Our Last Echoes

Gr 9 Up–After 15 years, white teen Sophia Novak is returning to Bitter Rock, AK, the same place where her mother and two colleagues mysteriously disappeared, swallowed by a malevolent mist, and Sophia was miraculously saved from drowning by someone or something she can’t remember. Those disappearances weren’t the first, however—people have been vanishing from Bitter Rock for over a hundred years. Now 18, in and out of foster homes, Sophia gets a mysterious call suggesting that her mother may not be dead after all. Sophia is determined to find answers, but the closer she gets to the truth, the darker the secrets become and she learns that the echoes of the vanished may be more than just ghosts. This is a very good ghost story told in a variety of media—narrative, email, and video and interview transcripts—which all work together to effectively tell the story. Marshall does an excellent job of giving the characters their own identities and making them feel real, as well as drive the action. While this book stands alone, it takes place in the same world as Rules for Vanishing, with some of the cast appearing in both books. The engrossing story and quick pacing make this a quick read despite its length.