Book 16 - Watcher in the Woods

The second book of the Dreamhouse Kings series picked up immediately where the first one, House of Dark Shadows, left off. And I'm happy to say, it's as brilliant if not more.

The King family was still reeling from the kidnapping of their mother, and a secret that was kept for thirty years caused a tension in the relationship between father and son.

But, determined to fight back and find their mother, they realized it is more important than ever that they came together, and this realization made it possible for them to cast aside their differences as they focus on what must be done to save their mother.

The second book largely focused on the point of view of David, the second son. Things are not going well for him. As if dealing with new school in a new town isn't stressful enough, David found himself in an awkward position between his father and his older brother. Not only that, he, and the rest of the family, had to act as if everything was normal in their lives and pretended that their mother was back in Pasadena so that no one got suspicious about her disappearance.

This soon proved to be almost impossible when someone who knew the secret of the house tried to take it over. At the same time, across the country, someone else not only knew but had built the house himself, and he determined to tell its deeper layer of secret to the King family. Unfortunately, being over ninety, living in a nursing home, and can't even finish a sentence without having to catch his breath, made the mission more complicated.

While Xander was becoming more obsessed and impatient in exploring the portals to find his mother, David had to deal with school bullies and the growing public suspicions that his dad had abused him. Nope, things are definitely not going well for twelve years old David.

The last chapter in the second book ended with another cliffhanger: while the police arrested David's father, the school bullies found a secret way to enter his house, David ran to the secret room to find his brother informing him that he found their mother.

I can't wait to read the third book, Gatekeepers

Book 10 - House of Dark Shadows

This is the last book on January 2011 list, I made it!!

I love love this one. It's the first book of six in Dreamhouse Kings series, all six books have been published and I'm surprised I don't know about the books before. I heard it's for young adults, but hei, a good read is a good read, don't you think so?

The story opened immediately when an evil presence kidnapped a family member. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Thirty years later, the King family moved in when the patriarch accepted a job as the principle of the only secondary school in the area and found the grand but abandoned Queen Anne/Victorian house in the edge of the forest.

From the moment they checked the house, the oldest son, Xander (from Alexander; the King family had been naming their children after old Kings and Queens for generations, hence the children's name: Alexander, David, and Victoria) noticed something was not quite right with the house. But the lure of having his own room, and even the possibilities that the house might offer some kind of adventure, however sinister it might be, made him and the younger, thriller seeker brother David, wanted to live in it. And what adventures they are: fighting gladiator in ancient Rome and a close call of being leopards' lunch in the middle of tropical jungle.

Until the entity took their mother away.

While it is certainly not a Harry Potter book, it's still a very fun book to read and I'm glad I stumbled on this one.