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fictionmajorette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-resting-place-camilla-sten.html
This was a really interesting blend of psychological horror, suspense, and thriller. Some aspects were more successful than others but overall this was a really great creepy read. We have a somewhat rundown estate in the middle of the wilderness, a snow storm blowing in, and uncovering unsavory family secrets from the past.
I think the psychological horror portions of the book could have really been developed more. I think if we got more of Eleanor also questioning herself and her own mind it really would have upped the horror elements. As it stands, this really felt more like an isolation thriller and less a psychological horror.
The thriller elements, I thought, were really well done. I really enjoy a good isolation thriller and this book really hit the spot. It really reminded me of Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors with the tense interpersonal dynamic, snowy setting, and eerie feeling that our characters aren't alone.
Where this book lost me, a bit, was the ending. We had a good amount of tension built up by that point but then when it comes to the actual ending reveal and twist, the pacing felt like it ground to a halt. The actual twist, on paper, was good but just the way it was executed and the amount of exposition needed in that moment to put all the pieces together ended up really slowing down the story.
Overall, this was a fantastically atmospheric read. I loved the creepy atmosphere of this snowy, isolated estate. The character dynamics were spot-on and the thriller elements worked well. I do wish the ending was a bit snappier and that the psychological horror elements were a bit more developed. Sten is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC
Expected publication date is March 29, 2022
This was a really interesting blend of psychological horror, suspense, and thriller. Some aspects were more successful than others but overall this was a really great creepy read. We have a somewhat rundown estate in the middle of the wilderness, a snow storm blowing in, and uncovering unsavory family secrets from the past.
I think the psychological horror portions of the book could have really been developed more. I think if we got more of Eleanor also questioning herself and her own mind it really would have upped the horror elements. As it stands, this really felt more like an isolation thriller and less a psychological horror.
The thriller elements, I thought, were really well done. I really enjoy a good isolation thriller and this book really hit the spot. It really reminded me of Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors with the tense interpersonal dynamic, snowy setting, and eerie feeling that our characters aren't alone.
Where this book lost me, a bit, was the ending. We had a good amount of tension built up by that point but then when it comes to the actual ending reveal and twist, the pacing felt like it ground to a halt. The actual twist, on paper, was good but just the way it was executed and the amount of exposition needed in that moment to put all the pieces together ended up really slowing down the story.
Overall, this was a fantastically atmospheric read. I loved the creepy atmosphere of this snowy, isolated estate. The character dynamics were spot-on and the thriller elements worked well. I do wish the ending was a bit snappier and that the psychological horror elements were a bit more developed. Sten is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC
Expected publication date is March 29, 2022
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
soobooksalot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Resting Place is built on the fear from not being able to identify what's right in front of you.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my gifted copy for review!
Eleanor's grandmother Vivianne was murdered, and Eleanor saw who did it. However, she has a condition called prosopagnosia, which means she cannot process the visual information of faces, thus people are unrecognizable to her.
Months later, she's been called to the Swedish countryside to a property known as Solhöga to evaluate for the will.
There, Eleanor remains haunted by the knowledge that Vivianne's killer is out there, and knows what she saw.
Solhöga acts as a character of sorts, pulling us in to it's atmosphere and secrets. I truly enjoy books with such a setting to establish unease - I could have used even more detail about the house itself.
Two timelines give us the suspense of Eleanor's present, with the story of Anushka from the mid-60s.
The Resting Place is a slow burn that works it's magic for some truly great reveals. Trust nothing here!
Author Camilla Sten's second book has hooked me as a fan - recommended!
For release on March 29.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my gifted copy for review!
Eleanor's grandmother Vivianne was murdered, and Eleanor saw who did it. However, she has a condition called prosopagnosia, which means she cannot process the visual information of faces, thus people are unrecognizable to her.
Months later, she's been called to the Swedish countryside to a property known as Solhöga to evaluate for the will.
There, Eleanor remains haunted by the knowledge that Vivianne's killer is out there, and knows what she saw.
Solhöga acts as a character of sorts, pulling us in to it's atmosphere and secrets. I truly enjoy books with such a setting to establish unease - I could have used even more detail about the house itself.
Two timelines give us the suspense of Eleanor's present, with the story of Anushka from the mid-60s.
The Resting Place is a slow burn that works it's magic for some truly great reveals. Trust nothing here!
Author Camilla Sten's second book has hooked me as a fan - recommended!
For release on March 29.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Abortion
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Sten’s 2021 release, The Lost Village, was a great read with a creepy atmosphere and dual timelines that were impeccably crafted. The Resting Place also created a spooky atmosphere with the isolated Solhöga mansion in the Swedish woods. The house itself gave me goosebumps because of its dark and mysterious history. It was the perfect backdrop for sinister events to unfold and Sten described it with just enough detail and left the rest to the reader’s imagination.
Our MC, Eleanor, suffers from prosopagnosia, which is better known as face blindness. This condition added an ominous feel to an already disturbing experience for Eleanor because she’s unable to identify who killed her grandmother. This causes severe anxiety for our protagonist, which leads us to doubt what she claims to see at Solhöga.
I loved the dual timelines and multi-POVs in this book. It was interesting to see the past revealed alongside the present period. I honestly didn’t guess the culprit and that made this a winning read!
As I said in my stories last week, this book is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. The MCs each had face blindness and were in wintry, remote locations. However, The Resting Place had a more propulsive plot that had me rapidly turning pages.
Thanks to Minotaur for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Our MC, Eleanor, suffers from prosopagnosia, which is better known as face blindness. This condition added an ominous feel to an already disturbing experience for Eleanor because she’s unable to identify who killed her grandmother. This causes severe anxiety for our protagonist, which leads us to doubt what she claims to see at Solhöga.
I loved the dual timelines and multi-POVs in this book. It was interesting to see the past revealed alongside the present period. I honestly didn’t guess the culprit and that made this a winning read!
As I said in my stories last week, this book is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. The MCs each had face blindness and were in wintry, remote locations. However, The Resting Place had a more propulsive plot that had me rapidly turning pages.
Thanks to Minotaur for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
cayv97's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide, Murder, and Abandonment
bohemianrhapsodyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I JUST finished reading this book AND this book is literally THE BEST book I have ever read in my entire life. It is going to be nearly impossible to top this one, come equal to, or even come close to its excellence and perfection. Well done, @wednesdaysten (Instagram) and thank you for this honorable experience.
My favorite character was the main character Eleanor because she was the most compassionate, honest, and understanding. My least favorite character was Vivianne because I found her to be the villain in the story.
My favorite line in the story: “As though everything that happened here, everything we still don’t know, has seeped into the walls and taken hold like mold, growing and expanding over the many long, quiet years, clawing its bony fingers behind the wallpapers and under the floorboards. It doesn’t want to let go of us. It wants to squeeze the life from our very bodies.”
Reoccurring themes were death, murder, grief, loss of parents, loss of family, and sadness. I think that these themes signified a part of the human condition and what this family had to go through in this story.
The strongest elements of this book were the character and plot development, the twists that were totally unexpected, the descriptions of the setting, the conveying of feelings and personality, and the ending. Plus I love the cover and title, too!!
The only weak element is I wish it were longer :)
My favorite character was the main character Eleanor because she was the most compassionate, honest, and understanding. My least favorite character was Vivianne because I found her to be the villain in the story.
My favorite line in the story: “As though everything that happened here, everything we still don’t know, has seeped into the walls and taken hold like mold, growing and expanding over the many long, quiet years, clawing its bony fingers behind the wallpapers and under the floorboards. It doesn’t want to let go of us. It wants to squeeze the life from our very bodies.”
Reoccurring themes were death, murder, grief, loss of parents, loss of family, and sadness. I think that these themes signified a part of the human condition and what this family had to go through in this story.
The strongest elements of this book were the character and plot development, the twists that were totally unexpected, the descriptions of the setting, the conveying of feelings and personality, and the ending. Plus I love the cover and title, too!!
The only weak element is I wish it were longer :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
nonbinaryreading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, and Pregnancy