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marioosa517's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Drug use, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Infidelity
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.75
“Truly devious” series is back and better than ever. Usually spin-offs are not as good as the original, but that is definitely not the case for A Box in the Woods. Stevie, now that she has solved the Ellingham crime of the century, is now in demand to solve other murders. A camp director offers Stevie a paid counselor role to come and bring her friends to help her solve the “Box in the Woods” murders of 1978 at the camp where they occurred. This book brings a new summer camp slasher thriller type vibe to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Maureen Johnson truly delivered on the addict-ability of the books, matching if not exceeding the shocking plot twists of the first three books. When I tell you that I never in a million years would have guessed this, I am not kidding. I wanted to stay up all night reading this, but couldn’t because of school, and I went to bed upset every night that I couldn’t keep reading. This book seriously defied every expectation that I had for it, and I am so thrilled to see what new adventures Stevie is going on in the next books. Again, Stevie is such a complex and lovable character. We see straight into her thought process and experience everything with her, including a close up on her mental health struggles. These mental health struggles (anxiety and panic attacks) are presented in such an honest way, which many other books from different authors should take note of. Additionally, it should be noted that Maureen Johnson DELIVERS on the representation! Such good LGBTQIA+ rep!! Again, Maureen Johnson is giving everything and more. If you didn’t know already, I love these books.
Age rating: 14+ (true crime gets graphic at times)
Age rating: 14+ (true crime gets graphic at times)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Child death, and Death
Minor: Cursing
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Blood, Murder, and Gun violence
strongsun's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Wish we spent more time in the 70s, but the mystery was satisfying
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Death, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
chavborromeo's review against another edition
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
3.5
I'm excited reading this because finally after the Ellingham case there's going to be another cold case to solve and the premise is kinda interesting. And I love to see if there's a development between Stevie and David's relationship.
However, I don't know why I feel disappointed? I hate Carson. He's a fucking opportunist. I feel like Janelle's being left out? Nate and Stevie's friendship❤ And David and Stevie? Seriously, I know their relationship is not typical but I really think they need to treat each other better. And Stevie's so focus on solving the case to the point that she's ignoring her people.
About the case, I'm not expecting its going to be about some Nazi. Like what???? There's no enough foreshadowing. The case is a bit far fetched. The revelation is not satisfying. Like oh thats what happened huh but okay. And the ending is too short😤 Its not really just something I expected but whatever.
However, I don't know why I feel disappointed? I hate Carson. He's a fucking opportunist. I feel like Janelle's being left out? Nate and Stevie's friendship❤ And David and Stevie? Seriously, I know their relationship is not typical but I really think they need to treat each other better. And Stevie's so focus on solving the case to the point that she's ignoring her people.
About the case, I'm not expecting its going to be about some Nazi. Like what???? There's no enough foreshadowing. The case is a bit far fetched. The revelation is not satisfying. Like oh thats what happened huh but okay. And the ending is too short😤 Its not really just something I expected but whatever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
naomi_k's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
atreenamedjulia's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
It’s a good book. Could be gayer. Also, didn’t feel like I could’ve solved the mystery myself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
chipinabag842's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Body horror
sunsetcity's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
elliizzzabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It was fun to jump back in to the world of Stevie and her friends for a one off mystery. The fact that this was a stand alone, rather than a trilogy as the last parts had been, was good and bad. Good because I didn't have to wait for the sequels to finish the mystery but bad because I feel the story wasn't quite as fleshed out as it could have been. Everything wrapped up very quickly and it was hard to guess the killer before the final reveal because it all hinged on a lot of info that was revealed right at the end and that was completely unrelated to the rest of the case. There were hints, but you would have to have been really analysing the info to have made the jump. However this book deserves credit for managing to do the impossible: make me actually like David! I also liked the way the book commented on the true crime genre and the way it affects the real people involved. If there are going to be more books in this series I think I would like another longer more complex story like the original trilogy, probably set back at Ellingham. But this was a nice little summer detour :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Minor: Homophobia