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armontheroad's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
There is obviously a reason why this book is so popular across all bookish platforms! The writing is beautiful and pulls you in from the first sentence. The setting is incredibly spooky and atmospheric! This reminded me of a creepier, Young Adult version of Every Heart A Doorway. Johnson knows how to write three dimensional characters. I do wish that we got more about the school’s mystery, seeing as how that was the entire reason Stevie was accepted into the school. I also despise the only Latine character (that I can remember) was murdered . My final critic, there was no reason for the Harry Potter reference. Overall, I still recommend this.
TWs/CWs: Harry Potter reference, death, kidnapping, anxiety disorder, grief, etc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
anariboipoka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief
sunflower_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I hate that I am forced to read the whole series to know what happens when I don't even like the characters that much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death and Grief
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- 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
So as far as mysteries go, there were a couple of directions that I saw this book going. A few red herrings got in the way I really thought David killed Hayes but nope but it didn’t make the story any less thought provoking. Sometimes, authors & editors have a hard time making sure the flashbacks aren’t awkwardly placed in the story. Thankfully, Johnson found a way to have the transition between past and present have some sort of order. I didn’t care enough about what the supposed romance between Stevie and David was supposed to be- I tuned that out. Minus that, it was a decent read and I’m curious about the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
genny's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
Hmm! It's hard to review this because it really doesn't feel like a complete book - there was no resolution at all as everything is set up for the sequel. I was aware of this going in so it didn't hamper my enjoyment, but just keep that in mind! That said, I had fun and found myself flying through the pages - the blurb on the cover is right, this is "compulsively readable". I dove into the second book immediately after finishing this one.
The 1936 mystery is a classic whodunnit, and it's enjoyable to see Stevie dissecting it with the lens she's developed from following mystery novels and true crime. It allows her to come across as a teenager with believable detective skills. She has lovely friendships with Janelle and Nate. The romance, though?I don't get why Stevie and David are attracted to each other, but...eh. They're hormonal teenagers on a remote mountaintop, I can allow it. Anyway, I liked both the past and present mysteries, and I'm excited to see how they play out in the next books. Love the "dark academia" atmosphere of Ellingham. Just don't read this without the sequels onhand, because it'll be very frustrating.
Side note: The narration misgenders Vi - it's established that they go by they/them pronouns but the narration later refers to them as "she"; I looked it up and Maureen Johnson said that these were unfortunate typos. The correct pronouns are used in The Vanishing Stair.
The 1936 mystery is a classic whodunnit, and it's enjoyable to see Stevie dissecting it with the lens she's developed from following mystery novels and true crime. It allows her to come across as a teenager with believable detective skills. She has lovely friendships with Janelle and Nate. The romance, though?
Side note: The narration misgenders Vi - it's established that they go by they/them pronouns but the narration later refers to them as "she"; I looked it up and Maureen Johnson said that these were unfortunate typos. The correct pronouns are used in The Vanishing Stair.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
Stevies takes medication for anxiety and panic attacks; she experiences a panic attack on-page.messykiwireads's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Gore, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
christy_0909's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.0
My pet peeve is that a mystery book should not be a duology it should be wrapped up in one book. I didn't like the ending so it gets knocked a star.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
talvinovels's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
I found this super addictive! Good pacing and the writing style was very easy to follow. I loved the setting and I found the mystery really interesting!
Wasn't a fan of the romance though, I thought their interactions were annoying and didn't really see any chemistry between them. I thought the story would make me warm up to it by the end but that never happened, they barely ever talked without it being totally frustrating. I know that it was on purpose in some ways, but to me it just felt like they didn't get along at all, and not in a fun enemies-to-lovers way but in a really boring and frustrating way lmao. The love interest was also just generally annoying, which I know was intentional but didn't make the romance any easier to buy into.
It didn't get in the way of the plot though and I was fully engaged the whole time I was reading, so I'll be continuing with the series!
Wasn't a fan of the romance though, I thought their interactions were annoying and didn't really see any chemistry between them. I thought the story would make me warm up to it by the end but that never happened, they barely ever talked without it being totally frustrating. I know that it was on purpose in some ways, but to me it just felt like they didn't get along at all, and not in a fun enemies-to-lovers way but in a really boring and frustrating way lmao. The love interest was also just generally annoying, which I know was intentional but didn't make the romance any easier to buy into.
It didn't get in the way of the plot though and I was fully engaged the whole time I was reading, so I'll be continuing with the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
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