The House in Poplar Wood

By: K. E. Ormsbee

Narrated by: Brian Holden

For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, they’ve only ever been able to leave the house together once a year, on Halloween. The rest of the year, Lee and his mother serve Memory while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement.

But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she’ll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something’s gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie’s might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood.

Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is the story about a boy’s desire to be free, a girl’s desire to make a difference, and a family’s desire to be together again.

©2018 Kathryn Ormsbee (P)2018 Kathryn Ormsbee

A Neat Tale

Honestly, just picked this book up because I'm a big Starkid fan. I finished the story thinking it would make an amazing show and, of course, Brian narrated excellently.

Exceptional performance!

Brian Holden truly brings this book to life! His ability to conjure each character is masterful and evokes intrigue and unique depth to this story.

Wrong target audience

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Sorry for the low rating, but I’m not the right audience for this genre or age group of a book, so the story made no sense to me.
The narrator did a great job and read the story well. I may enjoy more by this narrator , but not more of this genre. I don’t do Fantasy , am a much older reader than this would target , so please consider that when purchasing.

Unique and Captivating Story

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out on Halloween -- but this is not a Halloween book per se and you can enjoy it anytime of year -- and you should. While this book is geared towards YA, I think it can be enjoyed by adults as well.

It is a really unique story about twin boys who are forced to live in the same house with their parents but, their Mother and Father can't see each other and the twin boys only see each other on Halloween all because their parents wrongfully fell in love and were punished by the Shades. The boys know that as their parents work for the Shades, they too, much to their chagrin, are expected to work for the Shades. So, when Elsie, who works for Passion, is murdered and Mayor Whipple is covering it up - his daughter Gretchen wants to know why. As she investigates, she becomes involved with the twins. Was Elsie murdered? If so, why is Mayor Whipple covering it all up? Can the twins unite with their parents?

This is a unique story which captivated me from the beginning. The murder mystery, use of magic, and the Shades all existing in a small community really held my attention and I did not want to put it down.

The narrator, Brian Holden, did a fantastic job. His narration added to the story and the mystique.

Excellent performance of a poetic book

This book was lovely all the way through. I loved Brian Holden's understated accents- We know we're in Kentucky but we aren't punched in the face with the fact- (being from the South I appreciated a more accurate drawl). I also loved that he didn't take away from the story by being overly dramatic. He lets the story lead and has memorable character voices.
The story is a fantastic look at challenging expectations and the status quo. I loved the partnerships, the imagery, and the characters. Definitely a unique world built by K E Ormsbee!