Member Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I absolutely love everything this author writes! This is about a woman that works in a secluded inn that’s closed for most of the year. One day, a guest shows up and the woman is suspicious. She has survived a horrific past and is always on high alert. Technically, she has to let him stay, but can she trust being alone and isolated with him?
Why do people keep going missing from Hemlock Lane?
Grace has chosen to live a quiet life managing an inn after a traumatic event in her past. Aaden disrupts that peace when he becomes the only guest late in the season, & he’s come to town because his father is missing. Kira is frantically searching for her missing daughter, & thinks that maybe she & Aaden can help each other. But Grace may be the only one who can answer everyone’s questions…
The author had me feeling the agony of the people closest to the missing, & the awkwardness of those sitting vigil with them (the unhelpful speculation from relatives, the waiting around watching daytime television). So many characters were different than they seemed at first, & the way their secrets were interconnected was brilliant. This is the first time I’ve read a book from this author & I need to pick up the other two of hers that I own ASAP!
Thank you to NetGalley & Graydon House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was so intrigued by this premise, but unfortunately, the delivery fell flat.
I think the major issue where was the use of multi-narrator chapters to tell the story. This story could have been told from one POV and it would have felt less disjointed and confusing. In the end, the mystery didn’t come together for me in a satisfying way.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but honestly we should absolutely judge a book by its cover with this. The cover of The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass is stunning. This book had a lot of raves going up about it so I knew I had to take a peek!
I was hesitant at the beginning as the book started because it seemed to be confusing. There were multiple storylines happening and multiple missing people with no semblance of being related in any way. There was a plethora of characters introduced fairly quickly and it took me a few chapters to get them all straight and who they were in the story. With that said, the intrigue from these missing people in this small town had me hooked. I had to know how all these characters would tie together and I definitely had to know where these missing girls were. Why is it always in small towns there is no one really looking for these girls. That was a bit infuriating in the story, but definitely made it believable as that happens often.
All the characters seemed to have deep, dark pasts that we slowly got to know. I like how the characters kind of came together to help each other but also clearly trusted no one, including each other. This kept me on my toes and I was convinced I was about to have my mind blown on who the bad guy was. Glass definitely knows how to keep you guessing. She also knows how to throw a complete left turn at you! The ending literally had my jaw drop open and I may have made an exclamation out loud that I shouldn’t put here. The twists and turns at the end definitely brought this intricately woven story to a head in shocking realizations.
This is a dark mystery for those who love a story that will keep you guessing and surprised around every corner. It’s also a cleaner mystery with no graphic torture, abuse, or bloody scenes, so you are safe to read this if those types of scenes bother you. I’ll add Glass to my must-read list now and cannot wait for her future novels.
The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass
Release Date May 30, 2023
This is going to be a short review. I loved the premise of the story. Everything was moving along great until about 60% complete and it just felt like I was in the ocean by myself trying to swim as hard as I could but was still in the same spot. The author just stopped making seance to me. The story changed and I was never able to catch up again. I wish I could have enjoyed the rest which was a bummer to get that far only to not like the ending at all.
3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.
I really enjoyed the prose of this book. The writing style was superb however I prefer 1st person POVs. The plot to me fell flat. I typically expect this and most books. I found it to be really predictable which isn't always a bad thing, but took away some thrill for me
I was so intrigued the whole time reading this one. I liked Grace as a character, and I suspected everybody else in this one. I loved the setting in Maine, and the deserted resort. I was shocked by the outcome, which I love. I will definitely be reading this author again.
I liked this novel. I found it interesting and entertaining. I guess it’s what could be referred to as a beach read. However, there wasn’t anything memorable about the story and it was easily forgotten afterwards. I guess what was missing was the intrigue, but I would recommend for a fun read.
Thank you HTP and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Description:
Grace Holloway keeps to herself. Since narrowly escaping death at the hands of the man who kidnapped her, she’s thrown herself into the small inn she runs in Rock Harbor, Maine. It’s quiet, quaint and, in the off-season, completely isolated—the perfect place for Grace to keep her own secrets.
But Grace isn’t the only one with something to hide, and Rock Harbor isn’t just a sleepy vacation town. Someone is taking young women—girls who look an awful lot like Grace did when she was kidnapped so many years ago.
When a surge of disappearances brings the investigation to her door, Grace finds herself unwillingly at the center of it all and doing everything she can to keep her distance. Because Grace knows something…something that could change everything. And when the truth comes to light, getting justice for the vanished might be more than Grace can handle alone…
Review:
Honestly, it wasn't my favorite. I had high hopes for this book, but it just never came around for me. I liked it up until like 25%, and then it just kind of went rouge and I just couldn't get into it anymore.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC.
Overall, I enjoyed this book; however, it took a while for me to get invested in the story. I would say it's worth reading, but because its the first book I've read by this author, I'm not sure this is the book that would convince my this is a must read author.
This kept me on the edge of my seat the WHOLE way through!! Highly recommend this one for fans of anything thriller/drama.
I was hooked from the first page and found myself picking up my phone to read a couple pages every chance I got.
Various POVs and parallel storylines were a little hard to keep track of in the beginning but once you got to know the MCs it was easy to follow.
Completely invested and suspected everyone. I thought it came together well but didn’t love some parts of the ending (can’t say what without spoilers) but overall a solid thriller.
This was my first Seraphina Nova Glass but I’ll be sure to check out her other books.
I have heard great things about this author and people have been talking about this book however it was a miss for me. I just could not get into it and found myself wanting more.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this book.
I'm generally a huge fan of Seraphina Nova Glass, but I struggled to get into this book. The start just felt dry and the character difficult to get to know/root for. It's told in multi POV, which I did enjoy, but I just felt like I kept waiting for more to happen or a twist that really sucked me in.
Seraphina Nova Glass' novel The Vanishing Hour was an unexpected ride. Woof. I walked in expecting to be intrigued, but it was a really topsy turvy ride. I was given access to the audiobook via Hoopla and decided to try it out. However, because this book has multiple perspectives and the narrators sounds similar it was really hard for me to decipher who was speaking. I started the book quite confused about what was happening. I then switched to the book thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for granting me access to the title. I found this book was one I would highly recommend you read the ebook or hard copy. A lot happens!
Some books have tidy endings, but this book has an ending similar to those of French films. A bit open-ended, but in an absolutely satisfying way. I enjoyed the book and have since found myself thinking about it quite a bit. I often comment on other people's Bookstagram posts about it too! It's a book you'll want to chat about once you finish!
⏰️ BOOK / REVIEW ⏰️
Happy 4th of July to everyone in the 🇺🇸. I was able to finish my #audiobook copy of #thevanishinghour by @seraphinanovaglass on my way to an annual holiday parade and wanted to share my thoughts quickly! Thank you, @thrillerbookloverspromotions, for including me on this #booktour. I was really excited to see this was offered on @hoopladigital and it was the perfect #thriller to listen to this long weekend.
I love a good #serialkiller book, but I also love when the victim gets away and lives to tell their story. This is why I was fascinated with Grace's character. There were a lot of hanging threads throughout this book that I was unsure about, but they came together nicely in the end. I had my hunch about the killer a few times, but my perspective changed a bit. My only disappointment is the lack of "revenge" - I would have preferred that there was some type of exposure to who the killer really was.
Overall, this is bingeable and definitely kept my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrators!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book has a good premise but was not the book for me. It drops you into action and it takes awhile to understand what is happening.
In Rock Harbor Maine 2 girls are murdered and another is missing. Grace, a reclusive inn keeper, may be the only person who knows what is going on in this small town.
The Vanishing Hour is a page turning thriller, told from multiple points of view ,with a couple of twists to keep you guessing. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a good pace.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you Seraphina Nova Glass, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to leave a review!! #TheVanishingHour #NetGalley
Throughly enjoyed this book. Grateful for the arc. Definitely will use this with my college age thriller book club.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5650387742
You can see my review here!
I enjoyed this book a lot! Many twists and turns throughout kept me reading to the end.