5 stars for Return to the Dark House (Dark House book 2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz.
By sheer chance or hard work, I find it, see it, grab it and hoard it. By it, I mean the hardcover book of Return to the Dark House; a book I seek high and low ever since the credits start rolling in my front row seat to Welcome to the Dark House. Gripping the hardback against my chest - ecstasy beyond words - I thank my lucky stars for this unbelievable find.
Some people awake to escape their nightmares. Ivy Jensen - the only known survivor since the Dark House amusement park night - awakes into one (after another); on top of the ordeal she suffers from her parents' murder seven years ago, she now has to contend with the latest horror since the Dark House weekend.
In this sequel, Ivy continues to receive the Nightmare Elf e-Newsletter from the anonymous someone who orchestrates the entire elaborate setting two months ago. Much as she works to put her nightmares behind, in the deep recesses of her mind, Ivy knows that she will not be able to move forward until she finds closure - by seeking out Parker Bradley and the rest of the Dark House Dreamers whether alive or dead - to the whole Dark House episode. As the author so plainly puts it in her book title, Return to the Dark House is all about Ivy's return trip to the dark house; one that is spooky, gothic and complete with creepy gargoyles.
In my opinion, the author has done a fantastic job of putting readers in the shoes of the narrators such that I feel as if I am the wronged party who has been dealt the injustice. Reliving the pain that originates from the Dark House weekend through flashbacks by Ivy - as she grapples with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder - makes me feel as if I have gone on an intense emotional rollercoaster ride.
In book 1, we know that one of the contest winners - a girl by the name of Taylor Monroe - leaves the Dark House way before the die is cast for her role in the amusement park. Back then, I am so preoccupied with the rest of the 6 characters that I am not in the least bit bothered about the reasons that give rise to Taylor's disappearance. In this book 2, the author brilliantly draws her back and builds upon this character by giving her a voice, one that subtlety keeps me intrigued - from the moment of her appearance - to keep the pages turning to unravel her side of the story.
In all honesty, besides the almost predictable return of Taylor Monroe, that and the starring of Ivy Jensen in her lead role - where there will be actual sequel filming by the Nightmare Elf; a psychopath - in Return to the Dark House, I have not the faintest idea what to expect in this instalment. As a result, almost every chapter is loaded with spine-tingling surprises that give me the heebie-jeebies and at the end of it all, I am simply awed by the creativity of the author in spinning such a smooth sailing tale of horror origins.
In reading Return to the Dark House, I feel as if I have made a return trip - by myself - to the same big screen to catch the sequel of a horror flick, one that is even more involving and mind-boggling than the first. At the end of it all, when the credits start rolling yet again, I feel both relieved and sad; relieved to have survived another heart-stopping dark house adventure and yet sad that it has come to a close. The good thing is that based on the way the story concludes, I am 99.9% certain that a book 3 is in the pipeline. Yay!
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: 21 Jul 2015
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Two months have passed since Ivy narrowly escaped the Nightmare Elf’s grip, but the memories of Parker, Natalie, Shayla, Frankie, and Garth continue to haunt her. Their killer is still out there—somewhere. The police trail has gone cold, though, and it’s up to Ivy to piece together the clues to find him.
When a cryptic video arrives in her inbox, Ivy soon finds herself back in the spotlight, this time on a twisted scavenger hunt through the dark, ancient halls of a long-forgotten Gothic school building. Ivy’s not alone, either. Taylor Monroe has returned to the scene. But can Taylor be trusted? Or is she another pawn in the Nightmare Elf’s deadly game?
*Blurb from author's website*
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