Actual ranting: 3.7☆
I really enjoyed this book! The whole concept was so unique and mysterious and I liked that you're introduced to a whole cast of characters that you're confused at first but then it clicks and it all started to make sense.
The pacing was a bit slow sometimes and in the first half of the book I felt like nothing really was happening.
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This is a strong debut from this author and I’m very excited to see what she brings us next. I was decidedly NOT expecting much from this book. The premise intrigued me, but I didn’t really know what I was in for. As it turns out, I ended up LOVING this book. The writing was so beautiful and the entire atmosphere of the book was ethereal but grounded at the same time. This book seemed to have some magical realism elements woven throughout, but then there was also a sciencey aspect to it and I really enjoyed that contrast.

The main characters are all terrific. I love Aila. She’s fierce but kind at the same time. Her relationship with her brother Miles feels genuine and imperfect, but strong. My heart seriously broke for Miles so many times in this book. I thought that the relationships between Aila and Miles and the Cliftons felt realistic. It helps that every single character had depth–that makes their relationships feel like so much more. The only character I felt lacked a little bit was Will. His motivations could have been developed a little more, but at this point I’m just nitpicking. Even the mean kids at school had depth, which doesn’t usually happen.

I loved the time period. The book is set during World War II which is the perfect backdrop for the plot. The plot would not have worked in any other time period. We’re immersed into this town that has so much shared history. It’s really created this community that’s had to band together through these trials. Perfect setting.

The story itself is so interesting as well. As Aila starts to try to solve this mystery, the reader feels like they can follow along as well. I mean, Aila’s just reading Shakespeare–I can do that! This book made me want to read some Shakespeare to try to find clues as well. Ultimately, though, I wish that the Shakespeare clues played a bigger role in solving the mystery. It would have been really cool if the reader could solve the mystery by fitting those pieces together, but as the story is written, we can’t. I guess I wish there had been a little bit more of a treasure hunt-ish aspect, but I get why the book wasn’t more like that.

Overall, I thought this book was SO GOOD. Seriously, I think everyone should read it. At this point, it’s super underrated. I have literally heard nothing about this book. So when it comes out on July 4th, I expect everyone to go out and pick up a copy–I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Overall Rating: 5
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: None

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the cover of this book right away. This book was very enjoyable for me to read. I think it is a good young adult book as well. I enjoyed the way this book was written and I enjoyed the story. I think this was a good book all around for me. I'm blessed I had the privilege to read it early! * I received this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review*

I would have loved to read this, but I didn't know it wasn't available in kindle format when I requested it. I can't read it any other way. Hopefully I'll get a chance later on. Thank your for approving it though.

What would you do if every seven years something disappeared? Imagine living life without being able to smell a flower; see your reflection in a mirror or a lake; play music or sing; or see the stars at night. For people living in Sterling this is something they have been dealing with. Every seven years something else disappears. Aila Quinn and her brother Miles move to Sterling, their late mother's hometown, and find themselves thrust into a strange world where mystery surrounds them. Readers will be eager to try and solve the reason behind the disappearances and if there is hope of reversing them. Definitely recommend!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Disappearances in exchange for an honest review.

What if the ordinary things in life suddenly...disappeared?

When Aila's mother dies and her father is drafted to fight in World War II, she and her younger brother are sent to live with her mother's best friend from childhood. Aila has met Mrs. Clifton and her son only twice and arrives at her mother's rural home town, Sterling, grieving and hoping to hoping to discover what her mother was like when she was young. Instead she finds whispers and mysteries.

Sterling is cursed. Every seven years something disappears. The scents of food and flowers, the ability to see reflections in a mirror or a pane of glass, even dreams. They've been gone for years and aren't returned by crossing the town line. For the inhabitants of Sterling, everyday life comes with a sense of loss over the things that have disappeared and the fear of the next one to go. The only inhabitant of Sterling to ever have escaped the Disappearances was Aila's mother, which is why most people in town suspect that she caused them.

The Disappearances takes you to a new world, a town set apart by the Disappearances and the magic residents have found in their search the remedy the affects. Emily Bain Murphy's writing is lovely and Aila will pull into her struggle to fit in in this strange community, her search for the truth about her mother, and her quest to follow clues that will lead her to the source of the curse. The Disappearances will appeal to the literary minded, as Aila follows the clues in her mother's old copy of Shakespeare's works and other classics.

DNF @ page 100.

Can't give a true rating for the book, as I didn't finish it. The lyricism of the author's writing is very pretty, but that's about the extent of the positive components I saw. The story dragged, and while maybe with some books, I would say the writing and story just isn't my style. But with this particular book, when absolutely nothing worth talking about has happened a quarter way into your book, it's not your reader's fault for being disinterested, it means your writing isn't doing what it needs to. This book should have been condensed way, way down, rather than being dragged on and never actually having anything happen.

Aila Quinn’s mother recently passed away, her father had been drafted into the war and her little brother is such a nuisance that no one in their hometown wants to take them in until their father returns. Where does that leave Aila? Certainly not in the upstairs attic-nook of her best friend's house where she wants to be.

Having made the connection with Aila's mother's childhood friend Aila's father sends his children there to live while he is away--but here's the thing, Aila doesn't remember her mother ever talking about where she grew up, the people that lived there and why she left.

Suddenly thrust into a new town Aila begins to notice a few oddities surrounding the town and the family that she lives with as well as the resentment that shrouds every conversation about her mother.

After confronting her mother's former friend she discovers that the town has been cursed and that her mother is considered the catalyst for this curse. What happens? Every seven year something taken for granted--but significantly essential, is taken away from everyone in the town. What if you couldn't see the stars? Or smell-anything?

How was her mother involved? What can she do to stop it from continuing? Can she clear her mother's name?

This was an excellent book--that's really all that I can think to say about it. I loved every part of it and I will be waiting for the next book that Murphy produces.

too short i need more story.Brilliant book. Excellent main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

I highly recommend this book! The characters are so well written and developed. The concept is unique and the reference to other literature is great.

The Disappearances is a fantastic debut novel expertly mixing fantasy with suspense. The story follows brother and sister Aila and Miles, whose mother has just passed away, their father has been drafted into the war, and the siblings are sent to live with their mother's best friend in Sterling, the town where their mother grew up.

Everything seems idylic but things are definitely not what they seem! Sterling is one of the sister towns who have been experiencing disappearences every 7 years. The stars go missing, dreams, the sense of smell, and the list goes on. It's a well kept secret that the people of Sterling are all too eager to keep hidden.

Convinced that it must be a curse, the residents are all too eager to place blame on Aila and Milies, the newcommers. There is much more going on beneath the surface and Aila wants to clear her family's name and restor the town to its original glory.

I really loved this book. I couldn't put it down and before I knew it I had read it from cover to cover. Absolutely can't wait for more by this author!

Actual rating: 3,5 stars, rounded to 4

This book was not as I thought it would be. I was expecting more of a mystery with a paranormal touch, but even though it didn’t exactly fit my expectations I still enjoyed it.

The plot can seem pretty familiar: after their mother’s death, Aila and her little brother Miles are sent to live with a family they barely know because their father has been drafted and he is being deployed to fight in WWII. The siblings move to Sterling, the town where their mother grew up, and where strange things have been happening for years.

Up until this point, people might be expecting something like mysterious murders or some paranormal creature that enjoys wreaking havoc, like ghosts, werewolves of vampires. However, we are dealing here with something much more original: the town has been suffering certain loses: the stars are gone from the sky, mirrors and every other surface no longer show reflections, even smells have vanished.

Every seven years the people from Sterling lose one of those things that they used to take for granted. They don’t know why this happens, but they have certain suspicions…and some of them lead to Aila’s mother. So, apart from dealing with her beloved mother’s death and with getting used to a new home, Aila must face a town that may feel hostile. Not only because its inhabitants suffer for they have already lost, but also because a new disappearance is coming and everyone is in fear…What will they lose this time?

Certainly, the best aspect of this novel is the originality of the disappearances. It vaguely reminded me of the movie Perfect Sense (people lose their five senses one by one), but the plot was very different. It was very refreshing to read a paranormal YA novel that didn’t use the typical tropes.

However, while I was very intrigued at the beginning of the book, I got a little stuck around the middle. I had lots of questions and theories and I thought I would be getting some answers or at least more clues sooner, but to me it seemed that the action dragged a little bit at some points. That might be my personal perception, though, because I tend to prefer fast-paced stories, so maybe other readers won’t be bothered by that part. Besides, during this slower part we get to witness the evolution of the romantic side of the book, which compensates my complaint up to a certain degree. It is a slow-burn, cute romance in which the lovers are friends before they become romantically involved, and they show that they start to care for each other through their actions. I wish there was more of this and less insta-love in YA literature, to be honest.

There were a couple of things that bothered me a little bit, which are the reason, along with the one I mentioned before, why I’m not giving this a full 4 stars rating. I kind of made peace with one of those reasons in the end, and the other isn’t very relevant, but anyway.

The not-very-relevant one is that I kept forgetting that the book was set in the 1940’s. I don’t really know why, but every time they mentioned the war, or a written date appeared I felt silly because in my mind I was picturing a present time. Since we are talking about a rural little town that’s not really important, as I said, but I wonder if it was just me or if this happened to other readers too. Maybe the author did it intentionally to give the story a timeless feeling.

The other thing that bothered me for a good part of the novel was the allusions to one of the most famous writers in History. I have lost count of how many novels use quotes or references from this author, so when I found him here again I was slightly annoyed. However, Murphy really surprised me when she used him and his quotes in a very unexpected way, so I forgive her.

All in all, while this book was less mysterious than I had hoped for and I had some gripes with the pacing at some points, I still enjoyed it. I definitely think some readers will love it because it is very original, so I would recommend it to people who are looking for something different in a paranormal novel.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been on the hunt for mystery for some time now. I thought for sure my search had finally come to an end when I found this book. Unfortunately, my search still continues.

The Disappearances was not what I was expecting at all. I imagined urgent and fast-paced writing that would draw out the mystery to the very last page. Sadly, shortly after diving in, the story became incredibly slow, the middle especially. I found it hard to want to keep reading. I had no motivation or sympathy for any of the character to care what happened to them in the end.

I think The Disappearances is an interesting concept but wish it carried throughout the entire book. In the middle, it was almost as if the mystery had been put on hold. It wasn’t until the end when the story finally began to pick up again. But by then, there were only a few pages left.

For the most part, the characters were well developed and had some depth to them. However, there are many similar characters to them outside of this book in other mysteries. They didn’t feel genuine. They were more there to lead the story in the direction the author wanted and not in their own direction.

Sterling is different. Aila doesn't notice this as first - she is still reeling from the death of her mother, and the move away from her old home, friends, and town. But with her father off to the War front, she and her brother have no choice but to live with their mother's childhood friend.

I started reading with the expectations of magic with a capital "M", complete with fairies and other supernatural creatures.. I thought this might be a thriller, lots of action. This book contains neither of those elements, and for that, I love it even more. There are a lot of supernatural thrillers out there right now. This book is unique. When I read it, I felt like I was reading a book with more classical roots. The pacing is languid, like a summer that never ends (which isn't a precise analogy, because the story starts just at the beginning of fall, but you know what I mean). It takes place during World War II, but the people of Sterling are so insulated, that the pacing felt perfect. For them, there is nothing outside of their small town. The writing is beautiful, and I felt a strong connection with Aila and her new adoptive family.

And the mystery of Sterling is amazing. Every seven years, the citizens of Sterling lose something small, but vitally important - the stars in the sky, the ability to smell. Aila and her brother arrive just as Sterling is bracing for another Disappearance, and they endure a lot of hostility, as it turns out their mother was the only citizen to escape Sterling and the permanent effects of the Disappearances.

This book loses a star because I had some questions that were left unanswered as the mystery of the Disappearances were unraveled. But overall, I loved this book, and would gladly read more about Aila and the town of Sterling.

So, not sure what happened here. Awesome cover - check, cool sounding summary - check, author writes well - check. This book reminded me somewhat of the movie Perfect Sense, which by the way I loved. Aila was even a decent character except when she was worried about her "ugly ear", but the flow was just so slow. I found myself almost DNFing more times than I can count on my fingers.

There would be parts where I was telling myself "Yes! Finally!", but then it would go back downhill. The plot and story are pretty cool, and I am sure a lot of people will like this, but I was just too bored.

My apologies; I was unable to review the book because it's not in a kindle format.

Thank you to Emily Murphy, Netgalley, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the chance to review this book.

This book piqued my interest because of the summary and that was all I read about this book before requesting it. I'll keep this brief in the interest of limiting spoilers (I really don't want to spoil anything about this novel) but the use of Shakespeare and Keats was inspired and kept me turning the pages. Emily Murphy's world here, that is nothing short of magical, keeps the reader guessing and engaged and rooting for the heroine of the novel through out the pages in a majority of ways.

I'm looking forward to more of her work.

Absolutely fantastic novel,I was completely hooked from the very first page.
It was a beautiful novel loved the characters, and the author did there job as I could, not physical put this book down