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Book Review:The House of Dark Shadows

When I was a kid, I loved the book The House With a Clock In Its Walls. I must have read it ten times. Once I was home sick and read the entire book during in one day.

What kid could resist a mystery house, full of secret passages and hidden doorways? Robert Liparulo’s The House of Dark Shadows couldn’t help but succeed then, telling the story of the King family’s move to a house with plenty of secrets. Xander King and his brother David find a mysterious hallway which lead to side rooms, which are in turn antechambers to other worlds. The boys have a few misadventures there but soon realize that they are not the only ones who are using them. Something akin to Big Foot appears to be using the doors as well. The book ends with a shocking twist, which I will not reveal here.

It was an enjoyable read, a solid thriller geared for the young adult market–for the younger end, not yet ready for Twilight. Liparulo rarely misses a step and presents the King family in a compelling way, drawing the reader into their lives and wanting to know them better. I would have preferred more time spent on the mysterious rooms, but perhaps more of these are featured in the other books in the series.

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2 Responses to "Book Review:The House of Dark Shadows"

  1. Anonymous says:

    It’s interesting, Fr. Hall, that while I was clearing some old books out of our school library, I happened to come upon, “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” by John Bellairs. I thought it looked interesting, and brought it up to my study. I haven’t read it yet, but after your comments, I will be sure to do so.

    sja

  2. Christopher D. Hall says:

    sja–hope you enjoy it–I have no idea if it held up well. I read another one of Bellairs’ novels not to long ago, and was really disappointed, so caveat emptor.

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