kerasalwaysreading's review
4.0
After a recent bipolar disorder diagnosis and a major fatal scare, Libby is reeling. Longing for a new start, her mother moved Libby and Libby’s younger sister Vivi to her childhood home, a sprawling historical landmark.
It starts with an uneasy feeling, the strange masks adorning each of the rooms, and the copious amounts of insects infesting the home, but it’s the way that everyone in town, including handsome Flynn, seems to know about the lore of the house and its long run with people disappearing from it that truly starts to scare Libby.
There is something in this house that wants to be seen, wants to be released and Libby, Vivi and their mom could be in real danger.
I really liked the mental health portrayal in this book. I read an early copy and acknowledgments weren’t included, so I’m unsure what references or experiences the author pulled from. It was done with care and honesty, though. There is a lot of talk about how the family copes with a mental illness, good and bad. There is a lot of grief and healing done throughout the book, alongside this other really sinister storyline and they worked well together. I didn’t like every decision made, especially by Libby’s mother, but it is explained in a way that ultimately satisfied me.
It starts with an uneasy feeling, the strange masks adorning each of the rooms, and the copious amounts of insects infesting the home, but it’s the way that everyone in town, including handsome Flynn, seems to know about the lore of the house and its long run with people disappearing from it that truly starts to scare Libby.
There is something in this house that wants to be seen, wants to be released and Libby, Vivi and their mom could be in real danger.
I really liked the mental health portrayal in this book. I read an early copy and acknowledgments weren’t included, so I’m unsure what references or experiences the author pulled from. It was done with care and honesty, though. There is a lot of talk about how the family copes with a mental illness, good and bad. There is a lot of grief and healing done throughout the book, alongside this other really sinister storyline and they worked well together. I didn’t like every decision made, especially by Libby’s mother, but it is explained in a way that ultimately satisfied me.
serena_reads_and_writes's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
This book was amazing! So haunting and tense. I occasionally forgot to breathe as Libby and Vivi fought against the House of Masks and its ghastly inhabitants. The dread and sorrow that Libby contends with alongside her depression and crumbling familial relationships was palpable on every page.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves horror and especially a good haunted house/Gothic horror.
This book was amazing! So haunting and tense. I occasionally forgot to breathe as Libby and Vivi fought against the House of Masks and its ghastly inhabitants. The dread and sorrow that Libby contends with alongside her depression and crumbling familial relationships was palpable on every page.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves horror and especially a good haunted house/Gothic horror.
mistressviolet's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Rich, dark, and hauntingly atmospheric. I loved this book from the very start. The writing was top-notch—a perfect blend of action and descriptive detail. It somehow managed to be fast-paced, while still being filled with the lushness and description present in slower novels.
Great world-building. Fraistat gives us more than just a haunted house, she plays on a common lizard-brain phobia amongst humans—insects. This book is haunting and creepy, thought provoking and spine chilling; and, at the same time, it is seductively opulent.
Full and rich character development (and very diverse characters). These are real people with real interests, fears, hope and dreams, and real problems. They are perfectly imperfect. And I was thoroughly invested the main character's journey through life in this new house, while having to be constantly mindful of her cyclothymic disorder (bipolar III).
Great writing. Great plot. Great characters. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
adrihean's review
5.0
“A Place for Vanishing” by Ann Fraistat is a gothic horror tale about a girl named Libby and her family. After a traumatic suicide attempt driven by her bipolar disorder, Libby, her mother, and her younger sister Vivi relocate to her mother's ancestral family home. Libby isn’t sure if she likes the house with its weird décor and mysterious history of being a ghost house where 9 people were murdered or disappeared. When things turn sinister Libby, Vivi, and the neighbor boy Flynn must stop the cycle before it’s too late.
I really liked the book, mainly because I was in love with the imagery or the homes décor, the bugs, and the ghosts. Its “Coraline” meets “The Haunted Mansion”, which is spooky and perfect. I connected with Libby and her mental health and her strained relationships with her family. Its whimsy, cottage core vibes, witchy, and Victorian in the perfect combo. I could picture it all so well. 5 out of 5 stars, perfect.
ejpass's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
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