A chilling YA horror that blends ghostly hauntings with complex characters’ struggles.
In False Haven, seventeen-year-old Vivienne Barston is given a court-mandated chance to clear her record by working with a trail conservation crew in Hard Luck, Oregon. Haunted by the recent death of her mother and her strained relationship with her grieving father, Viv agrees to spend six weeks restoring a desolate, rural area. Little does she know that the abandoned asylum at Grafton Stake, where her team will be working, has a dark and terrifying past that begins to surface, dragging Viv and her crewmates into a ghostly nightmare.
Rebecca Rook excels at creating vivid, well-rounded characters who each bring their own struggles and baggage to the story. The relationships between the six crewmates are rich and complicated, adding depth to the eerie atmosphere of the novel. Themes of teenage drug abuse, grief, and personal recovery are handled with care, making the horror elements all the more impactful as the characters face their own demons—both literal and figurative.
Rook skillfully paints a desolate, isolating environment, allowing readers to feel the weight of the characters’ emotional and physical labor. While some of the paranormal events feel a bit rushed at the beginning, the horror gradually becomes more immersive as the story progresses, building tension and suspense. However, there are moments where certain supernatural elements and aspects of the protagonist’s story could have been developed further.
False Haven is a compelling read for fans of YA horror, particularly those who enjoy stories about troubled teens, complex relationships, and haunting mysteries. With its strong characters, emotional depth, and eerie atmosphere, it’s a novel that explores grief and redemption amidst a chilling supernatural backdrop. Trigger warnings include gore, drug use, and emotional trauma, making it suitable for readers who appreciate darker themes in their horror fiction.
