Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
What a lovely book! I read most of this on my commute to work, and really enjoyed getting lost in it (which helped a lot with my anxiety about travelling alone!) the idea and the setting was wonderful, and I loved the romance. BUT- my only problem with this book was the ending. It was so rushed!
I would've happily read another 100/200 pages for a less rushed ending, it was all resolved, but hardly had any time to appreciate it.
I would've happily read another 100/200 pages for a less rushed ending, it was all resolved, but hardly had any time to appreciate it.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow! This book is not like anything I’ve ever read! It’s a bit historical fiction, a bit mystery, and a bit magical realism…and I loved it! I’ll try and write this review without giving away much of the plot, as it’s all intricately woven together.
Alia Cummings Quinn is sent to live in Sterling, after the unexpected death of her mother and WWII draft of her father. Along with her brother, Miles, they are taken in by her mother’s childhood friends (now married) the Cliftons. But Sterling is not fond of the new additions, namely because they’re pretty sure that Juliet Cummings Quinn was a catalyst for what is known as The Disappearances (every 7 years something disappears from reflections to stars to dreams), while also being the only person to escape them.
For the first 1/3 of the book it was good, but I was a little confused. There are periodic italicized chapters told in another POV and the story is unraveling backwards somewhat due to the mystery. And if I’m being honest, at first I was thinking this book was just okay. But then things started to click and I was thinking about the book after I was done reading, and replaying scenes in my head.
The mystery deepened and I definitely didn’t see what was coming—at least not in the way it unfolded. Shakespeare’s works are woven throughout and he is not only Alia’s connection to her mother, but an integral part to The Disappearances. Alia was a reliable narrator, and although she seemed younger than 16-17 years old at times, I figure it was appropriate for the 1940s time period. I also loved the slow-simmer romance and how it finally came together. I even got a little teary-eyed. The secondary characters are also very strong and well-rounded, one of my favorites being Beas, but George provided much needed comedic relief while also being extremely intelligent.
For me, this book falls into the same categories as The Night Circus, A Million Junes, The Love That Split the World, and even The Raven Cycle…a group of friends looking to solve a mystery with elements of magic. I very much enjoyed it and long after reading it, the story has stuck with me. 4.75 bumped to 5 stars.
Alia Cummings Quinn is sent to live in Sterling, after the unexpected death of her mother and WWII draft of her father. Along with her brother, Miles, they are taken in by her mother’s childhood friends (now married) the Cliftons. But Sterling is not fond of the new additions, namely because they’re pretty sure that Juliet Cummings Quinn was a catalyst for what is known as The Disappearances (every 7 years something disappears from reflections to stars to dreams), while also being the only person to escape them.
For the first 1/3 of the book it was good, but I was a little confused. There are periodic italicized chapters told in another POV and the story is unraveling backwards somewhat due to the mystery. And if I’m being honest, at first I was thinking this book was just okay. But then things started to click and I was thinking about the book after I was done reading, and replaying scenes in my head.
The mystery deepened and I definitely didn’t see what was coming—at least not in the way it unfolded. Shakespeare’s works are woven throughout and he is not only Alia’s connection to her mother, but an integral part to The Disappearances. Alia was a reliable narrator, and although she seemed younger than 16-17 years old at times, I figure it was appropriate for the 1940s time period. I also loved the slow-simmer romance and how it finally came together. I even got a little teary-eyed. The secondary characters are also very strong and well-rounded, one of my favorites being Beas, but George provided much needed comedic relief while also being extremely intelligent.
For me, this book falls into the same categories as The Night Circus, A Million Junes, The Love That Split the World, and even The Raven Cycle…a group of friends looking to solve a mystery with elements of magic. I very much enjoyed it and long after reading it, the story has stuck with me. 4.75 bumped to 5 stars.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a brilliant story! The Disappearance was nothing like I was expecting upon purchasing this fabulous book! Murphy has a wonderful brain, oh what it is to image one night you go to bed and can hear music only to find the next day when you wake it's gone. Murphy does a lovely job describing the town, her characters are deep and their actions are meaningful and believable given the circumstances. However the chapter changes between characters is a bit jarring and the ending. Oh my the ending, I must admit I really had to staring to justify why that even worked and if it did why this curse didn't effect more then the town. I will not spoil the ending but I found it lack luster and for a remarkable story disappointing. Still overall The Disappearances is brilliant.
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The villains origin story is that he was ill/disabled as a child and it made him bitter which is not only boring but also super ableist. There were a number of continuity errors. it is set in the 1940s but the characters acted as though they were in the 2000's (aside from the mentions of WW2).
4.5 stars
This was a surprisingly enjoyable read! It’s a mystery set in the early 1940’s, WWII era. I’m not sure I’d agree with the magical realism classification here on Goodreads, though. Each chapter brought more suspense to the story, and I found the characters and their relationships very realistic. Sometimes the slower pace put me off, but I still liked this book. I also really liked the connections to Shakespeare’s work! It was very unique, unlike anything I’d read before. This book is not one to sleep on!
This was a surprisingly enjoyable read! It’s a mystery set in the early 1940’s, WWII era. I’m not sure I’d agree with the magical realism classification here on Goodreads, though. Each chapter brought more suspense to the story, and I found the characters and their relationships very realistic. Sometimes the slower pace put me off, but I still liked this book. I also really liked the connections to Shakespeare’s work! It was very unique, unlike anything I’d read before. This book is not one to sleep on!
After Aila Quinn’s mother dies and her father is drafted for World War II, her and her brother Miles find themselves in the quaint New England town of Sterling. Something about the town doesn’t sit right with Aila, but she can’t wrap her finger around it. Her and her brother live with her mother’s best friend and her family—the Clifftons. At first, she notices that despite arriving at the house on a rainy day, Mrs. Cliffton doesn’t grow wet when carrying their luggage from the car to the house. Then she realizes that there isn’t a single mirror in the house and the following day Miles asks why the flowers don’t have any scents. Upon questioning Mrs. Cliffton on the oddities of Sterling, she grants them the peculiar truth—every seven years, the residents on Sterling and its two Sister Cities lose something.
Scents, stars, reflections, dreams, and colors have vanished. No one knows why, just that the next date is looming closer which means something else coveted will disappear. To somewhat compensate for the missing things, Dr. Cliffton has created Variants from different aspects of nature, although the effects of these only last a few hours at the most.
With the help of the Cliffton’s son Will and some friends from school, Aila vows to discover the cure. Using a Shakespeare book that once belonged to her mother, Aila vows to solve the riddles her mother left behind written in the margins. Especially why everyone born into Sterling can’t ever leave since they never regain what is lost. The only person who left the town’s limits and didn’t suffer from the curse was Aila’s mother. That fact ostracizes Aila and Miles from the remainder of Sterling.
This story was beautiful. The writing was whimsical, capturing my attention so that I finished the book in two days. All the characters were likeable and each contributed something to the story. The romance was pretty much negligent and once it happened it wasn’t instant attraction. Despite the enchanting element of the story, Aila had a great sense of humor that I loved. She was sarcastic without coming off as arrogant and was determined to stop the curse despite most of the town being against her.
I received an ARC of The Disappearances from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Scents, stars, reflections, dreams, and colors have vanished. No one knows why, just that the next date is looming closer which means something else coveted will disappear. To somewhat compensate for the missing things, Dr. Cliffton has created Variants from different aspects of nature, although the effects of these only last a few hours at the most.
With the help of the Cliffton’s son Will and some friends from school, Aila vows to discover the cure. Using a Shakespeare book that once belonged to her mother, Aila vows to solve the riddles her mother left behind written in the margins. Especially why everyone born into Sterling can’t ever leave since they never regain what is lost. The only person who left the town’s limits and didn’t suffer from the curse was Aila’s mother. That fact ostracizes Aila and Miles from the remainder of Sterling.
This story was beautiful. The writing was whimsical, capturing my attention so that I finished the book in two days. All the characters were likeable and each contributed something to the story. The romance was pretty much negligent and once it happened it wasn’t instant attraction. Despite the enchanting element of the story, Aila had a great sense of humor that I loved. She was sarcastic without coming off as arrogant and was determined to stop the curse despite most of the town being against her.
I received an ARC of The Disappearances from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
With it's wonderful characters, intriguing mystery, and expertly-crafted plot, The Disappearances had me completely under its spell from the very first page.
After her mother's untimely death and her father's deployment in WWII, Aila and her brother go to live with her mother's childhood friend in the seemingly quiet town of Sterling, but it quickly becomes apparent to Aila that the people of Sterling have a dark secret, one that revisits them every seven years. One that just might have been caused by mother all those years ago.
It's difficult to discuss the incredible magic that underlies the mystery of this novel without including spoilers, especially since I want to gush over the sheer brilliance of it. But I will say that it expertly maintains the reader's suspension of disbelief while being absolutely awe-inspiring at the same time.
The mystery itself is enough to keep you turning those pages late into the night, but what makes it the ideal mystery for us voracious readers is that on her search toward uncovering the mysteries of Sterling, Aila has to follow a series of literary clues left behind by her mother. That's right. LITERARY clues! Have you hit that pre-order button yet?!
I loved that this book was set in the 1940s. That was absolutely the perfect setting for this story. I don't think the plot would have worked nearly as well if set during any other era. The tone of the story is so filled with hope, yet includes this undercurrent of melancholy, which rang true with what I imagine that decade would have actually felt like to live through. The way that Emily has written the dialogue of the story also really brought the time period and and characters to life for me.
The characters are wonderfully crafted. I was absolutely charmed by Aila and so many of the other characters in this story, while also being equally suspicious of them and the role that they played in the Disappearances. In any kind of mystery novel, having a cast brimming with unreliable characters is so much fun, and Emily certainly nailed that element here.
This book was enthralling, heartbreaking, and so much fun to read all at the same time. This is one that I know I'll be thinking about for a long time to come, and I certainly can't wait to see more novels from Emily in the future!
After her mother's untimely death and her father's deployment in WWII, Aila and her brother go to live with her mother's childhood friend in the seemingly quiet town of Sterling, but it quickly becomes apparent to Aila that the people of Sterling have a dark secret, one that revisits them every seven years. One that just might have been caused by mother all those years ago.
It's difficult to discuss the incredible magic that underlies the mystery of this novel without including spoilers, especially since I want to gush over the sheer brilliance of it. But I will say that it expertly maintains the reader's suspension of disbelief while being absolutely awe-inspiring at the same time.
The mystery itself is enough to keep you turning those pages late into the night, but what makes it the ideal mystery for us voracious readers is that on her search toward uncovering the mysteries of Sterling, Aila has to follow a series of literary clues left behind by her mother. That's right. LITERARY clues! Have you hit that pre-order button yet?!
I loved that this book was set in the 1940s. That was absolutely the perfect setting for this story. I don't think the plot would have worked nearly as well if set during any other era. The tone of the story is so filled with hope, yet includes this undercurrent of melancholy, which rang true with what I imagine that decade would have actually felt like to live through. The way that Emily has written the dialogue of the story also really brought the time period and and characters to life for me.
The characters are wonderfully crafted. I was absolutely charmed by Aila and so many of the other characters in this story, while also being equally suspicious of them and the role that they played in the Disappearances. In any kind of mystery novel, having a cast brimming with unreliable characters is so much fun, and Emily certainly nailed that element here.
This book was enthralling, heartbreaking, and so much fun to read all at the same time. This is one that I know I'll be thinking about for a long time to come, and I certainly can't wait to see more novels from Emily in the future!