This story held promise but ultimately fell a bit flat. Not quite the page turner I was anticipating.

"The Resting Place" by Camilla Sten is a chilling and suspenseful novel that weaves together horror, mystery, and family secrets. With its engrossing plot and well-drawn characters, this book captures the reader's attention and delivers a haunting tale.

The author skillfully combines elements of Crimson Peak and The Sanatorium to create a story that immerses readers in a world of twisted family history and a foreboding house that holds dark secrets. The premise of Eleanor, living with prosopagnosia, adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, as her condition heightens the suspense and blurs the line between reality and perception. Sten's vivid descriptions and atmospheric writing effectively build tension, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere throughout the book.

The characters in "The Resting Place" are well-developed and multifaceted. Eleanor, along with her steadfast boyfriend Sebastian and reckless aunt Veronika, embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the house and its disturbing past. Their interactions and individual motivations add depth to the story, and the author deftly explores their vulnerabilities and flaws. The dynamic between the characters, particularly within the family, enhances the tension and mystery surrounding the secrets they seek to unravel.

Sten's storytelling is engaging, with a steady pace that keeps the reader hooked. The suspense builds gradually as the characters delve deeper into the dark history of the house. The unraveling of secrets and the revelations along the way add layers of complexity to the plot, providing moments of surprise and intrigue.

However, despite its strengths, "The Resting Place" falls slightly short in fully capitalizing on its potential. Some aspects of the plot feel predictable, and certain plot developments lack the necessary impact to truly thrill and surprise. Additionally, the resolution of the story could have been more satisfying, as some loose ends are left untied, leaving the reader with unanswered questions.

I’m a fan of Camilla Sten’s gothic storytelling, the kind of eerie foreboding that’s constantly persistent throughout every page. However, as with The Lost Village, I felt something was missing when I was done with this book as well, and I’m not really sure what.
The story is narrated from alternate POVs of Eleanor in the present (who suddenly inherits the mansion from her murdered grandmother Vivianne) and Annikka from the past (whose dairy is hidden in the mansion). There are lots of characters to keep up with, and we are left to wonder how is Annikka related to Eleanor, Vivianne and aunt Veronica, which is all revealed in the end, but fell a bit flat to me. I enjoyed the process of reading this eerie book more than the final twists. I will be on the lookout for the next Camilla Sten book.

After witnessing the murder of her grandmother, Eleanor teeters on the edge of panic as a result of the trauma. The killer is still at large, and Eleanor could provide a picture-perfect description—if she didn’t suffer from prosopagnosia, a form of “face blindness.” To compensate for this perplexing disability, she must use other features and senses to identify anyone, even those closest to her. The recipient of her grandmother’s estate, Eleanor reluctantly returns to the remote Swedish woods where the crime occurred. She is joined by her boyfriend, aunt, and the probate lawyer to prepare the house for a quick sale. Immediately upon her return, Eleanor detects a lingering unease that saturates the walls of the creepy mansion. She discovers a diary that might help her solve its mysteries, but first, she needs to painstakingly translate it from its original Polish. When some puzzling disappearances occur, Eleanor assumes that her grandmother’s murderer is lurking on the property. Camilla Sten earned popularity with her first novel, The Lost Village, and those who enjoyed her debut will find The Resting Place a suitable second effort. More gothic than gory, Sten’s latest release lags a bit at times, but the convergence of its storylines and rich setting will satisfy most thriller fans.

Thanks to the author, Minotaur and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was really good. I feel like it was missing something that could've made it GREAT. I felt the same about The Lost Village. I really enjoyed the dual storylines and the twists. The characters were amazing.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. The face blindness was such an interesting concept and I feel like that really added an extra layer to the creepiness. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia or face blindness not being able to make out features on others faces. When she goes to visit her grandmother, Vivianne, for her weekly dinner, she passes someone on their way out. When she enters her home, she finds Vivianne lying in a pool of blood brutally murdered. Although she is a witness, she can not describe or identify the killer. Fast forward a few months, and Eleanor gets a phone call from her grandmother's lawyer. Solhoga, the family mansion that belonged to her father's family, now belongs to Eleanor. He would like to meet her at the home to do an inventory and deal with the estate. Eleanor, her Aunt Veronika and her boyfriend Sebastian head to the isolated home in the Swedish woods. Once there, things begin to happen. What is going on in the house, and what mystery has been hidden in these walls for over 50 years?

The Resting Place is a gothic mystery that is told in two timelines and kept me interested throughout. The chapters alternate between past and present. The present narrated by Eleanor and the past being told through Annushka’s/Annika's point of view. It is through a diary that Eleanor finds written by Annika that reveals secrets and causes things to unfold. When people disappear, only to show up later either injured or dead, a snowstorm that knocks out the power, noises and even people being locked in the dumb waiter, all add to the chilling and tense feeling in the story. How does this all come together? Not how I expected at all. The characters were not all likable, and Vivianne was one that I didn't like at all as we found out more about her. She was not very nice to her children or even her granddaughter, but as her distant past is revealed, I could understand. Sebastian was my favourite character in the book, he was a calming influence and did whatever he could to assist Eleanor. The Resting Place was a story that held my interest, my one complaint was the slow pace in the middle of the story.

I really loved The Lost Village but this one fell a little short for me. It felt very predictable. I guessed most things from the beginning. Camilla is a fantastic story teller though. Both books I have felt like I was actually there.

So intense and creepy! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about prosopagnosia, face blindness, before so it was interesting from that standpoint alone. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
Published March 29, 2022 by Minotaur Books
The Resting Place is a creepy atmospheric thriller based on the premise that the protagonist Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia- the medical term for face blindness. She walked in on the scene of her grandmother Vivianne's murder and came face-to-face with the killer with no clue who it was. The book unfolds as Eleanor is called to Vivianne's huge and super-creepy Victorian summer house in the country, which has stood abandoned for years. Wanting to unravel the family's secrets, Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, her cousin Veronika and the lawyer travel to the remote home to begin an inventory of the estate. In the process, they find some answers and more questions. I had some mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the creepy gothic atmosphere that Sten created in in the country manor. The family secrets were dark and twisty, but there were so many characters that things got a little convoluted and I had to draw myself a chart at one point to keep track of the characters and their relationships. The face blindness felt like a little bit of a stretch, but overall I found the story very suspenseful and more than satisfying.
Today was our first day back from spring break - did you already have yours? Did you do anything fun?
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a galley in exchange for my review.

The Resting Place is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Resting Place asap.

I wish I had realized earlier how much of a horror novel The Resting Place was. While the writing is absolutely incredible, I was so creeped out most of the time I just had to finish for myself to know how it ended.

Rounded up from a 3.5*

I thought it was well-written and definitely kept my attention throughout. The protagonist's facial blindness was a very nice touch that felt pretty unique to this book. It added an extra layer of mystery as to who the killer actually was. I will say that despite any unique traits, it was ultimately pretty predictable. I knew what the ending was going to be pretty early in. The characters were also pretty standard, following all the usual tropes for this whodunnit type of story. It wasn't groundbreaking, but I would still say it was worth the read.

Good but not as good as her previous book. The face blindness was a nice layer of the story though; I really like the unexpected depth it gave the story.

I really loved the atmosphere in this novel. Our main character is very unreliable because not only does she have face blindness, she also suffers from anxiety. I usually don’t love when a character’s mental health is used against them and no one believes them, but this time I thought it was well done. Eleanor recognizes her illness may be affecting her thoughts but doesn’t let it hinder her.
Set in a creepy old house in the woods in a blizzard, this locked room mystery will keep you guessing!

DNF at 15%...

This book felt so extremely chaotic with waaay too many characters! Definitely took away from my ability to follow storyline therefore I DNF'd.

Camilla Sten is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. The Lost Village has lived rent-free in my head since I read it, and so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read The Resting Place. Yet another atmospheric, creepy read set in a remote location, this time with a fun twist - the main character has prosopagnosia, which means she can't remember the face of the person who killed her grandmother. I really enjoyed this read and definitely can't wait to see more of what Ms. Sten has to offer :)

▪️ The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
rating: 3 ⭐️
format: physical/digital arc, audiobook
length: 328 pages/8hr 51min
pub day: march 29, 2022

I actually started the physical copy of TRP last year but ended up dnfing it. I thought I would try again last month after seeing some good reviews. I ended up bouncing back and forth between the physical copy and audiobook, but I think I enjoyed the audio better overall. The concept of prosopagnosia was really interesting to me as I had never heard of this prior to this book. This was multi timeline, but I found the past tense more interesting than the present. The pacing for the first half was slow, but it did pick up for the second half. I enjoyed TRP, but it was nothing special for me and not very memorable.

Thank you to @netgalley for my digital arc, @minotaur_books for my physical arc, and @scribd for the audio !

First let me start by saying I read this quite a while ago and forgot to post a review. This review is based on what I remember of the book. Though I did star rate it at the time of finishing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A twisty, claustrophobic thriller.

I've become such a fan of Sten's since reading her last book, The Lost Village. So I knew I had to read this one. While I didn't love it quite as much as her last book, it was still very good.

A creepy old house, a journal full of past secrets, face blindness, murder, missing people, being snowed in with no way to Contact anyone for help.... all things you can expect from this one.

It was an interesting read, especially with the prosopagnosia (face blindness) involved. Having the MC have such a unique characteristic added so much to the story. Her grandmother was murdered, she saw the murderer, but couldn't see their face 😱 that in itself is scary enough

But also the atmousphere played such a huge role in the storytelling. I loved the snowy, claustrophobic feel of this one. Especially when you add in all of the above.

I always love a story that has some history to it. In this one you get it through diary entries which help lay out the story and help you understand how things have played out.

I will definitely be reading anything this author some out with.

* Thanks to netgalley and publisher for a gifted copy

This was a highly-anticipated book. I enjoyed it and plan to read more by this author. Thank you to the author and publisher for my copy in exchange for a review.