Review: Down a Dark Hall

Down a Dark Hall
by Lois Duncan

Plot Summary:

Kit Gordy sees Blackwood Hall towering over black iron gates, and she can't help thinking, This place is evil. The imposing mansion sends a shiver of fear through her. But Kit settles into a routine, trying to ignore the rumors that the highly exclusive boarding school is haunted.

Then her classmates begin to show extraordinary and unknown talents. The strange dreams, the voices, the lost letters to family and friends, all become overshadowed by the magic around them. When Kit and her friends realize that Blackwood isn't what it claims to be, it might be too late.

Expectations:

When I was in high school, I loved reading Lois Duncan novels. They are fun suspenseful mysterious thriller type stories with high school students. Much more interesting than my mundane school days. I picked up this book because Stephenie Meyer is planning to produce a film version of it, and I really was not sure if I had already read it.

Review:

Dark, mysterious house. Dark, mysterious secrets. The scene of ghosts and horrible deaths. Isolated. Perfect for a boarding school! This story starts off with alot of suggestive occurrences. Weird happenings, strange dreams, under the veneer of normality everything is vaguely sinister and suspect. It’s curious that Kit’s mother and new step-father has to go on a honeymoon trip that will last her entire first term in school, but it conveniently leaves her stranded and vulnerable to whatever sinister plan the head of the school has in mind. I’m going to have to be equally vague as to what exactly is going on with the school and the four students, but I was impressed by the suspense and the gradual escalation in the horror of what was happening. As usual for Lois Duncan, I found the whole novel to be a very entertaining and light read, and while the story is not so very unpredictable, it is interesting to see how the author handles the story and the characters.

For a fun tid bit, Emily Bronte has an interesting and important role to play in this story.