The Amber House Trilogy

The Amber House trilogy is a series of book by American author Kelly Moore and her daughters Tucker Reed and Larkin Reed. The first book in the series, Amber House, was published on October 1, 2012 through Arthur A. Levine Books.

Premise

The series follows Sarah, a teenager that is staying with her mother and younger brother in the family's centuries-old estate near Annapolis, Maryland. Sarah and Sammy form an inexplicable connection to the House. Over time, Sarah discovers that she can see echoes of the House's past. These echoes prove the key to unlocking the mystery of her broken family, but Sarah's presence in the House endangers the person she holds most dear.

Novels

Amber House (2012)

Neverwas (2013)

Characters

The Parson Family

Sarah Parsons is the narrator of the book. She turns sixteen on October 23. Sarah has the inexplicable ability to find her brother Sammy wherever he hides. While at Amber House, her mild psychic ability is seemingly heightened: she finds she has the family "gift" for seeing and sensing "echoes" from the past. She is emotionally distanced from her parents, but very fond of her ten-years-younger brother. She also becomes close to both Jackson Harris and Richard Hathaway while staying at Amber House. According to a guest at her grandmother's funeral, Sarah is the "spitting image" of her late grandmother Ida, who is described as blonde and blue-eyed.

Sammy Parsons is five years old and autistic. He likes to play hide-and-seek, and develops a strange imaginary friend while at Amber House that he refers to as "No One."

Anne Parsons (nÃ©e McGuinness) is a gallery owner in Seattle, Washington. She is described by her daughter as auburn-haired and beautiful, but she is also a critical perfectionist who tends to drive away those closest to her. She was estranged from her late mother for reasons that Sarah never understood.

The Echoes

Ida Warren McGuinness was Sarah's late grandmother. Ida's relationship with her daughter Anne was affected by Ida's alcoholism.

Fiona Campbell Warren (nÃ©e Webster) was Sarah's great-grandmother. Fiona was a gifted writer; a poet and historian, she utilized her visions to compose a comprehensive history of Amber House titled "A Place in Time." Her journals are found by Sarah and Jackson, who use them to piece together clues to the whereabouts of Captain Foster's lost diamonds. Fiona was committed to an asylum for a period of time due to her obsession with the house. She was also fixated on the myth of Persephone. She is described as being redheaded and vivacious.

The Neighbors

Jackson Harris lives in a cottage adjacent to Amber House's property with his grandmother Rose. He was orphaned in a car accident when he was a toddler. The crash left him burned and scarred along his arm, torso and neck. It also triggered epilepsy. He is distantly related to Sarah through their mutual ancestor, Captain Joseph Foster.

Rose Valois is Jackson's grandmother. Rose was a nurse in Baltimore for twenty years, and took care of Sarah's grandmother when Ida became fatally ill. Rose's daughter, Cecelia, was a dancer in New York, but died in a car accident in the 1990s.

Richard Hathaway is the son of family friend Senator Robert Hathaway. He is "beautiful" and good at everything he does. He is described as being tall, bronzed, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a crooked smile.

Reception

Critical reception for Amber House has been positive, with Kirkus Reviews praising the character of Sarah. Publishers Weekly and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books also gave positive reviews, with Publishers Weekly citing the book's "lush descriptions" and "intricate plot" as a highlight.

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