Review: Darkhouse

Darkouse (Experiment in Terror #1) by Karina Halle
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Release Date: May 9th, 2011
Buy Links:

Amazon (the kindle version is free!) ♥ B&N

Book Description:

There's always been some­thing a bit off about Perry Palomino. Though she's been deal­ing with a quarter-life cri­sis and post-college syn­drome like any other twen­tysome­thing, she's still not what you would call "ordi­nary." For one thing, there's her past which she likes to pre­tend never hap­pened, and then there's the fact that she sees ghosts. 

Luck­ily for her, that all comes in handy when she stum­bles across Dex Foray, an eccen­tric pro­ducer for an upcom­ing web­cast on ghost hunters. Even though the show's bud­get is non-existent and Dex him­self is a mad­den­ing enigma, Perry is instantly drawn into a world that both threat­ens her life and seduces her with a sense of impor­tance. 

Her uncle's haunted light­house pro­vides the per­fect cat­a­lyst and back­drop for a hor­rific mys­tery that unrav­els the threads of Perry's frag­ile san­ity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dan­ger­ous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.

*Darkhouse and the Experiment in Terror series is a horror/romance for mature audiences only. Readers who are easily offended by harsh language should think twice about reading it.*

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When I read Darkhouse it was back in May and it was the first book by Karina Halle that I’ve read and I was pleasantly surprised with her writing style. She made me laugh (I love a good sarcastic comebacks), made me feel scared (there were a few times I had to pause and put the book down for a little while) and wrote the characters in such a way that I felt connected right away. I was drawn into this series after it coming up in a search for books for one of the tv/read posts and was not disapointed.


Perry Palomino is a 22 year-old who grew on me right from the beginning of the book. After taking stuntwoman classes and graduating from college, she ends up working as a receptionist and even though she’s not happy with her job, she knows it’s better than having none. I love that Perry chooses the crazier and more interesting alternative when given a choice, which leads her ultimately meeting Dex.

Dex is in his early thirties and often calls Perry ‘kid’ much to her and my chagrin. He first meets Perry after she enters her Uncle’s abandoned lighthouse while he’s attempting to get a new web series off the ground. Most of the time, he was driving Perry (when will the UST be resolved?!) crazy, but he really pushes Perry to face her fears and had her back when things got a little crazy. Both, Perry and Dex, are not ideal or perfect people, they have their flaws and troubled pasts, but it makes them likable characters and perfect for ghost hunting.

With creepy old clown ladies, dreary Fall weather and angry ghost sightings, this book makes for a great Halloween read. I’ve since read through Dead Sky Morning (book 3 in the series) and this book sets up a great partnership between Perry and Dex and ultimately a fantastic horror/paranormal series that is a standout in a large genre.