Review: The Gathering by Dan Poblocki

Title: The Gathering
Author: Dan Poblocki
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: August 30th 2016

Pages: 224

Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal Horror
Series: Shadow House #1

Source: ARC

 

You don't just read this ghost story. You step into it.

Some houses are more than just haunted . . . they're hungry.

Dash, Dylan, Poppy, Marcus, and Azumi don't know this at first. They each think they've been summoned to Shadow House for innocent reasons. But there's nothing innocent about Shadow House.

Something within its walls is wickedly wrong. Nothing--and nobody--can be trusted. Hallways move. Doors vanish. Ghosts appear. Children disappear.

And the way out?

That's disappeared, too. . . .

Enter Shadow House . . . if you dare. 

This is a story of five young teens, all with special, or strange things that happen to them, The teens all get invited to the shadow house, while there, explainable and very terrifying things begin happening to them.

What made me pick this book up?
To be honest.. I don't even remember picking this book up. I got it at BEA, but I don't remember grabbing it. However, I can tell you, when we got to the hotel that day, I wanted something quick and small to read. This cover caught my eye. I thought it looked super creepy and it was small, so I thought what the heck, it'll be a quick read.

What do I like about the cover?

It's super creepy looking. I love the ghost affect, it's shiny and very other worldly looking. And when you open the cover it shows a photo of a normal looking girl. So I thought that was really awesome. 

What made me read it?
I kinda of went over that in the what made me pick it up. I wanted something small and a quick read, and I'm always down for something creepy. I didn't remember picking it up at BEA, so I thought it was kind of interesting that I didn't remember picking it up. My subconscious must have knew I would like it. Boy was it right. Anyway. I wanted to read it because of the creep factor, and the amazing cover. And I'm not one who usually reads a lot of middle grade books.

What did I like the most?

It keeps you wondering. Let me tell you, I did not want to put this book down once I really got into it. It's very creepy and has a very mysterious undertone to it, because you have no idea what is going on through most of the book. I think the characters were very well written, the writing was great, and the story was very unique. 

The least?
It was just a little bit confusing, because it changed POV in each chapter, sometimes in the middle of the chapter. So I found that a bit difficult at times. 

I also didn't like it, because this is an ARC copy and there weren't pictures in there it just said "Art" where it should be. Though that wasn't anything to do with the book itself, just makes me want to buy the real version when it comes out. 

I didn't like the ending. It definitely sets up for a second book, which is great. I didn't want the book to end, so it was kind of bittersweet that it was a quick read. And I realized the other day that I have to wait AT LEAST a year, before the second one comes out, probably longer, because this is only an ARC with a release date of August 30, 2016.

Would you read the rest of the series/Other books by this author?
YES YES YES and YES. I cannot wait until the next one comes out, and I definitely will be checking out more of his books. 

I very much enjoyed this book. It's a great quick, creepy, well written story. Even if it is a young reader book, I felt like it was not too young for me, as the story is quite interesting. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a creepy read.

Dan Poblocki is an American author of mystery and horror novels for young people. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. During his pre-teen years, his family moved to Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Dan currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with two scaredy cats.

Dan graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in theater. Subsequently, he toured the United States playing ultra-challenging roles such as Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves to packed houses filled with literally thousands of screaming children. (He hopes they weren’t screaming in fear.) Though “the profession” begged him to continue, Dan gave up early on his promising acting career to focus on other creative endeavors. While exploring those various artistic options, Dan held a number of jobs in New York City including: a floral groomer, an audience-wrangler for a popular game show, a computer analyst, a chemotherapy-unit assistant, and a traveling bathing suit sales-dude.