The Forever House

Taggard Point #1

by Mark Rivers

Only the teenagers of Taggart Point know the evil that lurks beneath the lovely white beaches and tourist shops in the quaint, little town. Amy Lowell learns the town's secrets on a dare, when her friend Jon enters one of the deserted houses on Maitland Road . . . and never comes out.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect this to take a House of Leaves turn.

Also, Amy’s nickname is Magnet but everyone calls her Net for short 🤣

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amy Lowell and her friends must venture into a supposedly haunted house known as the Forever House after their friend Jon goes in there (in search of somebody who disappeared two years ago), and never comes out. They find themselves caught in a bizarre maze, as rooms change before their eyes, and supernatural forces pursue them, pushing them further and further into the house.

Still procrastinating at reading the Delores Fossen book I read one chapter of and put down, I went to my YA horror collection and pulled out this one in the hope for some quick, easy thrills. And it mostly delivered! I never knew about the short-lived (4 books) Taggard Point series when I was a teen, and only stumbled across it when I was collecting some of the more well-known books from my youth. If this book is any indication, I'm looking forward to the next three.

The Forever House is a bit more imaginative than your typical YA horror, with Rivers describing all manner of different rooms and scenarios that the teens find themselves trapped in. There is also some creepy imagery that I wish had been expanded upon. A great one has the mysterious man chasing them stepping through a mirror, legs first. And that's the main problem with the book - it frustratingly holds back with the more frightening elements. Strange monsters? Giant spiders? Why tease me with those and not deliver??? A "living storm" isn't as frightening as those prospects, yet that's the menace that gets the most description. Yawn.

And being set almost entirely in one house meant a lot of description. I tended to rush through it because I wanted to get to the next scare. Excessive description is not my favourite thing to find in a book. Plus, there isn't enough explanation as to the "why" and "how" behind the house and why it wants to lure hapless teenagers into its clutches. But the book builds to a creepy, impressive last third and is a fun, horror-lite way to pass the time!

[Erica Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool in theory (an evil nightmare house holding kids hostage??)…but not much happens. Got a little Rose Red at times and a tuxedo man with a threatening aura shows up, but it doesn’t seem to set up for rest of the series that well. Needed more back story and action imo. Not sure what to expect from the next three books.

[Grace Chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one, but it ultimately felt lackluster to me. Perhaps I'm judging it too harshly, because I was expecting a ghosty and or murdery plot, and instead it was more in the fantasy realm. Regardless, I sped-read through it just to finish the damn thing 😆

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS BOOK FOR YEARS!!! I used to read this book a lot in elementary school and could not for the life of me remember the name of it. I tore apart my parent's basement trying to find it. I googled extensively. Talked to people about it. Asked people about it. Couldn't find it and no one had heard of it. And I have FINALLY FOUND IT.

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid YA pulp horror novel. Fairly tame, but the story doesn't require a lot of blood and gore, so the focus on tension over splatter pays off. The story and characters are on the thin side, but the plot moves fast, and there is a complete lack of filler and fake outs, which was very much appreciated. High stakes and a sense of urgancy keep the book interesting. The writing itself is pretty solid, too. It kept me entertained enough to want to get the next book in the series, and that's always a pretty good sign. Recommended if you can find it at a reasonable price.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Never learned by whom or what or even why the house was haunted. One character's story line was not completed. Also, the missing brother? I wanted to know what had happened to him and why did he go into the house. Why does the police officer not like Amy's father, was there history between them? I thought the story could have had more depth and details. Disappointed but glad there wasn't gore!

[DeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

rtc

[Shie · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a cute story. Reminds me of horror/fantasy movies like The Monster House. It was short but it'll do


The cover is just....I dont know. I dont even know that girl in the cover.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up mostly because the cover for the second book in the series, Shapes, looked so familiar. I figured teenage-me would have read the first book before the second, but not too much seemed familiar here.

Amy and her friends are bummed that summer is over, but when Jon suggests exploring the old mansions up on Maitland Road, no one really wants to... until their friend Dev, whose brother went missing last year, disappears. Jon thinks Dev went to look for his brother in the house, and takes off to find him. Amy, Spike, and Becky go to the house to find him and find themselves lost in a surreal, ever-changing maze of rooms.

I wonder if my inability to remember if I read this book before comes from how much is too familiar from reading other, similar books. The opening scene, where Amy & Co. is sitting around watching the summer people leave felt very familiar, but the way her friends called Amy "Net" (short for "Magnet" or "Trouble Magnet") didn't seem familiar, nor did the prank she gets in trouble for. After Jon disappears, she and her friends have the same dreams - pretty standard for paranormal horror stories, and the house is weirdly trippy but I've also read many, many haunted house stories that had similar elements.

Overall this was exactly the kind of story I tore through in an hour back when I was a teenager so chances are I read it so fast I flew right over anything that would have made it memorable 15-20 years later.

I will be getting the second book from Paperbackswap.com and will be listing this one if you are interested in some vintage YA horror!

[TwoCagedBirds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book a few times when I was in Middle School and loved it. I forgot the name of it for years and years, and didn't think I would ever remember it. Well. someone just commented on my post and knew which book I was talking about. I'm just so relieved and happy because, FINALLY, after so many years of it being in the back of my mind, like "What's the name of that book? What's the name of that book?", I finally know the answer and ugh. I can just stop obsessing over it now. I will definitely be reading this book again when I get my hands on a copy.

[Matthew MacIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a serious that really didn’t have enough time to become something. The town seemed like it would have become a fear street type. But was never given the chance. This story follows a group who go in a house that is different on the outside than it is on the inside. Where doorways lead to who knows where. It’s ever changing. Will they get out?? I couldn’t really get into this book. I was just reading it for it to be over.

[Catie Disabato · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread, for me, of a horror book I read dozens of times in my preteen years.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the extended descriptions, I loves this book! Will definitely be reading the series!