Christina Henry did an excellent job with THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART. Reading this paranormal thriller brought me back to my days of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps. The only difference is that this story is for adults. Make sure you are reading it during the day, as you may have trouble falling asleep. It is hard to put this one down.

The story starts out in Chicago, in a neighborhood like any other, except this street had an abandoned house that parents had warned their children to stay away from. But there are those who do not listen, and some suffer the consequences. Jessie Campanelli dared her brother to go in there just to get him out of her hair. Unlike some of the other children, he did not come back. His friends who went with him said the house ate him. This led to a search for her brother, Paul, who was never seen again. 

Jessie grows up with the knowledge of knowing that she was the reason Paul never made it back. The guilt of daring him to go, she kept to herself for all these years. After his disappearance, the family fell apart. She stayed in her family home, in that neighborhood, down the street from the house that ate her brother. Then she had her own son, and kept watch, waiting for the house to come alive again. I did find myself asking why Jessie did this and why she did that. Her character is a great description of a young adult growing up in an upsetting circumstance. Standing her ground shows that she is strong and determined. At the beginning, I felt she came across as a brat. 

THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART is my favorite type of book to read. It keeps you holding on for that unexpected thing to happen, building up the suspense. You get so involved in it and then, bang, the dog barks, something falls in the house, etc., and you are totally scared, mainly from the book, but the unexpected happenings around do not help the fear that Henry has already settled into your mind through her book.  

As I read it, I could easily imagine the details she described in the book watching it play out in my mind. If you love frightening books that have you holding on to the edge, wanting to close the book because you are too scared, and wanting to not put it down because it is too good, then I recommend reading THE PLACE WHERE THEY BURIED YOUR HEART!