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A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
2.5 ⭐ CW: foster care, child abuse and neglect mentions, death of a child, grief
The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers is YA mystery I got in a box of random books a cousin gave me. I did not enjoy this book. To be honest it probably would have gotten three stars, but the ending really ruined it for me. Spoilers ahead.
We follow Jocelyn, a teen in foster care whose twin brother Jack has died. When she gets a letter from Jason December, Jack's childhood code name, she goes back to the first foster home they were in together, Seale House, to find more clues he left for her. Convinced Jack is still alive, she meets up with Noah, a boy they were friends with at Seale House to help figure out the clues, riddles, and ciphers, along with their budding romance.
This story just did not grab me. The foster care background story should have made me feel something, but it didn't. The mystery itself just wasn't it for me either. If you're looking for a good mystery with clues, puzzles and riddles, read The Inheritance Games instead. Like I said before, this was going to get three stars, because although I wasn't loving it, it was terrible enough to dnf. That ending though really put the nail in the coffin.
To end the story with the reveal that Jack had been dead the whole time, and for five years at that, and then to give Jocelyn multiple personalities or dissociative identity disorder where she essentially was Jack was stupid. Even more stupid was that she also had telekinetic abilities? It all seemed way too convenient. Those things really just undermined the theme of letting go of your past and moving through trauma. It also didn't make any of the logistics of the clues and their placements make any sense.
I have another book by this author, but I think I'm all set.
The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers is YA mystery I got in a box of random books a cousin gave me. I did not enjoy this book. To be honest it probably would have gotten three stars, but the ending really ruined it for me. Spoilers ahead.
We follow Jocelyn, a teen in foster care whose twin brother Jack has died. When she gets a letter from Jason December, Jack's childhood code name, she goes back to the first foster home they were in together, Seale House, to find more clues he left for her. Convinced Jack is still alive, she meets up with Noah, a boy they were friends with at Seale House to help figure out the clues, riddles, and ciphers, along with their budding romance.
This story just did not grab me. The foster care background story should have made me feel something, but it didn't. The mystery itself just wasn't it for me either. If you're looking for a good mystery with clues, puzzles and riddles, read The Inheritance Games instead. Like I said before, this was going to get three stars, because although I wasn't loving it, it was terrible enough to dnf. That ending though really put the nail in the coffin.
I have another book by this author, but I think I'm all set.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Child abuse