incredible book. Flew through it

Highly recommend

Filled with mystery, magic, and an abundance of creativity, The Disappearances simultaneously captivated me and enchanted me from the very first page.

What would you do if something you've taken for granted was suddenly taken from you? Something so incredibly simple, like the smell of flowers, or the stars at night, or even your very own reflection? Such is the case with Aila Quinn when she and her brother have to relocate to a small town called Sterling. Their mother is recently deceased and if that weren't heartbreaking enough, their only family left — their father — has been drafted in the war. When they finally settle in to the home of their mother's childhood friend in their mother's hometown, it's apparent that something is amiss. The flowers have no scent. The food is odorless. Weirdest of all, there is no reflection. Nothing on the surface of a puddle, nothing in a mirror, nothing in a window. No reflection whatsoever, from any surface whatsoever. Through many attempts at an explanation, Aila finally learns that the town of Sterling, along with two other sister towns, deal with something the townspeople have coined The Disappearances. Every seven years, like clockwork on the same date, something is taken from them. First it was the smells, and now, 35 years later with so much already taken from them, it's anyone's guess what's going to be taken next.

This book. Hooked me from the very first page, and kept me hooked until the very last. Enchanting and captivating seem too mild of terms, seriously, because The Disappearances latched on to my heart and my brain and nestled in, much like an unrelenting musical ear worm. So much creativity to be had in this novel, and I can't adequately describe my love for it. And really, it's rare to come across a book that hits so many high notes in every single area, but this book did that in spades.

The mystery surrounding the disappearances was such a phenomenal element, and I adored the characters' perseverance after so much has been taken away. The older generation has lived through all 35 years of these strange occurrences, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect the younger generation. They may not have lived through all 35 years, but they're missing everything the older generation is. The phenomenon is all-encompassing, meaning if you live in these areas, you fall prey to the taking. And unfortunately for all, it's inescapable, follows you no matter where you go, with one exception: there's only one person who managed to escape, and that one person isn't looked upon fondly by much of the population.

The characters, oh, the characters! Each and every one was brilliant, and I especially love the resilience and the strength that each of them possessed, but Aila and Miles were certainly my favorite in that regard. Coming to a town where they're both new and frowned-upon because of past events, the adversity they had to face on a daily basis was certainly quite a challenge for such young folks. And the romance, there were definitely several instances where I think I actually felt my heart melting, and if I were 16 years old, I would definitely be looking for a Will of my own.

Bottom line - I loved this book. LOVED it, and it's definitely going on my favorites of 2017 shelf. Do yourself a favor - if you only read or buy one book this year, make it The Disappearances. A magical, wonderful, heart-filled book that I will definitely be recommending to anyone and everyone, and I'll most definitely be looking for anything in the future with Emily Bain Murphy's name on it.


*eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book from NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group in exchange for my honest review.

FIVE STARS ALL AROUND!!

This book is spot on! The mystery is great and very well told. There wasn't any of that dead space that feels like the author is just trying to up their page count. We get a perfect amount of background history along with the main story and it is a STAND ALONE!! Yay! It is so hard to find a stand alone that can give you this much band for its buck.

I was shocked and surprised so many times by this book and fell in love with the characters.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. This is one of my top three of the year!!

The Disappearances had some great atmosphere and character development, but it was much slower than I'd expected. I think I was hoping for something more scary, or at least creepy, and that played into my disappointment. I could also have done without the Shakespeare subplot.

I am not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this… It was an interesting book but… Well, that’s about it for me. It was interesting.

I really enjoy magical realism, I always find it fascinating and gripping. But with this one, I really thought of DNFing it until I reached 60% of the book, and it finally started to make me want to know what was going to happen… It was a bit too late to make me feel anything anymore tho. It was simply too stretched.

Don’t get me wrong, the mystery was done in a nice way and it was surprising but until more than half of the book I was bored and being slow paced didn’t help.

I liked some of the characters but I didn’t necessarily connect with them and there was a lot of times I wanted to slap someone… Especially the main character. I had a bit of a hate relationship with her.

What I liked about this book were the references it has to solve the mystery and although weird and sometimes a bit confusing, they are really interesting and above all creative! And that’s what drove me to end the book. And I am glad I did, because the end was surprising but it was already too late for me to be engaged with the story.

It was the difference between “okay, I didn’t expect that, nice” and “Wow! I wasn’t expecting that!”, do you know what I mean? I didn’t feel that thrill a mystery book is supposed to deliver.

I just think it could have been better, and less stretched. Maybe that would have made it more gripping… It was for sure an interesting book, and I would still recommend it if you like magical realism and don’t mind slow paced books, but I was hoping for a bit more.

I am not sure, but it appears as if this book is the author's debut. Perhaps she writes under a different pen name? In any case, I was beyond impressed with this story. When I requested this ARC, I wasn't aware that this was going to be set back in the 1940's. I may have passed it over had I known that and what a missed opportunity that would have been!

The writing was fantastic. The plot was unique and intricate. Layer by layer the author peels away the mystery of the Disapperences in such a way that it has you turning the pages frantically. There is magic and friendships. Interesting secondary characters. Twists and turns. A smidge of young romance. Well developed and likable main characters. And finally SHAKESPEARE! How can I NOT love a book that brings the Bard into the mix?

Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.

The video review of this book will be published on the blog (www.psilovethatbook.com) as well as on my youtube channel on 2nd of July.

The Disappearances is one of these books that surprised me, right from the beginning. In a very good way. Atmospheric, mysterious, with great and well-shaped characters, it definitely was such a promising debut – in fact, I was surprised it was a debut at all.

As second-world-war is raging in Europe and their father is called off to fight, Aila and her younger brother, Miles are forced to move in the strange, small town of Sterling, where their deceased mother used to live. What they don't know, but quickly will discover, is that Sterling is a place where things slowly disappear, one by one, every seven years. First, it was the ability to scent. Then, the ability to see your reflection in the mirror. And so on. As the next disappearance is right around the corner, the atmosphere tightened, and Aila and Miles, strangers in the small rural town, aren't necessarily welcome, nor seen in a good eye by their peers.
There is something about The Disappearances that caught me right from the start: the atmosphere. It was quite unique and, from the first couple of pages, it swallowed me whole. The mysterious small-town vibe, the mystery surrounding it, people and secrets, small talks and things people don't say... Everything is built off in such an intriguing way, I could not help wanting to know more about it all. I wanted to hear all of the secrets, while at the same time having chills because everything was so, strange and almost magical.

Despite this story being about the whole disappearances mystery and what's behind it all ; the characters had obviously a great place in all of it. I was pleasantly surprised as well by how much I turned out to like the main character, Aila. If, at first, it took me a little while to get accustomed to her, I enjoyed both her qualities and faults, making her a three-dimensional and very real character. She made mistakes, she was jealous, too curious, judged people wrong at first, but it all made it feel more real. I especially appreciated how, despite appearances at first, she turned out to be a strong, fierce and determined character.
Aila and Miles' relationship is also one I rooted for, from the beginning. Like any siblings' relationship, it does not come easily, it is filled with incomprehension and moments where I just wanted to shake them and scream “you are stupid!” or something ; but in the end it was very, very realistic. I appreciated the evolution of the relationship as the story went on, the betrayal and forgiveness, the way they get closer and farther away again. It was an interesting relationship to follow for sure.
Obviously, there is a romantic relationship in this story as well – let's be honest, you saw this coming, didn't you? I was glad to hear it did not feel like insta-love at all. Instead, I got to discover two characters as they slowly grew fond of each other, denied the feelings, were friends and everything else before. I loved how this relationship developed at first and really found myself rooting for them.

Great characters and a mysterious setting, The Disappearances was such a pleasant surprise. If I'm not going to spoil anything here and leave the big mystery for you to read and discover, I really want to take time to evoke the author's writing style. I said before that this story did not feel like a debut, I think the writing style was one of the reasons why. Emily Bain Murphy's writing is compelling, right from the beginning. It's a bit lyrical but not too much, it's quite simple yet it manages to draw you in, conveying emotions in a simple yet realistic way, managing to drag you into the story very quickly.
If, at times, the plot – mainly when it came to relationships – was a bit predictable, in other times – mostly when it came to the mysteries -, the story surprised me in so many ways by the twists and turns it took.

Overall, The Disappearances was such a lovely discovery. With its mysterious, compelling atmosphere and interesting characters, it's surely a book I would recommend. It's classified as Fantasy on Goodreads, though I would tend to say it's more like magical realism – in the vibe of The Bone Gap or something, with the small-town mysterious city and magical things happening, drawing you in and not letting you go.

The synopsis of The Disappearances sounded very interesting to me, with the mystery and fantasy elements in one story. 3.5 stars.

Our main character Aila and her younger brother Miles are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town where their mother, Juliet grew up, after she passes away. Both Sterling and Juliet were always a bit of a mystery to Aila. As is the fact that Sterling faces the "Disappearances" every 7 years, when ordinary things such as the scent of flowers disappear every 7 years. No one knows why this happens, but Aila has always thought it had something to do with her mother. Aila starts to follow a trail of clues her mother left behind as she tries to learn more about both her mother and the "Disappearances."

Although I very much enjoyed this book, I found that the plot was a bit slow moving, but overall I enjoyed the characters and the story. I don't want to give too much away but it was an interesting and unique story!

What an interesting idea for a story! I love the title and the cover and was intrigued by the story of a town where something goes missing every 7 years. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and things uncovered as I followed Aila on her journey after the loss of her mother. The story is set in the 1940 so it is somewhat historical fiction as well.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

This book was brilliant. So delightfully different and unexpected. I’d completely forgotten what it was about when I started reading it. It’s an early 1940’s based YA novel, set sometime during the Second World War. Beautifully written and really really unique, the way the fantasy is woven together could almost boarder on magical realism.

The novel tells the story of Aila and her brother Miles, their mother has died and their father is a pilot who has gone to fight in the war. With no other close relatives, the two are shipped off to the small town of Sterling, where their mother grew up and move in with a dear friend of their mom’s, Matilda Cliffton. Her household consists of her husband, Dr Clifton, their son William who is Aila’s age, and a housekeeper named Genevieve. The Clifftons are very nice if formal and clearly wealthy.

Though Aila notices something strange immediately, whilst going through the small town centre, they pass people well known to Mrs Cliffton, give them the cold shoulder. They’re polite, but very frosty and it all seems to do with the fact that Aila’s mom left the town.

In the house Aila notices more strange things and finds out a phenomenon occurs every year something “Disappears”, touch, dreams, reflections. No one really knows how they started, but there are magical remedies called Variants that can recreate these lost things. Aila struggles to make sense of this mystery, at the same time fitting in in a new school and trying to make friends.

All the while there is the underlying hint that her mother may have had something to do with starting The Disappearances. Aila’s mother seems to be the only person who has ever left Sterling and regained the things the Disappearances have taken. Which has caused a great mistrust and dislike amongst the townspeople.

As Aila makes friends and gets to know the people in her class, she learns more about the history of the town and the founding families and the other interconnecting towns in the area. Early in the novel Aila discovers a book of Shakespeare’s works that has notes written by her mother. The Shakespeare connection is brilliant. It’s woven beautifully into the narrative without being too overwhelming.

There’s also a second point of view in alternate chapters from a mysterious man who appears to be looking for his father. It’s not all together clear (or at least not for this reader) of whether this is something happening at the time or something that happened in the past. It all becomes relevant later on in the novel.

The writing is gorgeous and almost lyrical in its tone, it’s completely absorbing and everything is so incredibly described and so so easy to picture. Incredible history and backstory believable as well. Aila was a very likeable, intelligent lead, head on her shoulders, with some recklessness, a good friend and good sister to her little brother Miles. All the characters are brilliant, all fully fleshed out from the good ones to the nasty ones. There’s a great sense of family as well, the adults are not just side characters, they have their own importance in the novel and not just relegated to necessary background characters.

There was nothing about this book that didn’t absolutely love to pieces. I am definitely looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for approving my request to view the title.

In the world of The Disappearances, ordinary things— dreams. reflections. stars— disappear every seven years. The next Disappearance is approaching and Aila is trying solve this mystery with an old Shakespeare book her late mother left.

I love the writing and the mystery vibe of this book. It kept me turning pages and at the edge of my seat. The plot was good enough for me, it was not fast that I'm still stranded on the chapter before but also not slow to the point of boredom. As I've said, enough to keep you at the edge of your seat.

The part of this book that really captivated me is the mixture of magic and science, and of course mystery solving thru finding clues in literary works. I cannot talk as there would be spoilers but those aspects really kept this me intrigued and amazed while reading this book.

The characters, most of all Aila, are my type of characters. Somewhat optimistic and rational, with equal parts emotional and practical. At first I was hesitant to love the other characters but they definitely grew on me.

Overall, The Disappearances is a well-written well-versed book. I'm surprised that this isn't getting much publicity as it's such a hidden gem!

This book was download only, and I find it difficult to have the time to read books on my desk top. I did not notice that in the description. I'm very sorry that I will not have the time to read it in that format.

This was amazing. One of my new favorite YAs of all time.

This is such a unique twist on the historical fantasy genre. I connected to Aila the moment we met her, and I was instantly swept into the mystery of Sterling. The plot unfurls slowly but I never felt bored. I couldn't put it down! I've been telling everyone about this book - it's one of my favorites of 2017, and it's going on my "must-buy" list. I can't wait to read more from Emily!

I don't know where to begin with this review. The first word I think of to describe this book is "wow". I do not want to spoil the plot and ruin the book but I will say its worth the read for any fans of YA fiction and adults alike. I thought this book sounded decent from the description but when I started to read it I was blown away. The over all writing style and story were beautiful and haunting. Some people have said they didn't like the ending but I found it fitting. I received an ARC copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I enjoy a book that keeps me on my toes and I am not sure of where its going. Sterling is such an interesting place and I could Aila to be a likeable and well written protagonist.


Review posted on Goodreads June 1, 2017

I was totally captivated by this book from the start. Emma Bain Murphy has an incredible imagination. The story moves at a fast pace the whole way through. It is very like a modern fairytale. It is about live and loyalty and believing in yourself and others. It is definitely worth reading .

This was a fantastic story! Aila and her brother Miles have just lost their mother, Juliet, and they have to go live with a family friend because their father is going off to fight in WWII. Aila wants to take something of her mother's with her, so she picks a book of Shakespeares' plays and poems, which is full of her mother's writing, and a hidden note that is written to Stefan, telling him he will find what he wants in the book.
Miles and Aila take a train to their new home which is in a town called Sterling.
While on the train, Aila finds her mother's ring in the book, the ring has a colorless jewel with a teardrop suspended inside it.
Aila's mother, Juliet, is the only person who was ever able to leave the town of Sterling!
Mrs. Cliffton and her son Will are there to meet Aila and Miles and take them to their house to stay. Her husband, Dr. Cliffton is an inventor.
An odd thing happened as they walked through the rain: Will, Aila and Miles got soaking wet, but when Mrs. Cliffton came through the door with their luggage, she and the luggage were dry!
There are other odd things about the house, there are no mirrors and Juliet does not have dreams, for the first time in a long time!
The next morning, Miles and Aila are eating breakfast when Miles goes for a walk in the garden and he finds out the flowers do not smell!
That morning, they find out why there are no smells, mirrors or dreams, since 1907, something disappears from three towns in the area, Sterling and two other nearby towns.
Mrs. Cliffton tells them there will be another Disappearance in the next month.
Mrs. Cliffton's husband has found ways to temporarily bring back scents and reflections called "Variants"out of materials he has researched and then ground up into powder.
You will have to read the book for yourself to find out what other mysterious things "Disappear", why the ring and the book of Shakespeare's poems and plays are used for, and who "Stefan" is!

After the death of their mother Aila and her younger brother Miles leave for Sterling, their late mother’s birthtown, to live with their mother’s childhood best friend – who is, in fact, a complete stranger to them. In Sterling, Aila begins to notice a series of peculiar events: things miraculously remaining dry in the rain, absence of reflections, no stars in the night sky. Events and secrets long-buried unravel right before their eyes, and they are faced with an almost unsolvable mystery: what is happening in Sterling, and will they be able to change the course of events?

I received an ARC for this one and I need to admit; while I was really excited when I first requested it, I had completely forgotten not just the plot but even the genre of the book by the time I received it. So, The Disappearances turned out a be a very pleasant surprise for me. I was taken aback by Murphy’s pure talent; her flow was excellent, her prose was lyrical, almost poetic, and every scene was so beautifully described and in such great detail, I could almost see the events unravelling right before my own eyes.

A thing I really loved about the book – and one I believe proves Murphy’s talent – is that the mystery of what is happening in Sterling is solved pretty quickly, whilst secrets and lies kept getting revealed until the very last page. It is such a beautiful journey of self discovery and personal growth, and a page-turning mystery at the same time.

If I’m being honest, I could not, for the life of me, classify this book as one genre only. It’s YA, it’s mystery, it’s fantasy, it’s historical fiction. The last one became a bit of a sore spot for me; I was really excited to see a fantasy book taking place in WWII, but the truth is that I found the time period completely irrelevant. This story could have worked in literally any time frame and its setting in WWII added nothing to the plot – without, however, taking anything away from it.

Overall, The Disappearances was a very unique book. Its themes and main plot are pretty unusual, and while it can sometimes be a bit cheesy and fall into a few tropes, it’s still a pretty remarkable book. The – easy to spot – romance is very natural, and the author doesn’t spend much time dwelling on it; she is well aware that there are more important things going on. Definitely an author I will keep an eye on in the future.



**An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review**

Can not dowload this book so can not give a review.

I absolutely adored this book. The entire mystery surrounding The Disappearances kept me on edge. I really liked the flashback scenes which brought more depth into the story–including the Shakespearan works into The Disappearances. The characters were likable and the conclusion really blew me away!