Shadow House Volume 3 - No Way Out

Dan Poblocki brings us back to Shadow House in the third installment that wraps up what appears to be the first trilogy in this series. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this story to end with this book - I thought it was an ongoing series; however, although there is a fourth book solicited on Amazon, I'm guessing based on the ending of this book, the fourth book begins a new tale with new characters.

But I digress...

No Way Out continues the story of Poppy, Dash, and Azumi as they try and escape the confines of Shadow House.  Picking up right where the second book ended, the three young teens have made it outside onto the grounds and are running from the monster determined to return them to the house and trap them inside forever.  Marcus is dead, and Dylan ... well, Dylan has turned on them and has joined the other "specials" in trying to either force the three back into the house or kill them.

Poblocki builds up the tension with quite a number of suspenseful moments.  The kids find themselves trapped inside a ghost carnival on the grounds, desperately searching for a way to escape the creepy clowns that are following them.  In the hall of mirrors, Poppy's ghost friend Connie and Azumi's sister Moriko seem to be giving them clues on how to escape.  But who can they trust?  Both Dash and Azumi are beginning to grow tired of Poppy ordering them around and wonder if the house is affecting her too.

And just when they escape the carnival, they suddenly find themselves forced into an abandoned shed with a burnt-up old car.  The same car in which five previous children were killed when the car crashed and caught fire.  As the three begin to learn more and more about the house and the number of times five children were brought to the house and killed, they begin to realize that the only way to free themselves of the horror of Shadow House is to return to the house and destroy the pact that started it all.

But who can they trust, and once they find the pact and destroy it, will they be able to escape the fate that the house has in store for them?

The author provides a satisfying conclusion to the story of Poppy, Dash, and Azumi (although, I will admit I was a bit disappointed that Marcus did not turn up alive somehow and join them as they escaped), and a part of me will miss them. The creepy illustrations/photos throughout the book certainly add to the ambiance of the tale.  I will be curious to see where Poblocki takes this story with a new set of children in book four (whose description on Amazon.com tells you next to nothing).

RATING: 7 cherry cough drops out of 10 for nicely wrapping up a tale of terror filled with plenty of horrors and page-turning suspense.

Shadow House Volume 2 - You Can't Hide

The second installment of this horror series was not quite as engaging as the first one, perhaps because the "unknown" factor of the series is no longer there.  Five children are trapped inside Larkspur House, where ghosts with animal masks are constantly chasing them, the mysterious man who called them there is haunting them, and the rooms and doors seem to change without warning.  In the first book, each of the children discover that they have similarities to the previous children in the house - children who died and now seem to be intent on seeing these five die as well. The only thing is - one of them already is dead!

The author, Dan Poblocki, continues the story in true horror-flick fashion. The kids are separated from one another, they don't know who they can trust, and while some want to get out any way they can, others are insistent that they find their missing siblings.  For Dash, his twin brother Dylan may be beyond help, while for Azumi, her sister Moriko may be the only hope the kids have of getting out of this shadow house.

The story moves pretty quickly, as Poppy begins to emerge as the leader of sorts, while Dash, Marcus, and Azumi each try to deal with their own personal horrors they are having to face in the house.  Marcus has seemingly lost his connection to the music that made him a prodigy, while Azumi is desperate to find her sister who somehow managed to appear in the house.  Dash is angry at being kept away from his brother, even though he knows, deep down, that his brother is dead.  Yet, in this house, the dead don't seem to stay that way - and Dylan does come back - as one of the "Specials." Dylan has now taken on the role of the Trickster, and a battle is building between brothers - the question is, who will win, and what will happen to the loser?

Poblocki takes us through more twists and turns of the house, as the kids explore ways to escape.  There's the greenhouse with the zombie-like creature; there's the school room with the chalkboard on which writing mysteriously appears; there's the laboratory filled with a number of dead things kept in jars; and there's the tower room, open to the outside that could mean release for the kids.  But it's a long, four-story drop on a slanted roof, and when the Specials follow them up through room after room, Poppy and her new-found friends realize their only way to survive is by taking a chance on that dangerous roof.

There are a few revelations about Cyrus Caldwell, as well as the first group of children who lived in the home.  Readers will learn more about why Cyrus did what he did - but the question is ever-present: what is true and what is a lie?  In the shadow house, one never knows for sure! And rest assured, this is not the end!  While four of the children manage to find a way out of the house, not all of them will make it out alive ... and for the three survivors, there's a hint at the end that what's waiting for them in the woods surrounding the shadow house could be much more dangerous than what they faced inside the house!

RATING:  7 fox-chasing rabbits out of 10 for maintaining a level of spookiness that keeps the story engaging, while reminding readers that in this story - no one is safe!

Shadow House Volume 1 - The Gathering

I actually debated about buying this series for quite a while - so long, in fact, that I didn't pick it up until the second book had come out.  I had some coupons for Barnes & Noble, didn't find anything else, so figured, what the heck?

Definitely a good choice!

I didn't realize when I bought that book that I already had other books by the author (although that explains why his name sounded familiar to me).  Dan Poblocki had previously written a three book series about "The Mysterious Four," a mystery trilogy about four young kids who decide to form a detective squad to solve mysteries in their town.  Fun reads, but definitely for the pre-teen crowd.  Not this series!  This series is dark, filled with supernatural and creepy horror, and most definitely for the early teen readers.

Shadow House: The Gathering introduces readers to its five protagonists - the shy orphan, Poppy; the musical genius, Marcus; the surviving sister, Azumi; and the precocious twins, Dash and Dylan.  Five pre-teens who couldn't be more different if they tried. Yet, they soon discovery they do have something in common - they have all been summoned in one fashion or another to the Larkspur house.  Poppy discovers a letter from an unknown relative; Marcus receives a scholarship to a new school of music; Azumi finds a boarding school that would take her away from her grieving family; and Dash and Dylan are hired to star in a new horror movie - all of them at the Larkspur house, otherwise known as the Shadow House.

As soon as the kids arrive at the house, the find themselves targets - from shadowy creatures, to masked ghost children, to the house itself.  Rooms and hallways change without notice, and once inside, the five kids find themselves locked in with no way out.  Of course, each of them is harboring a secret.  Poppy sees a ghost girl in every mirror.  Marcus hears music that no one else hears.  Azumi left her sister behind to disappear in a Japanese forest.  And Dash and Dylan - - well their secret was actually a big surprise, so I'm not going to spoil it here.  Suffice to say, it will not be what you expect!  From there, things only get worse, and the five of them must put aside their differences and band together if they want to survive whatever is happening in that house!

Poblocki definitely writes one heck of a scary tale!  The story itself is enough to give any pre-teen, or possibly even teenager, reading it the heebie-jeebies, but the ghostly photos throughout the book only cause readers even more uneasiness.  The images in the photos are not only ghostly, but downright creepy and disturbing.  Mix the story and the photos together, and you get a truly engaging story that will make you uncomfortable at times, make you jump at times, and make you want, above else, to read more and get these kids out of there!

By far, this has truly been my biggest surprise read of the year - did not initially hold out much hope for this to be all that great, but it far surpassed any expectations I had.  Not at all what I was expecting, and certainly scarier than some of the horror tales I've read lately aimed at adults.  Would definitely recommend this to any horror fans, young and old alike!

RATING:  9 ghostly girls in the mirror out of 10 for knowing how to tell a true tale of horror!