The Vanishing Game

Creepy Mystery with Unbelievable Plot twist

This is the only book I've ever read that actually terrified me and sent chills up my spine. It happens in Seale House, the foster home that Jocelyn grew up in when she was younger. But it's been burnt down partially. It' not known by whom, but it's still accessible because Jocelyn is in the cellar of this creepy house when this part happens. Personally after the descriptions of what went on in that house and the cellar and how afraid she still is of it, I wouldn't set foot anywhere near there, but she's looking for a message from her brother and she's desperate to find it. So desperate, that she goes in there at dusk when some goth kids are in the house lighting a fire on the floor and sitting on some of the ancient furniture that wasn't totally burnt down.
Jocelyn and Jack were twins and sent to live at Seale House when they ran away from home. Their mother was a lousy excuse for a human being much less a mother. From the outside Seale House looks like salvation. From the inside, it's pure hell. But Jocelyn and Jack learn how to navigate it with Noah's help. All of the foster kids look out for one another, except for one, Corner Kid. That's all I'll say about him, but Myers has a way of writing, creepy, broken characters like no one I've read before and I have read about a lot of broken characters. These kids are messed up from families that have abandoned or abused them and Seale house is not going to heal them. So, Noah, taking charge of everything, kind of runs the house and Jack and Jocelyn help, Jocelyn mothering when needed, the three standing up to and straightening out those kids that don't know the rules of foster kids.
The story is told through Jocelyn's sense of desperation about finding her brother. She's only 17 and has been told 2 weeks ago that her brother died. She's gotten a letter from "Jason December" and only three people knew that name. Her brother, her and Noah. So she goes back to where Seale house is and finds Noah. There are flashbacks to the time the three were at Seale House together and then it goes back to present day. The present day telling of the story is laced with danger as someone is out to kill either Noah or Jocelyn or both of them. And they are searching all over the town for clues to what Jack, Jocelyn's brother is trying to tell them.

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Warm up the edge of your seat!

I was at the edge of my seat reading this book! There was adventure, mystery, suspense, spookiness, and a little romance as well. Jocelyn has a twin brother who had recently died, but one day she gets a letter from him - Jason December (Jack). Jack used to always leave cryptic puzzles and clues for Jocelyn and their friend Noah to figure out when they were kids living in a foster home together. Jack signed those letters with the name Jason December. Jack, Jocelyn, and Noah were the only people who knew about who Jason December was. So when Jocelyn gets the letter, she has hope that her brother is still alive out there somewhere.

She goes back to the town they grew up in and finds Noah so that they can figure out the letter together. The letter leads them toward more clues and Jocelyn is hoping that they will eventually find Jack. Some of the clues refer to the foster home they grew up in and other foster kids they lived with. The foster home was called the Seale House and had since been burned down. They visit the house a few times and Jocelyn has some flashbacks of the old place. This house creeped me out! I couldn't stop reading! Most chapters would end in a totally surprising cliffhanger, so I HAD to keep going to find out more. There was a shocking twist at the end and like it says in the book synopsis, I really did want to go "straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light". I'm so glad I got a chance to read it - one of my faves so far this year!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Chapter by Chapter's review of The Vanishing Game

When I read what The Vanishing Game was about, I immediately felt drawn in (and I hadn’t even read the first page yet *shocked face*). To me, it sounded like some sort of psychological mind game mystery novel where the reader would be guessing and guessing until BOOM! You face the dark truth of what is really supposed to be happening in the novel. However I will tell you later on in the review if this novel was as mind tricky as I believed it to be.

So first off, I absolutely fell in love with the beginning of the novel. It starts with a prologue that is just haunting and begins to explain the relationship between the main character Jocey and Jack. Jocelyn being the tomgeek main character (look up the word seeing as how I learned it from the novel itself; cool word by the way) and Jack being her deceased brother. But from the start of the novel, we are also lead to believe that maybe, just maybe, Jack might still be alive. That caught my attention completely. That and the fact that we also get thrown into watching Jocey stalk Noah and end up being choked by him before uttering the words “Third Freak”. Strange? A little bit. Engaging? Completely.

What I did loved about Myers writing style was the way we really got to see the way the main character thought more than most novels, meaning that instead of constantly being drowned in setting details (Ex: Look how blue that wall is, it’s so blue that I was thinking of the sky or the color of some flower I smelled when I was six.) Instead we got to see so much thinking and I found that so exciting! I could really feel the emotions that Jocey felt when she thought of her brother Jack or the way she felt when she began to fall for Noah.

I couldn’t resist the mystery that came with the plot...what is Seale House really? A now burned down haunted house? Is there a monster in the cellar? While I won’t give you the answers to those questions (you can find them when you read the novel) I can say that the mystery that came with the plot was just great. All of the Jason December clues and letters that Noah and Jocey came across had me going into my complete Riddler mode (Yay for Batman references!) hoping that I could find out the clues before the characters did. Of course, I was incapable of doing so *sad face*. Let’s also add in the fact that I loved that how to understand the plot and Jason December letters, you get to see flashbacks of the hell that Noah, Jack and Jocey had to endure when they lived in Seale House. With each flashback I could feel by heart get wrenched or I would end up scowling when I saw how cruel Hazel ended up being.

The only major issue I had was that occasionally I would end up losing interest in the plot when I would feel like it was starting to lose pace but (yes a big but) right when I would begin to notice that I was losing interest, Meyers would drop a new twist or cliff-hanger on me, leaving me begging for more to read.

You won’t believe the ending that had me both gasping and frozen from being so shocked, that you’ll end up finishing the novel with complete satisfaction. All in all, a great read especially for fans of mystery and thrillers. I personally hope for a movie…

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

For those of you who like creepy stories, I would definitely rec

For those of you who like creepy stories, I would definitely recommend checking out The Vanishing Game. It's got some interesting characters, its full of puzzles to solve, and has an ending that will completely throw you for a loop. It's well written and has a great pace, and while it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, I'd say that this book would be enjoyed by many readers!

UNEXPECTED Review brought to you by OBS staff member Autumn I

UNEXPECTED

Review brought to you by OBS staff member Autumn

I didn’t know what to expect when starting this book. I knew that this would take me on an unexpected journey and The Vanishing Game does not disappoint.

Jocelyn and her twin, Jack, grew up going from foster home to foster home. Seale House looms large in their memory as the place where they were the most frightened, but also the place where they met Noah, another orphan who becomes their one true friend. They create their own games and puzzles as a way of coping with the stress of living amongst the other disturbed children.

After leaving Seale House, Jack is the victim of a horrible accident and everyone believes that he is dead. Until Jocelyn receives a letter from his secret alias “Jason December” and that begins a string of clues that cause Jocelyn to seek out Noah once again. He alone can help her solve the disappearance of her brother and come to terms with her past and her future.

I was so sure of the direction this book would take while I was reading it. I soon found out that it was nothing like I expected. The twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat and at the same time the emotional subject matter hold your heart in a vice-like grip. I really enjoyed reading this story and would recommend it to lovers of suspense and mystery everywhere.

Puzzling! I thought this book had interesting appeal because of

Puzzling!

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.

suspenseful mystery with a surprise twist!

The Vanishing Game is the debut novel of Kate Kae Myers. It is a young-adult paranormal fiction that was thoroughly entertaining. Complete with an evil house, creepy characters and a slew of clues that kept me guessing. The synopsis promises an ending that will shock you and shock me it did. This was an intense, action packed, spooky thriller that kept me enthralled. We are introduced to protagonist seventeen year old Jocelyn. We learn that her twin brother, Jack, died in an auto accident and she has been having trouble dealing with it. She lives with her foster parents and is planning a camping trip with friends, when she receives a letter in the mail that changes everything. It is a letter written from her dead brother. The letter has her heading back to Seale House, a horrible foster home that she and Jack lived in. When her car and clothes are stolen, she reaches out to their childhood friend Noah. Together the two of them begin a scavenger hunt to collect clues and unravel the messages that Jack is sending them. It has them visiting historical sites, solving riddles and hiding from danger. It turns out that Jack’s former employer and a very dangerous man are both searching for something Jack had. This places Jocelyn and Noah in danger as they become the prime targets. The tale that unfolds is fast paced. Fans of suspense and intrigue will love the chase to uncover clues. The ending was a complete shock and totally brilliant. The characters Myers created are all unique and well fleshed out. I liked Jocelyn and despite the flaws created by her history, she is smart and at times fearless. Noah was a little mysterious and I wasn’t sure of him, but thankfully Myers sets me straight. The foster kids from Seale House were terrifying, especially Corner Boy. The men pursuing them definitely added to the tales creepiness. The romance while a side story was cute and seeing these two flawed characters interact was fun. Myers does a fantastic job with world-building and flashbacks. She brings Seale House to life and the horror that occurred and occurs when Jocelyn returns kept me on the edge of my seat. Myers feed us clues as she delivered suspenseful moment after suspenseful moment. All of which kept me turning the pages waiting to catch my breath. The tale was believable and had my mind racing with questions. Is Jack alive, if not who is sending clues? What did he uncover? Who are the good guys and what dark entity is in Seale House? It’s been a week since I finished this and I still get chills thinking about the house.

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3.5 - 4 STARS Great for lovers of mystery!

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers has me geeking out!
It's a fun, creepy, touching, and riveting story that will touch your heart!
First off I want to say that although the ending was quaint, light and a bit cliche it was a fitting closure to ease the heartache of all the loss and hurdles that Jocelyn and Noah had to over come. Also, the bits that led to the conclusion more than makes up for the ending.
Kate Kae Myers has wonderfully crafted a mystery that has you baffled in solving the puzzles, astonished on the hard hitting issues of relationships, and taken by the cohesive interwoven stories of each character.
At first, I was spooked out within the first 30 pages that I had to stop and continue in the morning. It plunges straight through to the plot so it will be confusing at first, but once you reach to around the third or fourth chapter you'll be wanting to pay close attention. I thought I could figure out the puzzles right along with Jocelyn and Noah, but if they weren't there giving the answers I would have gotten frustrated, cried and gave up =) Kate Kae Myers really has you on your toes with solving the mysteries, it was fun! The writing is all right and wasn't difficult, but it is the complexity of the story itself that will have you engaged. I can't pick out one character I loved the most because each one I felt a connection to. I felt empathy for the whole foster system and its kids with their struggle and past that they had to endure and experience. It makes me want to be a foster parent, or help out in some way. And it also makes me want to have a twin brother of my own! =) The Vanishing Game is a must read to anyone who has a heart!
A GREAT 2012 MUST READ DEBUT!

Thrill-ride Mystery

The Vanishing Game is a read that I didn't really see coming. Does that make sense? It surprised me at every turn and kept me on my toes. There is a fabulous combination of mystery and action with a light sprinkling of romance and a surprising twist of an ending. The most exciting part of this book was really the puzzle that you were trying to solve. I felt like I never knew what was coming next! The main character, Jocelyn, is devastated by the hole that her brother's death has left in her life. When she receives an anonymous letter/clue from "Jason December," she knows that it must be her brother (Jack), leaving her clues to find him and unravel the mystery of his apparently faked death. Jocelyn is a character that is clearly broken and hurting and her desire to find out what really happened to her brother is so...fierce and clearly displays her strong sense of family loyalty. Noah is also a really interesting character. He's cautious around Jocelyn and about the somewhat crazy notion she has that her brother is still alive. I appreciated that despite his misgivings that he was willing to stick with her, especially when things started getting crazy and dangerous. The characters and the writing are fabulous in this one, but what really, truly shines is Kate Myers' fabulous storytelling. The mystery is not easy to unravel and you have to play along with Jocelyn and Noah the entire time. On top of a fabulous mystery, Myers has thrown in addicting action and a fair amount of creepiness that will keep readers on their toes the entire time. When the blurb says that 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," it's spot on. I never saw the end coming. This book was a fabulous read that I hope more and more people pick up.

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