Book Review: House of Grey #5

House of Grey #5

By:  Collin Earl

Publish Date:  August 5, 2012

Format:  ebook

Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy

Series:  5th in House of Grey series; 1st Book, 2nd Book, 3rd Book, 4th Book

First Glance Feel:  Magic in high school. It's all coming out! We are learning how the pieces fit together.

Synopsis:
Fantasy, friendship, and fate await you in Collin Earl’s The House of Grey, based on the popular audio fiction by the same name.

14-year-old Monson Grey faces the same challenges that any freshman high school kid would: difficult classes, weird teachers, food fights…girls. Except, Monson Grey is not Monson Grey. At least, when he looks at himself in the mirror, the scarred face staring back is not someone he recognizes.

Now he finds himself attending an extraordinary school, the recipient of an incredible scholarship, among ridiculously rich classmates, all with no memory of how he got there or what to expect.

All he has from his former life are the flashes of haunting images that plague his dreams and the echoing voices that he hears, but cannot see.

Luckily, Monson finds fast friendship in two of his classmates, Casey and Artorius. Little does Monson know, they too carry their own skeletons. Yet, as bizarre events start to unfold around them, Monson wonders what secrets lay buried in his mind or if he will ever be able to share his true fears with his newfound friends.

Join our three heroes as they roam the halls of the most prestigious high school in the country, finding love, mystery, and answers to their algebra homework- all while peeling away the layers of Monson’s shadowy past.

Author’s Note: The House of Grey was originally a serialized audio fiction. The Volume system begins the written adaptation of that story. Individual volumes do not contain the complete story. The Volumes contain 50,000 to 70,000 word chucks and are divided into ARCS. (ARC ONE, the Coren University Arc, consists of Volumes 1 through 6 and corresponds to the original podcast fiction) Each ARC will be available for a reduced price in an omnibus format. Original material for the continuation of the story starts in Volume 7

First Sentence:
Monson did not sleep much that night.

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble

**Pick up the first 2 Volumes of the story on Amazon for FREE!
Book 1   /   Book 2

My Thoughts and Summary:
Things seem to iron out for Monson in many ways as the dance approaches, even with Taris. Kylie even comes around and her and Casey finally talk along with telling the group what is going on. Kylie is upset and is here to search for her lost sister, Sage. The day of the dance has come, and Monson has a bad feeling sitting deep in him. Something is going to happen.

I love that we dig a little deeper into the history of the area. And there's a long, dark past here. No one knows the exact reasons or explanations of the events that have happened. There are legends. But we see what the area has been through.

I'm thrilled that we get the scoop on Kylie and Casey, once best friends now...nothing. There is something there with them and it surfaces. Kylie's sister went to school here and went missing. We heard a piece of the story a few volumes ago but now we get Kylie's side of the story. Kylie is convinced her sister is alive and in hiding. Maybe our three musketeers will help Kylie look for her sister? I hope so.

All that we've learned of the characters and of the land starts to come together here. The history of the area plays into Sage's disappearance, at least Kylie thinks so. I even think the history is connected to other happenings. Everything is narrowing in to answer questions we've had, yet there is still mystery present in this volume as well. Oh and the things we learn about Monson... wow.

The day of the dance arrives! This dance is a huge event for the students with media and fun. Then, where there's a big even, not just big but a BIG event. lol. It all hits the fan here! The magic is unleashed and explained. The war is explained. Then the one person that has been after Monson is present. We talk to him. And oh the things he says...

This volume has caught my attention like the first few did. Volume 4 was slower, but set us up for what's to come here in volume 5 (and I think 6 too). This one had me racing to read and see what would come up next.

As much as I loved this volume, I felt like there were a few times I missed something or a few sentences were removed. I know kids at this age are easily distracted and redirected but what Monson, Casey, and Arturius set out to do gets side railed and forgotten at times. At the end I felt like I missed a small section.

I know Collin has said this is a serialized story and there is no good place to stop. (Boy where they stopped here has me rushing to get the next installment to know what happens.) I'm hoping the next volume has the missing pieces as everything is happening quickly now.

There is a big change at the end. It kept me reading as the curiosity and apprehension grew. I wanted to know what was going to come at us next.

I have my next volume and will be diving in now!