Darkhouse

EXCELLENT READ!

This was an excellent read. Interesting, action packed and slightly scary. I enjoyed the fact that the leads were not typical perfect people, they have real problems, look and act like real people and interact with other characters in a real way even though the material is fantastical. I felt very sympathetic towards the main character and her poor self image which means her character traits were well written indeed! I felt like there could have been more resolution to the "ghost" part of the story but all in all a tightly paced character driven read. To let you know just how great I thought it was I started it in the evening before going to bed and immediately upon finishing bought the 2nd book from BN (for the nook). All in all a well written, well edited self published novel. I am off to finish off the 2nd book and plan on starting the third tonight. I'll post reviews of those tomorrow.

This should be a movie/series!

Oh my freaking God! Why did I take so long to pick up this book?

The entire time I was reading this book, I felt as if I was watching an episode of a brand new series. Now, I can't wait to read the next installments.

The plot is amazing, like 5-star amazing. I love ghost stories and EVERYTHING paranormal so this book is totally within my league and the fact that the book kept me on my toes and thrilled and eventually scared me as well, makes this book even better!

The characters are realistic. They're people who have/had problems. Dex has a split personality which kind of scares me a bit and Perry is hilarious, was a druggie back in highschool, and just got out of college and is striving to go on day-to-day as a receptionist. Oh and she can see ghosts too. The way Halle describes what Perry sees is extremely descriptive and fluid, that you can't help but be where Perry is. The secondary characters on the other hand, help keep the story together. Matt and Tony were one of my favs. Those twins were hilarious and just plain old weird. They kind of reminded me of my brother, minus the drinking and whatever else they do thats "bad".

Now, Perry has the hots for Dex and we don't know how Dex feels about her because he has a girlfriend who is immensely hot and he is also 10 years older. Not only is Perry insecure, but feels like a child around him and sometimes a psycho. I love the push and pull that happens between the two. It keeps the situation realistic.

Overall, Darkhouse is amazing. Halle has delivered to the public such an incredible book that is definitely movie/series-worthy. I just want to keep reading until there isn't anything else left to read from the series. The narrative was written well, the descriptions were vivid and the plot is 5-star amazing. A brilliant unputdownable book from Karina Halle that'll definitely rock your socks off!

"My mother calls me wishy-washy. I just think I'm delightfully impulsive." -K. Halle (Perry Palomino, DARKHOUSE)

Yey!.. I actually love this book, which is always a great thing when you win the book (signed) from the author; because yes, if the book is less then, I will make that clear in my review. Something I absolutely dread doing, but will and definitely have done before, uncomfortable and regrettable or not. Thankfully, this is not an issue here because DARKHOUSE (An Experiment In Terror #1) was a thrilling ride that kept my blood pumping right to the gripping end and then some with the snippet of a preview from book #2 RED FOX which looks to be another riveting read.

First I must commend myself on my timing. this was the perfect book to read right before Halloween; an excellent thriller chock full of white-knuckle moments and edge of your seat heart thumping terror!.. Love it!! But really, forget the spooky as hell boarded up light house with the shady history and paranormal activity, because even though all of that was well written and thought out, for me it was all about Dex and Perry. I adored Perry, she alone could carry the story for me with her not so idealistically perfect physical self and her off the beaten path way; she just felt like someone real or someone who could be real. And although Perry's a smart young woman, she's currently a bit lost in the world, kind of floundering (like many 22 year olds); but she has a self awareness about her of just how clueless she is (without being self-deprecating) and I absolutely loved her for it. Now, although I just stated that Perry could easily be the star of this show, I'm so glad she made room on the stage for Dex, because well, how could you not love Dex. He's a bit off, possibly a smidge crazy, definitely unpredictable and a whole lot of mysterious sexy.

All in all DARKHOUSE is a fun read with strong likable and more importantly believable characters. Perry and Dex's chemistry is spot on and captivating. Although this is Mrs. Halle's first novel, she clearly has a knack for character development and storytelling and the Experiment In Terror series is off to a very promising start. I know I'm hooked!

Spooky good!

Darkhouse is an entertaining ghost story. It has everything a good spooky novel needs: an old lighthouse, a ghost legend, a spunky heroine, and an inscrutable hero. This is Karina Halle's debut novel and it's obvious she's talented with the scary!

As other reviewers have noted, the beginning is a little slow, but it's not super hard to get through. And with the promise of a lighthouse (which I love) coming, I kept going. It wasn't long before I was caught up in the story, wondering who Dex really was, worried the ghost would jump out and scare Perry and me.

Perry was my kind of heroine. She wasn't perfect, had issues from her past she was working on, she was still dealing with self-esteem issues, but she didn't let that stop her. I really appreciated that the author didn't get carried away and over-emphasize the self-esteem and other issues. Some authors tend to dwell on them too much to the detriment of the story.

Dex, being on the enigmatic side, felt a little two-dimensional to me. I wanted to know more about him, but since it was a first person narrative, the reader can only know what the protagonist knows.

This book was a fun read and I look forward to the next novels in the series. I will be reviewing the next one, Red Fox, in a few weeks.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the author. I was not required to write a positive review.

Creepy and Captivating Must Read

Enter Perry Palomino's world and expect to be riveted to your seat with the creepy story with paranormal overtures. This book was a mesmerizing read. At times, I found myself gripping the book tightly and turning the pages with the light on. Creepy atmosphere prevails in this story leaving goosebumps in its wake. The relationship between the Perry and Dex is complicated and changing at every turn. The main thing I really liked about this book was Perry's personality and the fact that is she is full figured girl trying to deal with her ghost sight and people's sterotypes about large women in general. It's nice to see a main character who is real. I can relate to her feelings and want to applaud her strength and courage. Her journey into the dark recesses of her soul makes you think and really wonder if its the ghosts or really just her mind playing tricks on her. There are many heart stopping moments of pure terror in this book.
This is a page turner that will keep you wondering about ghosts.

5 stars for this roller-coaster ride of terror with moments of realism.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series RED FOX

Highly Recommend

My friend Andy asked me to check this book out and even though I thought it wasn't really the kind of book that I would beable to get into I started it with an open mind. Shortly into the book, I was spellbound. I felt like I was right there in the lighthouse experiencing the same things Perry and Dex were. I didn't want to put the book down. Once I got finished, I immediately had to get the next book and get started reading. Thank you Andy for asking me to read this and thank you Karina for writing such a great book.

I Would Give This Book 6-Stars if I Could!

Have you ever heard the expression "book hangover"? Well, for me, a book hangover happens when you find a book that completely consumes you. It is all you can think about, and you walk around in a stupor for a few days. Guess what? That happened to me when I read Darkhouse.

Darkhouse, when you read the synopsis, seems like a typical thriller. But it is so much more. It is creepy, funny (believe it or not), very suspenseful and yes, thrilling. While much of the book is about Perry, her new partner Dex, and their haunted encounters at the lighthouse, Darkhouse is just as much about the perplexing relationship between the troubled duo.

Perry, from the get-go, is easy to love. She's doesn't have the perfect body or life. After struggling with low self-esteem and drug use throughout her teenage years, she has gotten her life in order, for the most part. She still struggles with her self-esteem and then there's the fact that she sees ghosts. Is Perry "off" mentally or is it that she's able to see what most can not?

Then there's Dex. Almost every book I read has a guy who is a complete hottie. Very tall, very muscled, defined abs, etc. That's all great, but Dex feels more like a real man to me. He's described as having a very "90's" look. He's on the thin side, not especially tall. A slight moustache, dark eyes, arched brows and a eyebrow ring. His voice is low and smooth or growling, depending on his mood. He has eyes that seem able to see inside a person. He is quick with a smirk. Perry says he "reminds me of Robert Downey, Jr. in his strung-out drug days". Believe me, it works for him. Besides the looks, there's Dex's odd personality. He's just, strange. His thought are often all over the place, confusing Perry. His words often lull her into a sense of trust and security, then he says something to totally screw the moment up. But, underneath the smirk and harsh words, there's a hint of a fragile man with a troubled past of his own.

Honestly, the driving force of the story is the relationship between Perry and Dex. The paranormal aspect of the story is gripping. Truly. But the collision of the two forces is what is electrifying. The relationship is antagonistic. Perry and Dex each seem determined to get under the other's skin. Say what will set the other on edge, or off the edge. They are cut from the same cloth. In many ways, each is a mirror of the other. I'm dying to see where the author, Karina Halle, takes their relationship in the future.

Speaking of Halle, the lady has knocked my socks off! She took Darkhouse, what could have been your typical scary book with snarky characters, and breathed life into it. This book has heart. Characters you want to see through to the very end. There are going to be a total of eight books in the Experiment in Terror series. I will most definitely read each and every one. I will be reviewing Book Two, Red Fox, later this week.

I love when a book has phrases that capture my attention. Darkhouse has many. Here are a few I want to share.

"Somehow, by dealing with the dead, I had never felt so alive." Chapter 11
" "How come you aren't afraid?'... 'Because I find life to be scarier to than death,' he replied matter-of -factly." -Chapter 12

"A handsome, beguiling man whose eyes read your very soul and whose smirk held you in contempt."-Chapter 16

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.