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This was Amber House, after all, where the past was never really over and done with.

I had absolutely zero expectations of Amber House when I decided to pick it up, I'd read no reviews about it and there's been very little hype surrounding the book. So I went into it with a completely blank slate, knowing nothing but the little I was told in the GR description, which is something that I don't do too often. But, this time, the chance I took on a random book I knew next to nothing about really paid off in the end. This is a super-creepy, paranormal mystery (not historical fiction, as some might think, but it does contain some delving into family history) with a likeable heroine, centuries-old secrets and a look at several generations of one seriously dysfunctional family.

The story is about a girl named Sarah whose grandmother has just passed away and left her mother with the centuries-old Maryland estate that has been the home of their family for generations. Sarah doesn't know what it was that drove such a wedge between her mother and grandmother but she knows there are dark secrets hidden in the very walls of Amber House. Secrets that may be dangerous. When Sarah begins to see visions of her ancestors throughout the house, she finds herself pulled into a search for the treasure rumoured to be somewhere in the vast mansion, but soon it becomes apparent that more than just buried diamonds is waiting to be unearthed.

Let me tell you now: this is a creepy book. It uses a lot of traditional horror elements but puts an unusual spin on them. The big, scary mansion is not exactly anything new, but the characters make this a worthy addition to the already sky-high pile of spooky house books. Plus, the historical parts that are woven into the modern day story add a touch of something different; in this case, Sarah's ancestors include a slave-owner, a sea captain and a woman driven mad by grief. Sarah herself is likeable, especially because of her relationship with her autistic brother and the way she puts his comfort and safety before her own. I also really look forward to hearing more about her relationship with her mother in the sequel, it's rocky at best but I think they are not as different as either one believes.



I got distracted, back to the scary. Well, quite a few parts of this reminded me of The Woman in Black, but I'll let you work out why for yourself, just proceed with caution if you get scared easily. As much as people like to sneer at those who use old, overdone ideas in their work, there's a reason why certain things appear in most horror movies - because they're effin' scary! I can easily name the top three things I find the scariest of all in movies and books: 1) creepy children, 2) mirrors and 3) clowns/jokers. Sadly, there are no clowns in Amber House, but that's where the disappointment ends. Both creepy children and mirrors feature strongly in this story. Really, I don't know why kids manage to be so creepy:





And mirrors. Bloody mirrors. Every time I see a mirror in a horror film, I watch it like a hawk for anything weird appearing in it. Because we all know the horror-genre rule of mirrors, don't we? What's in the mirror, never stays in the mirror.



Are you scared yet? Hehehe. Of course, if this book was perfect I would have given it five stars. And it might have been perfect if it wasn't for the - gawd, can I even say it - love triangle. AHHHHHHH!!!! Not another one!!!! But really, it's not so bad when weighed against all the good, also, the thing that makes this one somewhat more bearable is that both guys seem worthy and equal candidates for Sarah's heart, it isn't like Twilight where it's so painfully obvious from day one that Bella will end up with Edward and Jacob will have to find love elsewhere (though even I thought Meyer wasn't low enough to pair him with a baby). So, you actually don't know who Sarah's going to end up with.

I would highly recommend this, even with the love triangle. Amber House is quite different from most young adult books and did I mention it's really creepy? But just in case you were really let down by the lack of clowns too: