Fighting Dreamer: The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers

My Thoughts: It has been three weeks since Jocelyn's brother, Jack died in a car accident. They were twins and Jocelyn takes Jack's death hard, as Jack was her only family and they truly loved each other. They didn't know their father and their mother, Melody has always chosen her actual boyfriends over them. At 12, they end up in a foster care home, a place called Seale House. It was a beautiful house run by a woman named Hazel Frey. But Hazel was cruel and only cared for the money she got for taking in the kids. And this was the place they met Noah, who quickly became their best friend. The three of them were pretty much inseparable until a terrible incident changed their lives and destroyed their friendship. After the 'incident" Jocelyn left with Jack and she didn't see Noah again until now.

After Jack's death, Jocelyn receives a mysterious letter from Jason December (it's Jack's old code name), and she begins to suspect that something is not right with Jack's accident. That he may still be alive. So she decides to go back to the Seale House and find the truth and hopefully Jack, too. To solve the mystery she needs help and that's when Noah comes back into the picture. I didn't know what to think of him most of the time. He seemed dangerous, strong and strange, but also kind and helpful. So I was a little confused by him. But overall, I liked him quite a bit.

"Guess what? I have a puzzle for you. Think you can fugure out the clues?"

The other residents of the Seale House; Beth with her knife mania, the pyroman Georgie or Conner, the Corner Boy, who liked to bite were not exactly normal, either. And in the House weird things happened, things that were more paranormal than normal. I love the picture of the house on the cover, it looks haunted and creepy, but also has some strange beauty in it.

"Of course."

I love puzzle mysteries, computer coding, scavenger hunts, and books like The Westing Game, so The Vanishing Game was something I really enjoyed. I liked Jocelyn (she loved L.M. Montgomery and her childhood dream was to live in Prince Edward Island. Just like me! :)) and was eager to find the key to the truth/Jack. One of my favorite things was that there was no love triangle in this book. ( I really hate them...) There were some WOW!! moments, some bittersweet ones, and they really made this book special. I also loved the clever title, and that it's a stand alone novel as I'm kind of fed up with series now.

The Vanishing Game is a fantastic part mystery/thriller part love story with some paranormal, and I highly recommend it to anyone who like those things.

Title: The Vanishing Game

Author: Kate Kae Myers

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.

Published:

February 14th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Goodreads - Amazon

5 comments:

SamMay 4, 2012 at 1:23 PM
I love mysteries and thrillers so this sounds like my type of book. Great review!
fakestephMay 4, 2012 at 1:56 PM
This sounds so creepy! I really need to read it!
kimba88May 6, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Awesome review..i posted a review this week too on it..LOL. I friggin loved the ending!
lovestoread0708May 6, 2012 at 8:34 PM
I got this book because I loved the cover. I have tried to read it twice and can't really get into it.. Great review!
Lauren @ Lauren Reads YAMay 15, 2012 at 9:27 AM
This sounds so interesting & creepy. I can't wait to get it! Great review :)