Rules for Vanishing

Rules for Vanishing follows Sara, whose sister Becca (that's also my name!) went missing a year ago. Thing is, Sara knows where Becca is. Getting there is the problem.This book is a confusing and stressful masterpiece. Perfect for this time of year, or really any time you want to read something before bed that makes it difficult to fall asleep. Marshall uses common horror tropes, but I think you need that in a genre that makes reality so slippery. You need something to hold onto while you try to figure everything else out. It's a balancing act.Rules for Vanishing reminds me of the middle grade horror series beginning with [b:Small Spaces 36959639 Small Spaces (Small Spaces, #1) Katherine Arden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539180297l/36959639.SY75.jpg 56656020]: Both have main characters pining after lost female family members, who end up facing unimaginable threats to their lives in a group that don't all know or like one another that well. But this is YA, so it's comparatively scarier, weirder, and angstier. Everyone is smitten with and rejected by everyone else. It's present, but I like that it never swallows the plot, as YA can (not to name names but [b:Children of Blood and Bone 34728667 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) Tomi Adeyemi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516127989l/34728667.SX50.jpg 55911580], [b:In Other Lands 31944679 In Other Lands Sarah Rees Brennan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496783711l/31944679.SY75.jpg 52603350], [b:A Very Large Expanse of Sea 38720939 A Very Large Expanse of Sea Tahereh Mafi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558453377l/38720939.SY75.jpg 60301626]). Also, though neither are the same genre, at moments Rules for Vanishing reminded me of both [b:Truly Devious 29589074 Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1) Maureen Johnson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498501619l/29589074.SX50.jpg 49916452] and [b:Sadie 34810320 Sadie Courtney Summers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556559178l/34810320.SY75.jpg 56026767]—two of my favorites.