The House of Grey - Volume 1

House of Grey #1

by Collin Earl

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. Volume 1 begins the written adaptation of that story told in a six part series. Individual volumes do not contain the complete story.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Amazon, Ebooks, Paranormal, Fiction, Action

Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2012

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm taking a break from "Grey" and reading another 'grey' book. I've only finished the first few chapters but the story is very Harry Potter-esque with scars and everything..

__________

I'm on chapter 30+ and so far there are wizards, angels, magic, a glowing cave, chakras, obscure martial arts techniques, crying girls, popular girls, girls named after colors, spying butlers, a 15 year old secret agent in a wheelchair from a secret organization, current pop culture references, lost memories, gained memories, opulent wealth, self deprecation, teen angst, dream worlds, voices in the head, pretty boys, a school Yule Winter Ball, scars coming and going, and did I mention magic?

All that's left is an alien hovercraft and a herd of dragons...

What I'm trying to say is this story is starting to get a little convoluted. There's definitely a main storyline but several side stories spiral off of it. I like subplots, they give the story more depth and makes the world feel more real. I want to know how those mini storylines will conclude, but there are so many of them I wonder if I'll be able to keep them all straight or if I'll remember them.

The transitions between Grey's dreamworld and school world are jarring. I know its suppose to be sudden and unexpected but it feels like I'm listening to two completely different novels. One of which takes more effort to pay attention to than the other.

Other than that I enjoy the student interactions and all the teen drama even if it is a little campy :)

___________

The phrases "from seemingly nowhere", and "almost as if" are repeated many (many) times throughout each chapter, especially in the chapters towards the end of the series. The author avoids definitive statements but likes describing things in great detail at great length using phases "sort of like", "reminded me of" , "looks as if", "kinda like." This only started to bother me when I got to chapters 30+ when those repeated phrases were starting to become more noticeable.

__________


ok.. it's 2011, I tried picking up the story where I left off but I just can't get into it. I even back tracked 7 or 8 chapters but it didn't help. I think the later half of the story needs a second draft. There are way too many hyperboles and the character personalities are forced and unoriginal. I feel like I'm listening to an anime series; flat, obvious, and predictable. Everything is too perfectly imperfect. The hero of the story is 90% covered in burn scars and has the best luck with the girls. He had a lonely childhood but he inherited a large amount of money. He lost his memories but he has magic powers. The other characters in the story have extreme personalities (extremely smart, snobby, beautiful, shy, talented) but the hero walks the fuzzy middle ground maintaining neutrality and kindness. I don't feel sorry for this guy because he's, well, perfect.

____

it's 2012, I'm done

[Amber Eidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, this was the first podcast novel that I encountered and it got me hooked on the genre. Try listening to an episode on the way to work and you will look forward to your daily commute. Nice world building, at first I was not sure if was going to be a mystery or a fantasy and you will enjoy finding out more with the main character. I like the author's character development and really became emotionally invested in the characters while listening. I was mad at part of the ending because of a something that happened to a someone (lack of specificity to avoid spoilers). However I am hoping a sequel will lead me to forgive the author. Seriously though, Collin Earl did a great job and this book is definitely worth a listen/read.

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm taken by the Arthurian twist to this magical school. I'm curious for more.

***FULL REVIEW***
Monson Grey comes to his new home, Coren University - in a valley in the middle of the only temperate rain forest in the world. Monson doesn't remember much of his past or how he got accepted to this school. Monson finds a few fast loyal friends, a girl he has his eye on along with another girl who seems to be trouble for him, in an elite school known for it's prestige. Yet Monson has no idea what's expected of him or why he's treated so royally. Monson will find his way through this magical school with new friends and strange nightmares, maybe remembering a few things and learning who he was, along with who he is as well.

We have a prelude that starts at Coren University Academic Scholarship Competition where it seems the underdog is giving the Champion a run for his money, and the people are excited for him. It's almost a game show atmosphere. A man is noticed by a little girl at the back and the man does magic. And it seems as the man in charge doesn't want the underdog to win. We learn later this boy that won was Monson. I wonder as to why this magical man wants Monson to go to this school. What's in store for Monson?

I was nervous going into the starts of this serialized story. The genre title of 'modern fantasy thriller' kind of scared me. But I will say after the first part of the story, I'm hooked. I'm scurrying to see how I can get all the rest of the stories in now.

I was caught right away with magic in the prelude. I'm a sucker for magic, what can I say? Then through the story I got the feel there is something more magical about this school than we, or Monson, know. A statue winks as an example.

Monson is a quick witted young man who is more than meets the eye, even his own. By the end of this section of the story, I was wondering what more there was to him, and him having loss of memory doesn't know either. He's 14 years old. Monson is scarred, physically. His face is scarred from a severe accident that he was the only survivor of. Yet he has no memory of this accident, or before it. Monson notes his nightmares, yet when he wakes he doesn't remember them either. He wants to as they seem of another life.

We meet Monson's fast friends, Cassius who goes by Casey and Arthur who wants to be called Artorius. I can see why Monson quickly liked Casey and Artorius. They are fun and the banter is well done. These three boys are quick at one liners and comebacks that are fun and witty.

The school is elite! Fancy. The wealthiest and most exclusive school to go to. There are regular kids like Monson, on scholarships. The kids going to this school look at it as a privilege not a punishment. They want to be here, which is nice to see as it's not just a school that kids are shipped off to. I got the feel the school is a blend of Arthurian, Greek, Latin, and Roman structure and feel of presence.

Collin blends in jokes with shows, songs, and great current items to bring the modern to the world. And we have a feel of fantasy in this school with a sense of magic hidden behind the walls that we haven't seen yet. We then have an Arthurian twist to the story with the characters, then in our history class we start to talk about Merlin...

This story gives me a magical feel of the big world like Harry Potter with an Arthurian flare. Easy and relaxing yet intriguing with a feel there is more behind and implied in the happenings, leaving you want more. With just reading this one part of the story, I'd think Harry Potter fans would enjoy it.

This is a Young Adult read, and I would suggest this for any 12 and older. The story is of a young man, Monson, and two male friends. So as I would suggest it to any young adult, if you are looking for reads for young boys (I know they are hard to find) this would be a very good one to add to the list.

Collin explains up front this is a serialized story and there is no good way to break it down. Well, good thing that just about all the story is out for us at this point as I can't wait to continue with this story. Collin also mentions he wants to write what he wants to read. If this is it, he's got my attention. I'll be looking for many more books and finishing this serialized story soon.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is far from Harry Potter. There's not much literal magic in it to do so. Those who go to Hogwarts know it's a school of magic, and those who doesn't very soon finds out the moment they get accepted into it. In this book, Coren University is described as an exclusive, prestigious school. It is where the rich and famous, and everyone else who matters, want to go or send their children to. This is public information, not a fact shrouded by magic to keep its secrecy. There is no admission whether magic is part of Coren's curriculum. Also, the main characters here aren't as young as The Potter, nor do they carry wands around.

For Monson Grey, his presence in Coren is a prize for winning the Academic Scholarship sponsored by the university. Unfortunately, an accident soon after the competition left him physically scarred and unable to remember fully what has happened. The great mystery of Coren University is just another of the things he has to cope with while dealing with his own disturbing memories. This first volume already hints of something out of the ordinary-- that Coren is more than just an academic institution, that Monson is more than who he seems to be, that his newfound friends have their own little secrets too, and that someone in the school means him harm.

It's quite a good introduction to a series. Not too long, but drops little mysteries you won't want to miss the answers to. It's interesting enough for me to want to read the next volume.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book really intriguing. Everything was just so mysterious—it felt like the whole plot itself was shrouded by a thick cloud of mist. The world-building was also really cool. I found this particular school setting to be really dark, gothic and very fascinating. The characters theirselves were also funny and amusing despite the fact that this book had a pretty gloomy feel to it. The contrast balanced the book just well.

Unfortunately though, I have to be honest. The whole idea of having a ton of Roman or Latin influences in three-fourths of the book, then suddenly shifting to Japanese influences toward the ending threw me off a bit. I mean, seriously?

One more thing. I get that the author wanted to try something different and all, but I just wish that he didn't make the way this series was divided like this. This book isn't a manga, neither is it a graphic novel. And considering that the ending was a total cliffhanger and only the first two volumes out of the six ones in the series are free, I'm not really digging this concept right now.

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to sound like a name snob but the character names were so distracting from the story that there was no chance of my getting involved in the plot. Monson, Artorius, Cassius, Taris, Indigo, Ignacio, Markin...really?!?

The story was a series of dialogue and a description of a school for the wealthy. There is no explanation of the bridge incident or his scars. The Hero role is mentioned every page but never detailed. The book ends randomly with no closure.

Not only will I not read book 2, I can also say that I am not even interested enough in the series to bother googling it to see what eventually happens.

[Liane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a mystery. At first I thought it was yet another Harry Potter copycat but am glad that (so far), I'm wrong. A great trio of boys, main character is slowly developing. Language is quite sophisticated for supposed high-school freshman. My only gripe is that it was too short, but luckily I already had Volume 2 and will probably end up with 3. I suspect I'll be finishing that one quite quickly so the writer had better get going on Volume 4 and the rest of them because I'm dying to discover the mystery behind Monson Grey!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this with my son...ok got a little ahead of him. It's shaping up to be a little darker than Harry Potter. Earl has an interesting way of writing and keeping the suspense. There's a number of time periods that are infused into a futuristic, although very comparable, modern day. At the same time, the author is spinning a story that shows the reader they need to think a little more than what's in black or white....remember his audience is pre-teens. I definitely recommend it to those of you with kids. I can see this being the next movie coming out.

[Steven Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant! This book had me from the very start. I really cannot say that about too many books. This is truly a fun, interesting, and altogether must read for anyone with a pulse. My apologies to the zombies...I doubt that you can even read anymore.

This is good for kids around 10 years and up. The best part is that it also keeps the interest of adults. I must read the rest of this story...no question about it.

To be clear, I have not been paid or otherwise bribed to write this review. This is just that good of a story.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this book free off of Amazon to try a different genre than I usually read....this book doesn't really have an ending, and doesn't tell you anything really that has happened to the boy other than he is at an elite school....No idea about his past and the book ends abruptly I am still undecided on whether or not I am going to even read the second book to see what happens, if the second one is the same as the first one, it will be a waste of time to read it, since there is apparently 6 books.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am absolutely addicted to this series!!!! i wasn't sure if it would be able to keep my attention. the first few pages squashed any doubts i had about that :P .... i just found these books 2 days ago and i'm almost finished with the 3rd volume!! i can't wait to start on Harmonics... absolutely brilliant <3

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is OK, but the initial serialized creation led to sloppy, fragmented plotting, blind alleys and red herrings galore, and plot twists that are totally out of left field, even for a fantasy novel. You'll also end up spending more money buying these installments than you would spend on a decent novel.

[Liz Finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the characters!

[Shannon Boote · Rating 3 out of 5]

The House of Grey Volumes 1-6 by Collin Earl – Let me start by saying this series volumes 1-4 would have gotten all 4 stars from me and the last two books volumes 5-6 would have gotten 5 stars if it hadn’t been for the dreadful editing job, one of the worst I have seen. It was because of that poor editing that I had to give it 3 stars for volumes 1-4 and 4 stars for volumes 5-6. Normally that would have been enough to keep me from going forward with the other books, but there is a reason I consumed Volumes 1-6 in a week’s time. This was adapted from the podcast, if I am not mistaken, and I am sad that I have to go to the podcast for the series wrap-up because…yeah no volume 7, which in looking back was supposed to be out over a year ago, according to author blogs I found.

I will say that the characters made this series, you could have written them into any story and they would have been fun to read about. The comedic, witty, and delicious sarcasm was fun, but aside from that the true, simple, and heartwarming take on true friendship was shown in all its glory.

The story: We join the Monson Grey story, as the 14- year old scarred to a point of scary is on the last leg of his journey to his new school. The catch? Monson does not remember his life, how he won the scholarship that gain him entry into this extraordinary school for the rich, or the accident that took his memory and his looks. Monson makes quick friends with Casey and Artorius his accomplices in the amazingly sarcastic and funny banter that cements the three together. Sadly, just as quickly as he made friends, he also made enemies. Monson despite his visually unappealing looks soon has some of the most popular girls in school spending time with him, which adds fire to those who already hate him. Monson, sadly, has other more pressing problems than the simple teenage day-to-day, as he is haunted by horrible images and voices from what he can only believe to be the life and accident he can’t remember. As the sole survivor of the accident, that not even the FBI can explain, he wonders if he was to blame for all those who died. He believes, to some degree, that he is to blame and to make the situation worse he believes he is slowly losing his mind. Monson will have to learn how to trust his friends and himself in order to get to the bottom of the mystery of “Who is Monson Grey?” and when he finally does find out will he like who he is and more importantly will it be enough to stop any one else from getting hurt.

Again, great characters and great plot, but very poor editing that took a little away from the story, especially when you had to reread something because it did not make sense. All that aside, I truly enjoyed this series and got invested in the characters maybe a little too much. I have read so much girl power type YA fiction lately this was a nice change of pace with strong male and female characters all working together. I am not much for podcasts, but after reading this I have started the podcast to see how it ends and I am enjoying that as much as I did the books. I do and have recommended this to all the teens I know as well as their parents…because every parent should share reading with their kids!

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review- The House of Grey Vol. 1 by Collin Earl

Monson Grey is going to a new school named Coren University. He is slowly getting his memories back, but he knows he is missing a lot. He starts remembering the competition for the scholarship to Coren. As the winner of the scholarship he is the new Horum Vir. He has been given privileges as well as responsibilities. He is the first freshman to ever hold that title.
He meets Casey and Arturo the first day and they become fast friends. Each boy seems to have a story that none are willing to share. Monson doesn’t remember his at all. Many know of him and what happened. In fact some look at him hostilely. He still doesn’t know what really happened or what is truly going on around him. The expectations of being the Horum Vir are too new as the year starts off at a run.
This book was a bit slow to start for me. It is setting the stage for more. The author gives a view of the world that the school creates. The students are elite and judgmental. You know something is going on but you have no idea what. I was waiting for more clues to be dropped. Not many seem to be given in this first part. I like Monson, Casey and Arturo. They are a marvelous trio as they navigate through. Manson has a bit of something inside him that the author gives the reader glimpses of. Monson, nor the reader, have a clue to what is going on. Then the story moves on. I was left scratching my head a bit trying to figure out what just happened. Then the incident with the statue was kind of thrown in too. It left me questioning a lot. I felt a bit lost in this story. So far I give it a 3 out of 5.

[Sboysen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This JF/YA fantasy was captivating enough to entice me to download volume 2. Monsoon apparently suffers from amnesia from an accident that killed his parents and 300 other people leaving hi, the sole survivor. A scholarship to an elite private school is where he lands as he grapples with very few memories from his past and some unique abilities he didn't know he had. Kind of Harry Potter-esk in setting and character development. Not sure where the plot is leading though.

[RK Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

more Taris Green!

I know what it’s like to attend college with actual celebrities, but all the ones I went to school with were male. Mr. Earl does a brilliant job here of giving us the allure and mystery shrouding female celebrity, so much so that even the Horum Vir himself can never truly get next to her!

[Leigh Goldian · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good!

I read this a very long time ago but didn’t remember much of it. The story is so good!

Maybe I have an old version of it, but there were a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, and that always pulls me out of a story. That’s the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. On par with Harry Potter.

[Amber Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

This book is intriguing and makes me want to read more. But volume 1 started out pretty slow. Hopefully 2 has some more to offer. Giving it a chance.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7a/d1/...

[Clarice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reluctant new hero, or Horum Vir, of Coren University has no memory of anything much about himself. He woke up in a hospital after something happened on a bridge where he was the only survivor. Apparently no one really knows what happened. And he can't remember anything. All he knows is that he is Monson Grey and he won a scholarship to this famous school where all of the important and rich people go, the high society. Monson's face is a mess of scars that make people tend to shy away from him, and him away from other people. The scars are from whatever happened on that bridge.
Monson is now called the Horum Vir, or Hero, because of his win in the competition. He unseated the guy that held the scholarship and it was a monumental win because it was very unexpected. Freshmen never win. His first day at school he meets new friends, Arthur and Casey, and learns that he knows his way around a sword after a little case of mistaken identity. Settling into this new school has its difficulties for Monson. His friends help make things easier, but the other students just tend to not like him for one of many reasons. And no one at this school seems very normal.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good these novels are. The way that they are basically "cut up" to create more novels makes one wonder if you can still keep it as an amazing story. But Collin Earl did just that. Apparently his story was so big that it took creating several volumes so as not to have one massive and scary book that many wouldn't read because of its sheer size.
I am now towards the end of the third volume myself and have noticed that the farther you go into the story, the more you uncover what a tortured soul Monson Grey really is. It seems that the darkness is closing in on his mind. By the middle of the third volume, he is having trouble discerning what is a dream and what is actually reality or even latent memories. He feels an evil within himself and strange things are happening. It seems that the only reason he has made it this far is because of his good friends Arthur and Casey, and strangely enough, the very elusive Cyann Harrison. She is the one girl no one can beat with a sword, the girl no one has a phone number to (except Monson), and the one that always shows up when Monson needs someone. She knows things, but she isn't talking. And it is apparent that she has her own skeletons.
This series not only spins a great story, but it is relatively clean as well. The language is minimal and no explicit situations that I have seen so far. A book young teens and possibly even tweens would enjoy reading without you having to worry!

[Allie]

The House of Grey by Collin Earl is about 14 year old Monson Grey. Like every other teen he is trying to makes his way through high school. He is faced with hard classes, food fights and girls. Monson has had a history where everyone seems to know who he is better than he knows himself. As far as he knows he was the only one to survive a freak accident that had happened at a bridge leaving him with fuzzy memory and a face full of scars. Being a poor boy living in a rich kid’s world, He attends one of the best schools in the country, being the recipient of the most recognized scholar ship the Horum Vir, he gets accept to the school on a full ride scholar ship but he cannot remember what he had done to deserve it. It does not take Monson long to meet his friends, Cassius who goes by Casey and Arthur who wants to be called Artorius. They are fun and the banter is well done. These three boys are quick at comebacks that are fun and witty which makes it easier for Monson to get use to his new home. Coren is nothing short of amazing, brings a blend of Arthurian, Greek, Latin, and Roman culture through the ancient looking painting on the walls and all of the statues that line the court yards. Soon after his arrival at Coren unnatural things being to happen such as the mysterious man in black who watched him through his window the first night and the statues that wink at him as he walks through the halls. Throughout the novel Monson develops a new perspective of the world as he is introduced to a world of magic. Mysterious silver stones, adventurous professors, Merlin the wizard, and even Atlantis are brought into the world of this young boy.
I found this book really good it kept me on my toes and wanting more with every word. As I read this book I kept being reminded of the Harry Potters series. Very much like in Harry Potter the young male goes to school feeling as if everyone knows him better than he knows himself and is introduced to a world of mystery and magic. I found this book very relatable due to the fact that he is around the same age as me and is just trying to make his way through life like any young adult, and is constantly hitting bumps that keep him from trying to find out who he is and what his purpose is in life.

[Heather Wiese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could be a very interesting series, but not a whole lot happens in this first book. There's a lot of just regular kind of high school stuff (trying to find classrooms, meeting teachers, classes, students).

It starts with some sort of academic decathlon with two boys against each other, the defending champ and a freshman. The freshman wins. There is some sort of magician watching from the back of the room.

Moves forward in time and Monson Grey is on his way to a prestigious private high school, called Coren University, on scholarship. Monson has spent months and months in the hospital after a horrible accident that has left his whole body scarred and his memory in pieces.

Monson finds out that he is the boy who won the academic decathlon and therefore an all-inclusive scholarship to the school. He is called "Horum Vir" or "The Hero" as his title.

On his first day he meets what will become his good friends, Cassius, who wants to be called Casey, and Arthur, who wants to be called Artorius. Both are very nice boys, obsessed with fencing and football and Casey is well-trained in martial arts.

The accident is revealed as some sort of terrorist attack at Baroty's Bridge where 300 people were killed and Monson is the only survivor.

Monson is picked on by a lot of people (mostly upperclassmen who are trying to feel superior) and when he is attacked at one point he gets very angry and releases some kind of unknown angry energy that scares the bejeezes out of the boys and makes them run away. But Monson has no idea what he did or how. There is one girl, Taris, who is super nice to him and she happens to be the most popular girl in school.

In the end Casey is asking Monson about his martial arts training but Monson doesn't remember it. So Casey tells him he has been in some sort of "special" training for years and decides to test Monson. Monson responds like he has had training also and somehow knows that Casey is exhibiting at least 5 different styles of fighting. Just when Casey is about to show him chakra energy something weird happens...and the book ends.

[Maki ⌒☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The House of Grey started off as a Podcast, and the early chapters definitely feel like it. The prologue's writing sounded more like a Podcast than a book, which was a bit disconcerting - what works audibly doesn't necessarily translate well to the written word. It's why movies or video games being made into books usually require a separate writer. They're two very different mediums. The editing smoothed out as the book went on, but the first few chapters were almost painful to read.

The story is supposed to take place over six books. It really doesn't feel like that's necessary. The first part of the story was so short, it took me *maybe* an hour and a half to read it. The series probably should be closer to 3 books. It would feel more fleshed out that way.

Not a lot gets answered in The House of Grey. The main character has amnesia (of course), and a lot of the strange things about the school and Monson never get any sort of answer. That's another area where combining books would have helped. This doesn't feel like the first part of a story - it feels like the first half of the first part of a story.

The meta jokes were occasionally cute (Casey comparing their life to a story, for example), but I swear I had to read "Holy Hannah freaking Montana" twice before I realized that yes, that was actually something a character said. Seriously. That actually happened. *sits down and cries*

I'd complain about the cliffhanger, but again, it didn't really feel like a cliffhanger. It felt like someone took a book, and cut it down the middle. There was no reason for the book to end where it did, how it did, except to drag the series out for as long as possible.

I would also like to question Monson's supposed intelligence and brilliance when he can't even figure out who "M.P." is. I very much wanted to bludgeon him the second he discovered those two sets of initials. I can't remember the male's initials, which is why I didn't include his. But it's incredibly, painfully obvious who they are.

Mr. Gatt's class sounds exactly like something I would take. I was sad when it ended so suddenly.

I really do want to see where all of this is going.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't quite finished this book yet, I still have about 5 hours left to go, but I'm going to review it now anyway.

It's taken me well over a year to read this book (possibly closer to two). I'm interested in the story, and it opens with an excellent and captivating intro, the characters are all interesting, there's a lot of suspense...but there's so much going on and it takes FOREVER to figure out what is going on. Even now, I really don't know what's going on, and I'm almost done. It's like there is so much mystery to keep the suspense going that nothing really gets revealed.

I really feel like this should be broken up into a series of books for the reader to fully get the story, and to keep it from seeming like it will never end. I would have loved to learn more about so many things (the history of Coren, the relationships between Monson, Tarris, and Cyan, the incident on Barity Bridge, Monson's grandfather, the magic training, the mysterious colorful cave Tarris took Monson to, etc. etc. etc.). I feel like I got a taste of all of these things that could have been great, but instead were just briefly talked about and could have really gotten me interested.

With that said, this book was originally released one chapter each week, and maybe that would have made me enjoy it more, having it broken down for me instead of feeling like I have this huge book and time commitment to undertake. I really like Monson's character, he often feels much older than 15, and I liked seeing him relate to others at school despite his appearance, and how his confidence (or indifference) to his scars made other students respect him.

If you're into fantasy and don't mind spending countless hours trying to figure things out, it's a decent story, but I can't say I recommend it quite yet.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim when BookBub let me know it was free for the kindle last week. My main complaint is more about structure than content. Apparently this is adapted from an audioplay, and then published as a six-book series. If the other five are set up like this one, I'm guessing it should have actually been a two or three book series: it's way too short, nothing happens, and the ending is so abrupt and out of nowhere that I checked to make sure nothing was wrong with the kindle app before I realized it was over.

The writing leaves a little to be desired as well. Much like my complaints about Ready Player One, the author continually uses references to existing pop-culture characters rather than developing his own. A professor describes himself as "like Indiana Jones." A person in a portrait looks like Dumbledore from Harry Potter. It's lazy writing. nearly as bad as making reference to a review you've written of another book to highlight a complaint about this one.

Anyway, these are cheap on Amazon, but I can't decide if I'm even willing to pay $2.99 if the next one is as short and uneventful as this volume was. Has anyone finished the series to give me some insight?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Kindle Fire users this novel is broken down into 6 digital books. From the 1st book I was hooked. While this is obviously geared for teens, the writing has a depth that will captivate a reader of any age. The journey of Monson Grey is wildly engaging and filled with you typical teen angst and frustrations but at the same time has an air of maturity to it. By the time you finish one book you're desparately downloading the next as you're completely drawn into Monson's life. I'm about to start book 5 and am dying with anticipation to see how Monson fairs in the end.

Ok, I so just finished the 6th installment of The House of Grey series. I know see why other have made Harry Potter references but in my opinion this whole series is way beyond Harry Potter. While the latter books (5 & 6 mostly) provided more explanation as to the complete story line, I was left scratching my head at the end wondering if there will be more books to this series. The ending, to me at least, was left open ended and leaves you wanting more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series and hope to see more of Monson Grey in the future.

[Delaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was confused in the beginning as to where the book was going to go, and then it flashed forward to a young man in the backseat of a car with a lady driving him to a new school that sounded much like a university to me but turns out to be a highly prestigious private high school. Needless to say I was baffled as to how this boy fit into the story that was being told in the beginning, only to realize that he was the winner of the competition.
The story meanders through the typical privileged high school life, except for his near death experience. Everyone seems very weird in this book, and their history is all very vague. That mere fact makes me want to continue to read the other volumes of the House of Grey, especially since it ended so abruptly. Hopefully the other books will reveal information that is so obviously missing from volume 1.

[Cheryl Krhovjak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mysterious at first, but the comradery between the main character and his two best friends added a fun, playful twist. At times the story was over descriptive and repetitive. The author clearly loves to use alliteration, this alone made me laugh out loud. The buildup is slow and then fascinatingly, furiously fast at the end (how’s that for alliteration?) Unfortunately the ending of the series is a cliff-hanger and currently there is no indication that Collin Earl is going to finish the story. Still enjoyed it though.