Title : The Vanishing
Author : Wendy Webb
Source : 5 Stars!
Paperback, 304 pagesPublished January 21st 2014 by Hyperion
ISBN : 1401341942 (ISBN13: 9781401341947)
Source copy: NetGalley
Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired…and who the world believes is dead.
When she arrives at the Sinclairs' enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her "too-good-to-be-true" position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.
Source : Goodreads
"You can tell me you murdered sixteen people in cold blood and I'd still be on your side."
- Drew
This
is not your ordinary horror story. Simple as that. But there is something very
eerie in every page you'll keep on wanting to proceed in every chapter. It is the idea of the séance. I am not much very familiar when it
tackles about this much. Talking and communicating from the dead, to me, it
feels complex. Because everytime I google or search anything about it, they
always give me different information and ideas to do such thing. But The
Vanishing gave me a clear and terror insight of events on doing it.
Havenwood as the setting of the story was
definitely an epitome of a horror house from the start. It feels scary as you
go on reading and how Julia, one of the protagonists described every wall,
staircase and most specially, the paintings. As what Julia thought, seems like
an Amityville House. Creepy, right? But to me as a reader, I find it very
enjoyable to have a new sight of a story. It felt like I was out on a dystopian
world or contemporary things. I love those genres, though. A beautiful house like
Havenwood might definitely looks like a brand new paradise but beneath it an
unexplainable terror.
I was automatically drawn about the
mystery of Seraphina and a grave mistake to open the Devil’s Toy Box. There is
a part of the characters that makes me feel I wanted to be inside Havenwood,
although it is scary, I really wanted to be in it.
The characters wow. WOW! All of them have
unique ways to interpret their feelings. I am deeply in love with Drew
McCullough. Imagine a man taking care around the stables and appears when you
definitely need him? God, this is him. His words and devotion to be the next
successor of Havenwood and also his affection towards Julia, it felt like after
all the horrifying experiences Julia had, she got to feel loved and be taken
care of. As a reader I take it as a fantastic twist, in spite all of the
horror, The Vanishing sparkles a romance in the middle of a horrifying secrecy.
Lastly, Amaris Sinclair, I find her very odd
at first. I’ve been puzzled with her ways everytime she’s with Julia. But as I
go on with the story, I never felt more compelled to see how she takes care of
Julia. You see, there is a reason why Amaris Sinclair wants Julia that much.
And it is up to you to think if it is good or bad.
The Vanishing is insanely fantastic. This
book has the ability to haunt you about every character. Not to mention the
mystery of Julia and Seraphina, you’ll definitely be stunned. Your mind will
sneak out about ghosts and sacrifice. At the END of it, it will still leave you
in a state of shock.
0 comments