User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
How am I supposed to....go on being a person after that ending?
Let me preface this by stating that this entire review could be replaced by a footage of me striding down a big hallway in a fancy period gown yelling “fuck fuck fuck” because that would more accurately sum up all my feelings.
So, what’s this book about? Stevie is cast away from the Ellingham academy by her parents and promptly ordered to push the sour remains of her time in Ellingham to the back of her mind. But Stevie’s mind is still awhirl with thoughts and memories, and, at the center of everything: the mystery of “Truly, Devious”. She’d gone looking for answers, and gotten none, and the puzzle wouldn’t let her go. Now her friend is missing, one of her classmates is dead and When Edward King, the abhorrent politician Stevie’s parents work for, offers her a private jet ride to the academy in exchange of keeping his son in line, Stevie doesn’t hesitate before she claws at the offer with both hands.
Stevie thought she could catch the mystery of Ellingham like fireflies in a jar, but the enormity of it soon reaches out to catch her. Now she’s churned under the horrid sense that fate was hunting and had already picked out its quarry.
I finished this book with the sudden urge to
pace, bitter and frantic and feeling every second of my frustration and deprivation. It was almost unbearable to come so close to getting answers, to barely feel and almost taste before being snatched away and left to walk the circle of my own thoughts, which centered partly on the question of: who the
hell was the first person to invent the concept of cliffhangers and have they ever issued a public apology?
I really loved this book. The Vanishing Stair is immaculately plotted and a real page-turner. It’s outstandingly enjoyable and addictive. The author craftily takes on two timelines, two chilling mysteries with truly elusive solutions, multiple deaths and supports all of that with engaging characters and a strong action-thriller backbone. The result is a remarkably smooth narrative experience.
This sequel really outdid its predecessor. Secrets swell to bursting, tension rises, the pace picks up, dread lances through every moment until the story ends abruptly and leaves you panting for more.
I was completely riveted. The characters dig up the past, push for answers, tip the dominoes, and alongside them, burning threads were racing through my mind, connecting far-flung dots and filling in blanks, erasing question marks and adding a dozen more for every one erased, before the truth is unraveled and recognition sparks, sharp as a shock.
I love Stevie’s character and how she often blurs the line between caution and daring, unwilling to yield to the tiresome compromise that striking balance between the two tends to be. She doesn’t dwell on the possibility that her ambition to solve a centuries-old mystery may lay far beyond her talent, instead, she accelerates towards doom and peril without thinking ahead of the repercussions. It’s pretty fun to spend time inside her head. I’ve also grown so fond of the cast of characters. Nate, especially, is my absolute favorite. If I were a fictional character, I’d totally be him: he’s extremely introverted, has zero conversational skills, represses emotional trauma, is unimpressed by the risks the main characters are taking because, and I quote, “why. do. people. do. stupid. things,” and will probably still be alive by the end of the series. New characters are introduced as well, demanding the spotlight for themselves and leading to further entanglements, like the eccentric Dr. Irene Fenton who wrote about the Ellingham murders and recruits Stevie’s help to further her research.
I think my one and only quibble with this book is that I wanted more page time with David and Stevie. Their relationship has grown fraught with the untold weight of their secrets and I just wanted to grab them both by the shoulders and scream: “PLEASE
COMMUNICATE.”
Overall,
The Vanishing Stair was an immensely engrossing and rollicking experience and I can’t wait for the story to drag out all its secrets in the next and final installment!
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Rating: really liked it
WOWOWOW I loved this book so much!! A fantastic sequel, possibly even more enjoyable than the first installment, which was tough to beat.
CW: anxiety/panic attacks, murder, death, abduction
I came away from
The Vanishing Stair with such a greater appreciation for this entire series. From the impeccable characterization to the flawlessly constructed plot,
The Vanishing Stair is everything one would want from a second installment. It’s not as if anything was lacking in
Truly Devious, but the sequel made me fall in more in love with every aspect of this story.
The mystery really takes an unexpected turn in this novel, going in a direction I had not expected and leaving me wanting more. It is truly difficult to predict the many twists and turns that make this one of the greatest young adult mysteries I have ever read.
I cannot recommend this series enough! If you have yet to start it, you are in for a real treat.
This book was sent to me unsolicited and for free by HarperTeen. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
Truly devious :- ⭐⭐.15/5 Read review here
Vanishing stair :- ⭐.75/5
Hand on the wall :-⭐⭐.5/5 read review here *Spoiler ahead*
I just finished the second book and all I can say and I can't stress enough
WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ ???? 
In fact, I could manage without reading the sequel. But as a reader, I tend to be optimistic when it comes to sequels or new book releases . I want to give this series another chance, even if I don’t agree with the idea of dragging out a mystery in order for it to be a series!!
Yeah so here we go again, by the time I completed truly devious I had :-
1. An amazing Elligham mystery about Albert, Iris and Alice .
2. Some robotic characters with zero emotional depth with their super lame leader Stieve trying to solve the 80 year old crime which the FBI couldn't solve !
3. And yess zero answers to anything that is happening .
So I was expecting some things from this book and none of my expectations were fullfilled !The author left its readers speechless, speechless over the fact that it was incredibly underwhelming, with how Truly Devious ended. Thought it would be clever (not really) to drag out a mystery and to leave the readers wanting more. Not really, I don’t think so!
Why do this book even exist ?It was soo bboringggggg.
Author just dragged it to the point your mind just commit suicide !
these " tumblr aesthetic characters " were soo boring like I was expecting to get deeper in their shallow quirkiness but it never happened, they were same like in the first book, like the mystery wasn't boring enough so you decided to make your characters , even droopy was better than you guys ! I felt cheated like I was baited in reading entire series and I feel for it and I hate myself for it!
There is this character named Nate so he was so annoying ( not more than Stieve ) like it's okay Nate you don't like being around people we have heard it 5 times please don't repeat same shit over 65 times, just shut the fuck up !
and the relationship and friendships were just too much , they were forced on them Speaking of relationship let's talk about our star couple
" David and Stieve aka two lunatics made for each other"It would be no surprise if one day they both blew up their homes because they are both stubborn, stupid and just made for each other!
David :- Stieve is so cute, intelligent but do I love her?
Steive :- fucking Edward king
David :- I love you !
Now this is the point I wanna mention Steive hates Edward king to the point she wishes him to be dead but it was never mentioned why like the readers are forced to hate him because steive wants us to hate him!!
I really don't care why Hayes or Ellie died I just want to know what happened to Alice ?
I loved the Elligham mystery so much like i wish it would have been a standalone book exploring only Elligham mystery , with its characters like I loved Dottie, Albert, Francis i felt connected to them who were the side characters like they had that depth that something we need to love a character !And the characters , plot, mystery isn't the most depressing thing about the book it's this thing:-
It's Halloween and Steive dresses as Hercule poirot and David aa Sherlock Holmes that's fine okay no problem but then this David said something and I was like dude you wanna get murdered or something!
"He said we look like couple like what Porlock or Sheirot "
Idk maybe most of you must have not noticed it but I can't just but this shit what the hell you even mean by this?
So yeah this is the most disappointing book of the series, it's bullshit like this series was better off as standalone or dulogy this book feels unnecessary to me!
Rating: really liked it
**4.5-stars**Dear Maureen Johnson,
First of all, how dare you? It was
truly devious of you to hit us with
YET ANOTHER cliffhanger ending. Nevertheless, I will continue to read anything you choose to write.
Even if you happen to continue this series until the end of time, I can assure you I will read each and every one of them. That's a promise.
Love you like a friend,
Megs
I had many, many thoughts whilst reading
The Vanishing Stair. For example, there was this:
Followed by this:
Wrapped up by this:
In all seriousness though, that ending!?!?
I
really wasn't expecting that, even though Ms. Johnson has played me before.
I was totally invested in this story. I loved being back with Stevie and the rest of the cast at Ellingham Academy.
We meet some new characters and a few more pieces of the continuing drama are filled in. I really enjoyed the cold case aspect of the story once again.
Alternating timelines is an aspect I always seem to enjoy. I feel like it keeps me more engaged than a single, linear narrative would.
If you enjoyed the first book, I think you will enjoy this one as well. Honestly though, I did not love this quite as much.
I think part of my swooning over
Truly Devious was being new to Ellingham Academy; learning about the school, its history and all of the people there. We had less of that excitement in this one, at least for me.
Would I say that this book suffers from the dreaded
middle book syndrome? Perhaps, a little.
However, with this being said, I am still completely stoked for the next installment and will definitely be preordering it to add to my bookshelves!
Rating: really liked it
Look a riddle!
Time for fun!
Should we use
Some juice or gum?
Scissors are sharp
And gleam so pretty
Syrup's slow
Which is a pity
Fire is festive
Drowning's slow
Detergent is a
Soapy way to go
A broken spine
A nasty rip
A book colliding
With a drip
Acid makes a
very jolly look
Such ways to
Punish naughty books
What shall we use
We can't decide
Just like you cannot
Run or hide
Give me an ARC of this book
Or we shall destroy book one
Ha ha,
Truly,
In need of this book
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Rating: really liked it
book so nice i immediately felt like i HAD to pick up the sequel twice
(buddy reread with my dear darling lily)
keeping at 3 stars!
-------------
I can’t remember anything that happened in this book.
Judging by my pre-review (which consists of about one-third expletives and three-thirds surprise), I was shocked by something. I do not remember what that thing was, but considering this is a murder mystery, and also the second book in a series, I’m going to guess it was one part Big Reveal and one part cliffhanger.
How frustrating, presumably, for past me.
The only thing I really remember is finding this book slightly disappointing in comparison to the first one. Not by a lot, just a half-star or so.
I can assume I had some of the same issues with it I had with the first one: weird pacing due to this being a trilogy about one or two mysteries; an overwhelming onslaught of quirkiness. Also, something I loved about the first one was Boarding School, and this one consisted of way more time spent off-campus, leading to kind of a last-book-in-Harry-Potter-can’t-they-just-stay-at-Hogwarts type feel.
And we all know how I felt about Deathly Hallows.
But in the end, I have to assume that my main issue is the one I can recall with the most clarity:
I don’t remember jack sh*t about it.
Looks like I’ll have to reread this ahead of the next book.
Bottom line: ??? Also, why do I have to WAIT SO DAMN LONG. I am not patient enough for this.
--------
it is with great sincerity and the utmost respect that i must say:
WHAT THE F*CK???!!! what the f*ck
(rtc / 3 stars)
--------
started reading this as close to "immediately upon finishing the first book" as was physically possible for me
Rating: really liked it
you know that feeling when you misremember how you felt about a book, potentially romanticising it, because you swear the story was just that good?? i think i did that with
‘truly devious’ because i went into this expecting it to be a five star read. and maybe thats my fault. i should have done a quick reread beforehand because this sequel did nothing to help me remember why i thought i was obsessed with this story.
dont get me wrong. its still a pretty solid sequel and a really good book, but it didnt live up to my unfairly high expectations. what i enjoyed most was that i kept wanting to turn the page. MJ has perfected the art of subtle giving - just enough to keep the reader satisfied, while also making them want more. the pacing is really good, there is never a dull moment, and i thought the story did a great job at picking up where the previous book left off.
however, there is a pretty big reveal in this book, one that readers have been dying to know since the beginning, and i was very underwhelmed with it. its one of those reveals that the reader would never guess because it kind of comes out of nowhere, with none of the given hints leading to it. so thats a bit of a bummer.
but overall this is a fun and exciting book. definitely not as good as the first one (based on how i remember it), but still very much worth my time. im looking forward to seeing how things get wrapped up in the concluding instalment!
↠ 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
In this book, Stevie Bell's parents pull her out of Ellingham academy due to safety concerns. She is missing all the excitement she had during the investigation in the school. One fine day Edward King comes to her house and offers a deal in which he will bring Stevie back to Ellingham if she promises if she behaves nicely with David and keep an eye on him. Stevie says yes and goes back to the school to solve the case she was involved with. Maureen Johnson somehow pulls out a somewhat exciting sequel within necessary twists and turns, which bridges the first and third books.
What I learned from this book 1) Why it is said that you should never mess up with a librarian? In the first book, the author told us the importance Albert Ellingham gave to the school's library. A vital tenet that almost all the students know is that a good librarian can change your life unreservedly. They can direct you to the right books suitable for you at the right time in your life. Not only librarians but also anyone related to books can similarly help you. In a book by Abdul Kalam, I remember reading the significant role of a second bookstore owner in Madras in shaping his personality. The bookstore owner used to find rare books for Kalam as he was well aware of his reading taste. Kalam said that he wouldn't have read many of his favorite books if he didn't know that bookseller.
“Albert Ellingham said knowledge was his religion and libraries were his church.”
"You don't get things past librarians."
"I heard about her from one of the top librarians at the public library, this girl from Avenue A who read Greek and slipped into one of the rare books rooms three times. They said she was trouble, but good trouble."
"Back in Pittsburgh, if someone had infiltrated the library with fifty squirrels, that person would have been hailed as a hero. But Ellingham was full of library lovers, and there was the feeling in the air that this was, perhaps, a bridge too far. You could be naked, you could scream and hang out on the roof, but you do not mess with the place with the books."
2) The psychology of people trapped indoors Emma Donoghue has wonderfully written a novel called Room on this topic. This is a crucial topic that was immensely discussed recently when the whole world had to stay indoors due to lockdown. We saw many people falling into depression and anxiety when they could not move outside as they wished. However, there are some other groups of people who want to stay inside than going out. They are usually patients suffering from mood disorders and agoraphobia. Maureen Johnston is also discussing about the similar attitude of people in this novel.
“Oh, I like it,” Nate said. “Snow makes it socially acceptable to stay in.”
3) What is the problem with the advertisement campaigns today? George Lois is someone who brought revolutionary changes in the advertisement campaigns. The verisimilitude of the majority of the advertisements to reality was a specialty at that time. As time passed and legends like Lois left us. Many modern-day advertisements are nowhere near to reality. The author is aptly criticizing this loss of quality and ethics in advertisements through Stevie.
"Stevie hated football, and she specifically hated the car commercials that were in football, and she specifically hated the car commercials that were in football, with the meaningless slogans and aggressive masculine messages about how important it was for Americans to drive up rocks and treat every trip to the store or a soccer game like a single-person invasion."
My favourite three lines from this book “When things are bad, give yourself a point for everything.”
“Reading is on of the greatest pleasure of life - maybe the greatest. All the money, all the power—none of it compares to a good book. A book gives you everything. It gives you a window into other souls, other worlds. The world is a door. Books are the key."
“The real magic rocks are the friends we make along the way.”
What could have been better? This book is exciting to read but still faces the problems of the second book in the trilogies. There is no world-building in this one like the first book, Truly devious. There is also no proper ending as it happens only in the third book. The plot is engaging but nothing spectacular. So it will be challenging to find staunch supporters for this book.
Rating 3/5This is my least favorite book in this series. It is still a good one time read.
Rating: really liked it
Dear Maureen Johnson and whoever publishes this trilogy,
Please send me the arc for this immediately as I am having a spaz attack after the cliffhanger of book number one, okay?
Sincerely,
Someone who wants to know who’s in the photo
Rating: really liked it
1.) Truly Devious ★★★★★
2.) The Vanishing Stair ★★★★.5
3.) The Hand on the Wall ★★★★.75
-----------------------------------------------
WHAT DOES THAT ENDING EVEN MEAN????
Rating: really liked it
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“Where do you look for someone who’s never really there? Always on a staircase but never on a stair.” 🌟 The Vanishing Stair was what I expected it to be; an unnecessary bridge to the third book and this whole series could have been a duology. Yes, this book fell into the second book syndrome with much blabber and not much happening till the end!
🌟 I enjoyed book 1 more than I did with this one because there were much to explore in it and not much to do so here! I read the 2 books in January so I didn’t have to go through that excruciating waiting that most of readers went through. I was slightly disappointed with how things carried on from the start. After the ending of book 1, you would expect a better beginning than the one this book had.
🌟 My feelings toward the characters did not change, I am not a big fan of any of them but I stand corrected on one point; I mentioned on my review of book 1 that the characters should be better given that it is a school for the best of the best. I don’t know how it escaped my attention but really, most of the students in the school were there as friends of the owner or they are connected to him in that way whether in the past or present!
🌟 There wasn’t much happening and I got bored, the last chapters were good and maybe it is because things finally happened then and we got an explanation to one of the mysteries.
🌟 Summary: This book was like book 1 in terms of characters, writing and the world-building. Less happened but we got ourselves some answers at last. I am not convinced in the contemporary/ Mystery mix but I am willing to read the last book when it is out!
Rating: really liked it
I. LOVED. THIS. SO. FREAKIN. MUCHThis was ... WILD. The twists?!?! The turns!!! The REVEALS. I think this is definitely becoming one of my new favourite series?? and I am DYING FOR BOOK THREE ALREADY
Where do you look for someone who's never really there? Always on a staircase, but never on a stair.
The Vanishing Stair starts a few months after the events of Truly Devious. Despite being pulled from Ellingham Academy by her parents, the mysteries of Ellingham Academy and the Truly Devious case still haunt Stevie. So she makes a deal with the devil (Edward King) and returns to Ellingham - in exchange for watching out for David, who she hasn't talked to since she left. But despite holding a fresh clue into the Truly Devious case, it seems harder than ever to solve - what does the new clue mean, what happened to Ellie, and how does the girl and boy who Stevie found in the photos tie back into the case.
Maureen Johnson absolutely outdid herself with this one! I enjoyed it even more than book one, which was one of my favourite books of 2018.
The Vanishing Stair was just as twisty and compelling as I expected. We're almost immediately thrown back into the mystery of Truly Devious and this book flew past for me. I finished the large majority of it in one sitting because it was so compelling and the time just flew past as I was reading it. I was totally immersed in the world, the characters, the mystery and everything.
I love the aesthetics of these book so much. The dark academia feel / mysterious boarding school element is an absolute favourite of mine. WE NEED MORE OF THIS !! This book is also kinda gory at times? And creepy? And ooh boy I loved that so much !! (Even though I was lowkey worrying about people appearing at the end of my bed as I was trying to sleep after finishing this)
I also LOVED HOW THE MYSTERY PLAYED OUT. I don't wanna reveal too much because spoilers, but
Maureen Johnson reveals so much, and yet it doesn't answer anything - it just leads to more questions and I thought that was SO INTERESTING !! I loved how the mystery expanded and became even more thorny and strange. I also loved how many clues we're given, and there is a chance to put it all together alongside Stevie (though of course I didn't because I am a dumb dumb). And that ending .. KILLED ME. And you know what? I love a good cliffhanger. Yes they're awful but they're also THE BEST. They get me so hyped for the next book and let me tell you ... 2020 needs to come faster because I am HYPED.
lets talk charactersI really enjoyed Stevie in this once again! She is a super intriguing character to follow and I love how fleshed out she is. The representation of her mental illness is also really well done, and I related to a lot of the things about anxiety.
I do wish Janelle and Nate had been in this more. Especially Janelle and Vi, they are such cute girlfriends and we need more of them. But I enjoyed the new side characters. Those being, the two students in 1929 introduced as part of the mystery. Both those characters were intriguing and I hope we learn more about them in the last book.
My surprise stand out favourite was .. the romance!? Now I don't usually care much for romance subplots but I am FEELING THIS ONE. The miscommunication was kind of annoying, but overall I am really, really into David/Stevie and like ,, actually felt my cold dead heart move a little every time they talked.
"There's nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
OVERALL, I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. I really hope more people pick up this series! I think it is so fun, so well written and has all that dark academia / creepy boarding school / mysterious aesthetic I know yall are hard for. @ the publisher if you're listening ................ send me book 3. (Actual rating 4.5*)
tws: anxiety/panic attacks, murder, death, abduction, dissections
Rating: really liked it
Four more astonishing and intriguing, TG this time I’m not disappointed stars!
This book’s difference from the first one, we don’t need any introductions about Ellingham academy, its history and past kidnapping, murder mysteries. It started where it left and we have some revelations, more informations, finding important pieces of puzzle.
This is more fast paced, riveting and entertaining book. I even start to empathize Stevie, her techniques, her obsessions, way of thinking, emotional up and downs.
The characters are still so much quirky, emotionally unstable but they’re smart, unique and entertaining in some ways ! I still like Nate and I got used to his antics! Still have big questions about David but as soon as he made a clean slate and told the truths about his f*cked up family history, I started to understand the sources of his mean and douchebag attitudes.
This time, there is a real cliffhanger at the end and we finally learned the kidnappers’ identities but it resulted with more unanswered questions! We’re still in the dark about student murders and perpetrators!
So looking forward to read the end of the trilogy! This is not the best YA murder mysteries that I’ve ever read! But it’s still brilliant and the way of storytelling, the references of old Doyle and Christie books makes you satisfied and keep your attention!
I wish I started to read them after the releasing of final book. Now I have to wait at least six months! That’s the worst thing when you finally get attached to a story, characters and the writing style of the author! Damn!!!
Rating: really liked it
The most disappointing part of the book?! The 'Acknowledgwments' just after the last chapter! I wanted MORE...and yes, I can imagine how vampires must be craving for warm blood to survive.
Ok, for Nate's sake, how this book made my life incompletely complete:
The second book started with a bang! Each page was so entertaining, except for the David parts, of course. (I still cannot get used to this character nor to the awkward romance. I guess I never will.) I find almost every character really amusing. Each character introduced had a mystery. Things might appear simple and fun but the real fun began when the book was just about to end. One mystery gets solved, three or four mysteries jump up just like that (and we all know how we love to get our lives ruined when the book ends with cliffhangers).
There's still some three or more murder mysteries yet to get solved and one very important mystery that had started it all still looming large.
The second book is much more fast paced, packed with action and some pulse throbbing case solving adventure! Secrets, hidden answers, trust matters, weird characters.....gave me more than what I had anticipated.
I just don't like the awkward romance thing between David and Stevie. It's so awkward. I preferred the chemistry between Vi and Janelle more no matter how small their parts were. In fact, I like all the characters with all their flaws and perfections.
Looking past the weakest character and chemistry issue, the book is still a solid 5 star read!
I appreciate the Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allan Poe references!
Such a good nerdy read I was craving for!
😈 Hey, third book, you cannot do anything but get ready to get stuck with me for the next two hours or so eh?!
Rating: really liked it
Three stars for a genuinely good second half but a) wasting the first half on retelling book one and b) the squirrels, the fountain, and the shit love interest
