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themoodreader's review
- 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? No
4.0
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
simply_fran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Murder
bzliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I can’t even begin to sum up the events of the book without giving away major plot points so check the following spoilers if you want to know whodunnit:
<spoilers>”Call me Charles” aka Stevie’s advisor is the culprit behind the deaths and accidents at the school. Alice’s body was found while tunnels were being filled in but as a member of the faculty he couldn’t claim the reward. He used dry ice to make a tunnel deadly and lured Hayes there presumably after Hayes heard him conspiring with his accomplice, leading to the death in the first book. Ellie- after Stevie accused her of being the brains behind Hayes’ show- said some things that make Charles nervous so when she ran, he blocked her into the tunnel where she eventually died, giving us death number two. Dr. Fenton was the accomplice and became Stevie’s advisor at Charles’ hand. When Fenton stopped going along with the plan and gave Stevie a warning that Alice was at the school, Charles turned on the gas burner in her kitchen and she died in the resulting fire- death #3.
He got Fenton’s nephew to come stay at the school since he still needed a partner who wasn’t faculty but thanks to David’s return and desire to destroy his father’s campaign- Stevie and her crew didn’t evacuate like the rest of the students and he couldn’t bring Hunter in on his scheme.
As Stevie grandstands and explains this all to her crew, Charles, and the remaining faculty, Larry is scanning the walls of the second floor looking for where Charles hid Alice’s body. They find it and Charles tries to escape which leads to a steep fall and his own demise.
Ultimately, David is able to crumble his father’s campaign & Stevie has solved the case. She even decides not to come forward with evidence of Alice’s birth parents and adoption when the body’s DNA doesn’t match the Ellinghams.
So many things happen in this that it would be impossible to sum it all up. I do wish some of the discoveries here had made it into the previous books so it didn’t all come crashing together right at the end but I suppose that’s what you get with YA mysteries.
Minor: Child death, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
whewtaewoon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Drug abuse and Gun violence
Minor: Child abuse
laurenevlyn's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
rissaandherbooks's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
oceanwriter's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Stevie isn't the only one desperate for answers, and though she does have the biggest piece of the puzzle figured out, she still doesn't know why two of her friends have been killed. Meanwhile, David is on a mission to sabotage his father's presidential campaign. This leads to a group of the academy students staying behind at the school despite an evacuation order... because nothing could go wrong trapped in a blizzard in a school that's shaping up to be cursed.
The story winds down in this book and focuses a lot on the historical part of the mystery. It's also slightly more character-driven than the previous two books. I'm curious about what's next given this one doesn't end on a cliffhanger. So far, I've had fun with this series and plan on finishing it in the near future.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Addiction
mcc004's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement and Pregnancy
maggiegirouard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Violence, Alcohol, and Classism
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I think the most satisfying part of this book is the way that both storylines end up coming together. The way Johnson ends up twining them together leads to a satisfying conclusion. Really, my only complaint is the relationship between Stevie and David. It just didn't seem to work for me; I think it could have been mostly left out and the story would have been fine.
All in all, if you're looking for a new mystery series to jump into, I would recommend this one!
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Murder