It's a Mystery!

Eugene and his sister Barbie are living in poverty with a neglectful mother who would rather spend time with her "friends", than feed or care for her children. Basically, the two siblings only have each other, and Eugene does his best to look after Barbie. Their lives are drastically changed when Eugene has a chance meeting with a beautiful and mysterious woman, Penelope Embers.

House of Shadows is written in a first person narrative. Which was fine with me as I really enjoyed Eugene's character. Penelope immediatley takes a liking to both siblings, and seems to be the only adult that cares about their current living conditions. So, she strikes a deal with Eugene that she will help provide the things both siblings will need during their school years - under the guise of a charity. At this point Penelope is out of the picture, but they regularly recieve their packages of clothing and books. All the while, Eugene is hoping to see the mysterious woman again. When Penelope returns, Eugene gets a lot more than he bargained for. I'll leave it at that.

I must admit the end felt a tad rushed, but that didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the story. This was definitely a different take on vampires, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.