Darkhouse (Experiment in Horror #1)

"With all the vampire, werewolf and faerie books out there, it's easy to become numb to all things supernatural. The antidote? Darkhouse introduces two real and unforgettable characters, Perry Palomino & Dex Foray, amateur ghost hunters who are "attractive, relatable and oddly heroic," "flawed but loveable," "slightly crazy" and just the most endearing pair to ever tackle the paranormal...just don't call them normal. Darkhouse is a thrilling and sexy new take on concepts like Supernatural and The X-Files, bringing a breath of fresh air to a genre that has been inundated with the dead."

Rating: 3/5 stars

I usually start my book reviews with a short summary  (Or *cough*just copy the synopsis*cough*) But I am at loss when it comes to Darkhouse. I mean, I feel that if I say anything, I will be letting away too much. And why is that? Because there isn'ttoo much going on. I think the plot needed some major development. Maybe, this would have been a great book if it was marketed as a novella. But then again, it wasn't a small book (300-something pages), and it didn't exactly drag on.
     So to sum it up, I think there isn't too much going on in the book (plot-wise) but then again this 300 page book never felt boring..
   Umm, no, I'm not high, if that's what you're asking.
I think the problem with this book is that it focuses so much on building for the second book in the series, which, by the way, I am looking forward too.Really. I am.
   ...Why?
Aside from everything else, Karina Halle knows how to write. She knows how to weave an imperfect character, making her/him a likeable one. I loved how she made the protagonist a normal, relateable girl, without creating a plain Mary Sue. Perry was an amazing protagonist. Most of the time, she was a reason I laughed out loud (She is seriously funny). She's also a break from the naive, immature protagonists that flood YA novels. Perhaps that's because it's more NA than YA.
   Dex is like every other perfect love interest minus the fact he's not a jackass, nor is he immature. (And he's not perfect.)
   I love the pop culture references Karina Halle drops every now and then (Although I didn't get most of them, but I'm sure others will.)

So, a fun female protagonist
A sexy, mysterious male character
What could possibly go wrong?

Umm,The age gap. That is what could go wrong. 10 YEARS is just too much for my head to wrap around. And the fact that he keeps calling her "kiddo" doesn't help. I know it hasn't exactly been confirmed that he is 10 years older, so *fingers crossed*.


I really think this is one of those series that improves as you go along, and since the problem isn't with the writing, I think I might give this series another shot and see how the sequel goes.