Blog Tour- The House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini

House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini
"Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything: two loving parents, a beautiful house in San Francisco, and all the portable electronic devices they could want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job in the wake of a mysterious incident. Now in dire straits, the family must relocate to an old Victorian house that used to be the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff—a house that feels simultaneously creepy and too good to be true.

By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they're banished to a primeval forest way off the grid. Their parents? Gone. Their friends? A world away. And they aren't alone. Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they'll discover it's not just their family that's in danger . . . it's the entire world."- summary from Amazon

I really liked this book. It wasn't perfect, but it was a great book to pass the time with. The adventure starts quickly and keeps getting more compelling as the story goes on. The kids find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations as they learn more about the world they're in. However, sometimes the dialogue just felt a bit off-key to me, and there were some other aspects that didn't sit well with me (just something like a coincidence or whatever, nothing major).

But it's a fun novel with some great main characters at the center of it. The siblings' relationship feels very real and you can tell the love they have for each other even through the bickering. I'm hoping that more of the family legacy will be revealed in future books because it felt a bit vague in this one, and not enough of a reason was given for the "sinister plans" mentioned in the summary.

I'm not sure I like the idea of this being a series. This was close to 500 pages and it felt like it could have been a stand-alone. The ending does set up a second book, but not sure how they'll continue past Book 2. Overall, it's a good summer beach read and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

To see more of this blog tour, go to these blogs for the other stops:

April 23: Bookalicious.org
April 24: Hobbitsies
April 25: There’s a Book
April 26: Katie’s Book Blog
April 27: YA Bibliophile
April 29: Tripping Over Books
April 30: Book Brats
May 1: Good Books and Good Wine
May 2: Book Chic


FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.