
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers on September 24, 2019
Pages: 416
Format:ARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review


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, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her--and who won't make it out of the woods?
It's been exactly one year since Sara's sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn't know whether her former friends no longer like her...or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to "play the game" and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca--before she's lost forever. And even though she's hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends--and their cameras--following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.
Welcome to my stop on the Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall! I really enjoyed this one, and am going to share with you a list of Things You Should Be Afraid Of , along with a chance to win your own copy!
1. Dark Forests
Look, if we avoid the woods, this sort of thing doesn’t happen. Want to see nature? Daylight is your friend! In this case, what you can’t see definitely can (and will, likely) hurt you. How can you defend yourself from freaky foresters if you can’t see them? Spoiler: you can’t. Just stay away, and you’ll avoid all the pitfalls. Done and done.
2. Being a loner
Oooh child if there’s a time you don’t want to be a social pariah, it’s now. Everything in the game requires its contestants to remain in pairs. Odd man out? You won’t be for long. ?
3. Little Girls
You know how horror movie little girls are creepy af? Yeah the same applies. Avoid, avoid, do not engage. They’re up to shenanigans more likely than not.
4. Birds
Honestly just always run from these assholes. I had to double check that they were even in the book, this is generally just my life advice to everyone. But they are, and they’re as creeptastic as I remembered them to be.
5. Phone Problems
Got 99 problems and your phone is all of them? Yeah, here too. Whether your battery is dead or you have no service, your iPhone is doing you very few favors in the woods. Until they die though, definitely record any and all footage you can. Make it a little more useful than an expensive brick, anyway.
6. Spiders
Oh no one likes these, right? They deserve a place on any list of stuff we’re not keen on. Especially those big, juicy, furry ones. (You’re welcome for the visual.) But in this book? Magnify your fear, and magnify it a lot.
7. Yourself
You’re probably going to make some terrible life choices, tbh. Hell, just deciding to embark on this little nature trail was a bad one. So you gonna trust yourself to make the right calls? I wouldn’t.
Win a copy of Rules for Vanishing (US Only) just in time for Halloween!
OMG, this list! And, I seriously lost it, when I got to the birds, because I just kept thinking about your history with birds.
Bwhahha thank you!! I am really itching to have a few spare minutes to do that bird post I started!
I read the book and I am totally confused. Was it all a dream? Was Sara possessed? I do not understand the ending at all. Please explain the book to me so I do not feel like I wasted all that time reading it for nothing. I appreciated any help you can give me regarding understanding this book.
This is such a fun list! I’m with you on the little girls! Why are they always so creepy in horror movies? And honestly, ALWAYS be scared of spiders.
Aw thanks! And EXACTLY that is what I was thinking off- all those little girls in horror films, why are they like that!?
“Youself” is probably the most accurate and I feel so called out. 😀
I’m the person who would feel confident in navigating woods and tell everyone how to get through it and then end up eating poisonous berries or something.
(My motto in the SCA is actually Italian for “with more enthusiasm than sense”)
Bwhahah right!? I agree, no matter what, you KNOW we’d be messing stuff up! That cracks me up- I definitely can relate ?
I sure would be afraid but I’d still go to save someone I loved.
AWW well you are a good person, Idk if I would believe that it’d work enough to do it! ?
wow i would love to read rules for vanishing it sounds great !! just in time for october ,i love a good spooky book. happy autumn !!!