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A review by smillas_tales
The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I have to preface this review by saying that I LOVED being back with Stevie and her friends! That being said, this book just didn’t hit the same for me.
I was hooked by the mystery from the start, but after the first 25% the pacing made it pretty hard to get through. It felt like not much progress happened at all throughout the book, and then everything happened very quickly in the last 50 pages!
To me, the carrying element of the original story is Stevie’s group of friends ( not counting David, I am still utterly confused by their relationship?!! ),so part of the reason why the story didn’t grip me as much, might be the smaller role of her friends in this novel.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Stevie herself, but she’s not my favorite. And I DO NOT understand why she’s treated like some master detective! Sure, she’s brilliant at putting together the pieces, but she doesn’t actually looks that much fo clues. She mostly sits around and waits for the clues to fall right into her lap …
Also, the thing that I cannot get past, is that a major part of the solution was something that was never mentioned before the big “Stevie explains what happened and calls out the perpetrator” scene.
All in all, this novel was a fun addition to the original trilogy, but far from a new favorite!
I was hooked by the mystery from the start, but after the first 25% the pacing made it pretty hard to get through. It felt like not much progress happened at all throughout the book, and then everything happened very quickly in the last 50 pages!
To me, the carrying element of the original story is Stevie’s group of friends ( not counting David, I am still utterly confused by their relationship?!! ),so part of the reason why the story didn’t grip me as much, might be the smaller role of her friends in this novel.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Stevie herself, but she’s not my favorite. And I DO NOT understand why she’s treated like some master detective! Sure, she’s brilliant at putting together the pieces, but she doesn’t actually looks that much fo clues. She mostly sits around and waits for the clues to fall right into her lap …
Also, the thing that I cannot get past, is that a major part of the solution was something that was never mentioned before the big “Stevie explains what happened and calls out the perpetrator” scene.
All in all, this novel was a fun addition to the original trilogy, but far from a new favorite!