DISAPPEARED by Lucienne Diver is a gripping YA suspense with a twist that readers won't see coming.
The story their father tells about their mother's disappearance doesn't add up for Jared and Emily Graham.
Foul play is suspected, intensifying their fears.
Their mom's car is discovered, abandoned and covered in blood. No one will tell them what's going on, so they're going to find out for themselves. Their investigations into what really happened to their mother may have killer consequences for them both, especially if the truth hits close to home.
REVIEWS ∙ "DISAPPEARED is a wonderfully creepy read! Full of devious twists and filled with characters who are so real you genuinely care about them. Highly recommended!" – Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and V-WARS ∙ "A fast-paced murder-mystery with relatable characters and a shocking twist; perfect for large collections where mysteries are popular." – School Library Journal
Lucienne Diver has written snark and suspense with her Vamped YA series featuring a teen fashionista who goes from chic to eek when she wakes up as one of the undead, her Latter-Day Olympians series featuring a heroine who can, quite literally, stop men in their tracks, and her YA suspense novels, Faultlines, The Countdown Club and Disappeared.
The Shadow Girls, her new epic fantasy, which David B. Coe/D.B. Jackson calls, “thrilling, powerful, redemptive, and exquisitely written,” is darker in tone. In a country that’s been at war for six years due to the supposed poisoning of the king of Jucar by his queen from their rival Frizenze, three women are about to rebel against their treatment and, with allies gained along the way, fight to reshape the face of power. The problem is, one of the women is quite mad, and she is in line for the crown. The trilogy continues with The Whisper Kin (2025) and The Illuminated Lands (2026).
The Shadow Girls is close to Lucienne’s heart, touching on feminist and gender issues, LGBTQIA+ themes and climatological fantasy. Both the religion and magical system are based on animism, the spirit in all things, but also the universal spirit, the All. The mageri, the great magic men who raid the anima for the power to create their battlefield constructs to crush their enemies, are killing the land, creating deprivation and disease. And…well, much, much more.
Interested in learning more? To interview Lucienne Diver, contact her at luciennediver@gmail.com.
Intense. Tension building throughout. YA mystery thriller with deep, mature themes. Alternating points of view of the brother and sister, Jared and Emily.
They are each under such pressure. Jared feels he needs to find out what happened to his mother and protect Emily at all costs. Emily feels she needs to be the peacemaker but without her mother, everyone is on edge. Why did their mother leave them? Emily turns inward to manage her pain.
To avoid spoilers, I don’t want to say too much more but this story has heart, pain and solid family love. Tears and relief. I hesitated to add the YA because the issues faced were more than that but Jared and Emily are teens so it was necessary to include. I will recommend this to anyone that likes a good thriller.
While this could rightfully be considered a young adult novel, if for no other reason than the teen protagonists, it is one that the older crowd should find just as intense and engrossing. I sure did. Teen siblings Jared and Emily have already had their world turned upside down when their mom moves out, possibly for good. Mom was the nurturing parent and dad definitely doesn’t pick up the slack. Then they can’t get in touch with mom at all and then evidence of foul play is found. The kids juggle their normal life challenges, doing what they can to figure out what happened to Mom, and the added stress coming from Dad. Needless to say, this story is suspenseful and intense. How it ends … well, you’ll be guessing, probably incorrectly, right up to the end.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Jared and Emily... I loved them and my heart hurt for them the entire book. I felt like it was clear from the beginning what was going on and then as the book moved forward I started to question it more and more. That is the stamp of a good well-written mystery.
There are a lot of sensitive topics/issues in this book, but it adds layers and relatability to the story. I think it was a bold move to not only include them but make some a main focus of the plot, but it worked.
I am a teacher and am always aware that some kids are dealing with a lot, but this book/story gave me a firsthand look at some of those things kids are dealing with along with learning math. We may joke that kids have it easy as they don’t have bills and such, but I’d never willingly go back to those teenage years and mine weren’t the least bit rough in the grand scheme of things. I think those teenage years can feel extra confining when you are stuck in a situation you can’t legally leave and freedom is a few years away which feels like an eternity at that point.
One more note: like how the author includes the parents in her stories. Granted they were pretty much a focal point of this story, but involved parents add another layer of difficulty that makes it seem more real when teens are trying to be young sleuths!
"Disappeared" by Lucienne Diver was a great read. Jared and Emily are siblings who live in a household where their mother leaves. Her disappearance leaves lots of questions for her children, and then when she shows up, there are a ton more questions. Jared is trying to figure out what happened to his mother while keeping an eye on his sister's safety. There is so much that happens in this book, and then when you get to the end, it has you totally stumped. I never guessed at all of who was responsible for any of it. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you turning those pages to see what happens next.
This is an interesting YA thriller. Jared and Emily are dealing with their parents' separation. Their mother is supposed to pick them up for the weekend, but she never arrives. The two deal with the uncertainty of their mother's whereabouts. They question their relationship. The book goes between Jared and Emily's POVs as they try to process everything around them.
YA mystery thriller Intense Real life issues Well written story - the story situations and characters are relatable to everyone. Filled with surprises, complications, and plot twists.
Wow, what a book! It was dark, gritty and genuinely had a twist I didn't see coming, and looking back I can say, was very well executed.
Told in dual POV, we have Jared and Emily, both living in an abusive situation with their family. Their mother leaves with the belief she will be back to take them with her. But their mother disappears and it may just be up to them to uncover the unusual surroundings around this mysterious occurance.
A slow burn with a pivotal end. A very thought provoking read, that deals with tough issues for teens like grief and self harming. I applaud Lucienne as these are areas that should not be shied away from.
Disappeared by Lucienne Diver was FANTASTIC! It's slated as a YA novel, but as an adult I was hooked from the very beginning. There was so much emotion written into Jared and Emily and that mixed with the mystery of what happened to their mom kept me on the edge of my seat. You could feel their fear and confusion and what it would really feel like to be a teenager and have your world fall apart. Great writing!
Loved this book. It's YA suspense/mystery but it never felt young or out of touch for me as an adult reader. The POV characters are a brother-sister duo whose parents are newly separated, and whose mother is suddenly missing. Everything that happens is just another layer of intensity. The author does not shy away from hard truths, facing things head on. There are no cheap shots, everything is necessary. Fabulous read.
I could not put this down once I started it. Disappeared is a gripping YA story that adults should also find compelling. The blurb gives you what the story is about so I’m just going to say that I was kept guessing until nearly the end and even when I thought I knew 'who done it' there came that twist I wasn’t expecting.
Disappeared is a story that anyone who loves a good, suspenseful mystery should love.
Disappeared, by Lucienne Diver is a Y.A. novel that deals with real life issues. This story was well written, easily attaining the suspension of disbelief in the reader. This book appealed to me because the characters and the situations are relateble for young people on so many levels. Filled with surprises, complications and plot twists, this story is crafted to keep the reader guessing.
While this BOOK (the story) was excellent, the editing threw me for a loop.
There's a side-character named Jake. His subplot is just... dropped
then the son/MAIN character Jared keeps being "called" Jake and it just derails all mental connection with the story.
when Anne McCaffrey or Arthur C Clarke do that you have to consider that they were into their 80s+ and writing LOTS of interwoven plots. This is not that complicated: Jake may be a stalker, but no resolution (ONE sentence would resolve the entire subplot) and Jared is the son. Jake is not Jared and Jared is not Jake!!
I'm not a big fan of YA books but this one was well worth my time to read. The author lets you see inside the heads of the two teen siblings. Their thoughts, fears, and desires. Their need to be loved, to protect each other, and the horrid fear of wondering what happened to their mother and if their father had anything to do with it.
I couldn't put this down, and when I finished reading it stayed with me for days.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.