I liked this book a lot. I was surprised how much. This book was interesting and somewhat suspenseful. I kept reading because I just had to know how it would end and what was going on to explain all the unusual things happening. I appreciated the BvC concept (you'll understand what I mean when you read it). This book does require the ability to suspend belief. This book is part fantasy and part dystopian drama. That makes for a fun read with a bit of "oh crap, what next!" I'm happy to have read this and will be happy to read more works from this author.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

'Vanished' was an interesting read. Not great, like the author's first effort, 'The House', but okay.

It had strong points and it also had its WTF? moments. Some of the characters were easily understood, and others were less fleshed out and too cliched. The plot had some truly riveting parts and others trailed off, never to be seen again that left me wondering if they had been forgotten by the author.

This book is part spec fic, part horror, part post-apocalyptic, with a dash of ... aliens? Evil entities vs Good entities? It's really hard to say exactly what they were. The "romance" felt stilted at times, more like desperate end-of-the-world attachment, but then we were treated to glimpses of loyalty and dedication. Overall, I was left with nagging questions. Like, why were Claude and Rocky there? Not, why did they live, but why were they there, in the story, as characters? And what the heck was with the big transformation (that I can't talk about without giving something away)? Yes the book was heavily laden with symbolism, which is commendable, but still...

Props to the author for trying something so radically different, but if it were a dish, I'd say put it back in the oven, 'cause it ain't done cooking yet.
No offence, Ms. Darry.

At any rate, thank you to Bold Strokes and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

It was a dark and stormy night...It actually was, at the beginning of Vanished by Eden Darry, and outside my bedroom window as I began to read this novel. In fact, the wind was almost howling as the rain pinged and tapped against the windowpane  as I read about the horrible storm Ellery, Loveday, Rocky the dog, and Claude the cat were living through before the blinding white light came and made everyone except them disappear. Thankfully that last part didn’t happen to me, and you all are still here. You are still here…right?

After the storm, Ellery and Loveday meet in the deserted town as they both look for survivors. They decide to stay together because both realize that storm and white light not only took away most of the living, it left something behind; something that is not human. This something seems to be watching them and wanting them to leave. Then the dreams start. The prophetic dreams tell Ellery and Loveday that they must head north and find a young girl named Dani before Rosemary Decker and her followers do. Rosemary is the leader of the Children of the Ark. She has been anticipating this disaster and has plans to make a new world in her own distorted religious image. Her visions and voices have told her that the girl Dani will destroy her plans if she is not killed. This has to happen soon, though, because another storm is coming, one greater and much more powerful than the first one.

I really like the way Ms. Darry writes. I loved her first book, The House because of its complex and frightening plotline. I also happen to like post-apocalyptic stories in general. This book delivers both with the apocalyptic storyline as well as an intricate and complex plot. She grabs you at the beginning with the wild storm and light, and she doesn’t let you go until the last page.

The most frightening part of this story for me was not the disappearance of all the people or the non-human characters. It was the part that Rosemary Decker played. You see, there really are multiple Rosemarys in the real world. Given the right circumstances during a major disaster where law and order and societal norms are suddenly missing, I could see people like Rosemary taking advantage. To me, that is the true horror in this tale.

There are some problems with this book. I hate comparing the two books, but The House seemed to be more polished, more fleshed out than this one. There were a few places in the story when Ellery and Loveday were talking where I became confused about who was speaking. That is a major no-no because it interrupted the flow and pulled me out of the story. The ending also seemed to be rather rushed, and some elements of the story were left unanswered.

I considered giving this book a three star rating because of the glitches I mentioned above, but in the end I added a fourth star because, in spite of the problems, I did enjoy the novel. I think some of you might like this novel too, but if you do decide to read it, take my advice. Read the book during a bright and sunny day, not a dark and stormy night like I did.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

The perfect combination- fantasy, a love story, a dystopian future.

I was given this book in exchange of an honest review.

The story is told from five points of view - the villainess, the abusive husband, two women thrown together after an otherworldly experience and the savior.

There is a religious and mystical aspect to the story - when does a civilization deserve to exist, can they evolve or will they destroy each other.

In many ways, this reminded me of a Dean Koontz novel from my younger days and that’s a good thing, mostly. After a flash of light Loveday wakes to find nearly everyone in the town has disappeared. Ellery, the town vet is still there, with a dog with a broken leg and there is a malevolent presence that both Loveday and Ellery feel. All they know is that they need to move northwards to find someone named Dani and prevent the end of the world.

I found that I was more engaged by the post-apocalyptic and thriller aspect than I was by the romance. I really wanted to know where they were going and why. The addition of characters like Terry Pratt, an abusive alcoholic, and Rosemary, insane leader of the Children of the Arc, added to the tension and darkness. The grimmer parts of human nature are not shied away from and it gives makes the story quite nice and gritty although not always very pleasant.

The problem I had though, was that the ending wasn’t as tight or as suspenseful as it could have been and as a result I was a little disappointed. It’s a testament to the writing and plot line that it was so riveting until that point.

Trigger warning: Gender-based violence and abuse.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

This is part of a multi-book review.

I’m torn on this one. On one hand, this has an interesting speculative twist – end of the world, last survivors – I’m all over it. On the other hand, it left me a bit unsatisfied with too many unanswered questions and avenues that were not explored. It really isn’t fair – Darry didn’t have 1000 pages to build up to and explore what brought the end of the world (as we know it) about and all that happened after. This is a very narrow view focused on two women and a few secondary characters, so broad storytelling that fills in the gaps and lays the groundwork isn’t really possible.

I really do like Darry’s writing – she creates a great ominous atmosphere in her narrative. The initial chapters with the storm perfectly sets the stage for what is to come. There’s also a suitably unnerving and creepy feel as Loveday begins to realize that there is no one else in the village and a nice bit of tension while she and Ellery are searching houses. I really liked the main characters – Loveday and Ellery – they were well developed and engaging and I was happy to read about them regardless of the rest of the novel. The secondary characters didn’t feel quite as developed – particularly with Rosemary being a bit of stereotypical zealot/wingnut.

The premise was interesting – kind of like the Rapture where everyone just disappears, leaving a few people behind – but it just didn’t deliver. There wasn’t enough meat or logic to shush the yammering in the back of my brain that kept breaking in to ask “Why” “But what about” “Where the hell did they come from”. I think if this had been expanded with a stronger underpinning of who, what, why this could have been a pretty good series – but there was too much in too short a time.

If you manage to quieten the nagging logical voice in the back of your mind and focus just on Ellery and Loveday, this is an enjoyable read.

This is a really interesting premise. The first part of the book is particularly well written... the suspense surrounding the incoming storm is remarkable, perhaps, because it's people going about their normal, every day lives.

It kind of reminded me of a world post "the reckoning" or something like that. The ragtag few who are left to try and survive... to figure out something that provides hopes and gives them a possible way forward.

The POV switches up... from two characters who are quite likable to two with very few redeeming qualities. The contrast is abrasive...but that's probably intentional.

Sadly, I was left with too many questions at the end for this to be a truly satisfying read!

Short and weird. That's pretty much how I'd described it. There are some fantastic moments of sci-fi horror that I would have loved for the author to focus on, but the characters moving toward their goal and their journey took a little more time. This is where the book kind of drags a little bit. There are two leads, and one- named Loveday, is not a very pleasant person, even with her earnest attempts to help people. She's a psychic who learned to avoid telling people about her abilities when she was younger. Her abilities help her and her partner, Ellery avoid the creeping dark that is embodied by what might be an alien, but even after she explains it to Ellery, she is often cold and harsh when needing to make harsher decisions.

I really wish the book went more science fiction horror, because, man, the parts with the bad guy alien in it were amazing. They actually had me scared. It worked so well, but then the bad guy alien just fades away. It has no bearing on the end of the story, especially once one of the plot device characters is dispatched. So disappointing. But I do give it props for actually scaring me - just wished there were more of those scenes.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying Eden Darry's debut published novel, "The House," I was looking forward to reading her sophomore effort, "Vanished." Although after reading its blurb, I realised that it wasn't going to be a horror story, rather, a speculative fiction, more like. I was intrigued to see how Darry weaved an apocalyptic/dystopia story, even though this particular sub-genre of spec fic isn't my usual cuppa.

In the first few pages, I realised that this "end-of-the-world" story was going to have a heavy religious connotation throughout. Two words: NOAH'S ARK. Even if you're not from the Christian/Muslim/Jewish persuasion, I'm sure you've heard about it since it's been so mainstreamed already. Anyway, Darry started off the book with a huge storm and then a massively blinding white light descending upon the MCs (and the rest of the world), which caused the vanishing of just about everyone overnight! Well, except for the select ("chosen") few including Ellery and Loveday, the 2 MCs, along with their pet dog and cat.

Like "The House," Darry included the POVs of not just the 2 MCs but also the antagonists in this particular story. So, there were 4 POVs, which I thought was structured well and I got to know what those two antagonists were up to, where their mindsets were, as Darry slowly revealed more about the plot. Having said that, I was glad to be able to delve into the POVs of Ellery, the shy, introverted veterinarian who swore off romance after a failed relationship, feeling more at ease around animals than interacting with humans, and Loveday, a writer who also swore off romance but for an entirely different reason than Ellery's, which had something to do with her clairvoyance. Yes, you heard right. In addition to Loveday's extra-sensory ability, all 5 featured characters experienced one similar phenomenon, brought on by this apocalyptic occurrence where everyone simply vanished from the face of the earth after the storm and the sweeping white light - a series of prophetic dreams. I was intrigued by how those dreams unfolded. When the message was revealed, the so-called "slogan" reminded me of this old US TV series, "Heroes." Remember that show? Yup, "Save the girl, save the world." I mean, although Darry didn't directly use that slogan but the connotation was obviously the same. Ellery and Loveday dreamed about this girl who needed to be saved who was apparently humanity's last hope, aka, saving the world, innit?

Now, in pure Darry fashion, there were indeed some supernatural entities involved in this apocalyptic plot as well. Let's see, the plot involved an "Ark" reminiscent of the biblical Noah's Ark phenomenon, a religious fanatic who was hellbent on following the details of the Ark's story in the bible to a tee, from building the ark on top of a summit where it would escape the impending apocalyptic storm, to "saving" the select few, in this case, followers who believed in the impending apocalypse, requiring everyone to adhere to strict Old Testament-style biblical laws (yeh, say goodbye to homosexuals, unmarried couples, what have you!), before the storm descended upon them that would wash away all humanity and living things on earth - global cleansing courtesy of the wrathful God of the OT! The girl? Well, this was where angels and demons came to play. On one side of the spectrum, Rosemary, the religious fanatic leader who proclaimed to be following God's orders with all the Ark preparation, wanted the girl dead as instructed by one supernatural entity/prophetic dreams in the guise of "for the good of the future in a brand new world created." On the other side of the spectrum, Ellery and Loveday were instructed by another supernatural entity and via their prophetic dreams, to find and save the girl from the clutches of the fanatic so the world, humanity, would be restored. So the race to find the girl was indeed set in motion from the start, really.

Darry constructed the apocalyptic narrative quite well including the usual survivor mode where the survivors would travel a long way, in this case, Loveday and Ellery along with their pets, from one location to the next, trying to find other surviving members of humanity whilst trying to carry out their prophetic mission, which only became more intense and dangerous as their dreams revealed more. I thought the chemistry between Loveday and Ellery was written with good pacing and realistic development. Bear in mind, this story wasn't written mainly as a romance but using it as a companion piece to the larger story, which was about saving the girl, saving the world from the biblical apocalypse. Having said that, I actually enjoyed the development of a friendship between Loveday and Ellery who were attracted to each other but neither, especially Loveday (you'll know her real reason for her reluctance when you read the book), wanted to pursue or acknowledge it. But when Cupid strikes, there's no way to escape. So, however much both women, in the midst of finding the girl whilst avoiding a malevolent presence/entity that was trailing them, PLUS another character whose dreams instructed him to take the girl to Rosemary in return for what he was yearning for, their mutually undeniable attraction only grew as they spent more time together. Their budding romance was crafted and portrayed with ease as it flowed quite smoothly alongside the developing plot.

Needless to say, I thought Darry crafted a solid plot about salvation with intriguing characters featured to move the story along. Although, I'd have liked it even more if there were a twist to the otherwise very well known bible story about the Ark, i.e. making it a metaphysical phenomenon instead of a religious one. But, that's just my own personal preference, obvs! Also, the idea of "The Chosen One," to me, in this day and age, seemed a bit too simplistic, too black-and-white (good vs evil, right vs wrong, you get the picture), and we know that the world simply doesn't work that way, does it? It's all about the GREY, innit? And too much of a "hero syndrome" mentality, imo. Speaking of, I thought the ending (including the epilogue, for that matter) was a bit anti-climactic, especially after all the physical struggles, life-and-death, sacrifice vs resurrection, stampedes (yeh, you'll know what I mean when you read it!), and the ultimate race to reach the destination point where salvation would be reached or the world ended. I would have enjoyed the book in its entirety even more had it not been for the incoherent end to the otherwise well-written, elaborated plot about salvation and defeating evil, which, left me scratching my head, wondering what just happened after all that.

All in all, I thought "Vanished" was well-written and worth a read if you just forego the point and rationale of the ending. I have no qualms reading future books from Darry because her narrative style has a smooth flow to it. Two books in, I'm quite confident that her writing and storytelling will continue to improve. We've all heard about the dreaded "sophomore slump/jinx/jitters," haven't we? I think it's a normal phenomenon. So, I wouldn't worry because Darry's writing skills are solid. So I will continue to read her stories as she publishes them.

**I was given, with much thanks and appreciation, an ARC of this book, by BSB, in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was ok read. I like the premise of the story but it left me with more questions then answers.

I like the writing style it does grab you with suspense intrigue and tension.

It starts with a horrible storm that seem wipe out much of the human race. It seems that only Ellery and Loveday are the only ones still here and when their no form of communication and following by prophetic dreams they set out to fine a girl they believe can help save the world.

Their danger lurking when they come across a woman name Rosemary who also looking for the girl who name we learn is Dani and she is set out to to kill her because she believes she been chosen by God to rule the world.

I like that the characters was well written even though I didn't feel the romantic chemistry between Loveday and Ellery more of a friendship chemistry.

I've seen some pretty low early reviews for this one from readers that I trust and usually agree with, so I was honestly a bit nervous to pick it up myself. After finishing though, I found that I didn't mind it quite as much as everyone else. It's definitely got its flaws, but it's certainly not a horrible read either. I'll try to explain...

There's a lot to like in this read. The characters are clear and well fleshed out, and idea of a world where most of the human ace just vanishes into thin air after a massive storm is an exciting one! Unfortunately though, the execution didn't quite live up to the hopes in this one for me. Too many elements of this one went unexplained and the overall read just required too much suspension of belief for me to truly settle in. I really, really wanted to like this one more, but too many unanswered questions of why the people vanished, why others were spared, what happened to the animals and what the end game really was just wore thin on me.

Oh, and the reference to "sclerosis" of the liver instead of "cirrhosis" of the liver bothered me way more than it probably should have...

The main characters are likeable though, and I did enjoy Darry's overall writing style and am looking forward to her next novel, but my overall feelings for this one is just that it fell short on delivery. If you're looking for a dystopian read, there are just too many much, much better ones out there. 3 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

There are things that worked really well in this book and some that just didn't quite meet the mark. Darry's narrative style pulls the reader into the story and she is able to evoke suspense, tension and just a touch of horror quite effectively.

A horrendous storm is blowing across the Atlantic, bringing with it change and challenge. When Ellery and Loveday wake in the morning they appear to be the only people left in their village - no warnings, no explanations and some very ominous encounters when they start searching. Guided by prophetic dreams and the creeping sense of dread, they embark northwards - looking for a young woman who seems to hold the destiny of whether humanity will survive or completely vanish.

I'm a bit fan of specfic and post-apocalyptic, so was pumped for this one and I liked the initial set up and was quickly rooting for Ellery and Loveday as they were engaging (at times not making the best decisions - but hey ... it's the end of the world). I think my issues with the book that there was too much premise to fit within the page length - I had more questions around why this happened, why these people were spared, and what the end game was than I got answers for and a few things just went beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief.

Unfortunately this one was a miss on the plot/delivery - but I did like the main characters and I remain a fan of Darry's writing style.

Loveday Taylor, a writer living alone in a town outside London;
Ellery Jackson the Veterinarian in the same town;
Rosemary Decker, the religious zealot who believes she has been chosen by God to rule the world;
Dani, the mysterious teen-aged woman whom Rosemary wants to kill, but who needs to be saved;
Terry Pratt, a cruel, abusive man who lives in Loveday's and Ellery's neighborhood;
Claude, Loveday's ginger cat;
Rocky the dog, one of Dr. Jackson's patients.

After a hurricane-strength storm and a searingly bright light, almost everyone except Loveday, Ellery and their cat and dog are seemingly gone, mysteriously and suddenly. The storm has knocked out all electricity and electronics. No computers or cell phones, nor cars that rely on electronic components will work.

Dystopia is not my usual go-to as a genre, but I have read several books that are set in a world gone sideways. About half-way through this book, I noticed and appreciated that this story not only incorporated someone who wanted to rule the world through religion, which seems to be a threat worldwide, but also a lone woman who could save the world.

But, oh my goodness! This book takes twists and turns that no one who reads it will foresee!

Loveday, Ellery and their pets are called to travel to the North and to save Dani on the way. Terry Pratt wants to bring Dani to Rosemary Decker so that he can get his son back. Dani is the foremost threat to Rosemary's plans.

I can't say much more without inserting spoilers, but let's just say that there are many moments of drama, love and a few miracles thrown into the mix! I haven't read a book that made me gasp in surprise in I-don't-know-how-long!

2.5 Stars. I was entertained by Darry’s last book The House so combine that with being a fan of post-apocalyptic books, had me really looking forward to this read. I’m very disappointed to say that this didn’t work for me at all. I do want to note that I’m fighting a pretty hefty reading slump so maybe this was worse for me than it normally would be. I average about 6 books a week and this book took me three full days to finish. I picked it up, and then I put it back down, rinse and repeat, over and over. To be completely honest I just wanted this book to be over. I did consider a DNF but this was better than a DNF so I thought the book and the author deserved me to give it a full chance. I’m just disappointed that it didn’t get any better for me.

This book is about 4 people trying to carry on after everyone just vanishes. I’m not going to go into any more of a summary since I don’t want to spoil what any of the apocalyptic events are. One of my issues was I found that while things are explained, they are not explained well enough in my opinion. I spent a lot of the time going why? Why this, why that? This is the kind of book where the little you are told, you are just supposed to go with the flow. You need to suspend disbelief and not ask any questions, which is not so easy for me to do. I found I could just not go with the flow enough to really enjoy this book.

What I found to be my biggest struggle was the characters. There are 4 POV main characters and 2 of the characters are horrible. One is a crazy psychopath and the other is an alcoholic, wife beater, wannabe rapist. There are no rape scenes but it doesn’t mean the character didn’t want to. I hated being in both their POV’s and I don’t feel like I got anything worthwhile knowing exactly what they were thinking. Actually there were two other characters that I think their POV would have been much more interesting. For instance, being in the mind of someone standing next to a killer or the mind of a victim being held by a killer, can be a lot more thrilling and exciting than being in the killers head and knowing exactly what they are thinking and going to do ahead of time. You have an excitement when you don’t know the killers next move. Just like Mike Myers in Halloween, you know he is going to get close to Jamie Lee eventually, it’s the not knowing when it’s going to happen that keeps you on the edge of your seat. That excitement was missing in this book for me.

The other two main characters were a lesbian fiction author and a veterinarian. I hate to say it but I even struggled with these two women. One character was always getting angry, and the other character kept doing things that should get you killed in an apocalypse. I just did not see any chemistry between the two of them. I could picture them being good friends and maybe more eventually, but I didn’t see romance. Also, the one sex scene felt a bit out of place. I said something while reading like “really, can’t we make sure we are going to live for the next few hours before we let our guards down enough to have sex?!” Maybe I’m being prudish but it just felt off to me.

I hate giving books such low ratings but this book was just not for me at all. I am in a reading slump so I hope you will check out the other reviews for this book encase mine becomes an outlier. I’m not giving up on Darry. I thought she showed a ton of potential with The House so I’m hoping her next book is for me.

3.75 stars

I normally review a book within a day of reading it, but I kept putting this one in the too hard pile. Had I not received an ARC, I quite likely would’ve just rated it and moved on.

My dilemma - There’s a lot to like here. The characters are fleshed out, the story compelling. However, too many things required a great deal of suspension of belief.

Yes, I know this is a fictional world, but as per the title people just vanish, poof, gone, how? Why? Where?

The animal stamped also made no sense to me. The religious slant wore thin. Yet, for all my misgivings, I couldn’t put this story down. The budding romance makes this story a delight.

I really hope other readers will give this one a shot. I look forward to seeing what others think.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure an alcoholic gets cirrhosis of the liver not sclerosis of the liver. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.