Book Review | Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Sara’s sister, Becca, disappeared a year ago after going down a mysterious road to look for the ghost of Lucy Gallows. Now, Sara and her friends want to search for Becca on the anniversary of her disappearance. The road will only appear once a year and this is their only chance. To survive, they must stay on the road no matter what. But what happens if they don’t?

Do you want to know where Lucy went?
She went to play the game.
You can play, too.

Rules For Vanishing surprised me in the best way possible! First of all, it is very creepy! It’s told in a mixed-media format with written statements, interviews, text messages, and video evidence. The book has been compared to The Blair Witch Project and it also reminds me of Silent Hill in the way the characters move through unknown places with incredibly terrifying creatures and bizarre situations. I loved the touch of folklore in the story, particularly the legend of the Ys. There are some indelible imageries from the book that made me feel as if I was there with the characters, trying to find my way out.

The characters’ introductions are swift so it takes a while for me to get to know everyone. But after that, I was fully invested in their situation. I liked the focus on the sisters’ relationship and how desperate Sara is to find out what happened to her sister. I found the teenage drama believable and the romance plotline adds more stakes instead of detracts from the story. You know that not everyone from the group will survive yet it’s still distressing when something bad happens.

I did feel that as the story gets closer to the finish line the plot loses its focus because it tries to cover a lot of things in a short time. The ending is ambiguous, with some questions unanswered. It fits the found-footage setup of the book though! But I’m still shaken by the nightmarish scenes from this book. Don’t be fooled by its Young Adult label because Rules For Vanishing absolutely terrifies. Best not to read it at night!

About the author: Kate Alice Marshall

Photo by Francesco Ungaro