Ahhh can't explain my feelings. Its a good read and on the other hand i feel like few pages are filled with unnecessary details. I like straight forward plot without extra details so i skip pages but still a good story line packed with a little element of horror in it.

I have mixed feelings about this one!
There were many shining moments but there were also parts that dragged. It was packed with Chicago history - while interesting, it bogged down the plot significantly. The writing focused on a lot of irrelevant details when I would have preferred it to stay on track with the mystery/crime procedural sections which I found most interesting. I do love history, especially that relating to maritime events, so I didn’t hate those sections per se, but it didn’t really work in the story imo. Some of the elements also felt repetitive, but I understood what the author was trying to accomplish by doing so. If you love ghost tales and Chicago history, this might be worthwhile for you!

In this tragically beautiful story of sisters in two different times interwoven through fate and fairy tale. Sisters Jennie and Anna are all that each other have left as they navigate their new lives through grief , while also dealing with a house that has something unusual going on with it and the Chicago river that holds more secrets than either sister could’ve been prepared for. Once again, Cynthia Pelayo hits it out of the park with her storytelling and her ability to grab the reader and hold onto tight until the very end. Not to mention everything that came crashing down at once towards the end of the novel was mind blowing and I highly recommend going into this as blind as possible so you’re in for all of the fun! happy reading!!

if i could just simply describe this book with a few words, i'd say: hauntingly and poetically beautiful. it's a book about grief, hope, love, tragedy, depression, anger, resentment, family and familial responsibilities, past and present, life and death, and everything in between.

i really enjoyed this author's writing style. there are times when things don't make sense... until they do. it surprisingly gets vividly dark and really spooky, and those parts really caught me off guard and made me gasp out loud-- but i loved it. it's a testament to the author's clever story telling.

i give this a solid 4 stars! it just felt a bit repetitive at times. but in the end, everything fell into place and that made up for it. nonetheless, it's something i would definitely recommend.

thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

A mystical blend of crime and the supernatural, FORGOTTEN SISTERS pits two investigators against a haunted Chicago, as young men begin missing and showing up drowned in the Chicago river. A clue leads them to a house with a story in and of itself, where two sisters, Anna and Jennie, reside.

The story itself is told well. Anna and Jennie have an interesting siblings-with-secrets idea to them. Think SUNDIAL meets CSI with a couple hidden supernatural bonuses thrown in. An extra bonus I enjoyed, aside from the POVs of Kowalski the retiring investigator and Anna, is an entertaining half a chapter into the head of Peter, and he provides a refreshing breath of fresh air when his intentions are shown.

The chapters get heavy at times with the exposition of Chicago, and peeling the layers back of Anna and Jennie’s story does get long, but the climax is rewarding and the haunted atmosphere does give way to a thrilling conclusion. Get ready to see a side of Chicago you did not expect.

There's a lot going on in Forgotten Sisters. Some true crime, a little fairy tale, a bit of historical fiction, a dash of horror, and a love letter to Chicago. Anna lives with her sister in an old house on the river. She hosts The Chicago Vault podcast, chronicling stories from the city's past. We also follow Detective Kowalski. Men are disappearing - there may be a serial killer on the loose, and Kowalski is on it.

Even with these two distinct perspectives I had trouble keeping track of the action and was confused through most of the book. I did love the Chicago setting!

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

I just finished a NetGalley copy of this book and loved it all. It was fantastic from opening sentence to final sentence. Not a sentence out of place. The setting of the house on the Chicago River was so well written I felt like I had been there. The ambiance from the writing was like a dreamlike underwater reality that was dizzying and you feel like you never quite get your footing on what is going on and I loved it. I can’t quite put into words the writing of this book but it will blow you away.

My first novel length read of this author. And hopefully not my last. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Some interesting bits of true history were included in the plot that I had to look up and guess what? They were true! Highly recommended.

“Chicago is an October sort of city, even in the spring.”
“This is the beginning of the end of it all.”
AHHH!!! This book!!🖤 This is so much more than the story it tells. On the surface (pun intended) this is a missing persons/murder tale with supernatural elements. Ohh, but the history, the old school fairy tales, and the promises kept make this a frightening, and enlightening story that had me melting with heartache.
This is a story of two sisters living in their ancestral house on the river in Chicago. Maybe because the house seemed to play a character or maybe because the sisters were quirky but the book reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House combined with We Have Always Lived in a Castle. I truly believe you can say that Pelayo is a combination of Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Emily Dickinson. I have read my fair share of classics and the style in this book is a readable poetic grace.
Cynthia is passionate about Chicago and it’s history and it is evident on every page.

Part gothic fairy tale, part love story to old Chicago, Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo is one unique and haunting thriller.

Anna and her sister Jennie live in a bizarre home on the banks of the Chicago River and have found themselves on the outskirts of a police investigation. Detective Kowalski is certain the sudden abundance of drowned bodies is not a coincidence and instead a serial killer is at work. Pelayo has a way with words, making this thriller atmospheric, eerie and brimming with folklore - although at times it could feel a bit repetitive. I tried to piece together who the killer would be, realizing my initial suspect was too obvious to be fully true and instead the ending was more haunting than I had anticipated.

This thriller was an enchanting walk along the rivers edge, while hearing the siren song.

Pelayo writes "genre-blending novels that incorporate elements of fairy tales, mystery, detective, crime and horror" and I'd add historical fiction into the mix as well (at least in terms of this book); I ended up learning a lot about Chicago, and it really made me want to read more thrillers based in the windy city!

Thank you NetGalley, Kaye Publicity and Thomas & Mercer for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This book was an excellent mix of gothic horror and local history, complete with a haunted house, ghosts, mermaids/sirens, and Chicago disasters! 🏚️👻🧜‍♀️🌊

Definitely recommend it to lovers of grief horror, water horror, and history buffs who love horror! 🤓

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

Title: Forgotten Sisters
Author: Cynthia Pelayo
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: 03.19.2024
Genre: Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Brief Synopsis

“Sisters Anna and Jennie live in a historic bungalow on the Chicago River. They’re tethered to a disquieting past, and with nowhere else to go, nothing can part them from their family home. Not the maddening creaks and disembodied voices that rattle the old walls. Not the inexplicable drownings in the area, or the increasing number of bodies that float by Anna’s window.”

My Thoughts

Forgotten Sisters is an ambitious mixture of atmospheric gothic fiction, crime procedural, and Chicago history wrapped up in a modern dark fairytale. Pelayo takes you, the reader, on a journey where you aren’t really sure what’s happening but you keep reading out of sheer curiosity.

The storyline around the house and the mystery surrounding the drownings kept me turning the page. Some of the longer passages about Chicago history slowed the pacing considerably and I struggled a bit to push through. Other times, it worked perfectly.

I appreciated some of the fairytale references but references to more recent fairytale retellings took me all the way out of the story. I would have loved more focus on the two detectives and the storyline regarding their investigation of the drownings.

Overall, Forgotten Sisters is a worthwhile read. If you enjoy gothic fiction, haunted houses, dark fairytales, or learning about Chicago history, you may find this book to be right up your alley.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the electronic ARC for this review.

A special thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this incredible story that I could not put down – seriously, I read most of this in one evening and it does not disappoint.
Forgotten Sisters is a work that spans many different genres working in tandem – part modern gothic, part police procedural, part magical realism. Two sisters live in a house on the Chicago River, bonded together by trauma and seemingly possessed by both their familial history and the history of the city of Chicago itself. Meanwhile people continue to go missing in the river and two detectives are on the case…
Pelayo’s writing blends horror and fantasy in addition to her trademark knowledge of Chicago. If you’re familiar with her previous works or are just hearing about her for the first time, absolutely check this one out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Loved this beautiful, sad tale of love. Well-written plot and the fairy tale aspect was wonderful.
Highly recommend to others.

Happy Book Bday to Cynthia Pelayo! I was fortunate to read this early via the publisher and it’s highly recommended. The banks of the Chicago River overflow with suspenseful horror and elegiac beauty in Forgotten Sisters. Pelayo’s dark fairy tale has the glinting sharpness of a crime thriller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖🧜‍♀️🌃

'Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.'
(W.H. Auden)


This story was one of my most anticipated novels of 2024, and it did not disappoint. I am in awe of this haunting, beautiful story.
From the first sentence, I was captivated by the call of these Sirens, and completely engrossed in their fascinating tale.

Children often believe in fairy tales, where 'happily ever after' is possible and anything can happen. The innocent and imaginative thinking of young children is heartwarming, but typically ends by the age of six or when they experience the loss of a loved one, usually a grandparent. This is often the moment when a child's tender heart is faced with the harsh reality that everything is temporary.

To stay true to the story: Hans Christian Andersen also visited the Netherlands and worked on a fairy tale here. In this water-rich country that is largely below sea level - legends abound about shipwrecks, water nymphs, and sea monsters. One such monster, the 'bullebak', was said to come equipped with a big hook, which he used to grab children from the waterside in order to drown them. However, it is also said that once children got into the water, they could see a palace and countless beautiful lights and stars. Mermaids also play a big part in these legends, but you see these legends recurring all over the world.

Fairy tales by either Grimm or Andersen were not originally intended for children. They contain mature themes and serve as morality plays, and during WWII were even used as propaganda.

The story of the Forgotten Sisters takes the reader across the ocean to another place, i.e. Chicago, where we meet the two sisters, Anna and Jennie, who have been living in their house by the river since the death of their parents and have never left it. Anna takes care of Jennie, who never leaves the house, she is a troubled soul.
Trouble arises when Anna gets into a relationship and wants to get married. Jennie warns her of her fate and does not want Anna to leave the house and her for a man.

This fairy tale depicts two different worlds colliding: an 'upper world' where Chicago is rocked by a River Killer, with many young men drowning, and a 'lower world' where the grief of the home and the women is central.

With her enchanting writing style, Pelayo takes you into the world of all legends, extraordinary shipwrecks, and everything to do with water and mermaids, from the Titanic disaster to the tragic outcome of a picnic with grandmama. Chicago history also plays a big part in the novel, about which Anna even makes a Podcast.

The novel is actually a great lament about living with grief and loss. I found the story hugely haunting, strung together with tales of days gone by, legends, trivia, and houses with a soul.
It took me a long time to finish the book, but more because I didn't want the story to end. I'm still a child in that respect, and I wanted to stay in a world where anything is possible and magic happens.

Most of us are familiar with the fairy tale of the little mermaid, who had to sacrifice her voice to find love and was deceived into doing so. Like a human, she desired immortality and hoped to be closer to a God/Heaven and live ‘ever after’ after her death, rather than fading away like foam on the sea.

Love needs sacrifice, and locking yourself in the house is definitely not going to find love. To find your freedom, to love, each of us will have to leave home and hearth, and family, to start over elsewhere. And it's all worth it, every single time, isn't it?
A truly sublime story, fairy-tale-like beautifully written, laced with lots of symbolism about water (purification, healing), quotes and references to the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen.

Such a beautiful story, which will linger for a long time to come!
And if you want to know whether Anna will find love in the end and live her 'happily ever after', I would read the book in a heartbeat.

Happy publication day!

6 stars, highly recommended.

I was really looking forward to this book, but I found it repetitive and tedious throughout. I almost quit several times. It felt like the story actually started around page 90, and didn't progress much until the last thirty pages or so. I've never read a book where 3/4 of a page was about drywall and plaster.

Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo is a beautifully written retelling of The Little Mermaid.
With a twisted mystery of the sudden disappearances of men near the Chicago River.
The amazing bond between two sisters, Anna and Jennie.
A gripping and atmospheric thriller that hooked me immediately.
I loved everything about Forgotten Sisters.
The writing is engaging. The characters are intriguing and the story was amazing.
I’m excited to read more from Cynthia Pelayo in the future.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This mystery focuses on two sisters in Chicago, Anna and Jennie. Anna has a podcast about Chicago’s history. Jennie, meanwhile, becomes increasingly worried about Anna as bodies keep showing up drowned in the Chicago River.

I wanted to like this one based on the premise but the writing style wasn’t for me. I think too if the author had hooked me more in the beginning maybe with a “podcast” episode I would’ve been more drawn in.

I love every story I’ve read from Cynthia Pelayo, and this was no exception. Forgotten Sisters is a blend of fairy tale, crime thriller, Chicago history, and supernatural grief horror. Toward the first 1/3 or so, I was a bit confused and frustrated by Jennie’s character, but it all made sense once the story was wrapped up. This was a page-turner and full of the beautiful prose that Pelayo is known for. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!