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Rules for Vanishing Paperback – February 16, 2021
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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.
- Reading age12 - 17 years
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 - 9
- Lexile measureHL630L
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.12 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateFebruary 16, 2021
- ISBN-101984837036
- ISBN-13978-1984837035
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"This story is woven with eerie small town folklore, lost girls, and vengeful ghosts! I loved the documentary-style storytelling and I couldn't read it fast enough."--Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep
"Rules for Vanishing will make you question what is real and what is illusion, and which option is more terrifying."--Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead
"Rules for Vanishing has all the prerequisites of a horror classic--stunningly original, delightfully dark, and simply terrifying. A tense and exhilarating read for those with or without a pulse."--Dana Mele, author of People Like Us
"Delightfully chilling! Marshall delivers riveting twists, gasp-out-loud surprises, and a series of truly haunting revelations right up to the final page in this irresistible mystery."--Natalie C. Parker, author of Seafire
* "In this chilling tale, Marshall ties together regional folklore, urban legends, and ghost stories to craft an exquisitely unsettling dark fantasy."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Engrossing.... [Readers] will enjoy this mashup of The X-Files and the The Blair Witch Project."--Kirkus
"Marshall delivers a haunting tale about a childhood game that twists into a disturbing rescue mission."--SLJ
"Marshall keeps the twisty narrative intentionally murky, ensuring that readers, like Sara and her friends, may never find their way out."--Booklist
Raves for I Am Still Alive:
"This tense wire of a novel thrums with suspense. . . . [this book] just might be the highlight of your summer.”–The New York Times
“An expertly conceived plot plus a true heroine (and her dog) make for an original, engrossing, and twisty survival story that I tore through compulsively. You won’t regret the hours that disappear when you read this one.” –Nancy Werlin, National Book Award honoree and New York Times bestselling author
“I couldn’t set this book down—the words actually made me shiver. It’s Hatchetmeets The Revenant, infused with fierce, undaunted girl power.” –S.A. Bodeen, award-winning author of The Raft
“If Hatchet was your favorite book in grade school, but you wish it was filled with much more girl power, then I Am Still Alive is the book you've been waiting for.”–Bustle
"A gripping adventure."–The Wall Street Journal
* "A taut, gripping page-turner with a strong female hero to root for."–Kirkus, starred review
* "With masterful pacing, rich characterization, a dynamic voice, and a thrilling blend of wilderness survival and revenge, this is an engrossing read from a writer to watch."–Booklist, starred review
"A gripping tale of endurance and discovery of inner strength."–School Library Journal
"[A] striking first novel. Marshall’s immersive descriptions will hook readers into this exhilarating survival story."–Publishers Weekly
"Marshall’s thrilling tale is also a deeply moving story about coming to terms with imperfections (both in oneself and in others) and about finding true resourcefulness and inner strength.”–BookPage
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
PART ONE
The Game
INTERVIEW
SARA DONOGHUE
May 9, 2017
ASHFORD: I’m starting the recording now. This is the first interview with Sara Donoghue concerning the disappearances in Briar Glen, Massachusetts. Today is May 9, 2017. Present are Sara Donoghue and myself, Dr. Andrew Ashford. Thank you for joining us today, Miss Donoghue.
SARA: You’re welcome. I guess. I don’t know what you expect me to tell you.
ASHFORD: The truth, Miss Donoghue. I think you’ll find we are some of the few people who are willing to hear it.
SARA: So you believe me, then?
ASHFORD: Is there a reason I shouldn’t?
Sara begins to laugh, a low sound that croaks in the back of her throat.
ASHFORD: Miss Donoghue—
Sara’s laughter continues, her shoulders shaking. Her hands cover her face.
??: Pay attention.
EXHIBIT A
Text message received by all Briar Glen High School students on Monday, April 17, 2017
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE LUCY WENT?
SHE WENT TO PLAY THE GAME.
YOU CAN PLAY, TOO.
FIND A PARTNER.
FIND A KEY.
FIND THE ROAD.
YOU HAVE TWO DAYS.
SARA DONOGHUE
WRITTEN TESTIMONY
1
The message arrives overnight, and by Monday morning it’s all anyone is talking about. People cluster around their phones, as if by reading the text again, comparing the identical messages, they might reveal some new clue about who sent them.
“Hey, Sara! Do you want to play the game?” Tyler Martinez asks, lunging toward me as I walk inside, the first bell ringing. He waggles his eyebrows at me and swings away, laughing at his own joke. I cross my arms over my ribs and lean forward, as if pushing against a current.
Whispers of Lucy are everywhere. And the game. People in clots, heads leaned together.
I’ve timed things so that I arrive just before the bell, and the hallway is emptying out as the threat of tardy slips overwhelms the urge to gossip. A few stragglers give me odd looks. Odder than usual.I bet she sent it, I imagine them whispering. She’s obsessed.
The game. Lucy Gallows. And Wednesday is the anniversary. It doesn’t take a genius. I’d probably blame me, too.
I slide into first period and take my seat, as close to the back corner as I can get.
“Hey. Sara.” Trina sits at the group table in front of mine, and she has to twist around in her seat and lean to talk to me. Her blue eyes are piercing in their exquisite concern, her blonde hair swept up in a casual ponytail that looks more glamorous than anything I’ve managed since the days when she would sit behind me for hours, coercing my mousy hair into french braids and fishtails. “How are you doing?”
“Fine,” I mutter. I can’t look her in the eye. Her expression is too painfully sympathetic. It would be one thing if it was a performance, but it’s genuine. And it’s there every time she looks at me, like she’s worried that I’m going to crumple under the strain of my personal tragedies at any moment.
“I don’t think you did it,” she says, leaning closer. Which means that people are already saying that I did.
“I didn’t.”
She nods slowly. “Don’t let anyone give you crap for it,” she says.
“How do you suggest I stop them?” I ask. She flinches back a little, but she’s spared the need to answer by the second bell, marking the beginning of class. She straightens in her seat. I slouch down as Mr. Vincent launches into his daily preamble, complete with the terrible joke he inflicts on us every day.
“—and he says, ‘Me? I’m a giant heavy metal fan.’” He wraps up just as the door opens. Anthony Beck steps into the room to the sound of groans, and slaps a hand to his forehead.
“I missed the joke of the day?” he asks in exaggerated despair. He flashes a smile, his dimples deep, his brown eyes bright and half-hidden by his wavy black hair. Back when we were younger, when we were friends, he was skinny as a rail, all elbows and knees, his smile too big for his body. The last year or two he’s started to add muscle, and the nerd who’d tripped over his own feet is co-captain of the lacrosse and soccer teams, an athletic scholarship waiting for him at Northeastern. He got his ear pierced over break, and the silver stud winks.
“I hope you have a good reason for missing out on my effervescent wit,” Mr. Vincent says.
“It took me all morning to text the entire school. My thumbs are cramping like you wouldn’t believe,” Anthony says with a joker’s grin. “Sorry, Mr. V. Won’t happen again.” His gaze roves around the room, and his grin wobbles a moment when he sees me. We’re assigned to the same small group for our current project, which means we’ve been sitting together for the past couple of weeks, but we’ve managed not to exchange more than a dozen words. He’s been responsible for eleven of them.
He slings himself into the chair beside me. It’s much too cramped for his tall frame, and I shrink farther back into the corner, away from him. Mr. Vincent shakes his head.
Anthony sneaks a glance at me. I duck over my notebook, trying to ignore him. It isn’t easy.
Anthony Beck and Trina Jeffries used to be two of my best friends. There were six of us—seven when we let Trina’s little brother, Kyle, hang out—a roving gang of miscreants who stuck together from first grade until high school. We even had a stupid group name. The Wildcats. It was the Unicorn Wildcats until fifth grade, a compromise that Trina had worked out when the vote was split down the middle—my sister, Becca, and I on opposite sides of the debate, as usual. I was pulling for the Unicorns, of course. Back then my aesthetic was 70 percent glitter, before the severe color allergy I developed in middle school. Becca, though? She was fierce from the start.
We all linked hands, crossing our arms to grab the person on the opposite side, and shook on it.We are the Unicorn Wildcats. Friends forever and ever. No matter what.
To a bunch of first graders, it felt like an unbreakable bond. Forever felt possible. It felt inevitable. But now Becca is gone, and I haven’t spoken to any of them about more than the Cold War or sine and cosine for almost a year.
Mr. Vincent is starting to outline the day’s agenda when a hand shoots up in the second row. He pauses, rhythm disrupted. The corner of his mouth tightens, but that’s the only sign of irritation. “Vanessa. If you need help with your current project, we can talk during check-in.”
“It’s not about my w-work,” Vanessa says. “It’s about the t-t-text message we all g-got.”
“Yes. I saw that. And obviously, it’s intriguing,” Mr. Vincent says. He settles back against his desk. “But I’m not sure how it’s relevant to the Industrial Revolution.”
“But it’s r-relevant to history. Local history,” Vanessa says, pushing her round glasses up her nose.
From my angle I can only see the curve of her cheek and the back of her head, but like most of the people in the room, I’ve known Vanessa Han since kindergarten, and I can imagine the familiar expression of intense interest she must have fixed on Mr. Vincent. She wears thick-framed glasses and leggings with wild, colorful patterns, a look both bold and self-assuredly nerdy, much like Vanessa herself.
“Local history,” Mr. Vincent echoes. “You mean the reference to Lucy? Meaning Lucy Gallows.” He rubs his chin. “All right. It has nothing to do with nineteenth-century methods of production and their impact on the idea of the nuclear family, but what the hell. All right, who can tell me the story of Lucy Gallows?”
Half a dozen hands go up. He points. Jenny Stewart speaks up first. “Wasn’t she, like, this girl from a hundred years ago? Her brother killed her and buried her body in the woods, and now the woods are haunted.”
Vanessa gives her a withering look. “Th-that’s not—” The next word tangles itself up in her mouth, and she falls silent for a beat before continuing in a firm, steady tone. “That’s not true.”
“Now, that’s an interesting thought,” Mr. Vincent says. “What’s true, and what isn’t? And how do we determine the difference? Let’s set aside the supernatural for the moment. Whether or not there’s a ghost in the woods of Briar Glen, it’s part of local legend, and it must have come from somewhere. So was that somewhere a complete fiction, concocted by some creative soul and embellished over the years? Or does it have a seed of truth?”
I shut my eyes. No one knows what really happened to her. Which is probably why she’s stuck around in the town’s memory for so long.
“Sara.”
My eyes snap open. Mr. Vincent is looking at me.
“Last semester, when we were doing the project on assessing unusual historical sources, you used the legend of Lucy Gallows for your paper, didn’t you?”
“I don’t—” My mouth is dry. I lick my lips. I was hoping he wouldn’t remember. Not that anyone is likely to have forgotten, when I spent months burying myself in stories of Lucy and making no attempt to hide it. “Yes,” I say.
“And what did you find out?”
All eyes are on me, heads swiveling, bodies turning in their cramped seats. Except for Anthony, looking off into the distance conspicuously. Trina catches my eye and smiles a little, encouraging. I clear my throat. If there’s anyone left who doesn’t suspect me already, they will now. “There wasn’t a girl named Lucy Gallows. But there was a girl named Lucy Callow, and she did go missing in the forest,” I say haltingly.
“And her ghost kidnapped your sister, right?” Jeremy Polk says. Attention snaps to him. Anthony makes a sound in the back of his throat a little like a growl, glaring daggers at his best friend and co-captain. Jeremy’s smile flicks off like a light. “Sorry,” he mutters.
“What the fuck, Jeremy?” Anthony says.
Mr. Vincent pushes off from the desk, his voice pitched low and level. “Jeremy, I know that you’re aware that’s an inappropriate comment. We’ll talk about it after class. And, Anthony? Let’s all try to keep things civil.”
Jeremy ducks his head, muttering another apology and rubbing his neck just under where one of his hearing aids sits, a habit he’s had as long as I’ve known him. My heart pounds in my chest, my mouth dry as the surface of Mars.Do you want to know where Lucy went?
Yes.
Because Becca went there, too.
“Sara is right,” Mr. Vincent says, redirecting with hardly a hitch. “Lucy Callow was fifteen in April of 1953, when she went missing. The name change came later, as the ghost story evolved. In cases like this, it’s important to go back to official, contemporary records as much as possible. With Lucy Callow, there’s still a great deal we don’t know, but many of the popular stories are easily disproved. But even if those stories aren’t factually true, they can help teach us about the people who told them. What was important to them, what scared them. Ghost stories are a vibrant, essential part of local culture.”
He keeps going, prompting students to supply other ghost stories and urban legends, coming up with ideas for how to track down their origins.
I hardly hear it. All I hear are the last words my sister spoke, muttering into her phone. On April 18, one year ago.
We know where the road is. We’ve got the keys. That’s all we need to find her. I’m not backing down now. Not after everything we’ve done to get this close.
And then she turned and saw me. Slammed her bedroom door closed.
The next morning she was gone, and she never came home.
EXHIBIT B
“The Legend of Lucy Gallows”
Excerpted from Local Lore: Stories of Briar Glen by Jason Sweet
It was a Sunday—April 19, 1953—and Lucy Gallows’s sister was getting married on a sprawling property at the edge of the Briar Glen Woods. Little Lucy, age twelve, was the flower girl. But following an argument with her mother, she ran away into the woods in her crisp white dress with its blue ribbon around the waist. Everyone expected she’d be back in a minute or two, as soon as she calmed down, but ten minutes later she hadn’t returned—and then twenty minutes, and then half an hour.
Lucy’s brother, Billy, was sent to fetch his sister. He walked into the woods. The only way forward was a narrow track, a deer trail through the trees. He called her name—Lucy! Lucy!—but received no answer except the calling of crows.
And then he saw it: the road. There were roads here and there in the woods, the remnants of the original settlement of Briar Glen, which had burned down in 1863. These roads were now often nothing more than a stretch of trees planted in too straight a line to spring from nature, or one stone pressed up against another where all the rest had long since been knocked astray. At first this road was like that, a dimple in the underbrush and a few scattered stones marked with the tools of men. But as Billy chased it, the road widened, and the stones knocked up against each other, beginning to form a smooth path through the thick forest.
He was certain that Lucy had followed the road, though he couldn’t explain the strength of the conviction to anyone who had asked afterward. And yet for all that conviction, every step he took seemed to be more difficult than the one before. As the road grew easier, his way grew harder, as if he was laboring against an invisible force.
His feet got heavier and heavier. The air seemed to push against him. It became almost unbearable, and then—there was Lucy. He could see her ahead of him, around a slight bend in the road. She was talking to someone—a man in a patchy brown suit and a wide-brimmed hat. Billy called her name. She didn’t turn. The man bent slightly to talk to her, smiling. He put out his hand.
Billy screamed his sister’s name and thrashed toward her. But Lucy didn’t seem to hear him. She took the stranger’s hand, and together they walked down the road. They moved swiftly, not burdened as Billy was, and the road seemed to follow, vanishing beneath Billy’s feet. In moments the road and the man and little Lucy Gallows were gone.
Townspeople searched the woods for weeks, but no sign of Lucy was ever found. But every so often, someone stumbles across the road, winding through the woods, and sees a girl running down it, dressed in a white dress with a blue ribbon. You can never catch up with her, they say, and you will find yourself alone in the bewildering woods, with no sign of a road or a girl or a clear way home.
So be careful what roads you take, and be careful who you follow down them.
INTERVIEW
SARA DONOGHUE
May 9, 2017
Sara Donoghue sits in the interview room. It is hard to tell what sort of building it might belong to. The walls are cinder block, painted a dingy white. An empty metal bookshelf stands against one wall; the table in the center is a cheap folding picnic table.
Dr. Andrew Ashford enters the room and settles into the chair opposite Sara Donoghue once again. Ashford is black, dark skinned, hair silver. A dark web of scars puckers the skin on the back of one hand. He carries a briefcase, which he sets beside him on the floor. Sara Donoghue, in contrast, is a slight girl with medium-brown hair. She wears black jeans, a black tank top, and a black sweater that has slipped down one shoulder, baring a freckled shoulder. She seems tucked in on herself and tense with nervous energy.
ASHFORD: I’m sorry about that. Our equipment is usually reliable, but we occasionally encounter technical difficulties around these sorts of events.
Sara looks to the side, as if uninterested.
ASHFORD: Tell me about your sister.
SARA: Becca?
ASHFORD: Do you have another sister?
SARA: No, it’s just—what do you want to know? There’s a lot in the reports. Official records.
ASHFORD: I want to know about your sister from your perspective. Before her disappearance. What was she like? Did she have a lot of friends?
Sara hesitates. She speaks carefully, as if worried Ashford will get the wrong impression.
SARA: She had us. The five of us.
ASHFORD: The “Wildcats”?
SARA: Yeah. But by the time she disappeared, we weren’t really hanging out together anymore. We hit high school, and Anthony and Trina got involved with sports. Mel started spending all her time with the theater kids, and Becca . . . I don’t really know what happened with Becca.
ASHFORD: Did she have other friends?
SARA: She was friendly with almost everyone. But she didn’t have close friends, other than us.
ASHFORD: She didn’t meet anyone new she clicked with?
SARA: You mean her boyfriend? I guess. But she was never serious about him.
ASHFORD: What makes you say that?
SARA: She liked him because he listened to her. But they didn’t belong together.
Sara chews on her thumbnail.
SARA: You always got the sense she didn’t belong here at all.
ASHFORD: Did that have anything to do with the fact that she was adopted?
SARA: What? No. I mean, it wasn’t always easy for her, I guess. Briar Glen’s about as white as you can get, and people can be pretty racist even if they don’t mean to be, but at least at home, that was never a problem. It wasn’t aboutnot belonging, I guess. More like she deserved to belong somewhere . . . bigger. Better.
ASHFORD: Like where?
SARA: New York. LA. Paris. Someplace where her art could really take off.
ASHFORD: I’ve seen some of her photographs.
Ashford opens a folder on the table and spreads out several glossy photos. The top photo shows six preteens. A printed label has been affixed to the front, identifying each of the children. Becca and Sara stand at the center, arms around each other, Becca’s outline slightly blurred as if she’s barely managed to dash back into the frame. Despite their different ethnicities—Sara white, Becca Asian—there is something about their stances that marks them as obviously related. Anthony Beck and Nick Dessen, both white, stand to the left of the sisters, Anthony with his chin tilted up in a too-cool pose he hasn’t grown into and Nick, a skinny kid in an oversize windbreaker, mimicking him. On the right, Trina Jeffries breaks the mood with a smile, her hand lifted to tuck her hair behind her ear, and Melanie Whittaker, a black girl in a denim jacket covered in iron-on patches, curls the corner of her mouth like she can’t quite take herself seriously.
Ashford slides this photograph to the side, baring another. Sara frowns, a faint line of confusion between her brows. He taps the new photo, an image of a young man with his face in blank shadow. The light is odd at his shoulders, as if his outline is fracturing.
ASHFORD: What do you know about this photograph?
SARA: I haven’t seen that one before.
ASHFORD: What can you tell me about Nick Dessen?
SARA: Aren’t you going to ask about the other photo?
ASHFORD: Which one? This one?
He moves aside the photo of Nick Dessen and places another on the center of the table. It shows Sara, her hair damp and hanging limply around her face, standing next to a young woman wearing a white dress with a slash of blue ribbon across her waist. The girl has extended her hand; Sara has begun to lift her own, as if to take it.
ASHFORD: You find this photo remarkable?
SARA: Don’t you?
ASHFORD: Not particularly. Two girls. About to hold hands.
SARA: But she’s . . .
ASHFORD: She’s Lucy Callow? She does bear a resemblance to the photos we have, but existing photos of Lucy Callow aren’t high quality. This could be anyone. [Pause] But it isn’t, is it? It is Lucy. You found her.
Sara meets Ashford’s eyes. She’s silent for a moment. Then she lets out a quick, choked-off laugh.
SARA: No. We didn’t find Lucy.
ASHFORD: Then—
SARA: She found us.
Product details
- Publisher : Penguin Books (February 16, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1984837036
- ISBN-13 : 978-1984837035
- Reading age : 12 - 17 years
- Lexile measure : HL630L
- Grade level : 7 - 9
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.12 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #230,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #83 in Teen & Young Adult Ghost Stories
- #218 in Teen & Young Adult Siblings Fiction
- #774 in Teen & Young Adult Social Issues
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Kate Alice Marshall writes horror and thrillers for all ages, from middle grade to adult. Her books have been nominated for the Washington State Book Awards and Bram Stoker Awards. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, where she spends her time gardening, gaming, and concocting stories of the uncanny.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They appreciate the creepy and supernatural elements, as well as the unconventional storytelling method using interviews, video, and narration. The descriptions are described as beautiful as well as horrifying. Readers praise the strong characterization and look forward to the sequel.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the creepy and supernatural elements in the book. They find the horror elements well-done, and the story structure interesting. The atmosphere is unsettling and disturbing, making it perfect for spooky season.
"...Her complexity is incredible, and it adds layers to the story that only accentuate the horror elements...." Read more
"...Rules for Vanishing is it! Short review: mystery, adventure, love, thrills, loyalty and the supernatural all rolled into one AWESOME book." Read more
"This was a fun, fantastical story, but trying to follow the timeline of events through the format of mixed media was a bit difficult." Read more
"...This story was super creepy and gave me goosebumps repeatedly. This is the stuff of nightmares. I very much enjoyed this book" Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it enjoyable, with strong characterization and an interesting story that keeps them reading. The book has mystery, adventure, love, thrills, loyalty, and the supernatural elements. While some readers found the story hard to follow at times, they enjoyed the author's prose and found it worth the price.
"...of Kal @ Reader Voracious and her high praise, but also because it’s irresistible. You know nothing good will happen in this book, and still...." Read more
"...Rules for Vanishing is it! Short review: mystery, adventure, love, thrills, loyalty and the supernatural all rolled into one AWESOME book." Read more
"Real real good!" Read more
"This was a fun, fantastical story, but trying to follow the timeline of events through the format of mixed media was a bit difficult." Read more
Customers appreciate the unconventional storytelling method. They find the interviews, video, and cell phone footage engaging. The descriptions are described as beautiful and horrifying, perfect for spooky season. The book is praised for its complexity and layers to the story. However, some readers feel the narrator is unreliable and the plot is unclear.
"...You also don’t get what you wish for. This is a book for fans of found footage, and readers who like a little bit of the unexplained in..." Read more
"...Seriously!? I need to know more! This book is told through interviews, cell phone footage and of course first person POVs...." Read more
"...method (ie through evidence, testimonies, interviews, etc), an unreliable narrator, a plot that I have NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN UNTIL IT DOES..." Read more
"...The descriptions are as beautiful as they are horrifying. Perfect for spooky season." Read more
Customers enjoy the rich, full-bodied characters. They find the book enjoyable and remind them of The House of Leaves.
"...Rules for Vanishing goes above and beyond, crafting each character with a sense of rich fullness that makes every loss along the way that much..." Read more
"...The thought, the detail, the world, the characters. The unsettling, disturbing, incredible atmosphere. And that ending? Do we have a book 2?..." Read more
"...Strong characterization. Very enjoyable and reminded me of The House of Leaves" Read more
"This book had a Silent Hill aesthetic, and it was character-driven, scary and intense...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 20224.5 STARS
Everyone has stopped looking for Becca. Everyone but her sister, Sara.
It’s been one year since Becca vanished into the woods, and since then, no one has seen any sign of her. Everyone but Sara, her sister, has given up on finding her, given up on even looking for her.
On the anniversary of Becca’s disappearance, though, a strange text invites Sara’s entire high school to play “the game,” the one that nods to local legend Lucy Gallows, and her disappearing road in the woods. Before long, Sara and her estranged friends walk that road, a years’ distance between them all, and a single night’s many dangers ahead.
Their search for Becca has begun once more, but there’s no promise that everyone will live to see it through. On the road, there are dangers none of them could imagine in their wildest dreams.
But the road is waiting. Becca is waiting. And above it all hangs the specter of Lucy Gallows, who has been waiting the longest of all.
“You kill a person by stopping their heart. You kill a road by stopping its purpose.”
Rules for Vanishing is not a book I would want to read after dark. Partly because I’m a certified big chicken who wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole if it were a movie, and partly because it’s just that creepy. Told in the form of interview transcripts, found footage transcriptions, and written recollections, it unspools at a gradually building pace, all while stripping the reader of their defenses and creeping up behind them.
For every page of relative quiet, of uncertainty, there is another page with steadily mounting horror, and still another with the vicious, terrifying consequences of failing to follow the rules of the road. There’s never a point the characters feel truly safe, but even when they seem less vulnerable than usual, a sense of being watched, of being led along like puppets on a string, pervades the story.
And the moments of brutality that arrive? The gory details, the vicious destruction? It all comes with an air of uncertainty that almost makes you feel helpless. You do not know where these terrible things come from. You do not know if they can be stopped. All you know is that they are here and they are cruel and you are so so so small in the face of their monstrosity.
Why did I, a known weenie when it comes to horror, read a book like this? Mostly because of Kal @ Reader Voracious and her high praise, but also because it’s irresistible. You know nothing good will happen in this book, and still. You read it anyway.
Rules for Vanishing can get away with its sheer brutality because its cast is so strong.
Isn’t that what makes good horror shine? Not just an atmosphere that makes itself at home in your bones, whispering all the little things that could go wrong, but the characters who charm you, the ones you wish would survive, just this once. In this aspect, Rules for Vanishing goes above and beyond, crafting each character with a sense of rich fullness that makes every loss along the way that much more terrifying.
Every single member of the cast feels like a real teen, from the ways they miscommunicate and isolate themselves, to the ways they close ranks to protect their own against bullying. (More than once, characters bully another, and if they don’t stop, they’re not tolerated. It was incredibly refreshing to read, especially given that the group isn’t on perfect terms with one another all the time, but they still wouldn’t tolerate any true cruelty toward one another).
Of them all, Sara was naturally my favorite. She is the lead, and most of the story is told from her perspective (found footage and interview transcripts aside). However, she is a deeply unreliable narrator, a technique Kate Alice Marshall pulls off to absolutely devastating effect, and not everything she sees is in its truest form. Her struggle to do the right thing, to see her journey through to the end of the road, couples so well with her prickly exterior and her gradual efforts to mend some of the distance between herself and her friends. Her complexity is incredible, and it adds layers to the story that only accentuate the horror elements.
The rest of the cast, though, also boasts strong characterization. If they didn’t, their setbacks wouldn’t matter as much. Their sacrifices wouldn’t matter. But their relationships with one another varying in terms of warmth, of closeness, of depth, and every single character benefits from it.
While reading Rules for Vanishing, you don’t want anyone to die.
You also don’t get what you wish for.
This is a book for fans of found footage, and readers who like a little bit of the unexplained in their horror.
Rules for Vanishing won’t answer every question you have. It will tease you and tempt you, and then it will crush you without a hint of mercy. But it does so in a way that makes you want more. What mysteries reach the point of resolution tangle with matters yet unsolved, and it certainly left me on the edge of my seat. I even forgot my laundry, and had little interest in eating dinner until I’d reached the last page. A horror book has to work hard to keep me invested without scaring me away.
But Kate Alice Marshall made it happen. Rules for Vanishing is a siren song of horror books, crafted like a dream.
Just remember: once you’re on the road, there’s no turning back.
CW: loss of a loved one, suicide, self-harm, underage drinking, gore, child abuse, body horror, violence, ableism
- Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2019Holy mother of all that is good.
Okay. Okay- I’m calm. I’m freaked out AF, but I’m calm.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? Seriously!? I need to know more!
This book is told through interviews, cell phone footage and of course first person POVs.
It definitely brought on The Blair Witch Project vibes. I mean SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE THIS A MOVIE!
Okay, I knew it was creepy and I read some reviews about how good it is, but I thought ‘it’s YA, it’s won’t be that scary’ WRONG.
It’s not bloody or gory, but holy crap is it freaky. Like I didn’t want to read more (I was that scared), but I HAD I mean HAD to find out what happens.
Quick synopsis: 9 teenagers go on a supernatural road to find their friend. Mayhem ensues, people die and disappear, rules are broken and only a few come out alive.
Want a spooky, scary and down right freaky read?! Rules for Vanishing is it!
Short review: mystery, adventure, love, thrills, loyalty and the supernatural all rolled into one AWESOME book.
Holy mother of all that is good.
Okay. Okay- I’m calm. I’m freaked out AF, but I’m calm.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? Seriously!? I need to know more!
This book is told through interviews, cell phone footage and of course first person POVs.
It definitely brought on The Blair Witch Project vibes. I mean SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE THIS A MOVIE!
Okay, I knew it was creepy and I read some reviews about how good it is, but I thought ‘it’s YA, it’s won’t be that scary’ WRONG.
It’s not bloody or gory, but holy crap is it freaky. Like I didn’t want to read more (I was that scared), but I HAD I mean HAD to find out what happens.
Quick synopsis: 9 teenagers go on a supernatural road to find their friend. Mayhem ensues, people die and disappear, rules are broken and only a few come out alive.
Want a spooky, scary and down right freaky read?! Rules for Vanishing is it!
Short review: mystery, adventure, love, thrills, loyalty and the supernatural all rolled into one AWESOME book.
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024Real real good!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2022This was a fun, fantastical story, but trying to follow the timeline of events through the format of mixed media was a bit difficult.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2024I was fully immersed to the point I had to glance up to check the reality around me. I was there on that road too thanks to the way the author writes. This story was super creepy and gave me goosebumps repeatedly. This is the stuff of nightmares. I very much enjoyed this book
- Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2021This book is worth a read if you like found footage horror movies. The plot is compelling, and there are several twist/turns throughout the book to keep you interested! The horror elements are well done, but I can't give it a 5 as the ending was not as great as the rest of the book. It wasn't bad, but as I was more interested in the middle then the end. Overall, definitely worth the price and convinced me to read more from the author!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021I read Kate Alice Marshall books in reverse, starting with I Am Still Alive, then Our Last Echoes, and then Rules for Vanishing. She is absolutely wonderful! These books are amazing! Rules for Vanishing is an “Ashford File” book, like Our Last Echoes, so it is dark, mysterious, creepy, and full of scary and supernatural stuff. I loved it and devoured it in a few days. The ending was an unexpected twist, especially because of the connection to Our Last Echoes, which I’d read first.
In the story, Sara’s adopted sister Becca vanished a year ago, and although everyone has given up the search, Sara is determined to find her. Sara believes she has gone into the woods and is lost on The Road. Sara convinces (tricks?) a group of her friends to join her on this terrifying journey.
Not everyone comes home. Because at some point they break the rules:
Don’t leave the road.
Don’t let go.
Don’t follow other roads.
Top reviews from other countries
- KellinReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Rules for vanishing is a story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl (Sara) who is determined to find her sister-at all costs. Once a year, the path appears in the forest! Sara's sister disappeared one vear ago and sara believes her sister went down the path after the ghost named Lucy gallows! Sara obsessed over her sister's disappearance and fell out with most of her friends but a text message gets sent out inviting them to " play the game" and find the ghost Lucy gallows! It might be Sara's only chance to find her sister so all together after a year of not speaking they are alone in the dark forest, with their camera trying to fine Sara's sister becca! The road is dangerous they might die! But they must stick together and be strong to try save Becca!
This book was just fantastic, it's told in a Blair witch style so a documentary which I absolutely loved, honestly this book was so fantastic! It was super creepy and I didn't expect it to end the way it did! I loved this book! 5/5 stars
- An GReviewed in Canada on July 26, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!
Hands down the best book I’ve read in a very long time. Couldn’t put it down. Perfect amount. Of suspense and creativity. Loved it!
- Sanskriti SainiReviewed in India on April 3, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars I just loved it !
So first of all the cover...
The writing style...
And the way its written in interviews and vedio evidences... Its sooo interesting !! And the forest... The whole book is set in the FOREST !!!! I
Sanskriti Saini
Reviewed in India on April 3, 2021
The writing style...
And the way its written in interviews and vedio evidences... Its sooo interesting !! And the forest... The whole book is set in the FOREST !!!! I
Images in this review - linaReviewed in France on October 12, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books
This is a book set in a small town with a ghost story and creepy woods. What i liked in this book is that you get straight away in the action, there's this mystery going on intertwined with a ghost story that hooked me up in the first pages. I loved the diversity of the characters and their personalities and the group works really well together. Also was a big fan of the going back and forth between the testimonies and the interviews.
It's an easy book to read with a simple writing style but yet confusing clues that gets you in a loop of confusion. It’s interesting to read about each side of the story and to find out by ourselves and make our assumptions about what happened and the end is definitely worth it i couldn't stop reading. Definitely a nice page turner. If you love creepy atmospheres and ghost story it's definitely a book for you.
Trigger warning for violence.
- CatalinaReviewed in Germany on February 5, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars So good!
Totally recommend!! If you want a horror/creepy/thriller/mystery, this is for you!