This author’s debut novel, What We Harvest, was an easy five star read for me, and I kept watch for her future releases. The cover of her second novel immediately caught my eye on NetGalley, and when I saw the author’s name I wasted no time in requesting it.

Be warned. If creepy-crawly insects freak you out, this might not be the novel for you. If that’s not an issue, you’re in for a horrific, compelling tale.

Libby and her family are ready for a fresh start. She’s dealing with recent bipolar III diagnosis, and her family is still struggling with the tragedy preceding it. They move into the house where her mother grew up, having inherited it several years before after her parents’ deaths. The house is quite… unique with stained glass windows featuring bizarre insect designs and a garden full of blue roses. Oh, and there’s a séance table in the backyard. Libby hears the skittering of bugs every night when she’s supposed to be sleeping, and the locals want nothing to do with the house. Even the food delivery guy drops off at the end of the driveway instead of coming to the door. There’s also the fact that numerous family members disappeared in the house over the years, never to be found. Can you blame Libby for wanting to leave the first day they arrive?

It becomes clear Libby and her family share the house with a menacing presence. As she and her sister begin to lose their mother to the house, they receive help from Flynn, a medium whose father was also one of its victims. They need to determine what the deal is with the strange, bug-shaped masks scattered throughout the house and grounds that give the wearer powers and enable them to hear voices.

With complex character development and a heavy dose of atmosphere, this is a creative blend of horror and psychological thriller. I can’t wait to see what Fraistat does next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Place for Vanishing had some unspeakable horror moments, I mean the graphic gore was up front when it finally got to that point, but prior to the carnage, it held the absolute best creepy suspense sensation of "what the heck is actually happening in this house?!" Libby is fresh from the throws of suicide attempt and it is referred to multiple times with explicit description, so trigger guarding is definitely in play here. Together, Libby, her mother and younger sister are not honest with each other about what happened and how they feel about it, yet the a fresh start in her mother's notoriously tragic back-storied childhood home should clear things right up ... not. Enter the cute neighbor who knows too much, a town full of people willing to gawk or avoid in equal measure, and an obscure presence that begins to influence all of them in intimately specific ways, not to mention the whole insect thing is a vibe.
File this one under things you can't unsee and be careful - it sticks with you.
Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for the e-copy, these are my honest thoughts and review.

Trigger warnings: this book is about depression and how it sucks up all your energy.

Isabel “Libby” Feldman is a sixteen year-old suicide survivor. A few months before summer break, she tried to take her own life. She was found and taken to the hospital. After getting physical help she needed, she got the psychological help she needed. She spent a small stint in a psychiatric facility before being released into her mother’s custody in order to continue her therapy for her new diagnosis, bipolar III disorder with cyclothymia.

Libby’s suicide attempt changed the dynamics of her small family, like it would anyone’s family. Her mother Sharon and her baby sister, Vivi walk on eggshells around her while dealing with their own feelings about what happened. None of them are having open and honest conversations with each other, so the vibe of the household is tense at best.

Speaking of household, Sharon decides to move them out of their small apartment and away from Libby’s high school/toxic environment. She settles on moving back into her childhood home she lived in until her 4th birthday when her parents died. Up until this point in their lives, Sharon has never openly discussed her parents with Libby and Vivi. She never even told them much about the house. They had never even seen it. It wasn’t until they arrived with their whole lives in their hands. That’s point one of this suss story.

What’s point 2 you ask? Take your pick. The house is run down, there are strange stained glass windows depicting humanoid bugs, the lighting, or lack thereof, doesn’t even light a whole room up, and, oh yeah, the original owner of the house performed seances back in the 1890s. Also, the original owners and several other inhabitants of the house have gone missing over the last hundred years. That’s it! I’m turning this car around, and we’re getting the flack out of here! But, it wouldn’t be a story if people did the logical thing would it?

What follows is a strange paranormal horror adventure where Libby has to not only fight for her family but also her self worth and desire to live. Nothing like a near death experience at the hands of someone/something else to put your self-views and life in perspective. That’s the lesson here, and the journey Libby takes to get there is an entertaining jagged upwardly mobile arrow. She’s trying as hard as she can, but I can imagine that bipolar disorder is difficult to navigate in and of itself. Adding on paranormal fears and events just seems so unfair.

All the characters of this book are amazingly well-developed and interesting as everyone is going through some kind of trauma. Everyone needs hugs and conversations. The emotions as palpable.

There is a small amount of romance in this book that is slightly annoying and steals a lot of the sibling time away from Libby and Vivi. However, it grew on me. It was extremely superficial at first, but once all the layers were pulled back and the trauma was revealed, it felt more honest and raw.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes YA horror, paranormal horror, bugs, floral rot, and working through trauma. The overall vibe of this book is creepy-crawly.

I have been provided with a review copy of A Place for Vanishing from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

What worked: Creepy gothic horror with insects, masks, and seances. The eery backdrop with a family house of secrets is riveting. Add to this there's an element of not knowing if what Libby is witnessing is part of her bipolar disorder or the paranormal.

I was totally engaged in this ghostly tale. After some time in an institution, Libby's mother has them go back to an abandoned family home for a new start. At the very beginning, there's something sinister about the house. There's insect masks throughout the home and rumors of a medium who conducted seances there. Add to that mysterious blue roses that give off cloying scents but also seem to take over Libby's mother.

Fast-paced with very descriptive images of creepy bugs that have a paranormal essence. I shouted out more than a few times with Libby's encounters with the spirits that are trapped in decorative masks. There's grisly secrets behind the beauty of the roses and house. Also, the attic scene is very vivid and creepy. Think life-sized exoskeleton of a cockroach. Yup, creepy.

The love interest Flynn has his secret about the house. Little by little he finds he's a part of the house as well. At first, he comes across as a stalker but later shows his true colors. Flynn becomes a reluctant ally but one that Libby needs to overcome the evil within the house.

As someone who has close family members with bipolar disorder II, I admit, that I didn't know what cyclothymia was. Yes, not all those who have or know those who have bipolar disorder have the same experiences. I do though like how the author has Libby wonder if she's witnessing paranormal things or something else. That part was believable to me.

Chilling, spine-tinging horror where a girl finds a deadly secret in her house where not all is what it seems.

4.25 stars

I enjoyed that this jumped right into the creepiness, starting with Libby and her family moving into a long-abandoned house. The atmosphere is great, plenty of darkness and macabre art throughout the house to give our main character a sinister vibe. The insects made me squirm a couple of times, especially when they crawled over people, ew!

The pacing was pretty good, we followed Libby as she started to realize that things were not right and she and her family were in danger. I liked Flynn as a helpful sidekick and was glad the romance was in the background.

The ending left me wondering how things were explained to the outside world, but other than that, this was an entertaining horror story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Starting with the rough part. Although the book has a lot of warnings about the strong triggers, the book is not about them (I mean that it's not about moving us closer to the incident, it's about putting distance between the negative experience and forward, towards a positive journey but facing new monsters).

It takes place six months after a mental issue incident. Starting a healing journey, they move to their abandoned family house. This family needs to be united more than ever. We eventually learn what the incident was, and how it was, but the book focuses on dealing with a house full of perils and dangers. Libby needs to be strong to protect her family and recognize the signs that will show that others need help too. Great read for any time of the year, and perfect for spooky season. I love the masks and his they connect to insects giving different abilities.

The sisters are very different but amazing together, their mom is a brave woman who decided to love and have children using a donor and assuming all the responsibility for raising them and loving them.

The house is amazing, I hope this becomes a show or a movie. There are masks in the house, and spirits and the masks offer more than beauty and concealment to those who wear them. They are not regular masks, nor the seance that will be held there now that the family returned have ever been experienced in recent years. But this is just half the journey because the monsters are coming. Will the family survive?

Secrets will be unfolded and more than ever they must stand strong as a family. Flynn is a great character, and one external to the family but crucial to them.

The cover changes color under the light. I was more in love with this book than before when I noticed it. The book is a bit long, but it works well to create tension and the ending is full of YA emotions. This is my first contact with this author, but now I want to read the previous title.

Great YA horror.

Thank you for the e-arc.

Libby and her sister, Vivi, move with their mother to their mother’s early childhood home after becoming diagnosed with bipolar as a fresh start. Immediately strange things start happening, making Libby dive into the true history of their new home. Fantastic creepy crawly, haunting book. Highly recommend. I plan on getting my daughter a copy of this for her birthday this year.

Have you ever seen the movie Thirteen Ghosts? It’s a favorite of mine from my childhood. This book is that. But with an old creepy house and lots and lots of bugs.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/hollyheartsbooks

Wow, absolutely incredible, amazing writing. I may need a minute to recover from this book.. I simply could not put this book down, it draws you in from the first page, and the whole story was fast paced and kept me on my toes through the entire book. There is so much to say about this book it’s hard to even begin, the plot was something that I have never. read before, the characters not only grow together as a family after a tragic tragedy tore them apart, but individually grow themselves after realizing their own worth. The family moves into the house to have a new beginning, but only discover that the house and it’s inhabitants have a different plans for them.

Wow. I'm not sure I can properly put into words what an incredible book this was. It was such a unique read. Incredibly atmospheric, creepy, fast-paced, and so much more. I read as much as I can, and I've never read anything like this! Too often, I read a book, and it feels like I've been here before, but not this one. I'm impressed by the creativity and moved by the mental health representation. We need more like this. Mental health is as important as physical health. I can't wait to see what Ann brings us next!

This book was certainly different than what I usually read but I completely loved it and will follow the author and her work in the future. I loved the gothic vibes and the fact that the book came off as a thriller. I loved how some parts were able to creep me out but also still have me invested in the story and the characters. Definitely recommend to YA readers who love gothic vibes!

Loved this book! The creepy, crawlies were awesome. It kept me turning pages to the end. Loved the look at healing and learning to deal with mental health issues.

So I'm pretty sure I will never sleep again after reading this book, but even though I sort of hate it for that I have to say it certainly does what it sets out to do. There are plenty of genuinely frig tening moments and the imagery is pure nightmare fuel, especially if bugs creep you out, but this book also has a lot more to offer than scares and eerie atmospheres. The characters are all on their own important and interconnected journeys, with Libby's new neighbor trying to help his mom make ends meet after his father's disappearance, Libby's mother struggling with guilt over what she sees as her failure to protect Libby, Libby's sister pushing Libby away out of fear of losing her for good, and Libby trying to simultaneously rebuild her fractured relationships with her family, cope with her new diagnosis, and learn how to believe in her own strength and find a way to trust and value herself again. While I feel weird recommending a book that's haunting my brain with bloody mosquitoes, regurgitated cockroaches, and eight foot tall wasps, I'm still gonna say that if you're willing to brave the bugs (and creepy masks, evil spirits, etc) this one is well worth reading. And if you like being scared, definitely pick this up!!

This was a beautifully written young adult gothic horror. I absolutely loved this book! The author did an excellent job at creating the eerie atmosphere and I loved learning more about the House Of Masks. There was so much to this story and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

Read this if you like:

📖 Gothic Horror
📖 Haunted Houses
📖 Mental Health Reps
📖 Atmospheric Settings
📖 Young Adult Reads

Heads up that this book does have content warnings.

This book was amazing! It gives reader the ability to further understand mental illness but also keeping you engaged with a haunting, horror & captivating story. One of the things I loved about it, it really is a haunting story not like others books with ghosts involved. Thank you for this ARC!

Something weird is going on in this house. Or with this family. Or both.
After an event that left her family traumatized and led to her bipolar iii diagnosis, Libby, her mom, and her younger sister seek a fresh start by moving into the home that's been in their family for generations.The home where almost a dozen of their ancestors have gone missing over the years. Are the strange things Libby is experiencing caused by the house or are they just hallucinations? With the help of their cute neighbor who has a vested interest in the house, Libby and her sister try to uncover the secrets behind The House of Masks.
 
This book was so atmospheric. The descriptive writing had me seriously creeped out at points. I could picture it all so clearly, I felt like a ghost in the corner watching everything unfold. It was eerie, dark, and mysterious. But what really stood out to me was the family dynamics and how they all acted after Libbys diagnosis. Vivi's hurt and anger toward Libby, the mom reiterating words from a pamphlet while simultaneously ignoring the most important advice, Libby struggling to hide her real feelings in fear of disappointing her family. It's messy, clumsy, and painful. Just like real life. I can't really speak to the accuracy of the bipolar disorder rep but considering it is a condition the author has, I am going to give the benefit of assuming it was handled with care.

Arc was from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

"A Place for Vanishing" by Ann Fraistat is a haunting and gripping tale that weaves together elements of mental health, family dynamics, and supernatural intrigue. Libby, grappling with a recent bipolar disorder diagnosis and a life-altering scare, finds herself in her mother's childhood home—a sprawling historical marvel with unsettling secrets.

Before I get into this review, I do want to note the concerns I’ve seen from others with the mental health representation and accuracy within the book. As I am not an expert on mental health and the Type III Bipolar Disorder, I am not able to provide an accurate analysis of this representation in the book. I highly recommend looking over reviews from those with this perspective before reading my own. I will mainly just be focusing on the plot/characters of this book within my review.

The atmospheric setting of the House of Masks is a definite strength of this book. The vivid descriptions of stained glass windows, concealed staircases, and locked doors create an immersive experience. The addition of insects adds a layer of creepiness that complements the house's enigmatic history. If you’re like me and you hate insects, especially when thinking about them touching you, then you will definitely think this part of the book is extremely creepy. I think these descriptions worked in favor of the book and the atmosphere it was trying to create as there is quite a focus on insects throughout the book. The author's storytelling prowess shines through as the narrative expertly balances reality and the fantastical.

The writing of the book was very well-done and worked well as a paranormal psychological thriller. The fast-paced progression, intense last 25%, and the inclusion of a small romance subplot with Flynn contribute to a captivating reading experience. The romance, while not really important to the plot’s progression, was developed well and felt realistic, especially with the inner monologue of Libby showing her perspective and thoughts on Flynn. Libby's character growth and her relationships with her family members, particularly her sister Vivi, add depth to the story. I think I preferred the growth and transformation of Libby’s relationship with her sister and her mother over the romance.

I recommend "A Place for Vanishing" for readers who enjoy a blend of haunted houses and intricate character development. The book navigates the fine line between reality and the supernatural, creating a chilling and enthralling atmosphere.

I just don't understand why it is that when there are so many ways to get a particular effect, writers use mental illness as entertainment to get where they want. And with the Internet, there's no excuse for not knowing more about the mental illness you choose to entertain people with.
There were a lot of things to like about the story, with its steady creeping of fear and dread. But it was focused on someone with a specific mental illness who is inaccurately portrayed. That's frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I enjoyed this book! I loved the spooky aspect of the house and the way that we got to see how Libby acclimates- learning what's normal and what's not. I also really liked the idea of the masks!