(4.5) I was hooked from the very beginning of this one. The vibes, the mystery, the setting, I loved it all. I felt the pace was quick and I was eager to figure out what was going on. And the twist, I never saw it coming! I loved the use of dual timelines as we find out more about the past inhabiters of the house and thought it added an excellent element to this novel. The ending…. Oof!

“Deep rooted secrets.
A twisted family history.
And a house that will never let go.”
Eleanor is unable to recognize faces, a condition known as prosopagnosia. She’s been able to learn to live with it and find ways to make her life easier. But when she witnesses the murder of her odd, and even cruel, grandmother and comes literally face to face with the killer, she is left terrified and tormented. She should be able to identify the killer, instead she is left questioning if the person will come back. When she receives a phone call about clearing out her grandmothers semi-secret estate, she immediately feeling uneasy. But as she explores the house, she starts to realize something isn’t right. It seems someone wanted the remaining family members here, but why? What really happened at this house and to its owner may not be what it seems and Eleanor may have just walked right into danger.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for early access to this title!

3.5 ⭐️‘s
When Eleanor arrives for her weekly dinner with her grandmother, Vivianne, she interrupts a killer. She has seen the killer, but to no avail, Eleanor has prosopagnosia, or as we commoners call it ... face blindness. Her grandmother is dead, she has seen the killer, but has no idea who it was. She now lives in total fear, so much fear that she had a breakdown and now is on the other side, slowly coming to grips with that night. After being contacted by a lawyer about a summer home she knows nothing about, Eleanor, boyfriend Sebastian, and her aunt Veronika head to Solhoga. Eleanor immediately feels uncomfortable with her surroundings and feels and sees things that she’s sure no one will believe, after all she has been unwell. As a blizzard rages and power is lost, people are injured and peril is close, they must ban together to solve the mystery of Solhoga and discover the killer before it’s too late for all of them. Sten writes another twisty thriller that is pleasantly narrated by Angels Dawe. An entertaining listen, but with the lack of character development it just didn’t pack the overall punch that it could have.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Camilla Sten, wonderfully narrated by Angela Dawe. 4 creepy stars!

Eleanor arrived for her regular Sunday dinner with her grandmother, only to find that Vivianne had just been murdered. Because Eleanor suffers from face blindness, she couldn't tell the police who she saw fleeing the scene of the crime, so the killer is still out there. When the will is read, Eleanor discovered her grandmother had a house in Sweden that she left jointly to Eleanor and her Aunt Veronika. Along with Eleanor's partner, Sebastian, the trio head to the house to meet the probate lawyer to take stock of the property.

Add a missing caretaker and a blizzard to the creepy house and you have all the makings of a thriller! Eleanor's face blindness adds a different layer to this mystery because anyone could be a culprit - and I was left questioning everyone! The book is told in two timelines - the 1960s from the viewpoint of Anuska, a made in the house, in the form of a diary found on the property, as well as the present. This was a tense read, wonderfully narrated, that kept me guessing to the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5
-Characters: 3.5/5
-Cover: 4/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 4.5/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Mystery
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review! When I saw this on the list to request to read I clicked so fast! I read "Lost Village" by Camilla and loved it. So I am so thankful to have been given a chance to read this one as well.

Eleanor's condition really makes for a thriller. I would hate to be put in her situation. Like, Lost Village, you have a point of view from someone who comes from a place they haven't been before and then you go back to the past and get a recollection of what happen from a family member during that time. I will admit I thought I had it figured out earlier what was going to happen and I was wrong, so that was nice.

The only things I have to complain about with the book is, like with Lost Village, they had a bit of a dry spell but even with it I really wanted to chug along and find out what was exactly going on. Another complaint is El in the end. Yeah, they were going to die by KiKi but I think El should have a bit more compassion for her. She also should have recognize that her grandmother was a damn mess and shouldn't have gotten as much compassion as she did.

Other than that it was a very good read, had me on the edge of my seat, and left in a kind of "what next?" phase!

🎧: The Resting Place
✍🏼: Camilla Sten
💁🏻‍♀️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️//5
🗓: March 29, 2022

🤔💭: First off, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advanced copy of this audiobook and I am voluntarily leaving my review! I really enjoyed this psychological suspense and the creepy Swedish countryside setting this book takes place in. Our main character Eleanor suffers from a medical condition called prosopagnosia, where she has the inability to recognize people’s faces, even people she’s most familiar with. Eleanor walks into the murder of her grandmother Vivianne, but is unable to identity the killer. Vivianne has left an estate to Eleanor, one where her grandfather suddenly died, and a place that’s housed a dark past for over fifty years. Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, her Aunt Veronika, and her lawyer all head to this house to handle the affairs and to uncover some answers, but as they get closer to discovering the truth their finding out more disturbing secrets that lie resting at this property. I enjoyed the narration of this book and liked how it goes back and forth from the present and then the past to help provide background and give us the answers we need which all intertwine together in this story.

✅ I would definitely recommend checking this book out! 👍🏼

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Wow this book was so good. I did not see the twists coming at all. I really loved following these characters - although I didn’t like that they were similar to each other. I confused them at times.

I really liked the eerie setting this book had and the audiobook made it so much better. This is a great thriller and I’m so happy I got to read this.

While a decent story, i felt like this slow burn thriller with horror elements may have been... too slow. With 'thrilling' elements peppered throughout to relieve tension, I never felt a really good suspense building, which led to a end that, while satisfying, fell flat and struck me as not very memorable.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Eleanor has prosopagnosia — aka face blindness — and that's the only reason she doesn't know who killed her grandmother, Vivianne, who could be a bit of a pill to the Eleanor. Vivianne raised Eleanor as her own because her own parents died. Months later, Eleanor along with her boyfriend Sebastian head out to a secret countryside mansion with her aunt Victoria and the estate lawyer to divvy up Vivianne's hidden away belongings. But very quickly the foursome realizes something's up with the house — and they might not be alone.

I had read some mixed reviews of this one. Not going to lie, haunted houses aren't usually my jam and I eyeroll at the prosopagnosia thing in thrillers usually, BUT I did end up enjoying the ride and the dual timeline. Nothing super duper shocked me but there were a few lil gasp moments and I love that for me. I also enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook, so it was all in all a good time!

PS. I do feel the need to note this tiny spoiler for those of you like me who aren't big fans of the supernatural elements. This isn't a haunted story, just fyi btw, so don't let that prevent you from giving it a read!

The audio was great. I love the story line and the secrets., Trying to connect the dots wasn't easy either so it kept me guessing.

#TheRestingPlace:

Y’all know I’m all about a good ending. I loved Camilla Stem’s last @Minotaur book, The Lost Village.. until the end. While reading The Resting Place, I got the same eeriness, the same atmospheric feel, the same “do I need to check under my bed before I jump in it” vibe. Because of it, I was worried I’d have the same flat ending. So I tried not to get my hopes up for The Resting Place because I didn’t want to be let down again. Sten delivered and then some for me this time around, and I’m as happy as a clam.

I honestly didn’t think I would laugh at this book, but Eleanor had some classic comic relief lines to really break up the eerie tension. The scene where she’s clutching the wrench and she waits they’re armed like they’re expecting a run-in with a zombie horde had me cackling. That was some Ryan Reynolds inappropriate laughter in a serious situation scene.

While I did get some giggles in, make no mistake I was creeped TF out. I figured out the twists early on, but that was the creepiest ride just to get there. I listened thanks to @macmillanaudio, and Angela Dawe (Finlay Donovan, Hello Transcriber, Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens) had me literally hanging on their every word. The dual timeline and short chapters had me compulsively listening at every waking moment to finish this book and see what was about to unfold.

Overall, a solid book that will get you out of any slump you may be in! I knew I wanted to try Sten again after how much I loved 90% of The Lost Village, and I’m so so so glad I did. The Resting Place is the book to give you the creeps. Thank you Minotaur and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy. The Resting Place is out March 29th!

Thank you @netgalley @macmillianaudio for a copy of The Resting Place. The narration was excellent in creating a very creepy atmosphere at the mansion that Eleanor knew nothing about.

I love how you never really know what is going on in the past or present and keeps you guessing. There were a lot of twists I didn’t see coming.

3.5 stars

When you suffer from prosopagnosia, it makes you question things. Such as who can you trust. You can't recognize a familiar person's face. How do you form relationships?

Eleanor has walked in on her grandmother, Vivianne 's murder. She came face to face with the killer. She goes through her days knowing she came face to face with a killer, but who?


Vivianne has left Eleanor her home deep in the Swedish woods. A house that has housed a secret for the last fifty years. So, Elanor, her boyfriend, Sebastian, her lawyer and Veronika, her aunt go to her inherited home. The house has housed secrets for years, will the secrets ever see the light of day? But first there is that pesky snowstorm that does what snowstorms do, keeps them stuck at the home where *gasp* you guessed it, strange things are beginning to happen.

This book is told in two timelines and readers get a glimpse into the origin of the secrets though the use of a diary. Into the time when Sir and Ma'am ran the house. When servants did as they were told and then some.

I listened to the audiobook and at times found my attention wandering. There were parts I wished would speed up. I wanted a little more dread and tension. Yes, there is some, but I wanted more. As the snow piled up outside and I wanted more fear inside. This is in the horror genre, but I wanted it to be more horrific.

Fans of Sten will most likely enjoy this one. Overall, I found this to be enjoyable but not as horrific as I wanted and slow in parts.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really like Scandinavian women mystery writers, and I have read all that Viveca Sten (Camilla Sten's mother) has written. This was my first Camilla Sten novel, and although it was an entertaining read, it didn't sit quite right with me. The main characters were annoying, the circumstances around them a bit too convenient and dramatic for my taste.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Read this if...you enjoy graphic thrillers set in isolated locations.

The Resting Place starts off with a bang when Eleanor (aka Victoria) walks in on her cruel grandmother's murder. The scene itself is traumatic for its gruesomeness alone, but Eleanor's face blindness makes it even more so. Despite seeing the killer, she can't identify any of his or her identifying features. Eleanor is still recovering from the murder when she receives news that her grandmother left her an estate in the Swedish woods, which Eleanor didn't even know existed. Along with her boyfriend, Aunt Veronika, and the estate lawyer, Eleanor travels to the isolated estate looking for answers to her grandmother's death.

I really enjoyed "The Lost Village" by this author, so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it was just okay. I loved the snowy wilderness atmosphere, but ultimately, I just wasn't that invested in the story. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I kept getting the characters mixed up. I mean, is it really necessary that so many female character have a name that starts with V? There were at least 4 that I counted and that made it hard for me to keep them all straight, especially when multiple characters in the book go by two different names. I did like the way Sten wove the two storylines together, but the twists at the end didn't pack the punch they were intended to.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

A big thank you to the author, Netgally, and Minotaur Books for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten pulled me in from the blurb. This noir listen is set in Sweden. I loved the atmosphere the author created with the spine tingling imagery, the dark forest, the abandoned house, the snow storm. The twists were great and the ending was unexpected. Kudos to the author for tricking me. Angela Dawe performed the book flawlessly. She added so much to my enjoyment. I could envision so many details. Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this pre-release audiobook. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

When I read the synopsis of this book I was curious but a little skeptical about it. The protagonist of this suspense novel lives with prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, which is the inability to recognise people's faces. And last year I read another book in which the protagonist had the same condition (Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney) and I was not thrilled about it so I had my doubts about The Resting Place. Thankfully, Camilla Sten proved me wrong.

Set in an isolated mansion full of dark secrets in the Swedish countryside, we follow Eleanor who saw her grandmother Vivianne being murdered. Because of her cognitive disorder, she can’t recognize the killer. One day, Eleanor goes with her boyfriend, aunt and lawyer to her deceased grandmother's estate - a large mansion that Eleanor has never heard of before - to make an estate inventory. But she soon realizes that there is more she does not know about her grandmother than an old unknown house. The walls whisper horrible memories and the rooms hide secrets that were never meant to be revealed.

The novel has classic detective story elements such as the spooky mansion and the constant snowstorm that physically prevents the main character from getting somewhere and the author knows how to build suspense mixed with horror to keep the reader on their toes throughout the book. What is real and what is not? Is the house haunted or the threat is a human being? The story is creepy and mysterious and makes the reader wants more and more.

The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe whom I love. I said it before and I will say it again: Dawe knows how to bring the characters to life, how to pace a story, and how to build suspense. I absolutely love her narration. The Resting Place is an immersive reading about family secrets and the search for the truth. It has a fantastic drive, a claustrophobic and atmospheric environments. It is eerie and full of secrets that are slowly revealed. I highly recommend it.

If you are looking for an atmospheric family drama set in a spooky mansion, you'll love this one! Camilla Sten has followed up her debut novel (which I loved) with an even more compelling story. Eleanor travels to a secret family mansion that she knew nothing about until her grandmother's death in order to wrap up her estate. Along with her boyfriend and aunt and the estate lawyer, the group seems to be at odds with each other and as events turn more sinister, it isn't clear who should be trusted.

The plot is intricately woven and the characters are well-written. I enjoyed the alternating time periods and how well the events ultimately came together as history meets up with the present. I read this book in about a day! It has short chapters with mini-cliffhangers that kept me turning pages.

I will definitely look forward to Sten's next book and I recommend that you grab this one when it releases on March 29th! Of course if you pre-order now, it'll be on your doorstep on pub day! Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced audio (great narrator by the way) and to the publisher, Minotaur for my advanced reader's copy!

The novel was an atmospheric thriller set in an old family mansion after the murder of her grandmother right in front of Eleanor. Eleanor should be able to point out the murderer but she suffers from prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces of even those she knows and loves (even herself). When a lawyer calls for inventory of the house, Eleanor, her boyfriend, Sebastian, her aunt, Veronica and the lawyer all go out to the middle of nowhere to go over it. However, mysterious things start happening and a storm has them trapped! Dun dun dun.

Ok so to be totally upfront this was well written, the atmospheric writing was well done and did add tension and creepiness throughout the story. It did feel like anything could happen at any time. That’s not really the problem here.

The problem was the characters. They were assigned about one personality trait each (except for Eleanor who was assigned all of them) and then, if not Eleanor, told to act as suspicious as possible for no apparent reason throughout the entire book. Eleanor is strong, no weak, no brave, no cowardly, no - somehow tiny enough to fit in a dumbwaiter but also not know what a dumbwaiter is. There’s just nonsense that happens throughout the story. Two characters are revealed to be skulking about the house ‘looking for clues’ about two totally different things and neither wanted to get caught but neither just thought about going to this mostly abandoned property when…no one was there? Multiple murder *is* a lesser charge than breaking and entering so I get their thought process. Or…wait do we have that backwards?

No one makes any sense! The relationships are ridiculous. Sebastian and Eleanor have supposedly been together for six years but they could have met a month ago for all I could tell. Veronica is hugely rude to Eleanor and everyone for seemingly no reason.

Eleanor’s prosopagnosia is an interesting concept but that’s about it. Honestly, the murderer could have just run past her real fast and she not get a good look and it would be almost the same concept. I think we are supposed to also assume because she has one mental disorder that she could be a crazy and hallucinate all the time. Its not a very good representation of being neurodivergent.

The flashbacks were the most interesting part which is not something I usually say. But Vivienne and Annika were rather captivating and felt more real than anyone in the present time. I would have liked to see more of the transitional period of character growth but we were basically just told it happened which seems disingenuous to what we knew of the character in the past.

But the worst was the reveal of the plot twist. It was a crazy twist in that I didn’t suspect it! Because I could not care less about the person involved.

Overall, I would maybe recommend this book if you like atmospheric thrillers. Its got good ratings otherwise and what bothered me definitely won’t bother everyone. The writing was good and I would try this author again even if I didn’t like this one.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an audio ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The narrator was absolutely wonderful and got me through the entire story even while I struggled with it,

I loved Camilla’s first book so when I saw she had another creepy horror coming out I was behind estastic. For some reason whenever I read her books I get a found footage sort of feel in my head.

This was a good book and truly had me guessing and cringing the entire time. It’s a slow burn for sure but one that hooks you. It’s also depressingly sad and that makes the story even much more tragic,

I enjoyed the narrators. They were engaged and intense. I cant wait for the next book. I know it’s coming lol.

I am a mood reader and this one fit my mood exactly. Creepy and chilling and secrets and lies, just what I was looking for.

Eleanor has face blindness. She doesn't recognize people's faces and has to go by things like hairstyle, glasses and the like. When she stumbles upon her grandmother's murder in progress, she feels she might know the murderer. But she doesn't recognize them. And this haunts her throughout the book.

She is called to her grandmother's mansion (that she was unaware of) to take inventory of her grandmother's things. She goes there with her boyfriend, her aunt, and her grandmother's attorney.

One by one, secrets of the past are revealed. Strange things occur and she constantly feels like someone is watching them.

This book hooked me from the start and it was one I hated to put down, and when I did, I was still thinking about it. Enjoyed the diary excerpts along with what was happening in real time. It built the story slowly, unpeeling the layers and sucking you in, but was a quick read and still felt fast paced. I enjoy this author's writing style. Alternated audio and ebook and both were fantastic! Not my first book by her, and won't be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's/Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.