Reread 2022: It's been awhile since I've read this and I still love it just the same as my first read! It's such a unique story and even as an adult I was still riveted. It's always disappointed me though with this series that it went downhill for me from book 3. Hoping I feel differently about this series as a whole now that I'm reading it 15 years later. Raven's Gate is the first of five books in The Power Of Five series, written by Anthony Horowitz. It was published and released in the UK on 1 August 2005, by Walker Books Ltd and in the US (June 1, 2005) by Scholastic Press under the adjusted series title Before proceeding with the review, I would like to thank Laura Pent for sending the book to me and luring me into reading it! Seriously. This was the best thing that ever happened to me! Okay, that was too dramatic. But you get the point. Personajul principal este un pusti pe nume Matt Freeman care mi s-a parut destul de simpatic si credibil in drama sa, iar vrajitoarea, doamna Deverill, care pune ghearele pe el, a fost preferata mea, avand doza corecta de rautate si inteligenta. Mi-au placut puterile si magiile ei precum si faptul ca ucenicul sau este o pisica neagra pe nume Asmodeus, care intelege ce spune ea si ii indeplineste ordinele cu abnegatie.

But Anthony Horowitz is a legend. The core idea of this story is incredibly intricate and mystical, and I absolutely adore how he bothered explaining the precise operation of a nuclear reactor. Raven's Gate is the re-written form of The Devil's Door Bell (published 1985), I can't comment on what has and hasn't changed in the text of this version and Anthony Horowitz's book published over twenty years ago. I do know that the Pentagram Chronicles was a series that was never finished. I think that The Gatekeepers is finished. It's like a bad B-horror movie, but without the charm to make it "so bad it's good", so it's left just being "so bad it's mediocre" which is just completely bad.There's very little in the core story of _Raven's Gate_ that's original. Horowitz borrows heavily both from older sci-fi/fantasy/horror works (Lovecraft and Stephen King, most noticeably) and mythology to create a world-within-a-world that in no way feels either new or particularly scary. If you read enough in the previously mentioned genres, you will have seen nearly all of these concepts used at least once elsewhere, and probably used better. And if you have seen them, then this story becomes utterly predictable.

Matt, mate, you’re braver than me. I would have given up at the beginning and been sobbing in the corner for the rest of the novel. Since Matt is too young (he's fourteen) to be put behind bars, he volunteers to get into a foster home under the LEAF (Liberty and Education Achieved through Fostering) project, as he is not happy living with Gwenda, his mother's half-sister.Matt Freeman, always knew: He is different with others. He started with dreams. Then he came to the murders. After arresting Matt Freeman, the police sent him to a farm in Yorkshire to be run by an elderly woman. Not long, that felt "Matt", his supervisor is not a common habit. The rest of the villagers were not normal. Then, "Matt", from the existence of the predecessors, became aware, and knew, for reasons different from others. But nobody believes in his words, no one could help him. Does not prove anything. Logically, there is only one gateway in the Carnist ... the crows gate. Desi multora li se poate parea putin ''cheesy'', pe mine nu m-a deranjat faptul ca are unele elemente horror des intalnite sau chiar comerciale. Am citit in recenzii ca este considerata ca fiind inspirata din "O noapte la muzeu", scrierile lui Stephen King sau chiar Harry Potter, insa eu nu am avut aceasta impresie si am regasit aici stilul sarcastic si fresh al lui Horowitz. Probabil sunt singura persoana de pe planeta care nu a citit sau vizionat Harry Potter, astfel ca nu pot sa-mi dau cu parerea despre asta, insa pe mine magia ma duce cu gandul la vrajitoare rele, la ritualuri negre, lumanari, pisici demonice, incantantii, panze de paianjen etc. In the nearby village of Lesser Malling, Matt meets Jayne’s sister, Claire, whom he recognizes from his fever dream. Claire has a disfiguring birthmark, and all the other villagers, too, seem to be disfigured or mentally ill or both. One apparently normal man, Tom Burgess, warns Matt to flee the village. This really reminded me how wonderful Horowitz’s writing is. I’ve never felt so creeped out when reading a book before. Ever. However, it was not just the fear that made this book compelling; it was the complete and utter despair of Matt’s situation. It was something I felt deeply. Each time an escape plan failed or someone died, I just felt this weight on my body. The tension in the oppressive farmhouse in Yorkshire was something palpable which I could feel surrounding me. Each time a solution seemed possible, I felt a sense of hopelessness knowing that something would stop it. Horowitz has been on my List of Excellent Authors since I read Stormbreaker in high school. I moved on to Raven’s Gate at the time and loved it, but never finished the rest of the series. I decided it was about time I finished the series, but, after reading Jo’s Letters to the Five, I realised I needed to re-read this because I had honestly forgotten everything about it. I’m so glad I did.