The Disappearance of Emily Downs
- Downloads：5350
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-26 11:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：C.J. Redwine
- ISBN：B0BFVRLYKC
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Heidi
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Content: CleanGood little mystery。 Kept my attention。 Reminds me of Wayward Pines。 I only watched the first season of that but it's that vibe if you're familiar。 Content: CleanGood little mystery。 Kept my attention。 Reminds me of Wayward Pines。 I only watched the first season of that but it's that vibe if you're familiar。 。。。more
Rosie
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Excellent horror fiction story。 Kept me on the edge of my seat through-out。
Stephanie
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LOVED this audiobook from C。J。 Redwine。 The narrator of the book SOLD this story。 I listened to this in my car to and from work and often found myself waiting until the end of the chapter before turning off the car。 From the beginning C。J。 pull you into a seemingly familiar world of a small town， but this town has secrets around every corner。 Oh yes and monsters。 When people goes missing in Black River Falls， no one goes looking。 But Joey throws that rule out the window when her best friend Emil LOVED this audiobook from C。J。 Redwine。 The narrator of the book SOLD this story。 I listened to this in my car to and from work and often found myself waiting until the end of the chapter before turning off the car。 From the beginning C。J。 pull you into a seemingly familiar world of a small town， but this town has secrets around every corner。 Oh yes and monsters。 When people goes missing in Black River Falls， no one goes looking。 But Joey throws that rule out the window when her best friend Emily goes missing。 Joey knows Emily didn't just disappear。， just like Joey's mama didn't disappear。 And Joey is determined to find the truth， no matter the cost or the monsters。 。。。more
E。F。B。
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I'd dropped my Audible subscription last year to save money （libraries are a wonderful thing）， so although I've wanted to try CJ Redwine's writing in some form， I didn't have access to this particular Audible exclusive until Audible decided to give me a second 30-day-free trial to try to get me back。 Figured I'd listen to as many of their free Plus library as I can while I have the free month， and "The Disappearance of Emily Downs" was the first that I chose。 I honestly wasn't sure what to expec I'd dropped my Audible subscription last year to save money （libraries are a wonderful thing）， so although I've wanted to try CJ Redwine's writing in some form， I didn't have access to this particular Audible exclusive until Audible decided to give me a second 30-day-free trial to try to get me back。 Figured I'd listen to as many of their free Plus library as I can while I have the free month， and "The Disappearance of Emily Downs" was the first that I chose。 I honestly wasn't sure what to expect since I'm aware that this is different from Redwine's Young Adult novels， （which I also haven't read yet， but I know what they're about） but I enjoy reading about kid sleuths and liked finding that element here。 It was a pretty short book， but Redwine certainly crafted an interesting world and town in that short time！ I never knew exactly what would happen next， and enjoyed following our spunky， determined heroine as she solved the big mystery of the town， not matter what obstacles stood in her way。 The story is short enough that I feel like I'll spoil everything if I say too much in detail， but I can say that there was a lot of excitement， danger， sometimes a little scariness， and allllllll the snooping！ One minor disappointment was the single unsolved mystery left over by the end， but I'm getting the impression that this might be the first of a series since Goodreads has it labeled as if it is。 If so， I guess that unsolved mystery will get solved in other books， so I'm not taking off from my rating for that。At the same time， I'm not so invested in this world that I'm going to keep paying for Audible just to listen to them， so that's why I'm giving this 3 stars。 This was enjoyable enough and I don't regret choosing it， but I felt fairly neutral about it by the end。 It was written very well， and I know a lot of young readers will connect with Joey and her spunky， never-give-up attitude。 For me， though， I just didn't click with the monster element that well。 It didn't "bother" me and I didn't dislike it， I just didn't get that excited about it， either。 It's clear， though， that Redwine is a great writer， and I definitely want to try more of her other works。Content Advisory:Sexual: NoneLanguage: NoneSpiritual content/Magic: NoneViolence and scariness: Mainly threatened violence， heart-pounding chases， and near-misses rather than anyone actually getting hurt。Joey and another girl say some hurtful things to each other about their respective mothers and end up slapping each other hard and nearly getting into a physical fight before the adults break it up。One 12 year old girl goes missing。 （Not a spoiler since it's the title of the book。） It's discovered that she was （view spoiler）[ kidnapped， injured somehow （she has a bandage on her arm when she's found）， and being threatened with being turned into/combined with a monster （hide spoiler）] but we aren't shown any of this actually happening， so nothing inappropriate for Middle Grade readers。As the synopsis implies， people think there are monsters in this town， and this turns out to be （view spoiler）[ True。 The average townsperson hasn't actually seen them， but the main characters end up finding them during the story。 Monster descriptions don't bother me personally， but the ones here do have physical descriptions that would probably be frightening for some readers， especially ones on the youngest end of Middle Grade readership。 However， again， while they chase the kids and threaten violence， they never actually do serious damage that gets described on the page。 One monster fights off another， but even that isn't given overly-graphic description。 （hide spoiler）]We learn early on that Joey's mother is one of the people who has gone missing over the years， and no one but Joey searched for her。 There was no violence involved in her disappearance， I'm just including this since some children may be sensitive to the subject of parental loss。 Major spoiler: （view spoiler）[ The unsolved mystery at the end is that Joey realizes her mother may be one of the people who were combined with a monster， and that she may have seen and been protected by the monster her mother became， but she isn't able to save her by the end。 It's implied that future books， if there are any， may feature her trying to save her mother from this fate。 （hide spoiler）]Other:Many of the adults in Joey's town are untrustworthy。 Some end up becoming trustworthy again， and some are unrepentant about the wrong things they've been doing。 As implied in the violence section， one big reveal in the book is that someone is （view spoiler）[ combining humans and monsters in order to create "weapons" for military use。 We don't learn the details of how this is done， but it's made clear that this is terrible， wrong， and hurtful。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Heather
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I listened to the audio book。 This was a lot of fun。 I enjoyed the mystery and figuring out what was happening in the town。 It's definitely worth reading and I might read the sequel。 I listened to the audio book。 This was a lot of fun。 I enjoyed the mystery and figuring out what was happening in the town。 It's definitely worth reading and I might read the sequel。 。。。more
Kim
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A VERY good audiobook for any fan of horror and mystery！ This is the first book by CJ Redwine I've read and it did not disappoint。 I want more！ I hope a second book is coming。 Right now there's nothing on a second book， but the ending was open-ended。 I can only hope another book comes quickly！ A VERY good audiobook for any fan of horror and mystery！ This is the first book by CJ Redwine I've read and it did not disappoint。 I want more！ I hope a second book is coming。 Right now there's nothing on a second book， but the ending was open-ended。 I can only hope another book comes quickly！ 。。。more
Erica Baxter
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This was a fun Middle Grade mystery。 Initially it had the feel of the M。 Night Shyamalan movie The Village， but for a younger audience。 Entirely different ending though。 Good creepy vibes， a fenced in town， and a mystery about the dangers outside the fence。 It kept me engaged throughout。
Ashley Staples
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Super cute "thriller" for tweens。 I enjoyed it with my daughter。 Super cute "thriller" for tweens。 I enjoyed it with my daughter。 。。。more
Bobbi
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Our family LOVED this family read。 My almost 8 and 5 year old loved it as well。 We are ready to hear more from Emily and her social justice， wit， and whom ever narrated this 。。。 such amazing work！
Pola
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It was quite interesting。 I will play it to my kids when they're older。 It was quite interesting。 I will play it to my kids when they're older。 。。。more
Ellen-Arwen Tristram
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I've had CJ Redwine on my TBR for ages and when I saw this MG book on audible plus， I thought it would be a fun introduction！Josephine doesn't believe the flimsy excuses about people disappearing in Black River Falls。 After all， her mother 'disappeared' and she knows that what the adults say is a lie - her mother would never just leave。 Something is happening in Black River Falls， something big， and something bad。 When her best friend Emily disappears as well， Josephine is determined to get to t I've had CJ Redwine on my TBR for ages and when I saw this MG book on audible plus， I thought it would be a fun introduction！Josephine doesn't believe the flimsy excuses about people disappearing in Black River Falls。 After all， her mother 'disappeared' and she knows that what the adults say is a lie - her mother would never just leave。 Something is happening in Black River Falls， something big， and something bad。 When her best friend Emily disappears as well， Josephine is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery - and recruits some new friends， Ryan and Ray， along the way。 What are the adults all hiding？ And could do Josephine's dad even be hiding things from her？This was a fun and pretty engaging little MG - I'd forgotten how fast MG books move！ It's first person， so we hear everything directly from Joey （Josephine） and you get to figure things out with her。 It's high stake action-adventure from the start with lots going on。 I did see the twist（s） mostly before they were revealed but I don't think a younger reader would。 Fast-paced and definitely keeps you interested going through - and I didn't realise it was a series either！ I'll probably listen to the next one to find out more mysteries。。。（view spoiler）[ It seems sad that the overall message of the book appeared to be: 'if you're a kid， don't trust any of the adults around you， even the people you love。 Adults lie and aren't to be trusted。' I know it seems silly to quibble about this， but it felt almost like going back to a Roald Dahl book where all adults are automatically Evil， and I just think that's a shame。 It's not a message I'd want to give my kids if I had any。 （hide spoiler）]Read very well indeed， a bit predictable， high action and drama， interesting characters， a creepy storyline - a good listen for sure。 。。。more
Kirsty-Louise
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Joey Barnes lives in a mountain town called Black River Falls。There are three rules in this town:-Don't break curfew-Don't ask questions-Don't go looking for missing peopleCute middle grade/YA scifi Joey always followed the rules until her Mum went missing it's been two years since she disappeared and in that time Joeys been searching for clues。Then tragedy strikes and her friend goes missing too， the adults seem to want to brush it under the carpet， but Joeys had enough and wants to find out w Joey Barnes lives in a mountain town called Black River Falls。There are three rules in this town:-Don't break curfew-Don't ask questions-Don't go looking for missing peopleCute middle grade/YA scifi Joey always followed the rules until her Mum went missing it's been two years since she disappeared and in that time Joeys been searching for clues。Then tragedy strikes and her friend goes missing too， the adults seem to want to brush it under the carpet， but Joeys had enough and wants to find out what happens to the people who go missing in there town。I listened to this on Audible as an included with its a short listen so took me a couple of walks to and from work to listen。Firstly I was really impressed with the narrator they did a brilliant job bringing this story to life， usually for me a good Narrator can make a story their voice was really engaging and I loved the little sound effects。The story was fun if not a little predictable although if I was the intended audience age and not a 37 year old doubt I'd have found this an issue。A great introduction to Sci fi for young readers， really gave me a bit of a goosebumps vibe。I'd definitely give the next story in this series a listen if it gets released。 。。。more
Staci
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A wonderfully compelling YA novel
Emma Menheniott
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A well written and entertaining story。 Brilliantly narrated。 Hoping for a sequel。
Victoria Bazanos
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I listened to this in the car with my kids （ages 9， 6， and 6）。 We finished it in 4 days， everyday sitting in the car for an extra 10 minutes to hear “just a little bit more”。 It’s a fun， creative， monster story that’s not too scary。 We’re hoping for more。
Renee Wagner
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Cute but the ending was blah
Steph Lasitter
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Cute book， looking forward to listening to the future books in the series with my kids。
Linda
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I have some mixed feelings on this story。 While I enjoyed listening to it， it was a bit far fetched for me。 A town with people （including kids） disappearing， monsters beyond the fence， strange noises coming from the woods and more。 I found it tough to believe a town would just look the other way with everything that went on in this one。 But， it was interesting to listen to and is suitable for kids。
Bethany Olin
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I haven’t read a MG book in years and boy am I glad this one broke that trend。 I spent the beginning of the book wondering how the author was going to make the monsters work & loved that resolution。 The narrator did a fantastic job。 Vivid characters， full of suspense， readers young & old will love this mystery。
Amanda Santiago
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I like this book。 It has a main character that acts on emotions and pulls me in。 It has mystery of course， and the ups and downs of a good plot。 Good for middle school age。
JR McDonnel
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This title is at the younger end of young adult novels that is predictable。 It also fails to allow me to suspend disbelief due to various plot holes。 I found the ending unsatisfactory in its ability to resolve the incoherent behavior of characters。 This story is a step in the direction of more books rather than a complete story on its own。
Christie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Audible narration was very good and I really enjoyed the writing style。 Sci fi isnt my favorite genre though。 My 10yo loved the plot and characters except was disturbed by the idea of experimenting with humans esp children。
Jonathan Carter
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BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOKThe Disappearance of Emily Browns follows a curious young girl， Josephine， in search of her friend who suddenly—yes， you guessed it right—disappeared。 A slew of mysterious events are happening in their town and Josephine， fueled by her belief that there is a lie behind what the adults are telling with the disappearances， is determined to know the truth behind these。The story was engaging and it gets your mind working through the entire possibilities of cause。 BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOKThe Disappearance of Emily Browns follows a curious young girl， Josephine， in search of her friend who suddenly—yes， you guessed it right—disappeared。 A slew of mysterious events are happening in their town and Josephine， fueled by her belief that there is a lie behind what the adults are telling with the disappearances， is determined to know the truth behind these。The story was engaging and it gets your mind working through the entire possibilities of cause。 Perhaps there was a murder involving the political personnel of the town， maybe the monsters are a hoax and this or that， or the probability of its reality to which the question， “What are the monsters？” or “Where are the monsters from？”， comes into mind。And although a large part of the book was exciting， I didn’t like the utilization of climatic event。 The rising of the story was too far off the book to project an effective result and it was too abrupt that it was extremely underwhelming。 The built up tension within the story waned as the climax came to front and it became similar to the moment of instant gratification wherein you， almost instantaneously， lose interest over the event after it happened due to its weak execution。Short and exciting， The Disappearance of Emily Downs is worth your time if you are looking to read a book that is light yet tinged with a pulling mystery。 However， if you’re looking for something more novel and contains a exceptional placement of story and events， this book can be less impactful。 See this and other reviews in my blog。 。。。more
Renae | Redhair_and_Books
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When people start disappearing in a town that has a history of monsters in residence， Josephine suspects that the flimsy excuses for the disappearances are lies， and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it。 Especially because her mom and best friend are the ones who have gone missing！ On top of the disappearances， other strange things have been happening， like iron bars being torn apart like paper， creepy howling up on the mountain， and a terrifying creature in the forest that somehow knows When people start disappearing in a town that has a history of monsters in residence， Josephine suspects that the flimsy excuses for the disappearances are lies， and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it。 Especially because her mom and best friend are the ones who have gone missing！ On top of the disappearances， other strange things have been happening， like iron bars being torn apart like paper， creepy howling up on the mountain， and a terrifying creature in the forest that somehow knows her name。 Will Joey and her friends find out the sinister secrets of their town， or will they themselves end up on the dinner menu for monsters？ Find out in the wildly fun audiobook， The Disappearance of Emily Downs， an Audible original production！This story was such a fun adventure， from start to finish！ It was full of action， intrigue， and juuust enough creepiness to make the hairs on my arms stand straight up in a few scenes （I mean， if the creepy monster on the mountain started calling your name while chasing you， wouldn’t your arm hairs have something to say about it？！）。 Joey is a smart and cunning middle schooler who refuses to let the adults of the town pull the wool over her eyes， and I loved her spunky and fierce spirit。 She is extremely observant and the local authorities （including her father） seriously underestimate her skill and determination。 She is like a combination of Merida from Disney’s Brave， Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables， and Nancy Drew， and if that’s not enough to make you like her， I don’t know what else you could need！Of course， no story would be complete without the main character learning a lesson or two， and this one is no different。 Joey learns to set aside her pride for the sake of those she loves， and in so doing， she makes some new friends who help her with her investigation。 She also meets an adorable little creature that is a mutated version of a fox， and foxes happen to be my favorite animal， so to say I was a fan would be an understatement。All in all， listening to this audiobook that’s included in my Audible membership was 5 hours well spent， and I honestly can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment of the series。 This story would be especially great for middle-grade readers， but be aware that there are some slightly creepy moments and detailed descriptions of monsters that may not be every young person’s cup of tea。 The main character skips school and gets into a fight with another student， but it’s properly addressed and I don’t think it’s problematic。 It really is just a well-written and well-narrated story with fun characters， and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
Ruth
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Great MS action adventure！
Sarah
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If I were 12， this would be my favorite book。 I am not 12， I'm almost 30， and I still thoroughly enjoyed the story。 I will be recommending it to all my nieces and nephews。 If I were 12， this would be my favorite book。 I am not 12， I'm almost 30， and I still thoroughly enjoyed the story。 I will be recommending it to all my nieces and nephews。 。。。more
Dana "dew"
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Audible Original: Good story ; excellent performance/narration; Leaves you wanting more。 （Hence I'm bumping this up to 4☆ from an otherwise 3☆ rating。）First book in a series for children。。。 3rd-6th grade， maybe？ The actress who narrates the story is excellent。 This is a quick read/listen。 I enjoyed it。 I look forward to the next book in the series; It has great potential。 Audible Original: Good story ; excellent performance/narration; Leaves you wanting more。 （Hence I'm bumping this up to 4☆ from an otherwise 3☆ rating。）First book in a series for children。。。 3rd-6th grade， maybe？ The actress who narrates the story is excellent。 This is a quick read/listen。 I enjoyed it。 I look forward to the next book in the series; It has great potential。 。。。more
Jodi W
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Who needs adult books， kids books are so much better these days！ really enjoyed this story。 the narrator was excellent！
Alexandra
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This book is quite short， but it does a lot in that short space。 It gives you suspense， atmosphere， great characters and plot development。 If you like Stranger Things， I think you will really enjoy this。 I hope there are more books。
MELISSA
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