The Vanished Ones, Chad Lucas's newest novel is at once an adventure, a fantasy, and an exploration of the very powerful and relevant themes of belief, belonging, and the vagaries of truth. As he has done in his previous novels, Lucas creates characters with great tenderness, yet he never hesitates to push them, testing their mettle and their limits. The richly built world immediately grounds the reader, leaving us to think we know where we are. And yet, Lucas's tale is full of exciting twists and turns that will leave you turning pages as fast as you can!
The Vanished Ones is a beautiful addition to books for upper MG readers who are hungry for more complex themes, ideas, and moral dilemmas to get lost in!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read early.

The title intrigued me first, and then the story hooked me. Boys showing up in a secluded place not knowing how they got there, being put to work, and being told to follow certain beliefs "or else." Who knows who the next vanished one may be and where they may end up? There are unexpected, but welcome, twists and turns in this suspenseful tale. I'll certainly be purchasing this for my library.

At once a story of adventure, of friendship, and of self-discovery, THE VANISHED ONES by Chad Lucas is about the importance of questioning what we’ve always been told is true. Characters to fall for, extraordinary world-building, and a fabulously twisty-turny plot will keep readers on the edges of their seats while always reminding them to choose the path of love. My thanks to the author and publisher for the eARC.

This book is brilliant. I would say it is at the older end of middle grade; there are some big themes covered, such as loss, belonging, orphaned and abandoned children as well as some violence.

In terms of world-building, it doesn't get much better than this. The contrast between the two main settings of the novel are huge and so cleverly written and both have a real depth of history and societal structure. I thought the characters were brilliantly written - I think it says a lot when characters are so distinctive that you can tell who is speaking without needing to name them.

I can see this being popular with fans of the Orphans of the Tide books.

My only slight issue is the use of the word "bollocks" in Chapter 23. For this reason, I wouldn't be able to recommend this book to children in my class (UKS2) which I feel is a shame as I think this would otherwise be a popular book.

3.5 stars
A children’s book which deals with many adult issues to do with identity and religion. It was an interesting read although I found it a little slow. Plenty of adventure for the intended audience and nicely written.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook.