{Review} Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Page Count: 416

Published On: September 24, 2019

Published By: Viking Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): YA, Horror, Mystery 

Source: paperback ARC provided by publisher and Bookish First
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

TW: suicide attempt, death of a loved one, loss of a sibling, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, death, and gore







Goodreads synopsis:

In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister--at all costs.

Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her--and who won't make it out of the woods?

It's been exactly one year since Sara's sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn't know whether her former friends no longer like her...or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to "play the game" and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca--before she's lost forever. And even though she's hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends--and their cameras--following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.

~~~

TW: suicide attempt, death of a loved one, loss of a sibling, domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, death, and gore

Hey, guys!

When going into this book, I really thought I was going into a psychological thriller that I would be completely blown away by. This was not the case.

When I first read this book's sneak peek, I was so excited to read the story and finally be impressed with a YA horror novel. I've never really been one for a spooky, ghosty story -- I love a monster story, but this just wasn't the monster that I wanted. I truly expected a psychological thriller, rather than a fantastical horror situation.

I really liked the concept behind the format of this book, but, unfortunately, the format really inhibited me from connecting to the characters, their personalities, and their stories. I really wanted to care about them, but it really felt jarring when you would go from format to format and perspective to perspective. It was also really hard to differentiate between the characters and remember who they were.

Overall, this was a pretty fun book. I wasn't terrified, but the twists and turns were fun. I guessed some of them, but I was surprised enough to be entertained. It was also really great to have such a wonderfully diverse cast. They were great. 

Happy reading!

Olivia

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