The Vanishing Game

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers, February 14, 2012. 353 pages. Published by Bloomsbury. Source: Publisher.

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.

First Sentence:

Life is a series of shallow breaths.

I knew I was going to love The Vanishing Game when I noticed the secret message embedded in the synopsis on the front flap of the book. Genius.
The Vanishing Game had everything I could possibly want, heart-pounding suspense, a mystery that stumped me, and protagonist that I could get behind. While those three qualities make this a book that is absolutely hard to put down, what really pulled the whole book together was the writing of Kate Kae Myers. I thought she did an excellent job weaving together the various elements of the story, from Jocelyn's, Jack's, and Noah's shared history at Seale House, to the mystery and hints of the supernatural.

The plot of The Vanishing Game was one of the things that hooked me from pretty much the beginning. I loved that there were a few twists in the plot that I just did not see coming.

Jocelyn, that girl was a little on the crazy side. But that was one of the reasons I loved reading about her. So, was Jocelyn a strong protagonist, I like to think that she was. I liked how relentless she was in figuring out the clues that Jack left her, and that she would not give up even when things seemed impossible.
Even though Jack was barely in the book, okay he wasn't really there at all other then when they talked about him, I was interested in the shared history between him and Jocelyn.
Noah while not being a character I liked when first introduced, I liked that he was a practical guy. But what I liked about him must would have to be how he still helped Jocelyn even when it seemed like they were on nothing more than a wild goose chase.

Where do I even begin with what I loved about The Vanishing Game. There are just too many things to mention, but I think the most important would have to be the end. Oh my goodness, I so did not see that final twist coming at the end of the book...not at all. It was just brilliant and so unexpected. While I did not see the final plot twist coming, once I did think back over the clues laid out in the book I could not help but thinking how on earth did I miss it. Bravo, Ms Myers, for that excellent ending.

Even though I absolutely adored this book, there is one minor thing that I did not like. And that would have to be that the beginning was just a little on the confusing side. although the beginning kind of threw me for a loop, because I felt like I had missed something vital, I could not put it down be was so good. Don't worry, things are explained throughout the book, so the previous confusion that I felt did go away things came to light.

Final Verdict: The Vanishing Game is thrilling from cover to cover, with an end that will leave you shocked.

The Vanishing Game earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.