Bugs, bugs, bugs and more bugs.
After being released from a mental hospital, Libby moves with her mom and sister into her mother's childhood home. The family is hoping for a fresh start together while Libby copes with her new Bipolar III diagnosis. However, there is a reason that Libby's mom left this old mansion behind years ago- it's a place where surrounded by rumors of hauntings and strange happenings, and more than one person has vanished from the house entirely over the years.
This book is a great example of young adult horror for those that love the genre, and I will definitely have it available in my library for students who love things that go bump in the night, but for me personally, it was a bit too long and a bit too buggy.

If you’re a fan of mental health fiction with a twist of haunts and creepy happenings, you’re gonna love this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend!

I love a good haunted house story and this book did not disappoint. Libby family moves to her mom’s childhood home, which is full of mystery and people who disappeared. It had spooky vibes and was a great read.
Thank you!

Hot damn! This is what YA horror should be. When I say this book gave me goosebumps multiple times. When I say I was convinced there was no way our heroes were gonna survive.

Let me tell you. If you are afraid of bugs - maybe skip this one, but if you think you can handle it it's so good! When I say bugs I mean: roaches, beetles, wasps, ants, praying mantis - but also some pretty butterflies.

I found the mental health to be handled really well and I loved how Libby grew stronger in herself as she fought off the very real monsters that she was surrounded by.

I've enjoyed both of Fraistat's book so far and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Libby is a teenager recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This diagnosis prompted her mom to move the family to her childhood home, a creepy estate that is full of secrets. This is a creepy, atmospheric read that features a cast of characters that truly resonate with the audience. I loved Libby and Vivi, and how the house began to take on a life of its own as a character. I also loved the attention the author paid to truly creating an aura of mystery and tension throughout the story. This was a well-written gothic horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

A Place for Vanishing is my first read by Ann Fraistat but it certainly won't be the last. This YA horror has a bit of everything: a creepy house, mystery, séances, and bugs; lots and lots of bugs. I can guarantee that even if you've read lots of books with those same themes, there is nothing like this book out there.

As with any good gothic horror, the setting is the perfect backdrop for this story. At first, it seems charmingly dilapidated with its strange blue roses and beautiful insect-themed stained glass windows containing masks of said insects. Sure, the house needs some love. The crumbling Victorian has good bones but hasn't had upkeep in decades. From its faded, peeling bug-patterned wallpaper, to its boarded-up windows, it's a strange place with a myriad of different types of insects despite fumigation. There are weird noises from the attic rooms and the grandparent's oddly locked bedroom door. For years, Libby's mom has avoided living in this house and instead chose to live in a small apartment but why? When Libby's new diagnosis means she feels they all need a fresh start in a new town, off they pop to the entomology motific house.

I can't speak to Libby's diagnosis and whether the author did well with presenting a person with bipolar disorder. Mental health affects not only the person but those who love and care for them as well. In this, I believe the author strived to portray an honesty that isn't often in fiction regarding mental illness. Libby seems especially laid bare and her emotions are visceral which lends credibility to her character. It was nice to see her relationship with her younger sister, Vivi, grow and ultimately thrive. Flynn makes a great wingman but I'm glad to see any romance takes a backseat to the mystery.

A Place for Vanishing doesn't give you much time to breathe. Weird stuff starts happening immediately and only accelerates from there. At first, the changes are somewhat extraordinary and bewitching but as time passes, the creepiness and wrongness only snowballs. While this horror is less "Boo I'm a ghost" and more paranormal, there's certainly plenty of body horror to entertain. And bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.

First, thanks to NetGalley and the author for the advance copy of this book.

Now, why this book took so long for me to read. I almost DNF'd this one several times during the first half. The idea behind this? Actually quite interesting. The plot, once we actually got there? Good. What made it so bad? The clear lack of mental health knowledge from the author.

The first half-ish of the book focuses more on our main character and her interactions with her family during their first days in the new home, delving into her mind and allowing us a view of her internal monologue and thoughts. The bipolar III and depression were done poorly and did not add to the novel in any way. The author could've thrown out that entire aspect of the book and kept this as straight thriller/horror and it would've been a great read.

All in all, I gave this a 2.5 of 5, rounded down to 2 for GR. The second half of the story was good. We delved into the action, the lore, the history of things and everyone's interactions seemed more real, more fluid. I just wish it had been like this the whole way through.

It was alright. Not the best thing I’ve read in a long time but I’ve definitely read worse.

Content Warning: Mental illness themes, suicide attempt, horror themes


Many thanks to @tbrbeyondtours and @annfrai for my copy of this book!

TW: Attempted Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression

Libby was recently diagnosed with bipolar III, and due to many related struggles, her mom decided to move her and her sister back to the house her mom grew up in for a fresh start. But there’s nothing fresh about the house – bugs roam the rooms, doors are locked, and there are depictions of violence and unsettling things throughout the house. Not to mention the rumors that Libby runs across when she tries to interact with the mysterious boy next door. As things get weirder, Libby tries to encourage her mom to leave, but her mom refuses. Can Libby uncover the house’s secrets before something tragic happens?

The premise of this book is fascinating, and I love the analogy with the masks and how it was used throughout the book to build tension. The house setting was creepy and there were some fascinating aspects included that added to the tension and overall atmosphere. I also appreciated how the author chose to include bipolar III and how it’s based on the author’s personal experience with it. The characters were decently written, though all characters other than Libby felt like they were a little lacking in the development department.

I think this book would be much stronger if it were trimmed down some. The thoughts of the characters and their working toward a solution became rather repetitive and took away from the atmosphere and tension that was present. There were also instances where the author was trying to get a point across, and it became too repetitive to be as impactful as it could have been.

If you’re interested in a slow burn YA horror that includes seances and bugs, then you might enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is 13 Ghosts meets Delicious Monsters. It was a little slow to start but once it picked up it was hard to put down. The last third of the book really had me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I finally had it figured out, the whole thing flipped on me. I loved it!

Creepy, gothic, romance. Oh and family history of demons. Nothing major. Except people have a tendency to go missing in their family home. Including the cute boy's father.
Libby's mom decides to bring them to her family's home for Libby to recover - forcing her younger sister to leave behind dance classes and friends.
Libby has been recovering from a bipolar diagnosis - complicated by a suicide attempt. This Fraistat does an amazing job tackling this high trigger complex mental health reality. The internal voices, Battles against highs and lows. Self image, self confidence. Family. Guilt.
Woven in the legends of the family lore - gorgeous.

MORE BIPOLAR REPRESENTATION IN BOOKS PLEASE!! This was such a good YA horror novel that left me with chills, and I can't wait to read more books by Ann Fraistat!!

Spectacular novel that anyone from 13 to 90 will love. Weird things happen when a mother and her two daughters move to the house where Mom lived as a child. Exciting and thrilling reading.

Looking for a fresh start after being diagnosed with bipolar III, Libby and her mom and sister move back into her mother's childhood home which has been sitting empty for years. Known as the House of Masks, a lot of creepy things have happened and many disappearances over the years. The house is teeming with bugs and it seems something is behind the masks that Libby and her sister find that gives them the strength of the insect it represents. But the masks seem to be taking over and there's something more sinister at work. Overall, a horror story set in a creepy house that has its own agenda and seeks power from its occupants and also about a family trying to start over and reconnect.

I had to DNF this one. It was a really slow start for me. I kept reading hoping that I would get into it, but I just couldn't. The concept of the book sounds really interesting, but I just don't think this book is for me right now.

thank you to netgalley for the arc

Wow. I just want to start by saying this was absolutely amazing and I loved it deeply. Having realistic mental health representation that is informative and shows the struggle and the mindset behind those with harmful thoughts, is a rarity and I appreciate this book so much for this alone. That being said, there are some triggers for suicide and self-harm, as well as some violence and general creepiness that come from the horror aspect of this novel.

The story takes place shortly after a suicide attempt of the main character Libby. We learn that she has gone through hospitalization and was diagnosed with Bipolar III. Libby's mother thought it would be a good idea to get a fresh start by moving the family to a new town and home. Little did they know that this new home has grim, buried secrets that are just awaking.

The twists and turns of this story are truly delightful and the writing style is beautiful. Everything is described with such detail and thoughtfulness that I felt entirely immersed. The story is complex and well-developed and I highly recommend it.

A Place for Vanishing is a horror novel about Libby, a high school student who was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, who moves into the mysterious House of Masks with her mother and sister Vivi after a suicide attempt. Libby’s mother inherited the house from her aunt, and has always spoken of it with distaste. After Libby’s suicide attempt, however, Libby’s mother insists that they must move into the home where her family has lived for generations, restoring it to its former condition and reconnecting with their roots so that the entire family can recover emotionally. Libby and Vivi immediately suspect that something is wrong with the house: it is crawling with a severe insect infestation, and the house itself has an insect theme, with each room dedicated to a different insect species. The art is graphic and disturbing, and Libby’s mother seems to be unravelling, despite her claims to be happier than ever before. Libby and Vivi must team up with a ghost-obsessed neighbor named Flynn to uncover the mysteries behind the House of Masks and save their mother from herself.

I absolutely loved the uniqueness of this world and its magic. The supernatural elements of the book are based heavily on insects and insect traits, and by the end of the novel, the reader was not only shown the more intricate details of the magic system, we were also given an origin for the magic that made sense and was consistent with the world itself. The magic has a natural escalation built into it that built up the plot as well as the world. I have so much respect for the consistency of this world, despite it being so different from other ghost stories that I’ve read, and even though I’m not exactly a fan of insects, I found myself fully invested from start to finish.

Mental health is a strong theme throughout this book, and while I anticipate that this may be triggering for some, I really appreciated how well the author managed to capture many of its nuances. Libby, for example, has only recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She is still learning how to manage her moods, and often makes mistakes or overreacts or fails to trust herself. However, her efforts to grow and improve herself are apparent. Libby’s mother and sister are also still struggling iwth Libby’s bipolar diagnosis, her suicide attempt, and their own difficult emotions about the move and the changes in their lives. They frequently respond in hurtful or dismissive ways, but they too are trying to do the right thing. These conflicts between the characters, the way they upset or comfort one another, are at the heart of the narrative, and I loved seeing how they all grow together, learning from their own mistakes so they can do better.

In all, I’ll give A Place for Vanishing a 9 out of 10. This was a unique horror with a well-developed world and a compelling plot, with complex characters. I think anyone willing to try a horror with a twist will appreciate this one.

Absolutely captivating read! The storytelling is masterful, keeping you hooked from start to finish. Characters feel incredibly real, and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. A definite must-read for any book lover!

Thank you Netgalley for the a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This gothic teen horror was a great read. It does address some serious topics like death and suicide. The main character is likeable and the book definitely satisfied the gothic horror fan in me. Great stand alone read.

This book went into a direction that I didn’t see coming. It’s not my usual type of read but I wish the author lots of luck & hope this books performs well.