Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

61 reviews

rorikae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'The Box in the Woods' by Maureen Johnson is a fun fourth installment in the Truly Devious series though it lacks the complexity of the original trilogy.
After solving the Ellingham mystery, Stevie Bell is now known more widely as a teenage sleuth and so it comes as not much of a surprise when she is contacted by a man who wants to solve a decades old mystery at a summer camp. In 1978, four teenagers were killed at Camp Wonder Falls and the crime was never solved. The new owner wants Stevie's help to solve this mystery for a true crime podcast. Though she isn't too thrilled about the podcast, Stevie can't pass up the opportunity to uncover the truth of another crime that has long been buried.
Maureen Johnson has proven with the Truly Devious series that she can create a really fun and compelling mystery that keeps readers engaged through the last page. This is true in 'The Box in the Woods' though without the three book space to delve as deeply into the story, it's a much quicker and slightly less complex mystery. For those who have read the original trilogy, this is a fun addition to the series and it's great to return to the characters. If this is the start of a spin-off series of one-off mysteries, I think that it could work. If it is merely a follow-up to the original, it makes less sense as it doesn't really add anything to the trilogy beyond being another fun mystery. I will be interested to see what Johnson does next with these characters if this is the start of something new. 

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cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

4.75


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briely's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5


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manarnia's review against another edition

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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

5.0

I love Stevie Bell, and it was very fun and exciting to read a standalone mystery of hers.

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jayoz15's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

It was so good being back with Stevie & the gang in this book! This story focuses on a new unsolved murder case -- The Box in the Woods -- which happened at a summer camp in the 1970s. While I didn't love this mystery as much as the Truly Devious case, it definitely had really spooky vibes. As always, I like how Maureen Johnson makes Stevie a real person, where she makes mistakes and has to deal with her anxiety. I like how everything came together in the end, and I'm really hoping we get to see more of Stevie & Co. for their second year at Ellingham. 

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coolbeancat's review

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5


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yvonne_cl's review

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adventurous challenging dark lighthearted mysterious fast-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


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abbycdefgxyz's review

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adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book was nearly perfect. The story was very good and it all got explained in the end. However, it felt like there was no time for the reader to try to put the pieces together to figure out the mystery until the last chapter of the book where the mystery is being explained. The reader didn’t have many of the facts until then.

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libraryghost's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-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


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vlntnmz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0


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