And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?

I loved Dead House and seriously considered buying this novel from amazon.uk when it was released there with the title, "The Creeper Man." I was not disappointed. This novel was full of twists, turns and moments where I literally went, "What The Fuck?"  The book was creepy and had a very Hell House type of design to it, which was excellent. There were hidden meanings in certain passages and while I figured out the twist a little more than half way through the author still managed to surprise me at the end.

Silla was a brilliant character, surly bordering on psychotic and I was never quite sure if she wasn't crazy from the beginning. Nori was a sweet character and making her disabled and speaking in sign was a great way to not only endear us to her but bring about some depth.

The passage of time is weird in this book as is trying to figure out when it takes place. There are mentions of cell phones and internet but then also of World War three. Plus the house they are living in is like something out of the dark ages. Was this a totally unique plot? Not really, aspects of it were, but not so much the meat of the story.

I very much enjoyed this novel.  I do think it may have been more successful as an adult novel and would love to see what the author could do without the constraints of the YA genre,