The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers



Seventeen-year-old Jocelyn follows clues apparently from her dead twin, Jack, in and around Seale House, the terrifying foster home where they once lived. With help from childhood friend Noah she begins to uncover the truth about Jack's death and the company that employed him and Noah.

Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light
(From Goodreads.com)

I thought this book had interesting appeal because of the way that Jocelyn has to follow clues left behind by her brother. The clues each leading her to a different place from her past, a past that she'd rather not remember.
Each clue is different, some are riddles, some are paper folding to show certain words and others are purely clues based off her memories of the games they played as they were children.
What I honestly did not expect from the book was how dark it got. The twins ended up having to go into foster care at a young age. Unfortunately they ended up in a really bad home until they could get a family to move in with or adopt them.
As Jocelyn solves each clue her life gets put in danger several times. She is a very strong female lead, even though when she meets up with Noah, a boy from her past she realizes that she needs help. Although not at first, it really takes her to go through alot before she accepts his help. They travel a lot figuring out the clues and it seems that every step they take, danger is always a couple steps ahead.
The author really puts her main character through a lot. I had no clue how the story was going to end and some points you could see the direction, but I enjoyed the twist at the end and it did take me off guard.
The story is told from a present day perspective and flashbacks of when the children were young and the experiences that they had while living in that home. It gets pretty dark and sad in places. I really enjoyed this story.

Comments

Post a Comment

What do you think?