Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Vanishing Daughters was a read that was outside of my comfort zone! So many elements of this book were done well, where there were others that weren't. As with any good book. For starters, the writing style. I have never read a book with a writing style as the one in this book. A lot of the time while reading I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace, but other times it made the plot a bit hard to follow. The overall plot of the book fell short for me at times, and it felt overall lackluster by it's ending. Just when the plot was getting somewhere I was invested in, it jumped to a completely different place, which adds to the hard to follow element. And the secondary plot felt as if it was entirely separate from the overall plot. There were many parts of this book that did interest me though. I think the spookier elements of the plot were done well and kept me in suspense. The world building was done phenomenally well. The spooky vibes are what maintained my interest throughout the book. I think this book did touch on some important elements, such as grief, in a realistic way. The roller coaster of emotions in the FMC's story felt pretty realistic to me. Grief is never linear and it's different for everyone. This book isn't your average run of the mill thriller and I think this book would be perfect for someone who is interested in reading something dark and twisted, but really outside of the box!

This one didn't hook me the way I thought it would. I thought the serial killer aspect would be more prominent but it was mostly about a women going through grief and sleep deprivation. Ultimately this wasn't for me but others might enjoy it more.

A psychological suspense retelling of The Sleeping Beauty. Briar Rose Thorne is grieving her mother. Her home seems to be haunted and trying to send her messages. She is having waking nightmares of a girl in white. 51 women have been killed in the Chicago area and police are no closer to finding the Chicago Strangler.
Bri must unlock the mystery of her family and a familiar ghost story if she wants to survive.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas &Mercer for this digital e-arc.*

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for an eARC ♥️


Set in the eerie landscape of Chicago's South Side, the story follows journalist Briar Thorne as she unravels the tangled threads of a string of murders.
The author's masterful crafting of atmosphere is nothing short of enchanting. The crumbling mansion where Briar resides is a character in its own right, its creaking floorboards and ghostly whispers weaving a spell of foreboding that's impossible to shake. As Briar delves deeper into the mystery, the lines between reality and the paranormal begin to blur, plunging you into a world of unsettling uncertainty.
What I loved most about this book is its fearless willingness to defy genre conventions. The plot twists and turns like a snake through the grass, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you struggle to piece together the puzzle alongside Briar. And just when you think you've got it figured out, Cynthia Pelayo throws in another curveball, sending you careening down a rabbit hole of surprises.
The Sleeping Beauty fairytale elements are woven throughout the narrative like a subtle thread, adding depth and complexity to the story. It's a bold move, and one that pays off in spades.

I'm mixed on this one. I think I went in expecting a different read and it may have thrown me off. I found the writing itself to be great but the story just had too much going on and yet I found myself skimming a lot because nothing was really happening. I've enjoyed other books from this author, so this might just be a me thing.

This was such a creepy and intense read with the way it delved into grief. It was beautifully written and is one that will stay with me.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of Vanishing Daughters.

Briar has just recently lost her mother and she has inherited her house which she believes to be haunted. There is also a serial killer that is on the loose in the neighborhood which is making it hard for her to sleep. She begins to have nightmares and she starts to feel like she is slowly losing her mind.

This was definitely less thriller/mystery and more horror/psychological. I feel like this whole book could have been a fever dream. There was just way too much going on and I was not a fan of the writing style. It was just not for me.

A lyrical modern fairy tale, in a crumbling mansion on the south side of Chicago, Vanishing Daughters is a story of women, of serial killers and of the legacy of pain left behind.

Cynthia Palayo has written a beautiful ghost story from two angles, from the ghost and from the current resident of the haunted place. With hints of Sleeping Beauty and the real life story of Chicago's dark history, this is a dreamy and haunting look at the history of women and of places.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A Chicago based thriller that ends up being part, fairytale and part psychological mind bender.

Disclaimer: I did read this as an e-book through NetGalley. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the free e-book copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

(3.75 rounded up) Oh gosh, how I wanted to love this. And overall, I did enjoy the novel for the most part. However.....

First, the things I enjoyed. I always enjoy Pelayo's ability to blend Chicago history with the dark and mythical. In this novel, our main character is sorting through Chicago history, as well as living through a psychological thriller/fairytale type storyline. Dealing with the grief of her recently deceased mother Briar is caught in a web of insomnia, heartbreak, and what seems to be paranormal instances. All simultaneously well being stalked by a very prominent serial killer. Needless to say, the premise while super involved and complicated. It seems was a really interesting, dark and yet still fresh. The blend of psychological thriller and fairytale Law was something completely new to me and I have to admit it was very interesting and I did enjoy that aspect of the novel.

Now the however. It got extremely rambling towards the middle of the book. I felt like all of the action completely slowed to a halt, and we just got a lot of repetitive internal monologue from the main character. I could never quite tell if she was hallucinating or lucid. Which isn't necessarily a problem, but the periods of lucidity and hallucination were so incoherent at times that it really lost me. While everyone grieves differently, and I respect this portrayal of grief, it really felt over the top to me, and I just had a hard time relating to that particular aspect. I really wish there had been more development in the way of the relationships between the main character and her roommate and boyfriend. Well, they were a pretty significant part of the book. I felt like nothing really deep or motivating happened within those relationships.

The ending was definitely thrilling and left on a high note. And that is honestly what saved a lot of this book for me. But it did feel a little rushed and it happened extremely late within the book. Overall, I do recommend as something that is fun to read if you're into a psychological thriller, and wanna add a little bit of fairytale lore to that thriller. But it was a middle of the road book for me.

How fun was the concept of this book? However it kind of fell short for me. I wanted more from it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my early e-arc.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The writing style is very similar to a fairy tale and has a dream like feel to it, and I quickly realized this was not for me.

I liked the concept of this book and will be trying out others by this author, I just don’t think this one was for me. The multiple genres in the same book is something I would like to explore further. I requested this on Netgalley based on the description and as a daughter also grieving the loss of her mother I’m not sure this was what I was in the mood for? Just because this book wasn’t right for me though doesn’t mean it won’t be the right book for someone else. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc.

This is the second book I read from this author and I am definitely getting a feel for her style. Vanishing Daughters is written in a dreamy, whimsical way which makes the reader wonder if they what is being told is just the imagination of the MC, Briar, or if it is actually happening.

Bri is a journalist who recently lost her mother and she is now living back in her childhood home in Chicago. She is battling with the grief of the loss of her mother which is causing her to have nightmares. At the same time, we learn of the Chicago Strangler who is a serial killer on the loose and has an obsession with Bri.
Bri leans heavily into memories of her mother and she remembers fairy tales that her mother shared with her and how one tale connects with her family.
What I loved about this story is the atmospheric, gothic, horror vibe to it. The fact that it was written from a dreamy perspective makes it an interesting read because you don't know if there are in facts real fairy tales, turned to horror or if this is all just a part of Bri's coping mechanism to her grief.

I recommend this book to readers who like atmospheric horror, gothic vibes, ghost stories and unsettling fairy tales. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer. All opinions are my own.

4.75 stars! I received and arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Pelayo hits it out of the park again! She has easily become one of my favorite authors. I love how she seamlessly intertwines fantasy with horror, and Vanishing Girls is no exception! I never knew I needed a true crime interpretation of Sleeping Beauty until now!

Another beautifully-written read from Cynthia Pelayo! This one is a mix of fairy tale, serial killer, Chicago history and lore, and grief! I was really hooked from the get-go and of course I absolutely loved all of the Chicagoland references throughout! 🙌

I did feel the pace slowed a bit halfway through, and some things were a little bit repetitive. But I still really enjoyed the read and definitely recommend checking it out! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Cynthia Pelayo for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Vanishing Daughters comes at you with a contemporary twist on fairy tales and folklore set in Chicago. With the backdrop of a grieving protagonist, we see the consequences of such grief on the mind and the manifestations that occur due to this. Briar is suffering after her mother's passing, and she stays stuck in a sort of cycle as she wonders about the last thing her mother told her. Add a serial killer on the loose, dead girls popping up everywhere, and nightmares and night terrors spilling into the real world.

I think the concept of this book was very intriguing. Just a quick read over the blurb had me wanting to get my hands on this book. However, I think if you want to read something with more suspense, then this might not be for you. The format of this book alone is more stream of consciousness at times and very philosophical. Unfortunately for me, I tried to immerse myself in the writing and this world, but the style didn't allow me to really get in there. There was only a single chapter where I felt fully immersed and I was so interested, but everything around it felt more surface level than anything else. I wish I could've enjoyed it more because I did love all the characters and how they were presented in the story, but I struggled to fully get into this book.

At the end of the day, this was an incredible concept, but the execution isn't typically what *I* tend to read.

While this felt a little all over the place at time- it was a super solid story and was a really fun read. I found myself challenged to put it down and needing to know the outcome and if I was right about the twists and turns! Absolutely worth the recommendation!

3.25 Stars 🌟 A huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer & NetGalley for the ARC! 💌

Vanishing Daughters by Cynthia Pelayo was definitely a wild ride. The premise was sooo intriguing 😲 – a haunted woman + serial killer + fairy tale vibes? YES, PLEASE! But... there’s a but.

So, Briar Thorne’s life is a mess after her mom’s death 💔. She’s stuck in their creepy mansion, haunted by her mother’s ghost and weird happenings around the house. Sounds exciting, right? Well, that’s where it kind of lost me. The execution was a bit all over the place – like, we start with this intense ghostly setup, but then we’re thrown into these philosophical musings about grief, dreams, and consciousness... and I’m like… wait, what just happened to the creepy serial killer plot?

Don’t get me wrong, the atmosphere was AMAZING. The mansion, the weird occurrences, the eerie vibes, all of that had me hooked. But, then the pacing... Ugh. Snooze fest in the middle of the book. I was literally waiting for the thriller to kick in, but it was like watching paint dry until the last 10 pages, where everything goes CRAZY (in a good way).

Now, I do love a good dark twist, and this book had some cool ones, but the fairy tale connection? Eh. 💤 It felt forced at times, and the serial killer just didn’t have the oomph I was expecting. He was more of a mystery in himself, which was cool, but I was hoping for more edge-of-my-seat moments.

Let’s talk about Briar. She’s a journalist, super smart, but honestly, she frustrated me at times. Her grief felt over the top, and I get it—losing someone sucks, but it seemed like she was just stuck in a loop of reflection. I wanted more action!

In the end, if you love dark, supernatural thrillers with a philosophical twist and fairy tale inspirations, then you’ll totally vibe with this. 🌙 But if you’re expecting a straight-up edge-of-your-seat thriller, you might wanna pass. 🙅‍♀️

Overall, it’s a good read but just not my cup of tea! ✨

Tropes:
🏚️ Haunted House
🌙 Grieving Protagonist
🏚️ Serial Killer
🌙 Supernatural Thrills
🏚️ Philosophical Musings
🌙 Fairy Tale Inspirations

CW: Grief and loss, Ghosts, Serial Killer

This wasn't for me- there was too much going on what with the ghosts, the serial killer, and so on. Briar's mourning her mother and struggling with nightmares that might be true. Or not. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.