Enter the Dark House: Welcome to the Dark House / Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Enter the Dark House: Welcome to the Dark House / Return to the Dark House Reviews

• 
  Cameron (readsandwritesbyc)

  The sequel is EXTRAORDINARY! It tied up all loose ends, gave a nail-biting exchange between the killer and our heroine, and maintained all typical horror tropes while at the same time providing nuances that added twists and turns that you couldn’t see coming!
  Altogether, this duology is a triumph in YA Horror and served as a perfect Halloween read!
• 
  eliza

  Was it just me, or did they not reveal the killers motives at all? Or did I somehow skip past that part? Some characters in this book were very infuriating *cough* Garth *cough* - but luckily I didn’t see much of him in book two. Speaking of, GOODREADS CAN I GET CREDIT FOR TWO BOOKS FOR READING THIS?!!?!
  
  I will end this review with a quote from my dad, when he saw the title of this book, “why don’t they just turn on the lights?”
• 
  Rory

  I like the first book better than the second
• 
  A Lib Tech Reads

  
  
  Enter the Dark House, by Laurie Faria Stolarz
  Rating: 3/5
  Release date: September 25, 2018
  Note: Special thanks to Hachette Book Groups for sending an ARC for review.
  
  I was a huge Laurie Faria Stolarz fan in high school with her Blue is for Nightmares series, so when I found out about this bind-up of her Dark House series, I had to request it. I have to be honest and say right off the bat that I only read the first part of this bind-up. I did not and won't be reading part two for reasons I'll be mentioning in this review.
  
  With the large cast of characters in this book, it's easy to forget who is who and with what trauma they have experienced. Some of these characters are flat and are unsurprisingly described as the goth, outcast, or prep. I could have done without the cliched side characters like Garth Vader (really? even if this was ironic, I had to cringe at all his dialogues), Shayla, and Frankie. If this book wasn't bogged down with the interchanging POV of these three, I think I would have rated this higher. I was relieved to be able to pick out a few recognizable characters that were a little more fleshed out than others and they held my attention. Ivy was the only person I was truly interested in and cared whether she made it out alive or not.
  
  Another let down from this book is the number of plot holes that were left unexplained. Without giving the "surprise" ending away, there were some scenes at the start of the book that made me question how much power and connections this Justin Blake truly has. Not to mention that he doesn't make much of an appearance in this book and none of the characters noticed or cared much.
  
  If you've read my reviews before, you'll know that there's nothing I hate more than unnecessary romance blossoming out of the blue between characters.
  
  
  
  There are scenes dedicated to certain characters suddenly falling for each other. It was during these chapters where I really wanted to give up on the book. I skimmed these parts and moved on as quickly as I could.
  
  Despite these annoyances, I still ended up enjoying the book and Stolarz writing made me reminisce about my high school days where I agonizingly anticipated the next Blue is for Nightmares book. I thought Justin Blake's Nightmare Elf film series was well thought out and a tongue in cheek play of notable horror film franchises. The author also created a very interesting main character with Ivy and her grim past; I still wish the story had focused entirely on her experience though. Although I didn't read the second book to this bind-up, I would still recommend it to students who want a quick horror that's entertaining. In the end, I recognize this book for what it is, and that's a really fun read.
• 
  Amy Emenaker

  I typically don’t read a lot of horror, but this was amazing! Loved it.
• 
  Megan Leprich

  If you're a fan of Halloween Resurrection or House on Haunting Hill this book is definitely for you. I picked this up mainly for that reason and I could not put it down, it was so good.
  
  Ivy is trying to recover from the murder of her parents and has assumed a new identity while living in foster care waiting for her parent's killer to come back for her. She receives an email one day inviting her to a contest where the winner gets to stay in the Dark House, all she has to do is submit an essay detailing her worst nightmare. Much to her surprise, she's selected for the show with the other contestants. Once they all arrive, things start to get scary and they soon realize they are playing to their death. Ivy ends up escaping but can't forget the people she's left behind. She returns to the Dark House with her newfound friend to try and defeat the killer and save the others.
  
  This book was full of suspense and spookiness. I love anything horror related and this book didn't disappoint. You will never be able to guess what happens next. I love how detailed the whole book was instead of rushing through everything it gave you great details and gave you an excellent picture of what was going on.
• 
  visceralreads

  whew this is one thick book,, but i'm sorry to say that it wasn't worth my time
  
  𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕳𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 (#1)
  2/5 stars
  I really didn't enjoy this; the story dragged on for too long,, the characters felt so annoying, cliched, and hormonal,, the Nightmare Elf thing was a little kitsch,, and the deaths were so anti-climatic.
  
  1. Story pacing:
  I was bored out of my mind the whole time. Especially when the contestants are in the Dark House and just settling in, that takes up about 50% of the book. The rest is just a forced climax and a rushed ending.
  
  2. Characters:
  To be honest, I dislike everyone in this book except for Natalie. I get that Natalie isn't mentally sound at the moment, but can yall not be so mean to her? Especially Garth, you fucktard. I liked the different POVs shown in the book, but the characters still felt unfinished and forgettable. And they were also annoying asf (Taylor and Shayla's perkiness is so hard to read). I'm also annoyed that everyone is 'damn pretty/cute' or 'so ballcrushingly hot' and only the mentally ill girl isn't (iirc). Instalove is real yall, and I honestly feel nothing about Parker and Ivy.
  
  3. The horror aspect:
  I think it's cool-a Nightmare Elf that collects nightmares in his sack and makes it come true. Okay, I admit: the only 'mainstream' horror films I've watched are Saw and Carrie(the one with chloe grace moretz) but I do love gory and gut-wrenching horror. Suffice to say that the horror in this book doesn't meet my standards. But that's, of course, my taste in horror so please take this with a grain of salt. I know this is ridiculous but,,,, the names associated with the Nightmare Elf franchise (Little Sally Jacobs, Sebastian the slayer, Pudgy the Clown) seems so... i don't know, it's so 90's teen scream horror flick. But anyway, the nightmares are so underwhelming and predictable.
  
  4. Pros?
  The different formats are so cool- we have e-newsletters, posters, movie scripts (Parker's mental camera), letters, medical history etc. I find it so fun to read, I just love those funny letterings. I'm literally in love with them :))
  
  Welp so that's my honest review of the first book in this giant book. I think I may have missed a lot of points but my brain's very fuzzy from finishing a book. Onto the next review!!
  
  𝕽𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕳𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 (#2)
  2.5/5 stars
  Okay this one is a slight improvement from the first book, but maybe still not particularly spectacular.
  
  1. Story pacing:
  Better than the first. I mean, yeah, it flows pretty smoothly now. But the end was wildly condensed into less than 20 pages (from Parker's POV onwards). I still don't know what to make of that. Not very happy about the obvious cliffhanger or whatever is going on with the bodies and the killer. Will there be a third book???
  
  2. Characters:
  I like Ivy more now. Taylor? maybe not so much-too chirpy and the frequent horror movie references are annoying (if you don't watch A-list horror films like me). Ivy is fleshed out more in the second book, and I can really feel her more. I'm just annoyed that Taylor was just thrown away like that, like, she had so much potential with her funny little scream queen wannabe personality and it's just gone in the cheapest way possible. Also annoyed with the way Parker survived too, why not just let him die so that the story doesn't feel predictable once again. I like Natalie, I hope she gets the help she needs in the end. And also: WHAT HAPPENED TO 'MIDGE' AND THE GIRL IN THE TUB!?!?? they literally disappeared from the narrative, and I want to know what happened to them
  
  2.5. The Killer:
  honestly, what the fuck. we dont get his identity, we dont get his motivation, we dont get why he sounds so sultry while 'guiding?' an 18-ish girl to her death, we dont know why he targets said girl and goes out of his way to orchestrate an entire horror mansion essay competition balooza just to kill her, and we dont get what's up with his 'my Princess' catcalls (ik Ivy's childhood picture has a Princess name frame, but still). Did he kill the real Justin Blake so he can 'steal' his identity just for the essay competition?? Why the hell is the real Justin Blake okay with someone using his name to host that? Is the killer a pedophile? probably. he watched Ivy's every move since she was like 12 or something. Thats so sickening, why her specifically?? and I'd love to read his POV, see what's in his fucked up brain. Maybe that'll make him more fleshed out, i suppose.
  
  3. The horror aspect:
  yeehaw, i love me a haunted mansion amazing race. but i dont love the holograms, they're so confusing!! and what kind of balls technology even allow such realistic holograms in this economy??
  
  4. Pros?
  I think I liked how the story flows better in the second book, but my questions from the first book's ending went unanswered.
  
  All in all, I'm just left feeling empty and disappointed after reading this. Had lots of potential with the premise but it just wasn't executed properly.
• 
  G Daniels

  Enter the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz is the combination of Welcome to the Dark House and Return to the Dark House in one volume. If I was not a fan of Ms. Stolarz prior, I would be after reading this duology. I have read the Touch series and the Blue is for Nightmare series, and enjoyed them, but I REALLY liked the Dark House series. In this series, MS. Stolarz, in my opinion, outdid herself and I give the series a strong 4.5 rating.
  The story is about Ivy, a broken teenager suffering from PTSD. Seven years earlier her parents were murdered by a serial killer while Ivy was in the next room and heard the entire thing and saw the killer who was never caught. Afterwards, he, the killer, continues to taunt her by sending her “gifts” to remind her he is still there. Counselling does not help, partly because she is not believed when she states the gifts she receives are from the killer even though she has no definitive proof. To face her fears, she enters a contest that is supposedly being sponsored by the famous slasher movie director known for his “Deadly Elf” series of movies which have a cult following. The premise behind the movies and the contest is the victims are killed by their worst nightmare. Entering the contest consists of sending an essay of the individuals worst nightmare. The winners get to spend a weekend at a “Deadly Elf” themed weekend party with the possibility of meeting the director and viewing a prescreening of his latest venture. Ivy, of course “wins”, along with six others. They end up at an abandoned amusement park where they must face their biggest fears as they described in their essays. Problem is, if they fail, they truly die. Welcome to the Dark House is Ivy and the others trying to survive the weekend.
  In Return to the Dark House, Ivy is still dealing with the horrors of her past which now includes her weekend at the Dark House. She has become obsessed with the identity of the tormentor behind the weekend and also to prove it is the same person responsible for her parents’ murder; believing the entire contest was designed in an attempt by the killer to get to her. After being teased and taunted, she is invited to the “sequel” at an old abandoned private prep school with the hopes that the others were not killed but only being held captive. She must sift through clues and figure out the “puzzle” behind the killer’s motive for the game without getting killed in the process and hopefully rescuing the others who survived the Dark House.
  It is tense throughout both books and there are enough twists to keep it interesting. It has a slasher movie vibe but does not have the cliché outcome and tidy ending. In the slasher movies the survivor can be predicted within the first five minutes of the movie and the motive of the killer is, if not realistic, quite obvious, not so with this series. Nor are the characters the cliché slasher-movie type characters, the characters are flawed, they are nerdy and have issues, each dealing with their own “ghosts”.
  Using a slasher movie premise as a backdrop, it is what a true slasher type movie should be. It is a genuine horror story that keeps the reader unbalanced and does not “cheap out” on the ending with the predictable slasher movie “it’s not over yet” conclusion showing with the killer still lurking and taunting. Nor does it end with the survivors sitting around singing their “kumbayas”, or even the ever-irritating sell-out ending where none of it was real but was just a nightmare itself. And then at the very end she gets the ominous invitation to go to the Dark House for real. The ending does leave it open for continuation of the story if desired. Ivy is still broke, she is not miraculously “cured”; she doesn’t become some heroine helping other victims of trauma; the killer is not brought to justice, and she doesn’t ride off into the sunset with the boy. It ends with more reality; with loose ends, but no cheap tease. And that is one of the things that made this story so much better than your average run of the mill horror stories. It was strong throughout from the beginning to the end. Ms. Stolarz avoided cliches and falling into predictable situations or outcomes.
  I would not hesitate to recommend the Dark House series to anyone who enjoys a good suspenseful horror story. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Stolarz’s work, namely Jane Anonymous and The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep.
  
• 
  samantha

  welcome to the dark house review
  
  okay, so, starting off with the first book of this duo: i thoroughly enjoyed this book. at first i was finding it a bit hard to focus, but the switch in perspective and different formatting styles kept it interesting and easy to read.
  
  i will say that a lot of the writing was a bit cheesy; apple and core, really? but aside from that, i think it was pretty awesome. the story is well-developed and really intriguing to follow along with. it did feel like some of the horror was dissatisfying after waiting so long for the action, but the tension was built up really nicely, making this pretty good for the creep factor.
  
  overall, i love the concept, and the execution is really well done. this book was definitely a great spooky read.
  
  actual rating: 4.25/5
  
  return to the dark house review
  
  i went into this one with pretty high expectations, looking forward to a conclusion, which may be why i’m reviewing this the way i am. don’t get me wrong, i liked it! it did really well building up that same tension, creating an ominous, uncomfortable atmosphere that’s super important for horror books. the plot logically follows the previous book, and a lot of questions were answered, which was satisfying.
  
  the one thing i didn’t like, however, is that there were just as many new questions at the end of this book. unfortunately, this didn’t quite feel like the end of the story. while i would love to read another one of these books, if this is the last one planned, then this ending left quite a bit to be desired for me. it was all a bit anticlimactic by the time ivy finally confronted the killer; ultimately, it sort of felt like this was just a set up for another book.
  
  regardless, this sequel was definitely pretty good, and it was a perfect continuation of the previous book. i just would’ve liked a bit more of a definitive conclusion to the story overall.
  
  actual rating: 3.75/4
• 
  Allie

  TW: suicide, trichotillomania, catoptrophobia, stillbirth
  
  Pages 1-357
  𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 was such a great book. Once I got the time to sit down and read, I flew through it. Also, whatever happened to Midge?
  
  Garth was a jerk, up until the very last of his chapters; I did not like him. AT ALL.
  
  Shayla. She was okay sometimes, better others, and completely horrible the rest. She was an up and down character for me.
  
  Taylor. Well, we don’t get to know her. I wish we did, but we don’t.
  
  Frankie. He seemed like a pretty decent character, but we honestly don’t get a lot of story time with him.
  
  Natalie. Well, talking to your dead-since-birth-stillborn-twin-brother is a little bit weird. My jaw dropped when we found out that Harris was dead.
  
  Parker. OH MY GOODNESS I LOVED PARKER. He seemed like such a sweetheart, and I hope we get to find out if he’s okay.
  
  Ivy (or April) is also amazing. I love her and Parker so much. She did not deserve to go through what she did.
  
  Pages 360-718
  𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 was a good book as well, but it was left on kind of a cliffhanger?
  We don’t find out who the killer is, we also don’t find out about Shayla, Frankie, Garth, or Taylor.
  
  I am glad that we got to know/meet Taylor, but like I said earlier, we don’t know what happened to her.
  
  I don’t have much to say about the book other than it was good, but I am disappointed that we don’t find out who the killer is or about the others.
  I’m only giving 4 stars since I am a little disappointed with the ending, but overall enjoyed my experience reading the book.
• 
  Crystal

  Are you ready to face your fears? Then Enter the Dark House.
  
  In these books, we're introduced to the fictitious horror director Justin Blake and his Nightmare Elf horror series. The premise of the movies involve an elf that can manifest your worst nightmares and use them against you. Creepy! Even creepier...Justin Blake has invited seven contestants to participate in his immersive Nightmare Elf experience. The lodging and sets are based on his famous horror series, with plenty of thrills and scares along the way. Every contestant will be forced to face their deepest darkest fear. Will they be able to conquer the darkness? Or will the Nightmare Elf claim more victims before the night is over?
  
  Welcome to the Dark House was such a fantastic read! The world of the Nightmare Elf movies was well established and made me want to binge watch them. (In fact, I'm kind of mad that they don't exist because I'm desperate to watch them now!) The premise had a very A Nightmare on Elm Street feeling to it, and it was creepy. I loved the setting. I loved the contestants, especially the moment they faced down their fears. It also had that really great horror movie ending where you're left unsettled and feeling like things aren't over and scared of what might come next.
  
  And what came next was, unfortunately, the sequel. Return to the Dark House was blah. As much as I loved the first books, that's how much I hated the sequel. The MC, Ivy, was so annoying in this one. She whines and complained the whole time, which made the actually story take forever to get going. And there were storylines that went absolutely nowhere. I liked the ominous ending of the first and didn't think it needed a sequel to begin with. And, honestly, Dark House was scarier before reading this one.
  
  If you're a fan of those long-running slasher series, I think you'll get a real kick out of reading these books. Although, personally, I'd suggest only reading Welcome to the Dark House and pretending Return to the Dark House doesn't exist. Just my opinion though. Others in the review seem to like the sequel.
  
  
• 
  rue

  i thought this book was good. although the first section was a little slow and the second one had a much better pace. i think investing some more time at the bery start to the characters would have saved more time overall in the beginning. really good read though.
• 
  Courtney Gibson

  Read is probably too great a word to associate with the review. More like skimmed. Reminded me of a slasher/ Saw movie but in fiction. Start was promising. I gave it up halfway.
• 
  Isabella Flynn

  Conceptually? Very cool. Felt a bit too long at times and truthfully I would’ve been fine without the sequel- still liked it though!
• 
  Xyenhao

  read this a few years back and this book was THE book that got me looking for more horror/thriller books
• 
  Alizabeth

  I finished this in three days! I really love the whole idea behind these books. The horror movie references were such a fun addition.
• 
  Ava

  One of my favorite books of all time. I picked it up from half price books one day in 2021 and I finished it in two days.
• 
  Cass

  Honestly the idea of this book is crazy! Because could legit see some rich psycho doing these things. The ending was left open for another book so fingers crossed there is one!
• 
  Sarah Tracy

  Did not finish. This book was definitely meant for a much younger audience than me. I made it through the first book, but didn't have the motivation to read the second.
• 
  Alisa

  I am going to try to contain my excitement about this book so that I don't start ABSOLUTELY GUSHING about how great this "duology" of sorts this was.
  I had previously read the first book of this duo around two years prior when I found myself in a dire reading slump, not knowing that it had a sequel.
  Recently, maybe around four months prior to my writing this, I have found myself coming out of my horribly long reading slump and starting consuming books (not literally, I assure you). I came across the first book of this "duo" and read it, along with its sequel.
  Might I say, that I was far from disappointed. The characters were all fleshed out brilliantly and you could easily distinguish between each of the characters, which can be difficult when you are reading a book that switches through as many perspectives as this one did. The plot was thrilling and had me turning page after page, unable to stop.
  The ending could have a few readers raising their eyebrows but I actually found it to be quite a compelling and satisfying way to end the duology (or I could just be crazy).
  Overall, I would definitely recommend this to readers who are looking for a thriller or a light horror. It wasn't quite scary but there are a few scenes that are quite creepy and unsettling to imagine.