Lucy Crisp and the Vanishing House

One year out of high school and Lucy Crisp still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. That is, until she gets accepted to a small but exclusive arts college called Ladywyk Lodge. Lucy moves to the small town of Esther Wren where it’s located and lives in the old 19th century house her father buys as an investment. Then strange things start happening in the house. Lucy hears voices and footsteps in the empty rooms, and she sees people and things that don’t belong. Gradually, Lucy figures out that the town and its residents are hiding many secrets, with Ladywyk at its center. As the strange happenings increase, Lucy worries that she’s being threatened, but she’s determined not to let anything scare her away.

Janet Hill’s debut novel is a charming supernatural mystery that incorporates themes of being true to yourself and gaining independence. The book has a beautiful package, and the author draws on her background as an illustrator to create several full-colour paintings interspersed throughout the text.

Lucy is a strong, resourceful, and intelligent female character, and readers will identify with her quest for independence. Lucy’s move to Esther Wren is her first taste of being on her own, and the author does a good job of balancing Lucy’s conflicted desire to handle challenges on her own and leaning on her father or other people in the town for help.

Like many kids who are finishing high school, Lucy is also struggling to figure out what she wants to do and what she’s good at. She likes to write but hasn’t considered this as something she could or should do. Her job in a flower shop leads to an invitation to an arts college, and she thinks she’s found her path. Older readers will certainly identify with Lucy’s plight as they face pressure to decide on post-secondary education and employment, and they will enjoy her unique path to finding it.

Supernatural elements, such as the disappearing house, weather-controlling teenaged witches, and ghostly servants, add a layer of mystery and create suspense but never amount to being truly scary.

Where the story falls flat is in its old fashioned feel. Had Lucy and her father not been texting back and forth, it would be easy to assume that the novel was set much earlier, and the characters, themselves, don’t feel like they belong in modern times. In this age of fast-paced, thrilling novels, the novel’s gentle and slow pace might be too slow for teen readers and feel more appropriate for the upper middle grades. The secondary characters and especially the villain also lack development and seem placed merely to move the plot along rather than be part of the story.

Overall, Lucy Crisp and the Vanishing House is an enjoyable read, but it likely won’t leave readers clamouring to read about any further adventures of Lucy Crisp.