Rating: 
Summary: One of the few good dark fantasies
Review: A young boy with a mysterious past and strange powers, with a plucky sidekick and evil forces that want him dead. Harry Potter? Nope, it's the teenage hero of the new dark fantasy "Ravenscliff Series." Geoffrey Huntington weaves together gothic elements with an intriguingly murky plot about evil ghosts, disguised demons, and a budding sorcerer that teens will love.Devon March is not like other boys: He hears voices, can move and affect things with his mind, and the things that go bump in his closet are for real. Ever since he was little, he has been pursued by demons which his father always assured him he was stronger than them. But when his father dies, revealing that Devon is adopted, he is sent to live with the weird Muir family in their rambling seaside mansion of Ravenscliff. There is the cold Mrs. Crandall, her energetic daughter Cecily, and mischievous nephew Alexander, not to mention the creepy caretaker Simon and charming, secretive competitor Rolfe Montaigne (great name!). And Devon's problems only get worse. Demons begin to up their attacks on him and those around him, and he starts to suspect that the precocious Alexander may not be merely mischievous, or even destructive -- he may be the conduit for a vengeful presence seeking to release demons from the Hellhole. To battle the evil forces in his new home, Devon will learn his true nature as a sorcerer, and may find the keys to his past. Really good dark fantasy (or fantastic horror, or whatever) is a very rare thing because the authors usually just throw one shock after another at the readers. Huntington, on the other hand, utilizes gothic cliches (the sinister mansion with a tragic past, abandoned towers with lights, the weird caretaker) with the excellent idea of the Sorcerers of the Nightwing. Despite using a combination of stuff that could have been stupid if handled badly (demons in the closet, evil clown-face), and stuff that has been done many times before (gothic cliches), nothing Huntington does seems stale or affected. If anything, the gothic atmosphere is better because Huntington takes the old cliches and remakes them, rather than shying away from them. He also handles Devon March very well; almost all of the book is seen through Devon's eyes, and so we have a good idea of his fears and thoughts. If readers want someone deeper than Harry Potter, then Devon may be the right hero. Cecily seems like a less chattery Lloyd Alexander heroine, while Alexander reeks with innocent-faced creepiness. Readers may especially like Rolfe; at first it seems hard to tell what side he's on, but he's intriguing right from the start. His writing style is fairly descriptive, mainly when it needs to be (no intricate descriptions of pizza parlors). But when describing the grotesque and the weird, such as a maimed ghost, he doesn't try to shock us. He also has a good sense of how to build up tension and suspense with little hints of the horrific, rather than flying blood and body bits; the plot twists and past events are well-drawn and evocative. The dialogue is also very good, especially anything uttered by the villain ("Can you spell it, boys and girls? W-R-O-N-G!"). Teenagers and adults will definitely enjoy the opener of this series, especially those with a love of ghoulies, ghosties, long-leggedy-beasties, and sorcerers who make books fly through the air. Can't wait for the second "Ravenscliff" book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Promising Start to a Dark New Series
Review: After his father's death, fourteen year old Devon March is sent to his new home in New England - the huge and forbidding mansion Ravenscliff, that all the townspeople he meets on his way warn him against travelling to. But Devon is not as afraid of his future as others in his shoes would be: he knows he is gifted with a special power, a power that protected him from the very real demons and monsters that he had dwelling in his cupboard and under his bed as a child. Now, he seeks to find who he is, and why such things happen to him, for on his death bed, his father claimed he was not his biological father. Guided by the calm and powerful Voice in his head, that grants to him his own brand of magic, Devon is eagar to begin his investigation. At Ravenscliff are a host of intriguing characters waiting for him - the glamourous Mrs Crandall, his new guardian, who undoubtably knows more than she's saying, and her daughter Cecily, in whom Devon hopes to find a friend. As well as this is the unfriendly manservant Simon and Mrs Crandell's nephew Alexander - a violent and disfunctional boy who spends all his time watching a replusive clown on the television and seems to both hate and like Devon. And on top of all this is Old Mrs Crandell, the somewhat senile old woman who's spent several years in her bedroom, seeing no one but her daughter. And outside the grim seaside mansion is the elusive figure of Rolfe Montaigne, who has a connection to the house's secrets and the death of two young people several years before. Mystery piles up upon mystery as Devon learns of the many ghosts of the house - the weeping Emily Muir, the sad and tragic Horatio Muir, and the wicked Jackson Muir, whom Devon begins to suspect has a hold over the eight year old Alexander, who at times certainly seems like a boy possessed. And then some of the truth concerning his own destiny arises - he is part of the Order of the Nightwing, a powerful sect of sorcerers, a group of people chosen to be guardians over Hellholes: gateways from our world into hell. It is this newfound heritage that Devon will have to learn to master if he's to triumph over the hold Jackson Muir now has over the house... Though many other reviewers have pointed out the similarities between "Nightwing" and "Harry Potter" (ie, a young boy with a great destiny, deceased parents, remarkable powers, and so on) I found it to be more along the lines of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", especially in the use of the Hellholes, which basically translate into "Buffy"'s Hellmouth. However, readers who like either one of these series will probably like "Nightwing", if they are prepared for a darker, more Gothic look into the world of magic and heroics. There were a couple of things that I didn't quite like - Devon felt more like a seventeen year old than a fourteen year old, and often supporting characters didn't feel quite consistent in their motivations and personalities. Furthermore, by the end of the book I was heartily sick of the phrases "dark secrets", "hidden past" and "they know more than they're letting on", as all three of them are used virtually on every page. I felt like yelling: "I get it! It's mysterious! Move on, already!" However, it sustained my interest well enough to be enthusiastic about further exploration into Devon's past and the uncovering of the several secrets left unresolved (such as his parentage, the gravestones, the pentagram on Marcus's forehead, Emily Muir's role, and the history of the Nightwings), and Geoffrey Huntington has a master stroke at representing youth and relationships realistically. Despite the somewhat cliched setting of a dark-and-spooky-manor-with-thunderstorms-outside, Huntington manages to pull it off through his elegant writing, making it seem like a real place, fill of its own history. Overall, not utterly intoxicating, but certainly not boring, and as such I'm looking forward to reading "Demon Witch".
Rating:
Summary: Great New Fantasy/Horror Series!
Review: Every kid is afraid that a monster lives in his closet, but for Devon March, the monsters are all too real. Ever since he was a young boy, he knew there were dark, evil things that would come slithering out across his floor, determined to drag him with them back down to their Hellhole. But Devon is no ordinary boy. He has many supernatural powers including moving objects with his mind, summoning incredible strength, and disappearing at will - and that is only what he knows he can do so far! Yet his powers, and the demons in his closet, remain for him unexplained mysteries. When Devon is fourteen, his father dies and he discovers that he is adopted and that he is being sent to Ravenscliff, a dark seaside mansion to live. There he learns that he a sorcerer of the Order of the Nightwing, a 3,000 year old tradition of mysticism and magic that fascinates Devon with its fabled history. But Devon's new family, the Muirs, forbid him from doing magic of any kind or of discovering anything about his past. However, how can Devon not do magic when demons and other people are attacking him from every side? Devon quickly discovers that a fearful demon, one of the Muir's ancestor's ghosts, has possessed a strange, 8-year old boy and that he wants to release all of the demons of the Hellhole. Although Devon is not sure how to go about it, he is determined to fight off the demons with his friends and to do whatever it takes to learn who he is... I really enjoyed Sorcerers of the Nightwing for the most part. The author has a nice, smooth writing style and well drawn characters. The plot was pretty well paced, details were repeated a few times, but nothing that was too obvious. The world is richly detailed and fully realized. I liked the main character, Devon, and most of the supporting characters. Geoffrey Huntington reveals just enough clues to Devon's past to hook the reader, but not enough to satiate his/her curiosity so I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series. My main complaint with the book is that Devon is virtually all-powerful and keeps discovering power after power that he didn't know that he had that enables him to accomplish amazing things. He is also untried and pretty ignorant of what is going on, but is able to do things that famous, powerful wizards failed at. It would be nice for Devon to have some weaknesses so that he seemed real. Other than that, it is a great book - I read it all in one sitting in a few hours!
Rating: 
Summary: Forget Harry Potter....
Review: Forget Harry Potter; leave him for the kiddies. In Devon March we finally receive the literary (male) equivalent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, the denizens of Ravenscliff, particularly the adults, are quite diverse and a lot more fascinating than those who inhabit Sunnydale. Ironic, given that the actual target here is a teenaged audience. Being the first of a series, and more or less of an introduction, these characterizations are not as well developed as I would have liked. Though I'm certain that with the next installment they will evolve, as will their relationships and the mysteries contained therein. Consequently, comparisons to Dark Shadows are inevitable but this could only be for the best. After all, what could prove more unsettling than family members who may not be quite who or what they seem to be. Furthermore, the chronological aspects of the Muir family tree is nicely handled. The author succeeds in creating, through them, a creepy gothic atmosphere without relying on stereotypical villains. This tension keeps the reader in suspense as to when or where the next demon will appear. The continuation of this saga of the Sorcerers of the Order of the Nightwing is surely something to look forward to.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome a Peer, Harry Potter!
Review: Here's a fourteen-year-old boy suddenly orphaned, beset by demons in the night and sent to live with strangers in a creaky old mansion on the New England coast. Devon March only knows loneliness and is saddled with mysterious powers he knows little about. Ravenscliff mansion, the center of gossip about supernatural happenings and Devon's new home, is set on a lofty headland on the New England coast near the town of Misery Point. There is magic about this book as the author, Geoffrey Huntington, weaves a tale of gothic suspense and mystery that hooks and holds the reader for an all too short 278 pages. This is the beginning of a series of books concerning the youthful protagonist as he searches for his identity and source of his eerie and sporadic powers. Written with an ear to youthful expression and social mores, it reads true to modern expression. Yet it captures the essence of classic gothic tales. This is a wonderful book of magic, sorcery and mystery. A start to a series that promises to be as engaging as the Harry Potter books.
Rating:
Summary: fans of magic and adventure will love it!
Review: i couldn't put it down from the minute i started reading! buy it, check it out from a library, do what you can to get this book! you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Love it!
Review: I started reading and couldn't put the book down until I finished it. A must read for fans of magic and mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read & a promising start to a new series!
Review: If the writers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and J K Rowling collaborated on a book in the Dark Shadows house...this would likely be the outcome. Devon, raised by a single father, has always been different. "Things" live in his closet, and he has unreliable "powers." His father assures him Devon will always be stronger than the demons that attack him. When his father dies and the Devon learns he was adopted, the 14 year-old is sent to live with strangers at a wickedly spooky house atop a cliff in the aptly named Misery Point. Ravenscliff is the house and all its denizens freely admit it is haunted. Devon learns his past is connected to the house...and the ghosts who have never harmed anyone before start to act up. An excellent addition to the creepy-clown subgenre of horror, this exciting read, while nothing startlingly new, is well worth the time. And the promise of future volumes is a plus. The story does drag a wee bit in places, but this is the author's first for young people (he's written adult novels under another name). This book also has a killer website. Any teen who sees the site will want the book immediately. Just type in the name of the house (mentioned above) and you'll see!
Rating:
Summary: Off Tha Chain
Review: Just as it stated, this book keeps you in a zone from beginning to end. I'm not a big book fanatic. In fact I hadn't read a book in at least two years, but I loved this one. I can't wait to get my hands on part two. This book has instilled a reading bug inside of me and I don't think I want to get rid of it. It's better than TV. You get to use your imagination as to what everything looks, feels, tastes, and smells like. Out of five stars I give this book a ten. I'm gonna start reading to my son more. He's only three but I know he'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: For fans of Harry Potter and the Narnia
Review: Most caring parents tell their children that the closet contains no lurking monsters. Ted March knows they are real, demons from a hellhole demanding that six-year-old Devon to let them out. Ted tells Devon the truth that the monsters are real and that they won't get him because he's more powerful than they are. When Devon turns fourteen, his father dies and he becomes the ward of Mrs. Crandall of Ravancliff. From the time he arrives at the gothic mansion, he feels the magic there, and fights the demons that want him to open the portal that will let them roam free on Earth. Devon learns he is a Nightwing, a magical order of sorcerers who have the power to open the hellholes. He's engaged in the fight of his life with the dead master of Revancliff, who wants to reclaim his family home and the powers that lives there. If Devon doesn't prove strong enough, the demons will embark upon a reign of terror unlike any that has gone before. Fans of Harry Potter and the Narnia books are going to love SORCERERS OF THE NIGHTWING. Many of Devon's questions are resolved but there are many more that go unanswered so it seems likely that this is the start of a great new fantasy series aimed at the young adult market. The hero is very mature for his age and though he has the same problems as any adolescent boy he is further bewildered with a gift and a legacy he doesn't understand. Geoffrey Huntington is a bright new star in the fantasy genre. Harriet Klausner
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