Het Huis met de Raven

The Ravenscliff #1

by Geoffrey Huntington

Dave slaakt een diepe zucht en voelt dat hij begint te trillen. Hij loopt naar het venster, sluit de ramen en duwt de klink naar beneden. Hij draait zich om en wacht af of er iemand op zijn deur komt bonzen om te vragen wat er in hemelsnaam aan de hand was. Nu zal mevrouw Krandel toch wel moeten vertellen wat ze weet.

Niemand.
Ze hebben niets gehoord, zegt de stem. De demon kwam voor jou. Alleen voor jou.

Dave heeft een bijzondere gave. Al van jongs af aan ziet hij demonen en monsters die hem bedreigen, maar tot op heden is hij sterker dan zij.
Als zijn stiefvader overlijdt, moet Dave weg uit zijn vertrouwde omgeving. Hij wordt naar het Huis met de Raven gestuurd, waar mevrouw Krandel met haar dochter en neefje woont. In dit huis zal Dave antwoorden moeten vinden: wie is hij, wie waren zijn ouders en wat houdt mevrouw Krandel voor hem achter?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Fiction, Demons, Magic, Supernatural

301 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Geoffrey Huntington lives in a house by the sea near to the place where, three hundred years ago, a pirate ship sunk below the waves. The screams of the doomed men can still be heard from Geoffrey's window on windy nights. As a boy, Geoffrey became fascinated by the world that exists on the other side of our own. His inspirations and influences have always been a myriad lot. Lovecraft. Tolkein. Buffy. Harry Potter. Quantum Leap. The original Dark Shadows. The Turn of the Screw. Alfred Hitchcock. The Twilight Zone. The X Files. Dr. Who. Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Marv Wolfman’s Dracula. Nosferatu. James Whale’s Frankenstein films. Anne Rice. Stephen King. Tod Browning’s Freaks. The Exorcist. The Blair Witch Project. The Grudge. Silent Hill. Lara Croft. Indiana Jones. Star Wars. Star Trek. Under other names, Geoffrey writes suspense and horror novels as well as many works of nonfiction.

Reviews

[S.J. Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read Sorcerers of Nightwing because of the spooky cover and the mention of a haunted mansion in the blurb. Halloween was approaching and I like to get into the spirit of things by watching sanity-curdling films, listening to Black Sabbath and hissing “GET OUUUUUT” through my neighbours’ air vents. When I got my copy, I promptly lit some gothic candles (ignoring the blazing sunshine outside) and spent an entire day searching for my Headless Cross album.

You can probably tell, I was expecting to like this book. And I did. More than that, when I spend an entire day in my pyjamas without tweeting, washing, or eating anything but cheesy Wotsits, it means I loved it.

Sorcerers of Nightwing is a Young Adult book, so don’t expect anything horrifically frightening, but it has what so many paranormal books lack: atmosphere. The descriptions of Ravenscliff are vivid, ambient and fun. The thunder and lightning should be a tacky cliché, but it somehow works. Spooky and mysterious, Ravenscliff is an awesome place that I wish was real. I wanted to explore it with Devon, sneak into the East Wing with him, candle flickering, bravado turned on but fully prepared to run like a Whippet and leave him behind should anything white and floaty turn the corner.

The main protagonist, Devon March, is a nice lad who I didn’t want to slap even once (A true miracle). I felt intensely sorry for him, and even a little bit protective. He’s suffered a trauma or two, but he’s not the wallowing sort or the bad boy rebel type. He’s just a young boy trying to get on and work out who he is and what his place is within Ravenscliff. His character was a refreshing change from the usual emo stereotype. Hey, I loved Harry Potter and still wear my Gryffindor scarf on cold days but, wow, that kid could whinge.

Sorcerers of Nightwing is well-written with a narrative that flows and a plot that is well-paced, mysterious and absorbing. It’s definitely more of a story-based book than romantic-based. I hate it when a romance takes over a perfectly good story. Keep that for an actual romance novel. I came for spooky sobbing and the creepy caretaker, and those things I got. I loved this book. It was a great concept with well-written characters, awesome storytelling and a wicked shock ending. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of the ebook through NetGalley in return for an honest review. Much thanks to Diversion Books.

Reviews @ S J Hollis - unreliable narrator, bad spella http://sjhollis.blogspot.co.uk/

[Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this Book in a library, and read it because it seems no one touched it for ages.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, kinda scary YA-book. A lot of mystery in it. Wish I could find out more about the author though...

[Emily Northcutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My gut reaction to this book is that it is a "Harry Potter meets Pennywise the Clown, set at the Dark Shadows house and edited by Darren Shan" spook-fest. If that statement sounds like a criticism, you are wrong! I love the boy wizard, Stephen King, Barnabas Collins and the author I consider to be the middle-grades/YA master of horror. Ravenscliff is a creepy YA horror series that I would love to see grow its readership!

I'm a huge fan of horror lit and movies and this first novel in a series sets up some interesting paths that it could follow. I know that "Sorcerers" was originally published in 2002 and that the e-book that I read courtesy of NetGalley is an updated re-issue of that title. I could tell that the technology and pop culture references had been freshened up a bit, but the underlying narrative I'm sure hasn't changed. Fun fact - I actually bought this book way back when it was initially published for my former school library's collection. It remained on my "to-read" list for the four years that I was there, and when it went out of print, I didn't consider buying it for my current school.

Devon March knows that he is different and throughout "Sorcerers" he begins to find out exactly how different he is. The man he thought was his father has died and he is sent to live at the Gothic Ravenscliff at Misery Point. I chuckled at the Dracula references that are tossed about during Devon's journey to his new home. He meets a motley crew of characters who become his friends and he begins the quest to figure out where he came from and why he has magical powers that give him dominion over demons. Did I mention that there's a really creepy clown on a demented children's show that only certain people can see? I've been leery of clowns since I read/saw "It" like most sane people.

There are plenty of mysteries that are set up in this story that I hope will pay off in later books. Very few things are resolved by the end of this tale, but it does have some very exciting action sequences. The sequel Demon Witch: Book II: The Ravenscliff Series is also due to be out soon to be followed by a third book, Blood Moon, that was not published before in English. Hopefully, Devon and company will get at least a 4th book, as I've read that the 3rd book ends on a cliffhanger.

It's always good to find new horror lit for young people that doesn't involve paranormal romance, as my male readers are mostly not into that. Welcome back, Geoffrey Huntington!

[21barbie37 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book somehow.
Cannot really tell you whether it's actually a good book or if I'm just being nostalgic.
But! I think it's worth your time. It has this nice vibe of early 2000s.
A mixture of horror and fantasy, with a bit too perfect main character, but it's still well executed, not tiring at all.

The Cecily & Devon part kind of boring, there could have been more of it or it could disappear completely.

I honestly almost shed a tear at one point!

Honestly I don't think it's possible to buy it anymore, maybe try looking for it in your local library. I've had this trilogy on my shelf for about ten years. First read it when I was around eight. Didn't remember a thing.

Overall, it's good. But it's not the typical 3,5⭐. It's mostly the fact that I had fun, it was nice to read a story that used to be close to my heart. I literally cannot rate it the normal way. I bet it would be lower if it didn't hold a special place in my heart.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many years, Devon has grown up with just his father, all the time knowing that the monsters in the closet are real. When Devon is orphaned he is sent to Ravenscliff where he is sure he will get answers to his most pressing questions. However, when he gets to Ravenscliff he finds that no one will talk about his abilities to see monsters.

I found this a really well done book. I will enjoy reading on in the series. Devon is a good character that is growing with the book and his discoveries. I enjoyed this one - a good fine.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it when I was young and I decided to re read it again. And I spent a very good moment. It’s a good book, it aged well. So e things were repetitive and there’re still so many questions at the end by\ut it’s a first book of a saga so it doesn’t bother me.
I would still recommend

[Connie53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend verhaal voor de oudere jeugd. Dave blijkt een magische kracht te hebben en na de dood van zijn adoptievader komt hij terecht in het Huis met de Raven. Hij komt erachter dat er flink wat geesten door het huis sluipen. Veel van zijn overleden familie leden hebben in dit huis gewoond. Dave hoopt er achter te komen wie zijn ouders waren. Samen met Cecile, de dochter des huizes, gaat hij op onderzoek uit en moet ondertussen de strijd aangaan met de geesten. Een 7 maar hier een 8.

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most kids are afraid of the monsters in their closet – even if they aren’t real. But Devon March’s monsters are actually demons, and his closet is actually a hell hole, and his father never tells Devon to stop imagining things. So, Devon spends most of his childhood fighting off the demons and learning to be stronger than anything that comes out of the hell hole. Then, when he is fourteen, his father dies, leaving him with more questions than answers and Devon is sent to live at Ravenscliff where he will learn the truth of his heritage.

At Ravenscliff, Devon encounters a number of ghosts, a friendly teenage girl, and a spiteful possessed child. He also learns that he is a Sorcerer of the Nightwing – one of the guardians of the world, who can harness the power of demons. He has no idea who his true parents were, and his new guardian isn’t eager to help him discover the truth. As Devon begins to unravel the truth, he must risk his life to protect the other inhabitants of Ravenscliff from evil forces his coming has attracted. When the story ends, we learn what Devon is, even though we are not much closer to knowing who he really is.

Even though this is a really fast read, it’s somewhat disappointing. Sorcerers is obviously set up to be a series of books, and while there’s plenty of action to move the story along in this first book, there’s just not enough content. So many of Devon’s attempts to learn about himself fail, and he doesn’t get any opportunities to study his powers, or the books of sorcery of the Nightwing. It was extremely frustrating as a bystander to watch Devon decide to do the things that wouldn’t bring him any closer to self-discovery when it was clear that answers could be found easily by other means. There was a lot of repetition – of key phrases and points that characters were trying to make. Some of these were things that might have worked better as more subtle foreshadowing than as the constant reminders they became. We already know Devon is more powerful than any of them, can we move on already? I have very little tolerance for lengthy books that make no progress. There’s only so much stringing together of scenes of violence or sex or action you can do before readers (hopefully) start wondering if you’re ever going to make any headway into the real things that are at stake. If I’m going to invest my time in a book or a series, I want it not to be a waste of that time.

Sorcerers has the potential of being good – if the author/editor/publisher would focus less on parsing it up into several volumes and more on making sure that each volume stands well on its own and doesn’t merely serve as an appetizer for the next. There’s only so much tantalization readers are willing to take before they look for a main course. I’d really like to see this story get somewhere and I don’t have any confidence that it will.

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After his father's death, fourteen year old Devon March is sent to his new home in New England - the huge and forbidding mansion Ravenscliff, that all the townspeople he meets on his way warn him against travelling to. But Devon is not as afraid of his future as others in his shoes would be: he knows he is gifted with a special power, a power that protected him from the very real demons and monsters that he had dwelling in his cupboard and under his bed as a child. Now, he seeks to find who he is, and why such things happen to him, for on his death bed, his father claimed he was not his biological father. Guided by the calm and powerful Voice in his head, that grants to him his own brand of magic, Devon is eager to begin his investigation. What secrets lie there? Has his presence stirred things up? People warn him of the ghosts that lerk in the old mansion, the Muir ancestors in the family's legends. But Devon's on a quest. A quest to find his past.

Really good dark fantasy is a very rare thing because the authors usually just throw one shock after another at the readers. Huntington, on the other hand, utilizes gothic cliches (the sinister mansion with a tragic past, abandoned towers with lights, the weird caretaker) with the excellent idea of the Sorcerers of the Nightwing. Despite using a combination of stuff that could have been stupid if handled badly (demons in the closet, evil clown-face), and stuff that has been done many times before (gothic cliches), nothing Huntington does seems stale or affected. If anything, the gothic atmosphere is better because Huntington takes the old cliches and remakes them, rather than shying away from them.

He also handles Devon March very well; almost all of the book is seen through Devon's eyes, and so we have a good idea of his fears and thoughts. Cecily seems like a less chattery Lloyd Alexander heroine, while Alexander reeks with innocent-faced creepiness. Readers may especially like Rolfe; at first it seems hard to tell what side he's on, but he's intriguing right from the start.

His writing style is fairly descriptive, mainly when it needs to be but when describing the grotesque and the weird, such as a maimed ghost, he doesn't try to shock us. He also has a good sense of how to build up tension and suspense with little hints of the horrific, rather than flying blood and body bits; the plot twists and past events are well-drawn and evocative. The dialogue is also very good, especially anything uttered by the villain ("Can you spell it, boys and girls? W-R-O-N-G!").

Teenagers and adults will definitely enjoy the opener of this series, especially those with a love of ghoulies, ghosties, long-leggedy-beasties, and sorcerers who make books fly through the air. Can't wait to read the second "Ravenscliff" book.

[Bert Edens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this eBook by the marketing department at Diversion Books for the purpose of reading and reviewing it. They are re-releasing the first two books of this series at present and, this fall, will be releasing the third book in the series for the first time in English.

Devon March is the fourteen year old son of a single dad who has known from a young age that demons are indeed real. They are in his closet, they are under his bed, and on occasion, they pop out to try and disrupt his life. Devon's father has always prepared him for the battles, telling Devon he's stronger than any of them. This works for Devon.

Then, Devon's father dies. Curiously, Devon's custody is given to Amanda Muir Crandall, the mistress of Ravenscliff Manor, someone Devon never even knew he existed. The neighboring town is antagonistic toward the Muirs, given the family and manor has a long history of ghosts, trouble and unexplained behavior.

Into this mess Devon is thrown, upon which supernatural activity suddenly picks up in the area. Suddenly Devon must deal with a long-dead Muir trying to release demons upon the world, call Devon and his latent powers to the dark side, and generally serve a cold dish of revenge upon the remaining Muirs. Throw in that Devon suddenly has a budding romance with Cecily, who may or may not be related, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.

Overall, I found this a very fascinating read. A true litmus test for me is when I have more than a single chapter to complete the book, and I forego sleep to do so. It's meant to be a YA novel, and I think it's pretty close to that. I was amused at the mix of "safe" cuss words while a few uncensored "B.S." bombs were dropped.

My only beef with the book is that there are times throughout it when I speedbumped on a particular word or phrase. It could be the wrong word ("puss" instead of "pus"), a missing word or incomplete sentence, or some other anomaly that made me re-read a passage. It wasn't enough to cause major problems, but considering the book was originally written in 2002, you would have hoped such errors would have been caught by now.

I will definitely be hunting down the second book in the series as well as the third, when it's finally released in English by Diversion Books this fall.

[Lauralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I finally finished this one and there's still so many questions unanswered!! And I can't find the second and third book!
Anyway, it was a good story nontheless.

Spoilers...

I don't understand how Devon got away from Jackson in the "final" battle?? Like suddenly he woke up and he had brought Alexandre back, like it was so easy..?

And those important questions, like what/who is this voice talking to him? Who are his parents? What is Amanda Crandall hiding from him? Sooooo many questions..!

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The faster scenes building up to the climax and ending was good. Other than that this was just okay. It wasn't bad but wasn't excellent either. Maybe it was just too much of a kid's book for me. Something I could pass on to my nephew and not worry about anything in it leading him to do bad things, heh.

Some parts can be who-am-i and what-is-my-heritage repetitive (not necessarily in that order) so after a while it got annoying reading the protagonist say/think that over and over but I thought I already started it so I might as well finish it. It's not exactly a long story. I read it in about 8 hours ... as in 4 hours yesterday and 4 hours today. Would I read the second book? Maybe if I can get a hold of it but I won't go out of the way to scour bookstores or order it from overseas. I got this from a second-hand bookshop anyway so I'm not complaining about my $1.50.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. Devon's life is turned upside down when the man he thought was his father dies. He is sent to live at a scary house in a town where he knows no one. Soon he finds that scary is an understatement to what he is about to face upon seeking the secrets behind the ghosts that haunt the house and the area.

[Natty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty and spooky, quite well done. The characters are great, the storyline is convincing and addictive. Really grabs you and holds you down through the whole story.

[Sabtael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just found this again, I loved it so much as a child!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

Growing up, Devon March learned that the monsters in his closet were real - not figments of his imagination - and that he was stronger than those monsters. The latter was something that his father would tell him repeatedly. But when he is orphaned at age fifteen and sent to live with distant family at Ravenscliff Manor he learns a great many secrets about his family, his past, and himself.

The beginning of this book was much more terrifying than I expected - particularly for a YA book - but the initial horror really only provides a setting for the book. The rest of the horror is typically implied by the opening chapters.

The character of Devon March is almost atypical in YA literature. Despite being a fish out of water, he is confident and sure of himself. So many YA characters suffer from angst and anxiety and overcome great odds just to muster a call to action. Not so Devon. His desire is to understand his past and what is in store for his future and how the monsters and demons he encounters are a part of his life. This is quite refreshing but definitely took me by surprise each time Devon did something responsible.

The supporting characters are a bit less clear. Cecily seems forever horny, Mrs. Crandall is the uptight caretaker, and Alexander the boy with a great many secrets. But beyond these impressions there isn't much to them.

This is an older book (one of the oldest books in my ARC queue) and I hadn't heard much about it, but I definitely enjoyed this journey. Following Devon on his journey to understand himself is really interesting. The horror aspects of monsters and demons will appeal to certain younger readers. While it's not a 'must read' book, it is a book that will be enjoyed when selected.

Looking for a good book? Sorcerers of the Nightwing by Geoffrey Huntington is a well-crafted YA horror book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Timbrr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a pretty quality...let's say borderline horror story. I say borderline because it's moreso a fantasy story. The main character fights demons and has magic, basically. Though the magic often manifests as abilities you'd find at home in a generic superhero story (primarily the main character fights demons with his fists). But it does have some good scary moments. Even if they're less effective since this was a reread, and I'm no longer a kid.

And on that note, I definitely did not like this book as much as I did as a kid. Which is almost exclusively a matter of me not being in the target demographic. But also a little bit in, like, the utter lack of communication between characters (even though, unlike most times that I hate it, there was a valid story/character reason for it).
But yeah, curious to see if the second one aged any better, since I seem to recall enjoying that one more.
And then I found out that the 3rd book did, in fact, get released in English at some point. So I intend to read that as well and see how it is.

Anyway, decently fun romp, pretty quick read. Might still be creepy for adults (possibly for different reasons than it is for kids).

[Inge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in the returned bookcase of the library. The cover gave me some chills. I really don't like clowns. So i had all my hopes up and then I started to read. I have to say it was written for children but it was written for a lot younger then I thought it would be.
I usually read adults or YA-books. This is written a little younger. It reads very easily. The story is nice and original but not scary. I had no feeling that came close to scaring me.
I do have to say I found the books interesting and I probably will read the entire series out of curiosity.
Dave ans his voice inside of his head are very interesting to follow. I also like the fact that he wants to do what is right. I am curious how his relationship with misses Krandel and Cecile is going to develop.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark horror young adult novel about a young man who's been pursued by demons all his life. When his adoptive father, who he thought was his real father, dies, he is sent to a weird mansion to live. Here he makes new friends but begins to discover who he really is. Definitely spine tingling horror. However, one of the things I find many YA series tend to do is tease out the story longer than necessary so there's more for the next in the series. This book does resolve the immediate issue, sort of, but far too many of the questions posed go unresolved in this first of the series.

[Crystal]

I didn't realize this was Juvenile Fiction when I started this but that's okay. It was pretty good. Kid doesn't know he's a sorcerer, but knows he can do magic? Guess I didn't get that. After his dad dies and has to move to legit creepy old house filled with ghosts and demons and an ugly manservant. Even has a creepy clown.

[Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun book from high school. A young boy is traumatized one night, prompting his father to reveal he has a gift. Now a teen, his father’s death and his placement with a stranger leave him struggling to protect his new family while also uncovering the truth behind his father’s deathbed confession. Honestly? Where’s THIS movie? It would be amazing.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a gripping, imaginative book even as certain tropes in it made it very slightly predictable. I read it probably fifteen years ago and can still call to mind images from the climactic final action scene.

[Julia Kontraros · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars

Definitely recommend. I read it before giving it to my then 15 year old and I must say, I was very invested in the story! My son loved it too. Great story line, full of mystery and suspense, just wish there’d be more!

[Devin Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m upset it took me so long to finish it, but also man I remember reading this book in 7th grade and I thought it was so scary and now I’m like oh this was super fun. I remember wanting to be a nightwing myself. So many questions left unanswered and I’m so excited to start the second book.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those choices when going through the library stacks and I just grab something randomly. I was between holds on audio books that I WANTED to hear and this came up as available in the fantasy. Juvenile gothic. Kids who like spooky might enjoy it.

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still love it, just how I loved it a decade ago.

[Heidi Turgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty easy reading, but an interesting storyline. Im looking forward to finding and reading the next book.

[Matylda Saresta · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Kasey Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5