Review: The Disappearances

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

Release Date: July 4, 2017
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
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"Thick with mystery, buried secrets, and magic, nothing is safe in The Disappearances. Be careful, or you might lose yourself in this strange and wondrous world, where stars go missing, reflections don’t exist, and the question, how much would you sacrifice for love? is given entirely new meaning. I adored this book!" – Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval 

What if the ordinary things in life suddenly…disappeared? 

Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has always been a mystery: vibrant yet guarded, she keeps her secrets beyond Aila’s reach. When Juliet dies, Aila and her younger brother Miles are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town far from home--and the place where Juliet grew up. 

Sterling is a place with mysteries of its own. A place where the experiences that weave life together--scents of flowers and food, reflections from mirrors and lakes, even the ability to dream--vanish every seven years.
No one knows what caused these “Disappearances,” or what will slip away next. But Sterling always suspected that Juliet Quinn was somehow responsible--and Aila must bear the brunt of their blame while she follows the chain of literary clues her mother left behind.

As the next Disappearance nears, Aila begins to unravel the dual mystery of why the Disappearances happen and who her mother truly was. One thing is clear: Sterling isn’t going to hold on to anyone's secrets for long before it starts giving them up.

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.

Riddled with mystery, suspense, a curse and deep buried family secrets, this book kept me thinking to the very end! It was well written and you guys, that cover! *swoons*

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!