(The following review is not meant to dissuade or endorse but rather to inform parents and readers of content. Careful effort has been made to point out what parents may find useful, but please use your own discretion as 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed)
Title:
‘The Gathering’ (Shadow house #1)
Intended Audience:
Readers 8-12 years old
Synopsis:
A group of kids are summoned to a strange mansion for seemingly normal purposes, but each for different reasons. Some think they are attending a school, another connecting with a lost relative, and another thinks they are there for a movie shoot. But when they arrive, the house is anything but normal. Soon they find themselves trapped in the sinister house. Who summoned them and for what purpose? Together they must unravel the mysteries of the house and discover what secret connects them all if they ever hope to escape.
Themes:
Horror, mental illness, ghosts, suicide, self worth
Language Content:
Mild: An instance of “Shut up” and one character is mocked and called “Crazy Poppy”
Romantic Situations:
None
Violence and Gore:
Some blood is mentioned. Characters are chased and attacked by creepy, malevolent kids in masks. A boy is hit in the side of the head with a broken violin. In a flashback, someone is killed by a heavy object falling on their head.
Frightening Imagery:
Creepy pictures in the book of things like broken baby dolls, and kids in animal masks. Talks about the forest in Japan where suicides are committed frequently. Dolls are discovered with nooses on their necks. A ledger is discovered that tells of the cruel things the director did toward the orphans in his charge like depriving them of things they love and trying to take away their identity in order to make them empty vessels he can control.
Magic and the Occult:
The house is seemingly haunted by angry spirits and the children were summoned there by an unknown force.
Use of Drugs and Alcohol:
None noted
Disrespectful Attitudes:
The kids are sometimes flippant with each other and sarcastic, but in the end they learn to work together.
Final Thoughts:
Shadow house is a creepy thrill ride that is exciting but may be a bit too intense for some young readers. The images inside are very cool and interesting, but also could be quite frightening. Overall, a fast paced read that will keep the reader trying to solve the mystery untill the end and make them excited to read the next book in the series.
Emily A. Steward is a writer of Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. Her books can be found on Amazon.com and at participating retailers.
The Unreliable Narrator 