Week 30 Reviews: Welcome to the Dark House, Return to the Dark House

From Goodreads:
What's your worst nightmare?

For Ivy Jensen, it's the eyes of a killer that haunt her nights. For Parker Bradley, it's bloodthirsty sea serpents that slither in his sleep.

And for seven essay contestants, it's their worst nightmares that win them an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at director Justin Blake's latest, confidential project. Ivy doesn't even like scary movies, but she's ready to face her real-world fears. Parker's sympathetic words and perfect smile help keep her spirits up . . . at least for now.

Not everyone is so charming, though. Horror-film fanatic Garth Vader wants to stir up trouble. It's bad enough he has to stay in the middle of nowhere with this group-the girl who locks herself in her room, the know-it-all roommate, "Mister Sensitive", and the one who's too cheery for her own good. Someone has to make things interesting. 

Except, things are already a little weird. The hostess is a serial-killer look-alike, the dream-stealing Nightmare Elf is lurking about, and the seventh member of the group is missing. By the time Ivy and Parker realize what's really at stake, it's too late to wake up and run. 

From Goodreads:
Ivy Jensen survived the Dark House once, but can she make it out a second time?

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?

Laurie Faria Stolarz crafts a mesmerizing thriller that will leave readers looking over their shoulders.

My Review:
Oh, I enjoyed reading these books so much! I do wish that there could've been a 3rd book, since the bad guy wasn't caught, and there's still the bodies of the contestants that were killed to be found. It's unlikely, though, since Return came out in 2015, and it's not 2019, it's probably not going to happen after all this time.

I wasn't sure if these books were going to be horror, or paranormal. They could've gone either way, and it worked being horror, because there were explanations for what was going on, that weren't out of this world.

I feel bad for Ivy, losing her parents like that. And I can understand her want/need to not be so afraid of things. But going to a house specifically geared towards horror? Even to desensitize herself, probably not the best idea. And when it goes wrong, that becomes abundantly clear! And then she puts herself in the same situation, but that makes more sense, since she wants to save Parker and the other contestants.

There was a problem with my copy of Return to the Dark House, it skipped some pages, and then repeated a scene. So that was a little unfortunate, because it was at the point just after the killer called her with instructions to the school, and it was her journey there, which might've been something important. Oh, well!

Loved reading these books, they were creepy and awesome books!

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Series: Dark House #1, 2
Read: July 21st, 22nd, 2019
Source: NetGalley, Bought
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books! And Welcome to the Dark House is a WTC Book! And Return to the Dark House is a End of Series 2019 Book!
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: July 22nd 2014, July 21st 2015

Welcome to the Dark House:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Return to the Dark House:

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars