“Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And they’re changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. They have insatiable appetites yet never gain weight. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous.

But now, ten years later, seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time–something her two famously glamourous globe-trotting older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues as to what might have happened, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. They aren’t the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realize that the story they’ve been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from library.

Thoughts: This was a very well done gothic paranormal YA normal. It has a very dark fairy tale/horror feel to it. I enjoyed the lush dark descriptions and the horrific adventure to undercover the past.

Iris and her two sisters disappeared off a suburban street in Scotland when they were little, and then returned a month later with no memory of the time they were gone. They are also something a bit different than the little girls they had been. They have insatiable appetites, are disturbingly beautiful, and can influence people in strange ways. Ten years later Iris just wants to be normal, but when her super model sister, Grey, goes missing her and her other sister (Vivi) have to try to unravel the secret of their strange disappearance.

This story is very dark and is a combination between horror, dark fairy tale, and paranormal elements. This is YA but really focuses solely on the relationship that the three sisters have and their mother. I loved the fantastical dark descriptions throughout and enjoyed all the sisters as well. Iris is especially compelling. She just wants to be normal and wants to hold her family together, but when she has to help find Grey she needs to embrace some of the other aspects of what she is.

There is a lot of disturbing imagery in here and some body horror, but mostly this is that kind of dark and glittering fairy tale that you don’t find very often. I loved watching Iris and Vivi unravel the truth of the time they disappeared as children; it was odd and strange and compelling.

The story is beautifully written, feels darkly magical, and is very engaging. It was hard to put this down I just keep wanting to know if they would find Grey and what really happened to the girls when they went missing. There is a lot about family and in particular sisters in this book as well.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale a lot. It is beautifully written with complex characters and is a unique blend of horror, fairy tale, and paranormal elements. It is a compelling read with a lot of mystery and a lot about family. It does get fairly vicious and gory at times, so be aware of that if you don’t like that. I thought this was darkly magical and gothic feeling and enjoyed it. I plan to check out more books by Sutherland.