This one sounded very promising with the premise, but unfortunately it fell really flat for me and never held my attention. I never found myself wanting to continue it so I stopped reading it.

DNF 80% . Going into this book I had really high hopes . The first few pages were really great then it began to feel repetitive after that . So many things were said but so little was done . I found myself being confused so many times reading this book

All things have their time.

Cynthia Pelayo once again enriches horror fiction with her signature genre-fusing approach. Spinning together grief, the underlying anguish of a beloved fairytale, dark Chicago history, and the unchecked peril of a serial killer, she draws us into the waking nightmare of a young woman marked for death and eternal captivity.

In fairytales and urban legends, beautiful victims become specters of enduring cautionary tales. These figures spark fear in us that rightfully belongs to their tormentors, and this misplaced focus perpetuates misogynistic archetypes. There’s no shortage of beauties sleeping in eternal thrall to opportunistic forces. In Pelayo’s taut tale featuring Archer Avenue, a Chicago road renowned for its paranormal energy, a ghostly female forever seeks her way home. She—not her killer—becomes the omen for other women who dare to let down their guard.

Emotionally and physically drained by her mother’s death, Briar Rose Thorne exists in her own thin space between the mortal realm and whatever follows death; between sanity and sleep deprivation psychosis; between living her life and losing her agency as a smart, strong, fully functioning human being. Acutely aware of energy and plagued by snippets of visions she must decipher, Bri fights becoming part of a deadly mystery’s recurring pattern.

In the charged atmosphere of the old house she inherited, she grapples with clues her mother left her about a family curse. Home should be a sanctuary, the ultimate destination, the anchor of happiness and belonging. Bri’s home is a keening entity that reflects what’s inside it, playing back its memories and mourning the soul who longs to return to it. As the house and the killer both close in, Bri in her broken state nears peak vulnerability as the fated prize.

Traversing literary realms with informed grace, Pelayo pulls together threads of horror, fairytale, and crime, intensely attentive to the psychological impacts of each. Her love affair with Chicago is steeped in experience, research, and a passion for reaching into this beautiful, brawny city’s shiver-inducing recesses. Don’t miss this well crafted, stirringly written chiller.

Thanks to Cynthia Pelayo and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This review was voluntary.

I just could not get into this book. I feel like I was going back and forth between reality and her dreams. This one was not for me.

Pelayo is an award-winning author, but this is the book that made her a must-read for me from now on. People are disappearing in Chicago, and the city has so much personality that it's like another character. I also really loved how there was tension throughout the story and I didn't know what was real until the end. Bri is the main character, and she lives with her sister in a house in Chicago but they don't seem to interact a lot with other people, except that Bri does her own online show talking about Chicago urban legends, which was interesting in itself. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

3 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I appreciated how this novel blended the macabre of a serial killer haunting a young woman in the grips of grief with fairy tales, particularly the different versions of Sleeping Beauty..The name Briar Rose was definitely a bit on the nose.

While the descriptions were often atmospheric and evocative, the story dragged in many places and could have benefited from a bit more action and suspense.

This book kind of felt like a fever dream. Far more philosophical than thriller -- it took me awhile to get used to this writing style and it never really connected with me.

Briar Rose is seemingly drowning under the weight of her mother's death. She has inherited her home, which she thinks is haunted. There is also a serial killer lurking about in the neighborhood. Her insomnia has led her to have weird dreams -- which may be the victims of this killer trying to communicate with her.

The time we spent instead Briar Rose's head didn't make much sense and the time she spent interacting with other people felt stilted and awkward. I just could not connect to her character enough to get into this.

A cool concept, but not the read for me.

Vanishing Daughters is part ghost-story, part folklore and part twisted fairy tale. The author did a fantastic job of threading symbolism throughout the story. I enjoyed the names, links to Sleeping Beauty and the family secrets that had to be uncovered to stop the Chicago Strangler. The dreamscapes are well constructed. Most of the story takes place in Briar's mind or her dream realm, but it is still engrossing and spooky and the sense of real danger can be felt. Towards the end, you felt like you were in a car racing downhill, knowing there is danger if you look away and feeling a rush toward a crucial encounter. I fully enjoyed Briar and her family history and the way this story unfolded. Great writing and an exciting read!

This was a pretty good book but it was missing the buildup of a thriller. No gripping storytelling that made me want to keep reading the book all night if I had to. It was pretty slow. The main character had her mother die and she inherits her house. There’s a serial killer around and it’s just a bit predictable with no buildup.

3.5/5, rounded up to 4.

This book has a solid premise. After her mother’s death, Briar inherits her home and grapples with her grief while experiencing strange, mysterious dreams. Concurrently, a frightening serial killer is wreaking havoc in Chicago.

Despite the unsettling nature of the story, I didn’t experience the suspense that is typical of a thriller. If the author had focused more on developing tension for the reader, it could have easily been a perfect 5/5 read. Regrettably, I didn’t find myself on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was as beautifully written as the thriller storyline was gruesome. Ravishing descriptions of the scenery and an in detail description of how grief breaks us This book leaves you wondering and wanting to put all the puzzle pieces of the story together. And if you think you haven’t figured out by the end, you will be surprised.

This book has a really good foundation. Briar inherits her mother's home after her passing, and while dealing with her grief, she also has to deal with weird, cryptic dreams. At the same time, there’s also a disturbing serial killer terrorizing Chicago.

As unsettling as this book was, I didn’t feel any build-up of suspense like a thriller should. If there was time spent building the reader's suspense throughout the book, it would’ve been 5-stars. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, unfortunately.

This was a really interesting and gripping novel about Briar, a young woman who inherits her family's home after her mother's passing. As she navigates her grief, she begins experiencing eerie dreams and unsettling encounters within the house. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Chicago, and Briar starts to suspect a connection between the murders and her own strange occurrences. The book had a compelling storyline and was an easy, engaging read. What a fascinating plot! I really enjoyed this read! A very spooky book that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

4 stars
when briar's mother passes away she inherits the family house. while struggling with her grief she starts having weird dreams and weird encounters in her house- simultaneously there is a serial killer roaming the streets of chicago. the dreams and the killings are somehow connected and briar has to get to the bottom of it. overall it was a pretty good book with a decent storyline and was easy to read- i just kind of feel with the ending it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. i enjoyed the premise of the book just some things felt a little far fetched for me.

I got this Arc not really being a mystery/thriller reader. So I went in not knowing what to really expect. It was a rollercoaster of a ride. A ride I would ride again.

Keys and Gates and Locks and Thorns.

Vanishing Daughters is a brilliant story of grief, true crime, fairy tales, and history all weaved together in a haunting plot. For one woman’s common survival in modern day Chicago turns even more sinister when a ruthless serial killer has his eyes set on her. As our main character tries to come to terms with immense grief and a house that is desperately trying to give her answers to questions left unsaid.
Pelayo has us in her clutches and all we can do is watch and hope a nightmare cycle of lost souls will come to an end.

I had such high hopes for this book and honestly it just wasn't my cup of tea. The style was far too contemplative for my taste and nothing much happens for the first half of the book.

The story follows the main character, Briar Rose, as she lives and wanders about the house she inherited after her mothers passing. There is a lot of musing on grief and the manifestations of it (house seemingly haunted). There's also a serial killer in the neighborhood and some chapters are from that perspective but written in the same philosophical style as Bri's chapters.

The writing in this story was absolutely beautiful, it just really wasn't my cup of tea. If you're wanting to sit down and revel in the musings of the main character as she deals with the manifestations of grief, this is a fantastic book. It's haunting and lyrical and there is definitely a vibe there, just not one I was really enjoying. I got to 43% done and just found myself groaning as I read and wanting to skim as nothing much had happened and there were still many similar ruminations from the main character. This was one of those books that gave me a disjointed feel and I don't love that.

Giving this 3 stars as I do feel like it was *ok*, it just really wasn't my cup of tea. :)

Blending fairy tales and a serial killer might seem like an odd mix, but in the very capable hands of Cynthia Pelayo, Vanishing Daughters is a heartfelt story about grief and fear, urban legends and the woman at the center of it all.

Our main character, Bri, is adjusting to life after the death of her mother, who often spoke of the fantastical as if it were real. As one day blends into the next, Bri deals with a house that is more sentient than not, friends she keeps trying to push away, and the killer who targets young women and seeks to deny them not just life, but eternal rest.

We get the killer's POV, we learn of the motivation and the methods they've used and what they plan to do next, and as more clues and details are revealed, the pace of the book begins its gallop towards the inevitable ending, where all the various threads come together.

The characters, even the minor ones, are well rounded; the story is a compelling one, and , even weaving in some local Chicago lore. I will read anything Cynthia Pelayo writes.

Vanishing Daughters is a psychological thriller about a woman who has recently lost her mother. She inherits a house that has been in her family for generations, located in a specific place where the boundary between the world of the living and the dead is thin. On top of that, there’s a serial killer in the neighborhood.

First of all, the title is very captivating, and the cover is impeccable. In terms of genre, I would emphasize the word "psychological" and place "thriller" in the background. Bri, the main character, is dealing with grief. She repeatedly thinks about her mother, recalls her childhood, and overanalyzes the meaning of death. This was interesting at first, as we learned a lot about her as a person, but with the constant repetition, it becomes boring toward the end. Like really boring. Like please-stop-repeating-yourself-or-I-throw-my-tablet-away-and-then-I-will-not-know-the-ending boring.

As Bri grieves, she also has trouble sleeping. Her sleep is disturbed by nightmares. These were confusing to me at times, as she loses touch with reality during these moments, but I guess this was done on purpose. So, good job on that.

Through her inner monologue, we also learn about some of Chicago’s urban legends and haunted places. I had to google these places because I was fascinated by their history, and seeing the photos only added to the dark, misty, cold atmosphere. Bonus points go to the interweaving of different versions of Sleeping Beauty into the story.

I felt strong, resentful feelings toward the killer. His/her (no spoilers) thoughts were absolutely disturbing, and I became allergic to his/her catchphrase “my beauties.” Again, good job there.

On the negative side, I didn’t feel any growing suspense. The story was more character-driven than plot-driven; the climax came too late and was too short, so I didn’t care much about the ending.

To summarize, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick, easy read, good for passing dark winter afternoons. However, I prefer thrillers with more plot and action.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gosh this was such an interesting book to read! I love the perspective the book was told in. I really enjoyed thos book it's not like anything I've read before

Thanks to NetGallery for the arc