the resting place arc review!

Who knew that someone like me, who absolutely adores YA fantasy, is more likely to read adult thrillers than adult fantasy?

A huge thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Resting Place terrified me. I was reading it on my Kindle in the dark, and the atmosphere just got to me. I suppose that is the mark of a well-written book. One of my goals this year was to read more translated books, and I’m sad to say that this is the first I’ve read in the year (unless you count The Illiad). However, I am especially impressed that this is a translated book because it read so smoothly!

This follows a woman named Eleanor, who deals with prosopagnosia (face blindness). So when she walks into her grandmother Vivianne’s apartment and comes face-to-face with the person who killed her…she has no idea who it is. When Eleanor goes to see the house she’s meant to inherit, she realizes that perhaps that house holds more secrets to her grandmother’s life than she originally thought.

Oh my gosh. You guys. We don’t just read from Eleanor’s perspective, but also diary entries from Vivianne’s maid Anushka back in the 1960s. Immediately, it becomes clear that something terrible has happened in that house. This is such a brilliantly written thriller that very nearly crosses the line into horror. The atmosphere is just too good. A dark, creepy estate with a blizzard whirling around outside? Eleanor being unsure if Vivianne’s murderer is just around the corner, or if she’s seeing things? Terrifying perfection.

The farther along into this book I read, the more intrigued I became. Both POVs were tense and mysterious. I don’t think that the ending is totally “WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED” but it is incredibly satisfying and makes sense for the plot as a whole. I genuinely enjoyed my entire ride with all of the crazy characters and surprising developments.

I do wish that Eleanor’s prosopagnosia was implemented a little bit better. I feel like the more deeply we were entrenched into the plot, the vaguer that particular aspect of her became. Like, sometimes she could recognize people and other times she couldn’t? It was definitely strange. And I will say that the ending didn’t pack quite the punch that I was expecting. I certainly didn’t hate it, but I wouldn’t have minded if it was a little more dramatic.

Overall, I would recommend this one if you enjoy atmospheric thrillers, or are looking for a good translated novel! I don’t have a strong rating for this one (which is weird for me) but I’ll probably give it 3.5-4 stars. Tell me: have you read this one or any of the author’s previous work? Do you have a favorite translated thriller? You can order this (it came out on March 29th!) or add it to Goodreads and Storygraph.