House of Shards by Micol Ostow

Series: Charmed, Book Thirty-Seven

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s

Format: Paperback

Published: 2^nd January 2007

Created and Based On the Series By: Constance M. Burge

Number of Pages: 192

Book: Bought

Genre: Magic, Action, Fantasy, TV Series Tie-In, Supernatural, YA

Warning: Contains Spoilers From Previous Books/Episodes

“These walls have watched the witches;

the witches have watched the world.

These walls now turn against them –

some evil’s been unfurled...”

The one thing any Halliwell witch has always been able to count on is Halliwell Manor, the ancestral home of the Charmed Ones and one of San Francisco’s historical landmark homes.  The grand old house has sheltered generations of women, and bits of Charmed history are practically built into the walls.

So when the Manor seems to have turned against its inhabitants, needless to say, the Halliwell sisters start to worry.  It begins simply: The hot water heater is broken.  No big: Leo’s great around the house.  But this is no simple plumbing problem.  Soon, the Manor seems to be messing with the girls, Leo and Wyatt in increasingly malicious ways.  Thankfully, the Book of Shadows has created a safe zone for itself in the attic.  But the Charmed Ones can hardly live up there forever...

Can they find out what’s turned their safe haven into an evil lair before it’s too late – for the Manor, and for them?

Review:

I picked this book up for about 30p a little while ago, and then completely forgot about it.  Recently, though I found it again, saw it was based on a TV series and decided to give the show a go.  And, I loved it!  Charmed is brilliant – funny, quirky and full of the supernatural.  As I enjoyed the show so much, I thought I’d read the book.

I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed.  Although the book isn’t quite as good as the show, it had all my favourite parts: humour, demons, insane problems only the Charmed Ones can get themselves into and magic. 

In House of Shards, the Manor’s turning against the girls.  It all starts off with a plumbing problem, and – since the Manor’s ancient – can just be put down to age.  Of course, when a black hole pops up in your bathroom and a portal to a past that never happened appears in your bedroom, you have to accept that something unnatural is at play.  Then, the big question is: is the Manor just rebelling or is something evil behind everything?

The only downfall I found was that there wasn’t enough action.  There seemed to be a lot of waiting around, something that would probably send the TV-sisters insane.  But when you have cuddly policemen being turned real, alternate realities playing out in your room and demons-and-laughs-a-plenty, you really don’t care.

Astonishingly, the characters were very similar to their TV counterparts, even the way they spoke.  Phoebe was funny, bright and bubbly.  Paige was smart, optimistic and witty.  Piper was a little whiny, but she had that same kind of dry humour that I love her for.

Overall, although there isn’t quite as much action or fear in it as there often is in the TV show, I really loved this book.  I’ve seen some people give it negative reviews because it’s too emotion-based, but I loved seeing what was really going on inside the sisters’ heads.

I really enjoyed this book, and Charmed has become one of my favourite TV series ever.  If you’re not a fan, I’m not really sure how much sense it will make.  But, if you are a fan, you’re going to love this completely new and brilliant adventure.

P.S. I gave the book 3¾ instead of 4 because I felt that it was too short and that the end came too fast. 

Star Rating:
3¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Charmed TV Series created by Constance M. Burge

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bind-Up 1 by Various

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Book in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)