of a reader's guide, also.
I realize the author and publisher set the reader up to buy book two, but in this case I felt cheated. If I were buying the book, I'd want more resolution. I still enjoyed the read from cover to cover.
 A Bit Too Much of a Cliffhanger January 2, 2009
Robert Liparulo's House of Dark Shadows' premise is one I readily enjoy, for I love haunted houses more than most readers, and a house with a haunted "servants' quarters" upstairs, where each little room leads the main character into far off times and places, works for me. Even the darkest part of the book, a huge giant-like monster of a man who comes out of the rooms and steals women away, pulling them into the world, from which they never return--yup, a very cool premise. The narration is excellent, the characters appealing, especially Alexander (Xander), the oldest boy of the family. Overall, I would normally have loved the book, and I did devour it very quickly, staying up late to read the ending.
But that was the problem: the ending. It was a little hard to suspend my disbelief, not that such a world was possible, but that a father allows his family to stay in that place, once he finds out how much danger his family is in. That disbelief is resolved well, near the end of the book, but then the stakes are raised too much, and the end of the novel is a horrifying cliff-hanger. I wish, more than anything, that Liparulo--or his editors--had been willing to try to tell the story in a longer book, rather than leaving such an ending, and ending I found unsatisfying, even irritating. I'm sure the intent was partly to keep the book long enough to entice young male readers, partly to add to the marketability of future sequels. But this blatant marketable ploy upset me, and I am not sure I want to read the next one. Will it be yet another cliff hanger? The next two books are already out, but I can't promise I'll read them.
Great YA suspense. January 1, 2009
Fifteen year old Xander King is miserable. His family is moving from Pasadena to the small town of Pinedale. "Still in California, but barely." When the family arrives they find what his parents consider a dream house but Xander just considers creepy.
Full of mysterious sounds, creepy shadows and unexplained footprints, the house just seems too sinister for Xander to feel comfortable. As Xander and his twelve year old brother begin to explore the house they find things are even weirder than they could have ever imagined.
For a young adult book I was surprised at how well the storyline and suspense are written. Usually with YA writing the storytelling is a little too cheesy or predictable but this book breaks out of that mold and I was as creeped out as any Dean Koontz or Steven King book makes me feel when reading late at night.
House of Dark Shadows is Book 1 in the Dream House Kings series and after reading it you'll want to immediately pick up Book 2, Watcher in the Woods as the ending clearly warns that it's "Not The End." You're left with some answers and a HUGE cliffhanger. I enjoyed this quick read and recommend it for both YA and adult suspense readers.
 Awsome book--one my son and I both enjoyed December 31, 2008
The House of Dark Shadows surprised me. When I read the jacket, I was like, we already have a story about kids who walk through portals while exploring a house. I didn't think the book would be nearly as good as it was.
Xander King isn't happy about having to give up his life and move to a small town in Northern California from Pasadena. I mean, who can blame him? But, when he and his brother explore the house they find portals that take them to places and times not their own.
I love the "twist" at the end of the story, which I am not going to reveal here--I wasn't expecting it and I want you to be surprised too. My 9 year old, who loves fantasy, also enjoyed the book. I like books that he and I can read together and discuss. This book is great for that.
I can't wait to read books 2 and 3!
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