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books4em's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book made me remember why I love thrillers - but not just any thriller, those thriller series where you are left without the one last answer to the mystery. You have so many of the pieces fitting together, but then there's that one question that leaves you hanging. Add in a new cliffhanger, and you've got those specially amazing thrillers. That was The Vanishing Stair. I am about to immediately pick up the third book in the Truly Devious series because this was so good. Johnson really knows how to write a story that keeps you captivated. Reading the two timelines at the same time is a key aspect of this series and one I enjoy greatly. Combined with the fantastic descriptions of the setting of Burlington, Ellingham, and Vermont in general, it is truly amazing (pun intended). The whole subplot with Edward King I'm not a fan of, but I see its purpose. Same with the Dr. Fenton and Hunter subplot - not sure where that's going. As with Truly Devious, I appreciated the queer rep with the side characters (one of whom uses they/them pronouns and it's seamless) along with the mental health rep. I liked how these points continued from the first book. I also liked how this book focused more on solving the Ellingham case, not just the one in the current timeline. And by far, the best moment in this book is on page 348 where Stevie is talking through the murders with those involved in the cupola and the ghost of Dottie looks at George Marsh's ghost and turns to Stevie and nods and Stevie nods back. Yes!!! That moment of understanding and thanks from Dottie is insurmountable! But still, where is Alice and what's the secret surrounding her?! I need answers, so on to book 3!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Confinement
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
lily1304's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I feel like this one was even better than the first!! It's so, SO satisfying as a reader when you can piece together a mystery before it's stated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Confinement
Minor: Vomit
Descriptions of people finding decomposing human corpsesbzliz's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Vanishing Stair poses many new questions in the Truly Devious series while answering a few previous ones. Stevie is taken back to school by David’s father- a stuck up conservative senator who lacks any moral compass- because he thinks she can keep his son contained at the school. It works for a time. Like the first book, pretty much every adult seems kind of shady.
Character death spoiler:Stevie and David find Ellie’s body in a tunnel previously unknown. We aren’t given a clear picture of her death but it weighs on Stevie to know that her body has been there the whole time people had been trying to puzzle out her escape.
We meet a few new characters- Dr. Fenton and her nephew Hunter- who are also involved with the Ellingham case. Stevie manages to piece together the identity of Truly Devious as well as pinpoint someone who was absolutely involved in the kidnapping of Iris and Alice Ellingham.
Something I haven’t decided if I like or not is the way we cut back to the 1930’s for some chapters. On one hand I enjoy getting to see how things actually happened but on the other hand it feels like cheating since there’s no way for Stevie to ever be privy to these details so it feels like we’re waiting for her to catch up to us. I will be continuing the series but I hope it doesn’t drag out terribly.
Character death spoiler:
We meet a few new characters- Dr. Fenton and her nephew Hunter- who are also involved with the Ellingham case. Stevie manages to piece together the identity of Truly Devious as well as pinpoint someone who was absolutely involved in the kidnapping of Iris and Alice Ellingham.
Something I haven’t decided if I like or not is the way we cut back to the 1930’s for some chapters. On one hand I enjoy getting to see how things actually happened but on the other hand it feels like cheating since there’s no way for Stevie to ever be privy to these details so it feels like we’re waiting for her to catch up to us. I will be continuing the series but I hope it doesn’t drag out terribly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Murder
liesthemoontells's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book far more than the first Truly Devious novel as the characters were more relatable and the mystery plots (especially the historical mysteries) felt far more organically incorporated into the main narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment
widgetknits's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
glass123banan's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, and Murder
laurenevlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I can barely write this review because I am so eager to pick up “The Hand on the Wall” which is currently calling out for me on my shelf. This book is incredible and in my opinion better than book 1. Maureen Johnson is a genius at writing mysteries that incorporate every little detail in the story. And what a cliffhanger! Excuse me as I stay up all night reading book 3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Picking up shortly after where Truly Devious left off, we return with Stevie to Ellingham Academy after making a deal with her worst enemy, Edward King. Things look a little bit different now that one student has died and another has gone missing. Going against all of the warnings, she continues investigating the Ellingham case as well as the recent death and disappearance. The plot thickens when there is another death. If she wasn't suspicious before, she is certain now that there is foul play. Is this the work of a fellow student? A faculty member? Or is it an outside job? Between riddles and bizarre behavior, Stevie has her work cut out for her.
Given we were introduced to the characters in the first book, there's no shortage of action and intrigue in the sequel. I ended up enjoying it even more than Truly Devious. We also get a deeper look into Stevie and David's complicated relationship, though David has been acting strangely since she left and returned. This becomes another mystery Stevie wants to uncover. However, she's yet to make peace with the knowledge of who his father is.
Once again, the book leaves off on a cliffhanger that is perhaps even crueler than the first. Be sure to have The Hand on the Wall ready because you aren't going to want to wait for the conclusion.
Given we were introduced to the characters in the first book, there's no shortage of action and intrigue in the sequel. I ended up enjoying it even more than Truly Devious. We also get a deeper look into Stevie and David's complicated relationship, though David has been acting strangely since she left and returned. This becomes another mystery Stevie wants to uncover. However, she's yet to make peace with the knowledge of who his father is.
Once again, the book leaves off on a cliffhanger that is perhaps even crueler than the first. Be sure to have The Hand on the Wall ready because you aren't going to want to wait for the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
bookishkia's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
(Ignore any and all grammatical and/or spelling errors. Please and thank you.)
BEEF. WE HAVE BEEF. She can’t keep getting away with this. She ends her books on cliffhangers and then partially answers those previously unknown answers only to leave you with more than you came!!! That may be confusing but it’s almost 4 am and I am FED UP. When I read this next book I expect no stone unturned. If my rating was based off purely satisfaction of the ending this book would get TWO FREAKING STARS.
But bc I wasn’t automatically bored in the beginning (like the first book) and I could actually keep up with most of the characters (unlike the first book) and the fact that I simply like the plot and where it was going. BEFORE the ending.
What happened with David? Why is he paying people to beat him up?? Was he the could Fenton called out to?? What happened to Alice, I know she’s dead she has to be but how did she die??
To make this confusingly long story short, I am, once again, upset with the ending but satisfied with how MOST things played out. Would make it three starts even TWO but I do have to admit this was a page turner. I was hooked. Obsessed. I just had to know. I felt like someone had put my brain, or maybe my consciousness, in Stevie’s body and I saw everything form her eyes. Every decision she made I could find reason for it.
I could connect with her characters on most things and actually see then as humans who make mistakes. And for that? 4 stars, overall.
BEEF. WE HAVE BEEF. She can’t keep getting away with this. She ends her books on cliffhangers and then partially answers those previously unknown answers only to leave you with more than you came!!! That may be confusing but it’s almost 4 am and I am FED UP. When I read this next book I expect no stone unturned. If my rating was based off purely satisfaction of the ending this book would get TWO FREAKING STARS.
But bc I wasn’t automatically bored in the beginning (like the first book) and I could actually keep up with most of the characters (unlike the first book) and the fact that I simply like the plot and where it was going. BEFORE the ending.
What happened with David? Why is he paying people to beat him up?? Was he the could Fenton called out to?? What happened to Alice, I know she’s dead she has to be but how did she die??
To make this confusingly long story short, I am, once again, upset with the ending but satisfied with how MOST things played out. Would make it three starts even TWO but I do have to admit this was a page turner. I was hooked. Obsessed. I just had to know. I felt like someone had put my brain, or maybe my consciousness, in Stevie’s body and I saw everything form her eyes. Every decision she made I could find reason for it.
I could connect with her characters on most things and actually see then as humans who make mistakes. And for that? 4 stars, overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
aylin05's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Before i begin my review of this book i’d like to warn anybody who might care that the book ends on a MASSIVE cliffhanger so be prepared to immediately want to read the next book.
anyway, the book was wonderful as you’d expect from the first one. similarly to the last one, there’s a lot of just open and random details that were difficult for me to get through. BUT when things started to pick up at certain points i was absolutely ENTRANCED.
one of the perpetual problems i have with this series, though, is that there are A LOT of characters. There’s a whole number of characters that are from the past (from alberts time) and then even more from the present (from stevie’s time) so it’s a bit confusing when a random name pops up and you have to figure out if it’s stevie’s classmate in bio or her friends friends friend that she met at a party. fr tho i counted and there’s 28 characters that i can name off the top of my head.
anyway, overall, the book was the perfect sequel to the first book. so if you liked the first book you’ll love this one too. its the perfect captivating murder mystery and i’d highly recommend.
now i’m going to read the next one :)
anyway, the book was wonderful as you’d expect from the first one. similarly to the last one, there’s a lot of just open and random details that were difficult for me to get through. BUT when things started to pick up at certain points i was absolutely ENTRANCED.
one of the perpetual problems i have with this series, though, is that there are A LOT of characters. There’s a whole number of characters that are from the past (from alberts time) and then even more from the present (from stevie’s time) so it’s a bit confusing when a random name pops up and you have to figure out if it’s stevie’s classmate in bio or her friends friends friend that she met at a party. fr tho i counted and there’s 28 characters that i can name off the top of my head.
anyway, overall, the book was the perfect sequel to the first book. so if you liked the first book you’ll love this one too. its the perfect captivating murder mystery and i’d highly recommend.
now i’m going to read the next one :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury