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A review by justinkhchen
The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
3.5
The audiobook completely elevated the story for me, thanks to narrator Angela Dawe, whose performance was committed and fully captivating, and made some of the wonkier elements of The Resting Place easier to overlook.
I actually had no major issue with the overall plot, and enjoyed majority of the reveals (except for one early on that felt like it was not 'concealed' at all, a key piece of information was made known very early and lessen the overall mystery). The writing flowed beautifully and really set up the wintry, isolated location (great job by translator Alexandra Fleming). It gives me the same vibe as Rachel Hawkins' The Villa, where the story is first and foremost a gothic mystery, and labeling it as a 'thriller' or 'horror' novel will most likely set the wrong expectation.
Overall, I had a surprisingly good time! The Resting Place is formulaic, but done so with style. I would've liked more element of the prosopagnosia condition incorporated (it kind of drifts in and out whenever it's needed for the plot), and the 'mentally unstable female lead' trope can get a bit grating at times, but I enjoyed it more than the online reviews suggest otherwise.
Maybe I'll give The Lost Village a try.
I actually had no major issue with the overall plot, and enjoyed majority of the reveals (except for one early on that felt like it was not 'concealed' at all, a key piece of information was made known very early and lessen the overall mystery). The writing flowed beautifully and really set up the wintry, isolated location (great job by translator Alexandra Fleming). It gives me the same vibe as Rachel Hawkins' The Villa, where the story is first and foremost a gothic mystery, and labeling it as a 'thriller' or 'horror' novel will most likely set the wrong expectation.
Overall, I had a surprisingly good time! The Resting Place is formulaic, but done so with style. I would've liked more element of the prosopagnosia condition incorporated (it kind of drifts in and out whenever it's needed for the plot), and the 'mentally unstable female lead' trope can get a bit grating at times, but I enjoyed it more than the online reviews suggest otherwise.
Maybe I'll give The Lost Village a try.