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 … 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.
I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t scary but it has a lot of mystery and twists to it. And to me that was enough to make this story enjoyable. This story is taken place in 1941-1943. A young girl named Aila and her younger brother Miles. They have recently lost their mother. And their father is drafted into the war. So they are forced to move to and live with their mother childhood friend Mrs. Cliffton and her husband Mr. Cliffton and their son Will. Aila finds out that the town her mother grow up in. Something disappears every seven years. And no one understands why its been happening. Everyone blames Aila mother. Aila wants to find out what has caused these disappearances. And from there Aila finds out things that are connected and things she learned from her mother past along with her new friends. Again a really good book that I would reread in the future.
I went into this book expecting one thing and got something completely different. And much better!
The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy is a very intriguing book! It’s about two siblings that have to go live with their mother’s childhood friend when their mother died. Their father was called to war. This was in the early 1940’s. The family and town they live in now is very strange. The family is very loving and nice but has secrets. The town hates the new kids. Slowly things are revealed but not all. Every seven years the people lose something, they never know what! The seven years are up and they are worried about what they will lose this time!
Great twists and turns! Great fantasy world! I was just going to read a little then sleep but ended up reading until I finished it! I couldn’t stop!
I enjoyed this story it was sweet, heart breaking and terribly clever.
Loved this book and recommended it to two different friends who also loved it. I wish there was a sequel. It’s whimsical and a very interesting take on fantasy that is original and well executed.
Thi she book was amazing. It is about a girl named Aila. She and her brother have to go to the town of Sterling, their mother’s hometown, to live because their father was drafted into the army. Every seven years something disappears from the town, like the dreams and reflections. It is almost time for the next disappearance, and the town is suspicious of Aila and her brother because they believe that their mother was the one who caused the disappearances.
This book was very original. I’ve never heard of a book with a concept like this, where you lose things that are so common that you wouldn’t realize how important it was until it was gone. I loved the characters and their relationships. The relationship between Aila and Miles was a big part of the book and I thought it was written so well. The romance in this book was slow-burning, which I really enjoyed. The friendships were great as well.
I never knew what was going to happen next when I was reading this book. It was so unpredictable but the story went in a really creative and interesting direction. I couldn’t stop reading this book. I read it well into the night and didn’t stop until I had finished it.
There was great pacing. Nothing happened too fast, yet the story didn’t drag at all, either.
This was a great read if you are looking for something that takes place in es regency sk world, but has more fantastical elements.