Friday Fiction Fix: "House of Dark Shadows"

The Short:

House of Dark Shadows

Dreamhouse Kings, Book 1

By: Robert Liparulo

5/5 Stars

What: A family moves to a mysterious house that holds many secrets—some of them dark.

Recommended to those who like: Clean, darker stories, teen, quick reads, time travel

The Long:

So, this is one that I hadn’t read in a while. I decided to dust it off and give it a good read.

Man, am I glad that I chose it as my take-to-work book rather than my before-bed book. II forgot how effectively Mr. Liparulo created a creepy/suspensful story. (Let it be noted that I am a wimp when it comes to suspense, however).

The King family has just moved across the state to a new house. Xander, a teenaged aspiring film writer, is immediately fascinated by the darkness of the house and the way sounds come from odd directions. But when bigfoot-sized footprints appear in the dust and a mysterious passage is discovered upstairs, it all starts to seem a little too much like a horror movie.

The suspense is a nice level, the plot is original, and the characters are loveable. Xander, David, and Toria are a totally believable set of siblings in the way they alternately pick on one another and stick up for one another.

The story does contain some awesome speculative elements, but I don’t want to give too much away. 

Be sure to have the second book handy—this one is a near cliffhanger. It’s a quick read, as well.

The book is very clean. I would recommend it for teens and above just for the suspense levels, but it’s written on quite an easy reading level, even middle grade. 

I’ll definitely be re-reading the next book soon!

The Bottom Line: This book would be a great pick for teens and up who enjoy a quick, but suspenseful, read.

Do you like suspenseful books/movies?

Looking for more by Robert Liparulo? Check out The 13th Tribe, another suspenseful book with a speculative twist!