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whewtaewoon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Gore
Minor: Alcohol, Suicide, and Drug use
rissaandherbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Car accident, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol
someryarns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Gore, Alcohol, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
marioosa517's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Gore, Drug use, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Infidelity
strongsun's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Death, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
emily_mh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The biggest issue was the pacing. There was no thorough investigation of the murders as there was really only one track that Stevie investigated, making the plot THIN. Why weren't there proper red herrings??? And then ALL of a sudden, Stevie has solved the mystery. I'm not even kidding, it just happens out the blue when I thought there would be at least a chapter or more till the big reveal.
The second worst thing was that I don't think Johnson did her research, which made it feel like a cash grab (this was not helped by the fact that the writing was a little sloppy and repetitive, which led me to think it had been rushed through the writing and editing process). Any person interested in true crime worth their salt KNOWS the significance of stabbing as a murder method, especially how many times a person is stabbed, and also knows that spree killers exist. These two things are incredibly relevant to the crime that took place, given four people were stabbed to death (a different number of times) in one night. Yet they are NEVER DISCUSSED.
Finally, the characters. Nate was a true saving grace in this. I loved him, and I loved his character development (even if THAT felt a little rushed and behind the scenes). I also liked that Johnson set it up in the beginning that the story would only feature Stevie, Nate and Janelle, as I really like this trio and their dynamic. But then DAVID comes on the scene. His presence was simply unnecessary, and he was only included to offer some relationship drama, which wasn't needed as it took space away from the already thin plot.
So, yeah. I did not like this. I really hope Johnson doesn't release any more books in this series because I will feel obligated to read them as I am a completionist, but I have lost all faith that I might enjoy them.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Cursing, Gun violence, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Cancer, Mental illness, Gun violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Suicide, Homophobia, War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Ableism, and Sexual content
Hunting, internalised misogyny, loss of a loved one, motorbike accident, incarceration, Nazisbookishgoob's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Body horror
cherry__tomatoes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Drug use, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol and Car accident
Minor: Blood and Vomit
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Drug use, and Alcohol