Shadow House :The Gathering by Dan Poblocki-Reviewed by Rajita Jana (Chills & thrills)
- Nonchalant Nine
- Oct 3, 2020
- 2 min read
Strange characters, magic, the supernatural, endless danger, adventure, mystery, ' Shadow House' by Dan Poblocki is a rollercoaster of it all. Five strangers Poppy, Azumi, Marcus and twins Dash and Dylan, each haunted in their own way, are invited to Larkspur House for various reasons- Azumi for school, Marcus for a music scholarship, Dash and Dylan to be leads for a horror movie and Poppy , an orphan, to live with her great- aunt. Although the same person wrote to each of them , he or she, writes in different names- L. Delphinium, Del, Delphinia Larkspur and so on. At first, all of them are happy to get their invitations but when they reach , they realised that it's a whole different game they stepped in. Moving hallways, disappearing corridors, mysterious kids in animal masks who attack them and the way out - that's disappeared too. While looking for something or someone who might help them escape, Poppy comes across a file named The Specials, it was the files of the five kids in animal masks and the date on them told that they were clearly dead. The director of the orphanage Cyrus Caldwell tortured them. He made them wear masks. The files mention that the masks remove the identity of the children, they make them empty vessels. At the end of the book the Marcus sets free one of the Specials, Randolph by giving him what Cyrus took away, his music. The book ends with a rather melancholic note as Dash realizes that he had been haunted by his own deceased brother, Dylan who leaves the group. This book is the first of a series throughout which the same story continues. Poblocki has a unique writing style where there are a number of protagonists. He keeps in account the views of everyone in such a way that you will feel as if you are right inside the book. The story doesn't end here and we just can't just wait to read the next novel. Read 'Shadow House- The Gathering' if you are up for an adventure which will leave you with goosebumps and cold sweat.
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