Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
WOW WOW WOW, I KNEW IT HAD TO BE GEORGE MARSH BUT IT STILL SHOCKED ME
solid read! again ending in a cliffhanger and i have to fight the urge to INMEDIATELY pick up the next book. the writing is very ya but in a fun way not a cringe way.
“there are reasons for everything, even if we don’t know them”
“there are reasons for everything, even if we don’t know them”
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a sequel better than the original? i’m shocked. this was so good i skipped my nap for it. the writing was (thankfully) less immature and the characters got more developed but i still feel like janelle and vi are so two-dimensional for characters that are technically part of the ‘main cast.’ also i did guess the plot twists but that gave me an ego boost so i’m not mad about it
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hello there, I am James and I am very much late to the Truly Devious party, but The Vanishing Stair has left me feeling torn.
When initially rating book 1 (4 stars I might add) I saw the rating for this book to be higher, and like anyone new to a fandom, I quickly devoured the book in the hopes that it would be better than the last. And in some regards it certainly was, but in others... I'll get to that in a moment. I would like to layer this review like a good ol' compliment sandwich, beginning with some of the positives and then slowly transitioning into the negatives, before finally circling back around and ending with more positives. So without further ado I want to start off my review by saying -
PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS! He is by far my favourite character in the entire series. His witty one-liners had me literally laughing at loud at some points. He is so perfectly written, and as a writer who constantly doubts himself, I really connect a lot with him. I do feel as if he is the present day 'Killer' I don't know why, but I am getting some serious Mona Vanderwaal vibes from Nate. He always shows up behind Stevie when she leasts expects it- Like on Halloween Night for instance. Which isn't a bad thing per say as Mona was by far the best character PLL had to offer. But I just want him more than anyone else to get a happy ending in the Third and final book. I also ship him and Mudge together, although I again suspect he has a crush on Stevie, and should he be the modern day 'Killer' I assume that Stevie will be worked into his motive - ala Obsessive lover. But naturally this is all just speculation. Of course.
Something else I enjoyed where the new characters to be introduced, Dr Fenton and her Nephew Hunter were great additions to the cast, and whilst I usually hate late additions into series they played their part very well. I particularly felt as if Fenton was presented as a potential looking-glass into Stevie's future. Someone who was so fixated on one singular case, that she let her life fall into disarray. She stands in binary opposition of Larry, who has the ability to move on from case to case and is unphased by whatever is thrown his way. These two figures play an important role in Stevie's life, both are two people she admire, and both are physical manifestations of who she could become, later down the line. Hunter didn't do much in this novel, but I have a feeling with how this ended, that he will play a vital role in The Hand on The Wall, probably as another love interest for Stevie.
Which brings me to what I really didn't like about this novel, David and his Father. I get it okay, we've all fallen for a 'bad boy' once in our life, and I am well aware that it's a literature cliche at this point, but in the first novel, David was so much more than just a 'bad boy with a mysterious past; and yet here, in the sequel, it feels as if his character has regressed almost. All the progression he makes is thrown away, following the events of Halloween, in which he once again begins to give Stevie the quiet treatment... And all I was left to say is WHY! If you know your Father is one of the most conniving, manipulative people in the country why would you get upset when your girlfriend kept something from you because she was so scared of him. This really made me think that David is one of those rich kids, who can't see how things affect others, and that their suffering is greater than anyone else's. Also I get it, Edward King is bad, but can we focus more of our time making the real villain I.E the person who's killed 3 people out to be the main villain. Because right now, it seems as though Edward King is the book's main antagonist, when he should be relegated to a secondary background role.
The whole beginning of the novel was almost painfully slow. And acted as a simple recap of the events. I was so bored for about 70 pages, as every other line was recapping what had already happened. A feature which I assume is for the younger readers and those who waited months in between reading books 1 and 2. But was this really needed, this is the second book of the series, meaning that true fans would have stuck around and surly true fans would be able to remember what happened ??
Additionally, I would like to see more development in Vi and Janelle's relationship. When most of the dramatic stuff seems to occur, the pair of them just seem to be observers rather than participants in a way. Same goes for their relationship, they're just together, but why? What do they like about each other, what do they argue about? Right now they just seem to be couple for the sake of it.
I did enjoy the flashback sections once again. I did guess the OG 'Truly Devious" correctly, so I was proud of myself for that one. And the confrontation scene was very interesting, but I didn't really enjoy the whole kidnapper being double crosses and other kidnappers taking over. That felt like a cop-out and I just wish said Kidnapper was a true evil, manipulative villain. Rather than someone who got in over their head.
Whilst I see many upset at the cliffhanger (I don't know why some people are so shocked, it's a trilogy. Of course there's going to be another cliffhanger) as it fulfilled its purpose and made me want to read the next book. Which I hope is more along the lines of Truly Devious rather than The Vanishing Stair. Nevertheless, this was an easy and enjoyable read, perfect for those who enjoy mysteries.
When initially rating book 1 (4 stars I might add) I saw the rating for this book to be higher, and like anyone new to a fandom, I quickly devoured the book in the hopes that it would be better than the last. And in some regards it certainly was, but in others... I'll get to that in a moment. I would like to layer this review like a good ol' compliment sandwich, beginning with some of the positives and then slowly transitioning into the negatives, before finally circling back around and ending with more positives. So without further ado I want to start off my review by saying -
PROTECT NATE AT ALL COSTS! He is by far my favourite character in the entire series. His witty one-liners had me literally laughing at loud at some points. He is so perfectly written, and as a writer who constantly doubts himself, I really connect a lot with him. I do feel as if he is the present day 'Killer' I don't know why, but I am getting some serious Mona Vanderwaal vibes from Nate. He always shows up behind Stevie when she leasts expects it- Like on Halloween Night for instance. Which isn't a bad thing per say as Mona was by far the best character PLL had to offer. But I just want him more than anyone else to get a happy ending in the Third and final book. I also ship him and Mudge together, although I again suspect he has a crush on Stevie, and should he be the modern day 'Killer' I assume that Stevie will be worked into his motive - ala Obsessive lover. But naturally this is all just speculation. Of course.
Something else I enjoyed where the new characters to be introduced, Dr Fenton and her Nephew Hunter were great additions to the cast, and whilst I usually hate late additions into series they played their part very well. I particularly felt as if Fenton was presented as a potential looking-glass into Stevie's future. Someone who was so fixated on one singular case, that she let her life fall into disarray. She stands in binary opposition of Larry, who has the ability to move on from case to case and is unphased by whatever is thrown his way. These two figures play an important role in Stevie's life, both are two people she admire, and both are physical manifestations of who she could become, later down the line. Hunter didn't do much in this novel, but I have a feeling with how this ended, that he will play a vital role in The Hand on The Wall, probably as another love interest for Stevie.
Which brings me to what I really didn't like about this novel, David and his Father. I get it okay, we've all fallen for a 'bad boy' once in our life, and I am well aware that it's a literature cliche at this point, but in the first novel, David was so much more than just a 'bad boy with a mysterious past; and yet here, in the sequel, it feels as if his character has regressed almost. All the progression he makes is thrown away, following the events of Halloween, in which he once again begins to give Stevie the quiet treatment... And all I was left to say is WHY! If you know your Father is one of the most conniving, manipulative people in the country why would you get upset when your girlfriend kept something from you because she was so scared of him. This really made me think that David is one of those rich kids, who can't see how things affect others, and that their suffering is greater than anyone else's. Also I get it, Edward King is bad, but can we focus more of our time making the real villain I.E the person who's killed 3 people out to be the main villain. Because right now, it seems as though Edward King is the book's main antagonist, when he should be relegated to a secondary background role.
The whole beginning of the novel was almost painfully slow. And acted as a simple recap of the events. I was so bored for about 70 pages, as every other line was recapping what had already happened. A feature which I assume is for the younger readers and those who waited months in between reading books 1 and 2. But was this really needed, this is the second book of the series, meaning that true fans would have stuck around and surly true fans would be able to remember what happened ??
Additionally, I would like to see more development in Vi and Janelle's relationship. When most of the dramatic stuff seems to occur, the pair of them just seem to be observers rather than participants in a way. Same goes for their relationship, they're just together, but why? What do they like about each other, what do they argue about? Right now they just seem to be couple for the sake of it.
I did enjoy the flashback sections once again. I did guess the OG 'Truly Devious" correctly, so I was proud of myself for that one. And the confrontation scene was very interesting, but I didn't really enjoy the whole kidnapper being double crosses and other kidnappers taking over. That felt like a cop-out and I just wish said Kidnapper was a true evil, manipulative villain. Rather than someone who got in over their head.
Whilst I see many upset at the cliffhanger (I don't know why some people are so shocked, it's a trilogy. Of course there's going to be another cliffhanger) as it fulfilled its purpose and made me want to read the next book. Which I hope is more along the lines of Truly Devious rather than The Vanishing Stair. Nevertheless, this was an easy and enjoyable read, perfect for those who enjoy mysteries.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3/5 stars
TW: Abduction, Alcoholism, Anxiety, Death, Dissection, Murder, Panic and Anxiety Attacks, Smoke, social anxiety
I've decided that I really don't enjoy this series. While I like the setting and the overall backdrop, I felt like there was an imbalance with the plot between the characters or and the general plot. I felt like characters didn't really grow and it was so character heavy (which is fine, but considering the plot of the book, you'd think it would lean toward the plot over the characters). I really feel like the lack of growth also inhibited the plot from forming cohesively.
Overall, it felt like there was just something missing and I really don't feel like picking up the third book and see how the series goes.
TW: Abduction, Alcoholism, Anxiety, Death, Dissection, Murder, Panic and Anxiety Attacks, Smoke, social anxiety
I've decided that I really don't enjoy this series. While I like the setting and the overall backdrop, I felt like there was an imbalance with the plot between the characters or and the general plot. I felt like characters didn't really grow and it was so character heavy (which is fine, but considering the plot of the book, you'd think it would lean toward the plot over the characters). I really feel like the lack of growth also inhibited the plot from forming cohesively.
Overall, it felt like there was just something missing and I really don't feel like picking up the third book and see how the series goes.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated