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Hello, fellow readers! I am finally catching up on my reviews from January. The last book I finished was The Vanishing Stair, which is the sequel to Truly Devious.
Possible spoilers ahead if you have not read Truly Devious.
Related: Book Review | Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Plot
The Vanishing Stair picks up after the events of Truly Devious. Stevie has been pulled out of Ellingham Academy by her parents and feels more disconnected than ever. Then one night, Edward King makes Stevie an offer: he will help her get back to Ellingham if she promises to keep an eye on her crush, David. Suddenly Stevie is given an opportunity to continue her investigation of the disappearances of Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter.
Review
I was happy to get some answers to my questions from the first book because I honestly didn’t expect any closure until the final book. Even better, we got answers to questions but we have another mystery to ponder now, and it really makes the series more exciting this way. I really enjoyed the turn to Stevie’s story because I never expected her investigation to take that route, and it opened up the new mystery that I can’t piece together.
I’m not a fan of the David/Stevie romance. I don’t like him and I like his father even less. Honestly, I’ve waited so long to write this review, and I can’t think of anything else that bothered me about this book. I remember thinking there was quite a bit of plot filler in this book, which tends to happen with trilogies in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
I gave The Vanishing Stair 4 stars. I have to say that this book was an improvement to Truly Devious. I was not overly impressed with the first book, but I was still intrigued enough to continue the series, and I am so glad I did! I think these books would have been 5 star reads for me if I had read the books instead of listening to the audiobooks. It gets hard to keep up with some of the characters in the audiobook, but I thought The Vanishing Stair was easier to follow than Truly Devious.
You can read or listen to The Vanishing Stair on Scribd. Sign up here using my link for a free trial!
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