This is the first book in The Secret of Spellshadow Manor series.
What would you do if you spotted a man following a young woman, but no-one else could see him?
Like most sane people, student Alex Webber thought he was hallucinating – perhaps he’d consumed something bad at the party he’d been attending that night, or he was severely overtired.
But when he sees the mysterious man following Natalie again the very next day, he can no longer disbelieve his eyes.
Although she denies the man’s existence, Alex sees her walking with him down a road in his neighborhood he’s never seen before – and can’t help but follow. After a bizarre, but strangely short journey, he finds himself standing before a towering iron gate wreathed in gray ivy, behind which looms a decrepit old mansion named Spellshadow Manor.
Spellshadow, with its beautiful yet sinisterly decorated hallways, ever-changing outdoor scenery and very unusual residents… Alex will quickly learn it is a place that is as wondrous as it is deadly.
Especially for a normal person like him.
I enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline which developed well. It was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, the plot began to get tense and exciting and it moved at a good pace with enough action.
I liked the characters. Alex and Natalie were great together and were both strong characters. They were both thrown into this new world and were stuck there of which they made the best of it whilst trying to figure out how to get out.
Aamir and Jari were also good character who also complimented each other well. Each character was relevant to the developing storyline.
My only issue besides the slightly slow start, was that I personally felt that it would have benefitted more by being written in first person perspective. It’s only a minor issue to my own preference. The story was still great and in general, it was written well.
I thought the overall storyline was quite complex, especially nearer the end. Elias is a very mysterious…thing, which I thought really added more depth to the plot. I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops in the next book.
I would definitely recommend this book.
My rating: 4/5*
