This one was very different from what I usually read. It’s a bit of a slow burn at first, so it took until about 25% before the pace started picking up. The story itself was really well-written and Cina did a great job of portraying an MC who is an absolute basket case. While the writing seems very disjointed at first (kind of similar to Requiem for a Dream), it is actually us being thrust into the MC’s descent into madness. It was a stellar strategy, despite being a bit confusing at first. By the time the ending came about, it was hard to know which events she was actually experiencing and which were in her head, which was the whole point of this novel. This was a very character driven story, so if that’s your jam, you should definitely pick it up, especially if you’re looking for something with a modern gothic horror feel to it!

Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

This is my first book by this author, and it grabbed me from the first page and kept its grip until the very end. The cover is gorgeous and was what caught my attention along with the title. Vanishing Daughters combines a modern psychological thriller with our oldest fairytales and stories, resulting in an entirely new experience. I truly enjoyed this book, but I don't think it will appeal to every reader. The writing style is dreamy and wandering, with certain chapters resembling a stream of consciousness from our main character Briar. And, as I noted in the first part of the review, this book covers a wide range of subjects and topics, and while they're all handled brilliantly, it can feel a little overwhelming at points. However, if you favor dark modern magical realism and prefer atmospheric over fast-paced stories, I believe you will enjoy Vanishing Daughters.
Overall, I appreciated this darkly gorgeous novel. I believe the story will stick with me for a long time, and it has even influenced my perspective on several issues. This book is an example of a completely unique story. Vanishing Daughters is recommended to those who appreciate magical realism, fairy tale and myth-inspired novels, and one-of-a-kind reading experiences.

I’m in a pickle. This is an undoubtedly amazing book, well written and with intriguing ideas and characters. Objectively, I should give it 5 stars, excellent, magnificent. Now, for whether I liked it or not, I’m afraid that it was not for me. All these philosophical concepts about dreaming and consciousness, the ghostly apparitions, the fairy tales… it is not something I enjoy, and I had a hard time reading this. Briar just lost her mother, and she’s stuck in her family’s dilapidated mansion grieving and plagued by nightmares. She dreams or hallucinates, walks her (adorable) dog and talks to her (super-likable) friends. There is also a serial killer who’s stalking her. This is a story that has been repeating itself forever and she needs to listen to her mother’s voice (in her head?) to break the circle. I loved the descriptions of the house, as well as the stories about Chicago. I could even relate to Briar’s recent loss, having lost my dad last year, but I still couldn’t connect with her – her grief seems too out of proportion for something we all know will eventually happen. I hope many readers will love this. Based on my enjoyment, though, I’d have to give it 2 stars. Rounding out, I’m settling on 3.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer.

I love Cynthia Pelayo for the tone of her stories. This cross of modern and dark fairy tale has such atmosphere and mood that it makes for a very engaging read. Vanishing Daughters does this so well that I have very few complaints. The one thing would be that this type of story always has a sense of disjointedness to it, and for this story that didn’t come together quite as well as it did in Forgotten Sisters.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Sleeping Beauty retelling with a serial killer twist...I'm so here for here for it!

Vanishing Daughters was completely unexpected and I couldn't put it down. I loved the web of mystery and intrigue the author created. This story was bizarre, yet utterly fascinating. I was completely invested and couldn't wait to see how everything would come together in the end.

If I had to make a complaint about anything, it would be that I wished that Emily and Daniel would have been featured a little more. I felt like we got little glimpses of them, but they were ultimately an afterthought.

Overall, I thought Vanishing Daughters was a unique gothic thriller with an unexpected fairytale twist. This book is quite a departure from the books I normally read and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Vanishing Daughters by Cynthia Pelayo is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that combines elements of horror with a tense, edge-of-your-seat mystery. The story follows Briar Thorne, a journalist who has been haunted by strange and terrifying dreams ever since her mother's death in their old Chicago mansion. As Bri confronts the lingering grief from her mother's passing, she begins to suspect that the eerie experiences in her home might not just be figments of her imagination, but something far darker and more dangerous.

When Bri starts investigating the grisly murders of fifty-one women at the hands of a serial killer, her search for answers leads her to a stranger who suggests that the key to solving both the murders and her own nightmares lies within her ability to connect with the dead. As the killer becomes more aware of Bri's research, the stakes intensify, and she finds herself in a race against time to stop a murderer before she becomes his next victim.

Pelayo expertly weaves together a tale of supernatural suspense and real-world terror. The sense of dread and foreboding is palpable throughout, keeping readers hooked as Bri uncovers chilling truths that blur the lines between the living and the dead. With a strong, determined protagonist and a gripping narrative, Vanishing Daughters is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and supernatural mysteries alike. It's a dark, haunting journey that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page.

Overall the book/story was decent. The characters were very descriptive and very interesting.
I liked the way the story was told and the fairy tale aspect to it.
I definitely think this book should have been longer. There were times that the story was leading somewhere then it just didn’t get brought back up. Like it was an unfinished thought or they meant to go into more detail but then decided not to.
I really felt like the ending was missing something as well. The story had so many twists but they didn’t lead anywhere.
Hopefully there will be a sequel or so to fill in those blanks.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the copy

Vanishing Daughters really intrigued me with its plot from the start - blending fairy tales, urband legends, serial killers and grief. The themes were extremely compelling but, as the story progressed, it started to lose its momentum.
The pacing felt off and by the halfway point it seemed like there was a lot happening but somehow nothing at all. The narrative became repetitive at times and the conclusion felt rushed, wrapped up in what seemed like only a couple of pages.
While the plot is intriguing, the final product left me feeling like it was both too much and not enough at the same time.

So many things going on in this book! Mystery, intrigue, fantasy, grief….to be honest I struggled to get into it. But I am SO glad I stuck with it! It starts out very descriptive and a little difficult to tell whose viewpoint you were reading—Briar or the killer! Ad the story continues, it felt a little repetitive at times, but the wrap up of all the story pieces was so well done I’d definitely recommend! Thank you for this ARC!

I could not finish this book, not because i thought it was bad but because i couldn't quite get into the story

Unfortunately, Vanishing Daughters by Pelayo didn't work well for me. It was more of a fairy tale or magical realism novel with dealing with the grief of losing a parent versus a horror. There is a lot of local knowledge of Chicago urban legends that I thought was interesting. However, the parallels to Sleeping Beauty were too many and the theme kind of went everywhere which made it feel incohesive.

Vanishing Daughters is a haunting and deeply atmospheric novel that straddles the line between surrealism and paranormal horror, offering a reading experience that feels more like wandering through a dream than following a linear story. Set in Chicago, the book layers history, folklore, and ghostly elements with an undercurrent of true crime.

The narrative leans heavily into its dreamlike quality, often blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination. The prose is lyrical and rich with symbolism, creating a moody and immersive atmosphere. The book also delves into historical details about Chicago and even touches on the Manhattan Project, offering unexpected avenues for readers with a taste for history.

That said, this is not a traditional thriller. While there is a serial killer storyline, it feels like a faint shadow in the larger tapestry of the book. Readers who enjoy clear-cut plots or resolutions might find the story challenging, as it often prioritizes mood and abstraction over direct answers.

For readers who thrive on ambiguity, love history intertwined with the paranormal, and don’t mind letting go of the need to know exactly what’s going on, Vanishing Daughters might be a mesmerizing experience. For others, it’s a book that demands patience and an appreciation for the surreal.

Chicagoland meets Ghostland meets Serial Killerland.

Like tunbleweeds being tossed across the Midwestern prairies, Vanishing Daughter is picking up elements of dark mossy things that grow unchecked in the corners of the mind. Cynthia Pelayo knows how to rip out a good yarn. Check out her previous novel Forgotten Sisters (2024).

Pelayo knows her stompin' grounds of the Chicago area with all of its highlights and lowlights. She will thread Vanishing Daughters with the footwork of deep research. Pelayo emphasizes the "thin place" where logic leaves its hat on a peg and the supernatural and unexplainable step through the door. Chicago is rich with ancient lore and tales of things that go bump in the night. And the shoulders of this great old city are hunched over and quite amused.

Briar Rose Thorne lives in a worn-down mansion on the south side of Chicago near Jackson Park. The home has been in the family for eons. Usually Briar is in the midst of research for her science based columns as a journalist. But Briar is bogged down with the weight of extreme grief. Her mother has passed away recently and Briar can't seem to put one foot in front of the other. In fact, she suffers from extreme sleep deprivation. It has affected her relationships with Emily, her best friend, and with Daniel, her boyfriend. And in the midst of all this, the mansion is speaking to her of its own grief.

Cynthia Pelayo writes with deep commitment. She parallels regional lore with fanciful fairy tales in this one. Her prose is magnificent especially in regard to grief in general. But she can labor a point which may turn away some of the more rigid readers. Pelayo injects a very curious thread of the Chicago Strangler who has murdered 51 women. Just how all these jagged pieces come together is worth a looky-look. Pack your parka. Gonna get cold to the bones in this one.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to Cynthia Pelayo for the opportunity.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cynthia Pelayo for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Vanishing Daughters coming out March 11, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It seems to be a modern adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. I usually love mysteries and thrillers, but this didn’t feel like that to me. It wasn’t really my cup of tea. The first half of the book was really interesting, but I lost interest in the second half. The plot wasn’t for me. I would check out other books by this author though.

Special thank you to #NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC.

Vanishing Daughters is a supernatural suspense of a serial killer zeroing in on one Briar Rose in Chicago. Briar herself is struggling against many internal issues, the least of which is her house, Rose House, which sends signals in different shapes and forms while she deals with insomnia and grief, two weeks fresh into the passing of her mother.

The story is a clever, contemporary twist on Sleeping Beauty, continuing what I like to call to the Pelayo-verse: a present-day Chicago, teeming with fairy tales and the supernatural, with detectives trying to get to the bottom of the facts, this time in particular before a serial killer does.

In Vanishing Daughters though, the detectives are more in the background, a pleasant Easter egg to any who have read Pelayo’s Forgotten Sisters, as the detective’s POV is replaced with that of the serial killer, a mystery himself within as he contains some seemingly supernatural mystique in his murderous plots. Let’s just say this book contains a city full of screaming. Lots and lots of screaming…

Briar herself is an interesting case, a journalist with more knowledge of Chicago that she can churn out faster and heavier than you can fact-check on your phone. Her on-the-spot know-how, mixed with the struggles of figuring out why the random radios inherited from her great-great-grandparents go on and off, to roses and gifted spindles appearing at inopportune times, create a kind of Poet-pedia that is becoming emblematic of the author’s style. The whimsical just stops itself of becoming full twee.

There comes to a point though where the safety of Briar becomes an ‘enough is enough’ point, and one scene in particular, where a serious self-check is met with denial and enabling behaviour from her peers, kind of draws that line in the sand as to when is the serial killer just going to show up for the reader. The cover says ‘A Thriller,’ but you are going to have to skip to the final ten pages before that.

Vanishing Daughters is best seen as a suspense, and a loving showcase for Chicago, as Cynthia Pelayo continues to give her readers an in-depth, fantasy/supernatural look at the wonder and lore of the city she loves, one that I believe is growingly reciprocated.

3.5 🌟

I thought there was so much potential at the beginning of this book - I loved the heavy atmosphere and exploration of grief. But about 50% of the way through it felt like nothing much had happened, Bri was going in circles in her own head over and over, and the plot stalled. I wanted more from Bri's semi-haunted house, the effects of generational trauma and curses, and the killer, but I feel like I never got enough. It all got wrapped up neatly in the last 10% of the book, but it was only marginally satisfying. Still a good mood read if you want something fairytale-esque and spooky.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a fascinating take on the ever-popular genre of dark fairy tales. The plot had me hooked from the get-go. The characters were well-crafted and the prose was absolutely stunning.

Briar Rose is devastated by her mother’s death. She can’t seem to focus on her work, nor can she sleep. The first few chapters are a slow fever dream of insomnia perpetuated by grief. But once we meet the serial killer and his intentions to capture and kill Briar so that he can add her to his collection of “beauties” the book really shifts to a faster gear.

I loved the intertwining of Chicago history with the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. The prose was very dreamy-like and evocative, creating clear images in your mind, but also allowing you to feel Briar’s frequent dream sequences that interweave with the past and present. I really liked Isaac, a man she befriends on one of her walks that helps her use her dreams as a way to find out the truth about the past that can also help with the present, and help find out who the killer is. This isn’t your typical plot-driven thriller, but more a psychological supernatural character driven one. Pelayo masterfully weaves horror, fairytale, and true crime into this novel in ways that couldn’t be pulled off by a less skilled author.

The reader is quickly sucked into the mystery of trying to figure out who the killer is, why Briar has been seeing an older gentleman passing by her home for many years, and who exactly is Mary – the famous ghost known was the Vanishing Hitchhiker of Archer Avenue. There are moments when walking with Briar along the most haunted places in Chicago that the reader can’t help but feel more terror for the characters encountering live people on their trail than any ghosts – as Pelayo likes to remind us that very often it’s people who are the real monsters, and not the supernatural.

This is a must-read for those who love fairytale retellings with a modern, true-crime twist to it. If you have enjoyed Pelayo’s previous books, then you will love this one a lot, as she has truly mastered her literary brand of intertwining magical realism with the grittiness of true crime. Read this for a haunted, and unforgettable experience.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It started the night journalist Briar Thorne’s mother died in their rambling old mansion on Chicago’s South Side.

The nightmares of a woman in white pleading to come home, music switched on in locked rooms, and the panicked fear of being swallowed by the dark…Bri has almost convinced herself that these stirrings of dread are simply manifestations of grief and not the beyond-world of ghostly impossibilities her mother believed in. And more tangible terrors still lurk outside the decaying Victorian greystone.

A serial killer has claimed the lives of fifty-one women in the Chicago area. When Bri starts researching the murders, she meets a stranger who tells her there’s more to her sleepless nights than bad dreams—they hold the key to putting ghosts to rest and stopping a killer. But the killer has caught on and is closing in, and if Bri doesn’t answer the call of the dead soon, she’ll be walking among them.

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This one was difficult. I enjoy Cynthia Pelayo's writing, especially in this book. Too many threads were in play during this novel.
A retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale, almost scholarly at times. Also a primer on haunted spots in Chicago. Mostly a meditation on grief. These parts work separately when they're put at the forefront, but they never really coalesced into a single narrative for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.