The Vanishing Stair

Pros:
- This book starts off right after the end of Truly Devious which is great because we were left with a horrible cliffhanger. Stevie is still on the case of the Ellingham murders, but she also has to deal with what is happening in the present at Ellingham. I continued to appreciate the juxtaposition between 1936 and the present throughout the book, but this book was definitely more focused on the present.
- Second books in series can often be challenging since there is so much hype and potential to live up to, but I'm happy to say this book still kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on and how everything was connected.
- The side characters in this series continue to be some of the best characters and really add so much to the story. I think they are what make this story great, it isn't just the mystery of Ellingham and Stevie trying to solve ALL THE CRIMES. It is also who she has around her and their life stories. I truly care about David, Janelle, Nate, and Vi and what is going on with them, even Mudge had some great moments in this one (I really wish we could learn more about all the other students that are there but we focus on Stevie's circle).

Cons:
- With the cliffhanger ending to this book, I am pretty mad that I have to wait another year to find out what actually happened. But based on what we learned in this installment, I have a few questions about it will take an entire book to solve everything that has happened. I feel like Maureen Johnson may have revealed too much too soon in this second book.

3.5/5
I vote that David gets a therapist in book 3.

A pretty solid sequel! A lot of unexpected twists in this one, and every answer leaves you asking new questions. We are left on another cliffhanger, and I sometimes feel like the mysteries are a bit too drawn out but overall still a really enjoyable read.

So I don't know how to rate this one just yet. I did enjoy parts of it, but I also felt like it had the ‘second book syndrom.'
But it was also quite exciting, if you know what I mean! It did have some amazing parts and some plottwists, which I did enjoy. But the plot in general was a bit too dramatic for me! Nevertheless I am excited to read the final installment! :D

It's a series so I will just keep everything under a spoiler tag.

I simmered in how I felt about this book. Unfortunately for me in some ways it missed the mark. I still had a lot of fun reading it. I finished it within a couple of days. Some pros: I absolutely adored that Stevie was able to dig deeper into Ellingham Academy mystery. There was still some things that she discovered with the deaths of present day students. To me I felt like we got a lot more revealed about the past which I really enjoyed. I have also listened to this on audiobook and found the narration for different characters to be great. The things that bothered me about it was the interactions mostly between Stevie and David. I won't be surprised if they are together in the final book because they've had this off and on thing. As I said in my update I know we are working with seventeen and eighteen year old logic here. I am just so frustrated by David and his total lack of understanding towards Stevie at times.Stevie has had to deal with:• Being thrust out of her school once she felt like she has meaningful and close relationships with people.• Being put in really tough place by an adult who does not want her to share why she is back at school, how she got there, and the motivation he has from it. This is just a prime example of a powerful adult exerting his power over her. • IDK DEALING WITH THE FACT THAT SOMEONE DIED!David knew how she got there. He knew there was some sort of connection with his father. Instead of approaching Stevie about any of this he waits to have this implode after they've kissed. He makes her feel guilty for withholding information from him. I can't imagine how anxiety inducing it would've been for Stevie to not share these things with anyone. You have someone who has a lot of power who has made you fearful. Where is the understanding David?Anyway, can't wait for 2020.

I am so in love with these characters and Ellingham Academy! The description of each book in the series gives nothing away and makes you really want to read the nest one. The way information is discovered makes a lot of sense and we also get to discover more about Stevie as she is growing as a person. This is a perfect book two and I have to get my hands on book 3 now to finish this series!

Recensie van audioboek (via Storytel)3,5 sterretjesJeij dat deze al uit was toen ik [b:Truly Devious 29589074 Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1) Maureen Johnson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498501619s/29589074.jpg 49916452] net uit had. Boe dat deel drie er nog niet is.Maar bij deze zit ik toch minder op mijn honger dan bij boek 1, want er werd wel met heel wat antwoorden gestrooid. Er zijn nog genoeg onopgeloste zaken, dat wel, maar ik heb net genoeg antwoorden om tevreden te kunnen wachten op boek 3. Maar het moet nu ook niet meer te lang duren ;)Enige minpuntje is dat ik me in dit boek een beetje irriteerde bij bepaalde acties van het hoofdpersonage, vooral dan hoe ze anderen behandelt. Ze is super kwaad dat iemand iets niet aan haar vertelde, want dat is liegen, maar als zij net hetzelfde doet of eigenlijk serieus over de lijn gaat, dan moeten die haar maar begrijpen. Euhm, neen.Maar verder dan derest, weer een leuke, mysterieuze reis met dit audioboek.

I thought the first book in the series was just okay, but this continuation was everything that I wanted it to be. I thoroughly enjoyed the clues and reveals and, even though I don't usually enjoy YA because of its simplicity, I couldn't put this book down once the pieces started coming together.  I also now understand that the first book couldn't be all that satisfying, because the whole trilogy should be looked at as a whole, and rating each installment individually is not quite fair.  Overall, a really fun and thrilling reading experience. I'm starting the next book right away because I just need to know more.

4.5⭐️ Wow that ending was one that actually attached more and MORE to this series it was good and bad(in a good way)? After finishing this book I totally picked up the second one lol. Ummmmmm I totally like Hunter I think he is now my favorite character, also Stevie's pls dump David like girl HE.IS.NOT.WORTH.IT