31 Reads of Terror: 'Shadow House: No Way Out' by Dan Poblocki

I recently stumbled upon a copy of Shadow House: No Way Out by Dan Poblocki while perusing a thrift store, and I couldn’t resist the allure of that delightfully creepy cover. Although I was aware that this was the third installment in a series, I naively assumed it would stand on its own—kind of like those Goosebumps books that used to bring us eerie glee. But oh, how wrong I was! It turns out to be part of a trilogy, with a fourth book serving as a standalone. “No Way Out” picks up right where the second book left off, which made for a bewildering experience. Still, I needed a riveting read to share for my 31 Reads of Terror, so I dove in headfirst, hoping to untangle the mystery along the way.

The plot unfurls like a sinister tapestry: Shadow House always wins. Poppy, Dash, Azumi, and Dylan may have escaped its clutches, but the grounds are a whole new realm of nightmares. Unbeknownst to them, someone they once trusted is hunting them down, and there’s no sanctuary to be found now that they’ve stirred a pesky shadow creature from its slumber. To survive, they must decipher the dark desires of the house and weigh what—or who—they're prepared to leave behind to escape its eternal grasp… or risk being ensnared forever. From the haunting cover to the spine-chilling pages within, Scholastic did a superb job with the design. Kids drawn to the macabre will be instantly hooked. I can imagine them pulling it off the shelf, almost hypnotically, eyes wide with a blend of curiosity and dread.

As for the narrative, it struck me that Poppy, Dash, Azumi, and Dylan are like hapless gamers trapped in a horror video game they never signed up for. They’re stuck in a haunted house needing to navigate its grounds—each corner lurking with fresh horrors and twisting enigmas. When this book first hit the shelves, there was even a Shadow House app (though it might be just another ghost of the past now), suggesting there might have been an interactive element to accompany this spine-tingling saga.

Shadow House: No Way Out proved to be a darkly engaging, fast-paced read that kept me on my toes. If you’ve got little ones who crave thrills in the vein of horror, this series is absolutely worth seeking out. It’s lurking on Kindle, but scout around to see if it haunts your local bookstore as well. Trust me, this is a series that will have young readers peeking under their beds—just in case. ╌★★★★✰

〜B.J. Burgess