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Welcome to the Dark House

(Dark House #1)

Laurie Faria Stolarz (Goodreads Author)

3.78 · Rating details · 2,634 ratings · 523 reviews

What’s your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it’s the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it’s bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his dreams.

And for seven essay contestants, it’s their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake’s latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn’t even like scary movies, ...more

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Hardcover, 357 pages

Published July 22nd 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

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· 2,634 ratings · 523 reviews

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Start your review of Welcome to the Dark House (Dark House, #1)

Apr 22, 2014 Giselle rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, ebook

Welcome to the Dark House is a pretty great horror story, especially for horror-movie loving readers. However it reads just like a horror movie as well - you barely get to know the cast, and when one dies/disappears you're not going to care all that much.

Ultimately told in multiple viewpoints, we're first introduced to Ivy, who I consider to be the main character in this story. She's the only character that we get to know with any amount of depth. We learn of her tragic past and how it haunts h Welcome to the Dark House is a pretty great horror story, especially for horror-movie loving readers. However it reads just like a horror movie as well - you barely get to know the cast, and when one dies/disappears you're not going to care all that much.

Ultimately told in multiple viewpoints, we're first introduced to Ivy, who I consider to be the main character in this story. She's the only character that we get to know with any amount of depth. We learn of her tragic past and how it haunts her, and her motivation to join Justin Blake’s latest project. Soon enough, we're joining others inside this Dark House and meeting our other POVs - I never counted, but there must have been 5 or 6. Obviously they're not so memorable, not helped, I'm sure, by how identical their voices were. It also didn't help that my eARC was badly formatted and didn't say which POV we had switched to - though I was told the finished copy would, so you might have a better experience with remembering who's who than I.

That's not to say I didn't like any of the characters. They're all fairly interesting with an array of personalities and dealing with problems of their own. We see themes from suicide to body image issues to PTSD; it makes for an intriguing cast of people. There's a bit of romance that blooms between some of them to lighten up the overall darkness of the plot. Though some of it's a bit silly: getting angry because the girl you met 2 seconds ago and flirted with is now on the couch with another guy. Ooookay! The intro to the characters and the whole Justin Blake premise takes about half of the book. Once the tone of the story is set and you're made to feel uneasy about this ordeal that feels way suspicious, this is when the real horror begins.

The horror aspect was my favourite part of the book. It has great scare tactics and an awesome eerie vibe throughout. The suspense is well-paced, with just enough dread and anxiety to keep you on the edge of your seat. There are things you do have to ignore, however. The fact that there seems to be a ton of people running this thing makes it a bit unrealistic - one person could not possibly have been all those "dream" characters. And I find it hard to believe so many people would be involved in such a sick and twisted killing spree without being caught. Unless it was meant to be paranormal in nature. The whole Harris ordeal hinted at that too, though I read that as being her subconscious telling her this wasn't right. You also have to forgive how oblivious they all are to what exactly is happening. Especially Ivy who admits things are definitely off, but still goes through her dream sequence. WHY!!

The ending is what disappointed me the most. We're left with a slew of questions and not many answers. I didn't expect to - or want - everything to be tied up with a bow, but we don't even know what the heck happened to Taylor for instance. Why did she leave? Is she missing too? Why didn't she get them help (she was on the phone so she obviously knew something).

If you're looking for a quick scare that's a whole lot of fun if you don't think about it too hard, then I would recommend this one. It's got great horror-movie qualities to it, but in my opinion, what works on screen doesn't always work in a book without adding more substance and solidifying characters.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

...more

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Jan 18, 2015 Faye, la Patata rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, boring-hero-heroine, meh, instalove, horror-kuno, cardboard-characters

A group of teens join a contest thinking the prize (a weekend to somewhere secluuuuuded!) is something that would give them the scare of their lives. They all win and then get stuck in a creepy house and subsequently, in a creepy "abandoned" amusement park. Little do they know, not everything is what it seems...

...

"Now wait just a minute, haven't I seen this premise before?" If that's what you're thinking right now, it's very likely that you're right. A shit-ton of times, really. We get movies l ...more

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Jan 22, 2014 Jen Ryland added it

Shelves: july-2014

Garth Vader? That just made me giggle..

Actual review: This book gave me pretty much what I was expecting: a fast-paced, campy, mildly scary story of a bunch of kids trapped in a replica of a movie horror house. There are seven kids trapped in the house, six of whom (!) are POV characters, and all of of whom are a particular type. The multitude of people to keep straight had me a bit confused at times and also prevented much character development, but the story moved along at a brisk pace and the ...more

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Oct 18, 2016 Rebecca McNutt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, young-adult, fiction, thriller

I'm glad to see that the author of Project 17 still has many more great and eerie YA horror stories to tell! Welcome to the Dark House is hilarious at times, horrific at others, and overall an unforgettable book. ...more

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Sep 12, 2014 Edward Lorn rated it liked it

Recommends it for: YA fans

Recommended to Edward by: BAM

I'm somewhere in the middle with this book. Let's discuss why, shall we?

The Bad: The characters are difficult to follow for the first, oh, 75 pages or so. Every POV is in first person, and each chapter is from a different character's perspective. Certain details that would help in keeping track of who's who aren't revealed until after page ninety. The easiest folks to separate are Parker (because of his script-writing style) and Natalie (because she's one odd duck). Yet Parker's script sections I'm somewhere in the middle with this book. Let's discuss why, shall we?

The Bad: The characters are difficult to follow for the first, oh, 75 pages or so. Every POV is in first person, and each chapter is from a different character's perspective. Certain details that would help in keeping track of who's who aren't revealed until after page ninety. The easiest folks to separate are Parker (because of his script-writing style) and Natalie (because she's one odd duck). Yet Parker's script sections are a bit annoying. I felt there was no reason for the book to suddenly become a teleplay. It added nothing to the narrative, and seemed to be a cop out when the author got tired of describing things within the narrative. I read books because I like books. Leave the script writing for the big screen and teledramas, please.

One final note concerning the Bad: Some of the pop-culture references seemed antiquated considering these character are all eighteen year olds. Julia Child and Pretty in Pink are mentioned, along with the movie adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption. It seemed all these teens were stuck in the eighties, or further back, yet they all had cell phones, so that places them in relatively modern times. I don't know, man... it took me out of the story here and there, because it felt like author intrusion. And I should know, because I'm guilty of it in my own writing.

The Biased: I hate purple prose that interrupts tense situations, and there's a scene toward the end, between Parker and Ivy, that made me laugh so hard I teared up. Here these two teenagers are, lives in danger, one bleeding profusely, and suddenly Ivy is gushing about how complete Parker makes her feel and how she wishes he wouldn't stop looking at her. I put this complaint in the Biased section because some of you might like this. I, however, found it sappy as hell and goofy as fuck. I really could have done without it, and I don't think it fit the book at all.

The Good: Well, just about everything else. Imagine The House on Haunted Hill as directed by Tim Burton (Scissorhands-era burton; not Planet-of-the-Apes Burton). There are numerous fun and creepy scenes herein, and I had a blast throughout 95% of this book. It's an easy read (probably took me all of 5 hours total to get through), and I can't say that I was ever even close to being bored. Once I got to know the characters, I grew attached to them. I felt fear when they were in danger, and sorrow when they died. They are a little cliched, but not in an insulting-stereotype kind of way. My favorite characters ended up being Garth Vader (yup, you read that right; that's his name) and Natalie. In my opinion, they were the stars of the show.

In summation: This is only the third YA novel I've read, and my first in the YA horror department, and, surprisingly enough, I didn't hate it. I had fun, which is all I really look for when reading. I think most of my friends would enjoy this one. I will definitely be looking for more from Laurie Faria Stolarz (Tom Cruise wept, that's a mouthful of a name) in the near future. ...more

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Oct 27, 2017 Melanie (TBR and Beyond) rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-horror, books-i-own, read-in-2017, disappointing-reads, insta-love

I wasn't expecting anything fantasic out of this book but I was expecting a mindless good time. Sadly, this book was not even that.

I'm not really hard on YA horror novels but I do expect them to be enjoyable, but I don't pick apart the writing as hard as I might normally in a different category. That is mostly because I rate within the genre and do not compare other genres and YA horor is a not a strong point for the Young Adult category so I don't have a lot of FANTASTIC books to compare thing I wasn't expecting anything fantasic out of this book but I was expecting a mindless good time. Sadly, this book was not even that.

I'm not really hard on YA horror novels but I do expect them to be enjoyable, but I don't pick apart the writing as hard as I might normally in a different category. That is mostly because I rate within the genre and do not compare other genres and YA horor is a not a strong point for the Young Adult category so I don't have a lot of FANTASTIC books to compare things to. Hopefully that will change eventually. This book certainly isn't going to be one of the books to raise the bar though.

I thought the idea was really fun, it was nothing original but it doesn't have to be. If executed well this could've been a blast. A bunch of kids win a contest and have to a themed house with an amusement park and face their nightmares, sounds like a blast. SIGN ME UP! However, we end up with seven kids that are all cliche in the worst ways. We switch between perspectives constantly and none of them have a strong enough voice to have any clue who you are reading now, so you frequently have to check at the start of the chapter to remind yourself who this person is.

I finished this book a couple of hours ago and I forget half their names already. I have a feeling most people will. The nightmares aren't even remotely scary, there is no real tension build up. A couple of the nightmares had potential to be great but all we got is quick, boring deaths and long drawn-out dialogue with teens with many hormones. Ah yes, the insta-love factor. I wouldn't have minded it really if it was more in the backround but the forced, awkward romances were more central than the nightmares at the end. We also end up with no answers and it's not because it was a mind-fuck of a book or to keep it mysterious (believe me I wish that was the reason). It's because the ending was lazy as hell and the author chose not to tell us why any of these contestants were chosen and what the hell is even going on.

I sadly purchased the second book from Bookoulet before reading this one - luckily I only spent a couple of dollars. I'm going to try the second book, just to see if the writing gets stronger or the story goes anywhere but I have a feeling it will likely get DNFed. I would've rated it one star but the concept was cool and there were a few moments that were alright.

...more

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Jan 13, 2014 Rayne rated it it was ok

Shelves: i-expected-better, thriller, psychological, young-adult, horror, romance, love-triangle, annoying-mc, disappointing, mystery

2.5 stars

I had with this book the exact same problem I had with the only other book I've read by Stolarz, Project 17, coincidentally another horror novel about a group of teens stuck somewhere creepy. The ideas behind the novel are really good. Clichéd under horror standards, but interesting and full of potential nonetheless. The problem is that Stolarz doesn't know how to work them, and even worse, she relies on insufferably annoying, shallow and cartoonish characters to tell her tale.

I took a 2.5 stars

I had with this book the exact same problem I had with the only other book I've read by Stolarz, Project 17, coincidentally another horror novel about a group of teens stuck somewhere creepy. The ideas behind the novel are really good. Clichéd under horror standards, but interesting and full of potential nonetheless. The problem is that Stolarz doesn't know how to work them, and even worse, she relies on insufferably annoying, shallow and cartoonish characters to tell her tale.

I took a lot of issues with the "scary" factors of the novel. Not only did I never actually get scared, not even remotely creeped out, but I also failed to see how a Goth Christmas Elf is supposed to be the ultimate horror movie symbol. Seriously, think Elf in the Shelf in Goth clothing, give him a couple of super cheesy lines about telling him your nightmares and regretting it later along with a bag, and that's it, that's our symbol of terror. Each of the supposed horror movie characters were so preposterous and cliched, the whole thing often bordered on ridiculous. But I was more than willing to let that go and try to enjoy the novel, cheesy as it was, except that the characters made it impossible.

Never in my life had I encountered a cast of more painfully cartoonish characters, and Project 17 put up a good fight for it first. They are so unbelievably shallow and exaggerated. These characters wouldn't know depth if they fell down a hole to the center of the Earth. Each and every single one of them was an outrageous and very irritating stereotype that bordered on offensive and never, in the entire length of the novel, breaks away from their intended box. And they all sound alike. Having 7 first person POVs is bad enough, but not being able to tell them apart from each other unless they reveal some quirk a couple of pages into their narration is worse. I will give the author this: she certainly worked hard at making their personalities varied and different from each other, as well as their backstories, ambitions and fears. I particularly enjoyed the psychological implication this type of fear had for a few of them, which I found very interesting and was saddened to see was merely brushed over.

The first 50 pages or so of the novel were actually really good. I was immediately sucked into the story and I was very interested in what would happen next. But as soon as the characters met and started to interact with each other, my excitement faded into the negative numbers. Their interactions were exaggerated, and while not exactly forced, they were unbelievably irritating and make up about 2/3 of the novel, which means that, during that whole time, nothing happened except for this ridiculous bunch of silly teenagers doing ridiculous things and saying stupid things and getting intimately interested in each other within hours of having met.

I thought things would pick up once they go to the amusement park, and I was momentarily please to see that it did. The great majority of the challenges were admittedly freaky and even suspenseful, and that's when my interest in the novel grew exponentially. But by then it was too late; I was already annoyed out of my mind by these kids and I wanted it to end. So, even though I debated 3 stars by the end of the novel, the first 2/3 of the novel had been far too irritating for anything above 2 stars.

This books is undeniably cheesy, but I'd be lying if I said it was not entertaining in some way. I was certainly hooked since the beginning, and in spite of my irritation, I desperately wanted to know what would happen next, and the ending of the novel was certainly entertaining enough to make me interested in the sequel, though I doubt it will happen for me. Stolarz writes perfectly entertaining and safe horror novels, but they lack the complexity and depth I tend to enjoy in the horror I prefer. ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 Jo rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, ebook, ya-thriller-mystery

The following review was written in the mistaken belief that this was a stand-alone novel. I have been informed that there will be a sequel so I will amend my review from 3 stars to 4. Here goes how the review would have went if I had known there was a sequel... I liked everything about this novel except for that cliff hanger ending. I am beyond ready for the next book to explain all the creepiness away. The writing was suspenseful and eerie. I have always been afraid of carnivals since I was li ...more

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Mar 22, 2014 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) added it

Not sure how I feel about this one, it was strange to say the very least. Full review to come!

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Nov 01, 2014 Nidah (SleepDreamWrite) rated it it was amazing

4 stars. No, hold up, you know what? I'm giving this a 5. I was going to read this along with the other two books I'm also reading. But I ignored this and found myself reading this more.

And before I knew it, I was halfway then near the end and then at the last page. What is up with that? Hmm, maybe it has to do with reading these at night? Its official, I'll read anything by this author. And I think I have.

So this book looked promising. Then later as I was reading the Touch series, I looked ba ...more

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Aug 23, 2014 SoWrongItsRANDI {Bell, Book & Candle} rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, series, thriller, suspense, paranormal, horror

Bell, Book & Candle | Welcome to the Dark House Review

I've been waiting to get my hands on this book for what seems like forever. Just a FYI, my nickname since childhood was Goosebumps, hence the appeal of this story for me. Originally I thought this was a stand alone novel, but it actually has a sequel, much to my amazement.

While I was reading, this I was camping out in the woods at night. Suffice it to say I was getting a little creeped out every time I heard a twig snap, which only added to the horror ambiance of this book. There was a decent amount of suspense, albeit towards the middle of the book. The first half was okay; some parts were interesting, others were kind of a drag. I appreciated the fusion of R.L Stine meets the Real World in the beginning; but the characters were exactly like I would have seen in the latter and not in a good way.

Cliché, cliché, cliché. Basically the description of each character. You have: the scary, timid girl #1; cute, weird girl who hurts herself #2; random girl who leaves early #3; sweet, artistic guy #1; and the love triangle between: cute rocker guy #2; pretty, insensitive tease of a girl #4; and gothic jerk guy #3. All of these characters were your average, cookie cutter, watered down characters in the YA genre. I didn't like any of them and only tuned into the book to see who would die first. Shockingly it wasn't the black person LOL.

While we're on the topic of clichés, the only one not in this book is the aforementioned "black person always dies first" and the "black person is scared and runs away from danger". The "scary, bad guy" of the story is an evil Christmas elf. Really? REALLY? Why is it that the "big scary dude" is always in some ridiculous outfit?: i.e. Chucky, Scream, Leprechaun. It really doesn't get more ridiculously cliché than an elf. Then you have the token love story that manages to be in almost every scary movie. I'll let you guess as to who it is.

Anyways, back to the characters. Their decisions had me shaking my head. Especially Natalie, who should have listened to her brother; I bet she feels really stupid now. I did like that Frankie called out Shayla on her "fakeness", it was one of the best scenes in my opinion. Shayla was the most irritating, after Garth of course (I was glad he got the axe... no pun intended).

If I were those kids, I would have never told my worst nightmare, or at the very least pulled a double all-nighter so the Nightmare Elf wouldn't have wormed its way into my nightmares. On a serious note, I thought that it was going to be all make believe at the very end like Inception; it's all in your head. The ending was even better than that.
...more

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Jul 27, 2020 J.D. rated it it was ok

Summary

7 contestants win a competition to spend the weekend at a B&B, meet their favorite horror movie director and see a sneak peek of his newest film.
Their weekend vacation takes a dark turn when the contestants begin to go missing. Facing their worst nightmares is their only chance to escape and survive.

Personal opinion

I found this book to be a bit bland and a little dull for my liking. I was disappointed because it had so much potential with contestants being invited to spend the weekend ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Jess rated it really liked it

This was a short horror read that read like an 80s slasher movie! It was very enjoyable....I couldn't put it down! But the cliffhanger- killed me!!! Loved it though....

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May 01, 2020 Lauren Stoolfire rated it it was ok

Shelves: horror, young-adult, thriller, mystery

I was expecting something much different from what I got. At least something that was going to be really creepy, but Welcome to the Dark House never quite lived up to that. Usually multiple POVs work for me, but that wasn't the case here either because I had a hard time differentiating between character voices. Overall, there was a lot of potential here but the story could have done with some reworking to make it all come together.

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Jul 14, 2018 Gray Cox rated it liked it

Shelves: what-the-heck-is-going-on, wheres-the-petty-crown, dark, meh-okay, okayish, suspense

This was a dark, confusing twisted ride (pun totally intended)! I'm very conflicted about it, the ending was kind of everywhere and Shayla was just too much.

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Oct 02, 2014 Yvonne (bookishpanda) rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, 4-stars-books, duologies

How do I even begin? I read Welcome to the Dark House for my Horror Reading Challenge, hosted by Tracy @ Cornerfolds, and was surprised how quickly I finished it! I really do love horror, even though I sometimes get freaked out super easily. Although that depends on the scenery and general storyline, so when I saw this book on Goodreads, I just knew I have to read it! The title intrigued me, the cover looks freaking awesome too - an amusement park! That can either be super scary or total bul ...more

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Jul 17, 2014 Tracy (Cornerfolds) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, mystery, thriller, ya, wishlist, horror, read-2015

As the person hosting the Horror Reading Challenge this year, it should come as no surprise that I am a horror junkie. I love horror movies and horror books. Unfortunately, I have been let down by quite a few horrors this year. I had seen Welcome to the Dark House around a lot in the last several months, but I wasn't totally sold on the synopsis and the carnival on the cover made me wary. Carnival horror stories are so hit or miss... But when I saw this at the library the other day, I snatch ...more

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Oct 24, 2013 Amy rated it it was amazing

“In a thousand words or less, describe your worst nightmare… and let your nightmares be gone.”
That’s all it took for 7 contest winners to win the chance of a lifetime- an all exclusive, paid weekend; featuring a behind- the-scenes look at the horror sensation and director, Justin Blake of the Nightmare Elf, and his latest film. Promising to give them a weekend they won’t forget.

For Ivy Jensen, nothing sounds better than the chance to rid her life of the nightmare that haunts her every night, th “In a thousand words or less, describe your worst nightmare… and let your nightmares be gone.”
That’s all it took for 7 contest winners to win the chance of a lifetime- an all exclusive, paid weekend; featuring a behind- the-scenes look at the horror sensation and director, Justin Blake of the Nightmare Elf, and his latest film. Promising to give them a weekend they won’t forget.

For Ivy Jensen, nothing sounds better than the chance to rid her life of the nightmare that haunts her every night, the one with the bird-like eyes of the serial killer that murdered her parents. Ivy finally decides to enter the contest, even though she hates horror movies, for the chance to escape the vision. Along with nightmare contest winners: Parker, Garth, Taylor, Frankie, Shayla, and Natalie, each holding onto their own dark secrets, looking for the promise to change their lives by meeting their icon. With their extreme obsessions, comes extreme personalities, causing the drama of the Dark House to unfold as soon as they all arrive.

When the contestants are picked up in a hearse and brought to the Dark House, each of their weekends starts off as a fun, horror-themed adventure, in a look-a-like set to the movies, complete with Midge, the serial killing chambermaid from the movie Hotel 9. With details like this, the Justin Blake fanatics live up to the promise of amazement. What all starts as fun and games, quickly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, when one contestant disappears shortly after she arrives, blood lines the back of her closet reading, “Get out before it’s too late.”

Their weekend turns from fun to deadly, when they are driven to an abandoned carnival in the middle of the woods. A Carnival, complete with the rides: “Train of Terror,” “Forest of Fright,” “Graveyard Dig” and a merry-go-round that plays an out-of-tune melody. Where their nightmares are the ticket in, and surviving their nightmares are the way out. A place specially designed to release the teens’ nightmares into reality, leaving the group with the sickening feeling that they were never meant to survive in the first place.

Laurie Faria Stolarz, takes you on a thrilling and terrifying ride with the introduction to her new series, Welcome to the Dark House, a tale meant to haunt you into the thrilling depths of fear itself. With a nod toward the classics, Laurie Stolarz keeps the thrilling tempo with murdering clowns, serial killers, and a deadly house of mirrors, producing images that tap into that carnal fear of living out your worst nightmares.

you can find more of my reviews and giveaways in my newspaper column For the Love of Books-Dixon's Independent Voice, or the online newspaper: http://dixon.patch.com/blogs/for-the-... / and my horror book reviews in the magazine Dark Discoveries. ...more

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May 28, 2014 AH rated it liked it

Shelves: dark, young-adult, zzread-july-2014, arc-netgalley, horror

This was an OK read for me but I can see the appeal for young adult readers who may want to read something other than R.L. Stine. Welcome to the Dark House reminded me a little of those Scream or Freddie Kruger movies with the bulk of the book taking place in an old abandoned amusement park - creepy!

Seven teens have won a contest where they get to meet their favorite horror movie producer of the Nightmare Elf series. They've each submitted their scariest nightmare and - you guessed it - the onl ...more

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May 16, 2016 Heather (The Sassy Book Geek) rated it liked it

Recommended to Heather by: lauren ♡

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2016, horror

Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek

“Welcome To The Dark House” is a good horror book, unfortunately it wasn’t something that completely blew me away but it was definitely very fun and entertaining.

The Plot

This book is PERFECT for any horror movie lovers because it’s basically a slasher movie in book form, seriously, it reads exactly like a horror film. Which has it’s downsides as well as upsides. The downside being that this makes the book feel a little corny at times and a bit underdev ...more

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Dec 27, 2013 Evie rated it really liked it

If you like horror flicks with twisty plot lines and characters that are there just so they can get killed off, you will really like Welcome to the Dark House. Think something along the lines of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, Saw and House on the Haunted Hill all mashed up together. The book isn't as gore as Saw, obviously (though it does have its fair share of dead bodies), and there are no revenge-seeking ghosts either, but the plot construction and the somewhat stereotypical charact If you like horror flicks with twisty plot lines and characters that are there just so they can get killed off, you will really like Welcome to the Dark House. Think something along the lines of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, Saw and House on the Haunted Hill all mashed up together. The book isn't as gore as Saw, obviously (though it does have its fair share of dead bodies), and there are no revenge-seeking ghosts either, but the plot construction and the somewhat stereotypical character cast feels very familiar. Not that it's a bad thing. Not at all. I had plenty of fun reading Welcome to the Dark House and would definitely recommend it to thrill-seeking readers who enjoy darkly entertaining horror stories.

A group of seven teenagers gets invited by a famous horror movie director to an exclusive behind-the-scene look at his upcoming project. The event is top-secret and it takes place in a shut-down amusement park, completely out of nowhere. One contestant is missing, the host couldn't be creepier, and by the time they realize what's at stake, it is way too late for them to get out.

The leading theme of this book is facing one's worst nightmares. To enter the contest, the kids had to write about their biggest fears and most blood-chilling nightmares. The most horrific ones won. The lead character, Ivy Jensen, shared the story of her parents getting brutally murdered while she was sleeping in the same house. The murderer came after her next, but was scared off by the police seconds before he could finish what he started. He escaped though, and was never caught. And he's been haunting Ivy's dreams ever since. She entered the contest not because she wanted to meet the horror movie legend, but because she was hoping that if she shares her biggest nightmares with someone, she will be able to finally move on and live a normal life.

This book definitely has a feel of a B-class horror flick and it's constructed as such. It's not a character-driven story, therefore, don't expect the characters to be overly complex or even too sympathetic (like I said, the majority of them serve one purpose and one purpose only - to get murdered in a creative and thrilling way). It's a pretty intense, creepy and entertaining story, but it's not a psychological drama or a very thought-provoking thriller. It's just a really fun and easy read, with plenty of chills and thrills and some really cool plot twists. The kind of story that messes with your head a bit, making you confused, suspicious of everyone and trying to decide if what's happening is real, or just a wicked prank. If you're like me and you like your horror flicks clever and bloody, and cliched in a purposeful kind of way that feels awesome, not awkward - well, you will probably have a great time with this book. It's a well-written, unputdownable, fast-paced and really atmospheric book.

The ending was pretty great in my opinion. It is a bit of a cliffhanger that you'd see in classic horror stories and it makes you go "awww shit, there will be more!". Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams" song would be the perfect soundtrack to the final scenes for sure. I really can't wait to read the second book in the series and find out what happens next!

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Jul 06, 2014 Aeicha rated it liked it

I love me a campy, scream-fest B horror movie, and that’ exactly what Laurie Faria Stolarz’s Welcome to the Dark House feels like, right down to the cliche, yet fun scare tactics; predictable, yet entertaining plot; and rigidly characterized, yet amusing cast.

Everyone has nightmares, some people are just more haunted by there’s than others. Seven essay contest winners are given the opportunity of a lifetime and win a trip to an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the new horror movie from famou I love me a campy, scream-fest B horror movie, and that’ exactly what Laurie Faria Stolarz’s Welcome to the Dark House feels like, right down to the cliche, yet fun scare tactics; predictable, yet entertaining plot; and rigidly characterized, yet amusing cast.

Everyone has nightmares, some people are just more haunted by there’s than others. Seven essay contest winners are given the opportunity of a lifetime and win a trip to an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the new horror movie from famous Justin Blake. The seven strangers find themselves in a luxurious replica of the Dark House from one of Blake’s movies, but the thrills and frights suddenly feel too real. One of the seven is missing, one is talking to herself, three are caught up in a love triangle, and Ivy and Parker are enjoying getting to know each other...but when literally faced with their nightmares, things turn awesomely, creepily deadly!

Cinematic in scope, Welcome to the Dark House combines many horror movie elements, in both predictable and new ways, creating a genuinely fun and spooky reading experience. Yet, like many of those movies, Welcome to the Dark House suffers from a character overload, cheesy dialogue, and slow pacing.

What Welcome to the Dark House and Stolarz get right is the creepy, spine-tingling atmosphere. From the whole Justin Blake horror movie world the author has created, to the isolated Dark House and amusement park, this is an atmosphere and world that will keep readers fully engaged and on the edge of their seats. Blake’s Nightmare Elf and Hotel 9 movies and characters are creeptastic and over-the-top in the best ways possible. The frights and thrills are plentiful, at least in the last half of the book. The first half is pretty slow as it is spent getting to know the characters and introducing us and them to the Dark House.

The story unfolds from six different perspectives (Ivy, Parker, Natalie, Frankie, Shayla, and Garth), but Ivy is the main character and focused on the most. We get a detailed glimpse into Ivy’s past, nightmare, and general personality, but the other characters not so much. All six essay winner’s each clearly have their role and trope to play (perky, hot girl; bad/tough boy, freak, All-American guy, goth chick, innocent/virginal girl) and are rigidly characterized as such, with little complexity (which may have been totally intentional!). But, that doesn’t mean these characters aren’t amusing and entertaining, because they are!

Once the characters find themselves in the amusement park and must face their nightmares, the real thrills and chills start! Stolarz offers an awesome mix of gory, heart-pounding, outrageous, psychological scare-tactics and frights. This part of the book is a lot fun, even if some of it is predictable and cheesy. However, I was disappointed by the rushed ending and the many questions left unanswered.

My Final Thoughts: Far from perfect, but entertaining nonetheless, Welcome To The Dark House is a fun story to escape into for a few hours. Campy horror fans, who don’t take their horror too seriously, will get a kick out of this book!
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Jun 26, 2015 Laura (Booksforbreakfast) rated it really liked it

I want to start by saying I love Laurie Faria Stolarz - her Touch series is one of my favorites. When I found out about this book, I had to read it. Despite me not loving some things about Parker and Ivy, I was able to finish it in two sittings.

I thought the writing was awesome, and I was captivated from start to finish. This idea was awesome. There is someone out there taking your fears and your most vulnerable thoughts and bringing them into reality, them forcing you to live them, it’s all ver ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Trisha rated it really liked it

"Welcome to the Dark House. Where you've come to stay and we hope you'll play."

This book was so wonderfully creepy and left me definitely desperate to get book 2!

I was so lucky. I had the perfect setting for this book. I had this over a 2 night camping trip and got to read it in the middle of the night in the middle of the woods all alone with just the suspense and crazy creepy book for company.

the perfect setting.

I am also a huge fan of horror movies. I love bloody gore, the scary jump "boo!" ...more

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Jan 30, 2014 May rated it it was amazing

I'd been waiting for this book forever and got an advanced copy. I loved it! So scary and suspenseful. OMG that scene underground!!! But just as enthralling were the characters, each with their own agendas and histories. I think I loved Natalie and Garth's stories best. It's one thing to scare the reader but another thing entirely to make the reader feel for the characters and make them all distinct. I can't recommend more.

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Nov 21, 2016 Jess Horsey rated it it was amazing

Absolutely amazing! Had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing. I'm gonna be talking more about the awesomeness of this book in a book talk on my channel athousandyearsofBOOKS!... Sorry, shameless self promotion.

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Apr 06, 2014 ♔Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Veronica Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♔ rated it really liked it

Shelves: highly-recommended, arc, nabbed, authors-you-squee-over

So awesome to have another book by Laurie Faria Stolarz

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Oct 10, 2018 Jessica (a GREAT read) rated it it was amazing

Laurie Faria Stolarz’s Welcome to the Dark House was just the kind of creeptacular read I was looking for! I read her Blue is for Nightmares series once upon a time ago and was quick to fall in love with that and have had her other books on my TBR pile for ages! Well, this October I was determined to read one of her books and chose this duology and it was the best decision ever!

The book is told through six different points of view of six teenagers who won a contest from a famous movie producer, Laurie Faria Stolarz’s Welcome to the Dark House was just the kind of creeptacular read I was looking for! I read her Blue is for Nightmares series once upon a time ago and was quick to fall in love with that and have had her other books on my TBR pile for ages! Well, this October I was determined to read one of her books and chose this duology and it was the best decision ever!

The book is told through six different points of view of six teenagers who won a contest from a famous movie producer, Justin Blake, who makes scary movies. They were to write an essay about their worst nightmares and the winners would get to a weekend getaway that would allow them to get a sneak peek at his next movie.

Ivy Jensen was never much of a horror movie fan, but six years ago her parents were murdered in their house with her right across the hall. She saw the killer, he spoke to her, and then the police showed up and he vanished. She’s been having the same nightmare over and over all these years. She only entered his contest in hopes that by writing about her nightmare, she’d be releasing it and never have to think about it again.

When the teens show up to the B&B that was formatted especially for them and Justin’s movies things are a little off. One of them happens to go for a walk and never returns. Then the housekeeper just vanishes hours later and soon they find a cryptic message in the back of the closet of the missing girl. But the teens, Natalie, Shayla, Garth, Parker, and Frankie all think it’s a part of the “game.” Ivy is the only one who’s a bit more fearful about the going-ons of the house.

Soon the group finds themselves trapped in a horror amusement park where they are all forced to face their fears. If they don’t, then they will be stuck inside the park forever.

This book, this book was super creepy and bizarre and I LOVED it! A lot of weird things were happening and it just made you totally discombobulated. You never knew what was real or fake. Who is the mysterious person that brought them all together? Their enemy is never clear because there are so many fabrications of the moviemaker’s monster villains all throughout the park. Everyone is convinced that it’s just a game.

The book gets told from all six of the teenagers, we’re able to see what happens to each of them and experience those things as they happen. We don’t know what happened to the seventh “lucky winner” as she never really makes an appearance on the scene. Our main characters though are Ivy and Parker, as the description leads you to believe. Garth is more of the ultimate horror fanboy of Justin and is really into the whole game or whatever it is that’s happening. But the description kind of led me to believe he’d be more of a key player when he wasn’t all that much of one.

Time with each of these characters is divided most equally for the most part. And even after that whopper of an ending, I am not totally convinced of what I read. I’m left questioning everything and I believe that was Laurie’s intent! Needless to say that I am extremely happy that I waited to read this one when the series was completed!

There was just the tiniest bit of romance between Ivy and Parker. It felt a little unnecessary too given the situation. I mean they’re falling for each other after a day! I know that’s typical in most YA books and even some adult books, but it kind of had me rolling my eyes. But it does sound like something to expect from a horror movie involving guys and girls.

While things end pretty cliffhangery I feel like it’s kind of fitting. I’m not a horror movie buff myself, but I feel like I’ve heard that some of those movies ended in a way that left you thinking it wasn’t over despite the end credits rolling. Given that these movies had multiple sequels that pretty much makes me feel like it a perfect way to end this one!

Welcome to the Dark House is the perfect horror read for Halloween or any time of year really! It’s not a gore-fest, but it’s definitely an eerie read that will keep you on your toes and guessing everything that might happen or already happened! It’s a book that will have you second guessing your bookish instincts and I positively loved it! Cannot wait to start the sequel!!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars ...more

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Oct 21, 2018 Donna rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, thriller, young-adult

WELCOME TO THE DARK HOUSE has a lot of creepy pieces to it that when put together create a pretty scary scenario. A bunch of fans of this movie producer end up getting selected to attend this creeptastic event (although no one seems to question that they’re all the same age, but the only age restrictions on the contest they entered were that you had to be at least 18 to enter) and right from day one someone’s missing. Then a hostess goes missing. Creepy writings find their way onto people’s wall WELCOME TO THE DARK HOUSE has a lot of creepy pieces to it that when put together create a pretty scary scenario. A bunch of fans of this movie producer end up getting selected to attend this creeptastic event (although no one seems to question that they’re all the same age, but the only age restrictions on the contest they entered were that you had to be at least 18 to enter) and right from day one someone’s missing. Then a hostess goes missing. Creepy writings find their way onto people’s walls. Everyone’s dealing with some sort of issue (again, a connection no one got wise to) that causes their nightmares. Then they get brought to the amusement park in the middle of the woods and one by one they literally get consumed by their nightmares.

I actually really liked all of the characters, even Garth, who was rather repugnant at times. They were all very real and very vivid and worked well within the story. What dampened the whole story for me was the ending. The overarching story comes to a conclusion, but a lot’s left to explore (judging by the first in a series title this book has) and the biggest overarching story is left unresolved and right at the peak of all the crap that gets thrown at all these people, we get a fade to black. The story fastforwards a number of months and then it’s over, yadda yadda yadda-ing past a lot of aftermath that apparently wasn’t important?

And I don’t know, but for some reason this amusement park didn’t come off as creepy. It had all the elements of a creepy amusement park (in the middle of the woods, stalking killer elves, rides that made people die), but it was lacking character. The story focuses more on the characters themselves, which I think worked while they were still at the house (which was “safe”), but once they got to the amusement park the world didn’t expand. I didn’t feel it. And I always want to feel creepy amusement parks. But aside from the gate locking from the outside, there was no real creep factor here. I wish Stolarz spent more time building up the ambiance in these scenes.

Overall it’s not a bad story, but it’s not one I’m going to be chasing after to read the second book. I really don’t have much of a desire to. WELCOME TO THE DARK HOUSE held my attention enough, but it was also a short book that I was able to rocket through without much effort. The ending is what really killed it for me. It’s like it was cut out completely, which left me pretty deflated and just overall unimpressed.

2.5 ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Randee rated it liked it

Shelves: horror

This was an interesting horror story. It moved along at a rapid pace and I won't say I was bored. However, I think it could have been a much better story if there had been more character development. There is no lack of action. Something is always happening so action fans should find this more than satisfactory. I probably will read the next in the series, so I think it has more positives than negatives.

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About Laurie Faria Stolarz

Laurie Faria Stolarz

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Laurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.

Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.

Stolarz found sales success with he ...more