zeldamac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.5
"Your fear is valid, but that doesn’t make it real. The fear may be true, but it doesn’t have to be your truth."
A slow-paced mystery thriller, with family trauma. I didn't know who to trust or like, with a gothic atmospheric house full of memories, a good slow burn.
A slow-paced mystery thriller, with family trauma. I didn't know who to trust or like, with a gothic atmospheric house full of memories, a good slow burn.
marcccb's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
After reading The Lost Village last year, I knew that I would love anything that Sten put out. And now she's back with another creepy and atmospheric thriller about a house with too many secrets. . .
Eleanor has face blindness and because of this, she was unable to see who it was that killed her cruel grandmother, Vivianne. The guilt and panic fills her each and every day. One day, she gets a call from a lawyer telling her that Vivianne has left her a house in the Swedish woods where her grandfather died. So Eleanor goes with her boyfriend, aunt, and lawyer in search for answers. But they'll wish they never went.
This book gave me all the goosebumps I was looking for while reading! Sten's writing is very eerie and gothic, and she does such a wonderful job with setting the scene for the haunting house in the woods. I liked the narration of the story, it was past and present like her previous novel, and I was really intrigued to figure out what was going on.
This was such a wild and dysfunctional domestic thriller with twists that will shock you to the core.
I sort of forgot that the Eleanor was struggling with prosopagnosia while reading, so I found that the specific plot line could have been stronger. I wish the novel was a bit fast-paced, but overall I really enjoyed this spine tingling thriller. Sten is definitely a standout in this genre and may she continue to write books with creepy houses at the centre.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
After reading The Lost Village last year, I knew that I would love anything that Sten put out. And now she's back with another creepy and atmospheric thriller about a house with too many secrets. . .
Eleanor has face blindness and because of this, she was unable to see who it was that killed her cruel grandmother, Vivianne. The guilt and panic fills her each and every day. One day, she gets a call from a lawyer telling her that Vivianne has left her a house in the Swedish woods where her grandfather died. So Eleanor goes with her boyfriend, aunt, and lawyer in search for answers. But they'll wish they never went.
This book gave me all the goosebumps I was looking for while reading! Sten's writing is very eerie and gothic, and she does such a wonderful job with setting the scene for the haunting house in the woods. I liked the narration of the story, it was past and present like her previous novel, and I was really intrigued to figure out what was going on.
This was such a wild and dysfunctional domestic thriller with twists that will shock you to the core.
I sort of forgot that the Eleanor was struggling with prosopagnosia while reading, so I found that the specific plot line could have been stronger. I wish the novel was a bit fast-paced, but overall I really enjoyed this spine tingling thriller. Sten is definitely a standout in this genre and may she continue to write books with creepy houses at the centre.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
amycampbell's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
caiterlenbach's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure about this one. The chapters were super nice and short, which makes it a breeze to sail through. But it took awhile to really pull me in. Honestly, the main hook for me was that even though the main character, Eleanor, sees her grandma's killer, she can't recognize them in the crowd, as she has prosopagnosia and cannot recognize faces.
All that being said, there were quite a few twists and turns that had me annoying my boyfriend by shouting "WHAT" at random intervals, and for that (and the descriptive writing), I have to give this book a good rating.
All that being said, there were quite a few twists and turns that had me annoying my boyfriend by shouting "WHAT" at random intervals, and for that (and the descriptive writing), I have to give this book a good rating.
lainimarie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
singalana's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Kasvosokean Eleanorin isoäiti murhataan ja vaikka hän näki tekijän, ei hän voi kuvailla tätä poliisille. Perunkirjoituksen myötä Eleanor saa tietää perinteensä kartanon, jolla on synkkä menneisyys.
Kirjaa markkinoidaan klaustrofobiseksi jännäriksi kartanossa asuvasta pahuudesta. Teksti asetti aivan vääränlaiset odotukset, sillä odotin kirjailijan edellisen teoksen perusteella ehkä jopa yliluonnolliselta tuntuvaa vivahdetta. Sen sijaan juoni on hyvin perinteinen menneisyyden salaisuuksiin pohjautuva jännäri.
Minun oli hyvin vaikea keksiä asioita joista olisin pitänyt. Harvat plussapisteet tulevat miljööstä ja törkeän isoäidin hahmosta.
Koska monet minua häirinneet seikat sisältävät juonipaljastuksia, piilotan ne spoilerilinkin taakse.
Spoilereita!
Spoiler
Kasvosokeus tuntui alihyödynnetyltä, eikä sitä juuri selitetty mitenkään.Spoiler
Päähenkilö Eleanor oli aluksi äärimmäisen pelokas ja neuroottinen, kunnes yhtäkkiä muuttui rohkeaksi ja tarmokkaaksi. Muidenkaan hahmojen persoonat eivät olleet johdonmukaisia, ja hahmot olivat muutenkin pinnallisia.Spoiler
Osa kirjasta on kirjoitettu päiväkirjan muotoon. Tekstissä ei ole juuri käytetty nimiä, vaikka ne eivät varmasti tule yllätyksenä kenellekään. Sen sijaan puhutaan sekavasti Hänestä ja Hänestä.Spoiler
Teksti tuntuu viimeistelemättömältä: lauseet ovat lyhyitä ja töksähteleviä, ja ainakin yhdessä kohdassa oli käytetty väärää nimeä.Spoiler
Se, mitä menneisyydessä tapahtui oli erittäin helppo arvata.Spoiler
Miksi Anuškan persoonallisuus muuttui niin radikaalisti? Mielestäni siinä ei ollut mitään järkeä.Spoiler
Kaikesta päätellen Eleonorin isoäiti oli aika kammottava, ja siksi Eleonorin käytös kirjan lopussa tuntuu omituiselle.Spoiler
Eleanorista läytetään välillä Victoria-nimeä. Turhaa ja sekavaa.Spoiler
Ainakin minusta tuntui tosi oudolta, että 1,5 h matkan päässä Tukholmasta on sellainen paikka, missä voi tulla niin paha lumimyrsky että ulos ei voi mennä, kännykät eivät kuulu ja lähin naapuri on niin kaukana että sinne ei voi kävellä.
Kirjaa olisi pitänyt vielä hioa ennen julkaisua, tällaisena se tuntuu keskeneräiseltä.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, Blood, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
miceroni's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
hernanes's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0