Rules for Vanishing
2019 • 416 pages
Ratings19
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings19
Average rating3.6
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, a road appears in the forest. And at the end of it, the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons. Lucy's game isn't for the faint of heart. If you win, you escape with your life. But if you lose.... Sara's sister disappeared one year ago--and only Sara knows where she is. Becca went to find the ghost of Lucy Gallows and is trapped on the road that leads to her. In the sleepy town of Briar Glen, Lucy's road is nothing more than local lore. But Sara knows it's real, and she's going to find it. When Sara and her skeptical friends meet in the forest to search for Becca, the mysterious road unfurls before them. All they have to do is walk down it. But the path to Lucy is not of this world, and it has its own rules. Every mistake summons new horrors. Vengeful spirits and broken, angry creatures are waiting for them to slip, and no one is guaranteed safe passage. The only certainty is this: the road has a toll and it will be paid. Sara knows that if she steps onto the road, she might not come back. But Becca needs her. And Lucy is waiting.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars
YA horror is a fun genre for me. This a ghost story with teenagers. For teenagers. So going in I'm well aware of that. So I'm not going to knock off points for it not really scaring me. I'm an adult who watches and reads heavier stuff. That being said, This was a good book and I don't regret using my Bookish First points to get an ARC.
I have found that I enjoy books have transcripts ( or descriptions of videos, texts, etc etc.) included along the chapters to help bring you into the situations more. The entire book doesn't read this way so it's not too much either.
I only had two issues..they weren't enough to make me stop reading but still worth noting...There are a lot of characters in this book. There could have easily been one or two less. My other is issue that it felt like the author tried to add one of every type of teenager you could think which isn't bad at all..but in this case came across as less authentic as I think it was supposed to.
All in all a good read and I think it would definitely have it's intended reaction were a teenager to read it.
Reading this book in the dark was probably the stupidest idea I had in a while.
Couldn't sleep after reading it! What a haunting scary ride!
Well, friends, I think we have a new addition to my favorite books.
Told through epistolary style we discover a story about the local ghost, the missing girl trying to prove that it isn't just a story and a sister who will do everything in her power to bring her back home.
This was so much a story about friendship and family. About navigating how to show up for your friends when you don't know how. It really took me by surprise just how much I loved this. It also completely reinforced my love for epistolary style writing (I'm nosy) and has inspired me to want to pick up more horror in this style.
I hadn't really looked at the reviews before picking it up and it was the best surprise to have queer characters in it as well.
