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.
Xander and his family are moving from LA to a small town for his dads job. They find an old house tucked back in the woods. It's kind of creepy and very old. So old the the Real Estate agent doesn't have it listed anymore. But the family moves in anyways and starts making it home. But Xander, and his brother David, think something is different with this house. Footsteps show up in the dust when no one has walked there, people sound like they're in one part of the house when they're on the complete other side. They even find a trapped door that leads them to the towns public school. But then Xander and David find a hidden door the leads to another part of the house that know one is supposed to know about. There they find many doors that lead to to different adventures of their own.
I have had House of Dark Shadows sitting on my bookshelf for about 2 years before I finally got my self to read it. I bought it because it sounded like a scary story. Then the concept never really appealed to me more than the other books I had. But I'm glad I finally got around to it because it was a nice surprise.
I really didn't know what I was going into when I began reading. I thought it was going to be a scary story, but it turned into more of a magical one.Though there were times when I was glad that I wasn't reading at night. There's also some time travel involved as well. Definitely didn't expect that.
The story line kept me intrigued and the ending was satisfying, though there was a little bit of a cliffhanger, because, another surprise to me, this is the beginning of a series. The prologue really had me wondering what it had to do with the story. I could not figure it out. But it came all together in the end and made complete sense.
Xander and David find themselves in some crazy situations. I mean, finding yourself in the middle of a fight in the Roman Colosseum? That's a little terrifying. I also found it a little funny that David and Xander decided to share a room because they were creeped out by the house, but then their little sister, Toria, slept in her own room by herself.
Overall, this was a fun, solid good read. It has some action in it that will keep you on your toes, and some creepy moments. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to go on a little adventure, and be a little creeped out.
