Book Review: The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

“Anxiety is very accommodating. Minutes ago, Stevie’s anxiety was all about failure. It neatly converted itself into worry about places called Bounce Houses and not having hot water or air-conditioning. It was perfectly ready to bring the snakes to the party. It’s a big tent. All problems are welcome.”

Maureen Johnson, The Box in the Woods

My reviews for the first three books in the Truly Devious series.

Review:

It’s been a few years since I binged the first three books in the Truly Devious series. I remember being so hooked that I read them over the span of two days. When the third book didn’t end on a cliffhanger, I wanted to be sure that when I picked up book four, I was prepared for the same commitment. As I picked this up, I saw that a sixth book is set to be published later this year, so on one hand, I’m glad I held off. On the other hand, it’s been long enough that it feels like I’ve (sadly) outgrown the series. 

Over summer break, Stevie receives a letter from a camp in Massachusetts, which is home to a cold case from the 1970s. Unable to pass up the opportunity, Stevie rounds up her friends from Ellingham Academy and starts her investigation. None of them expected to become targets themselves. 

Again, it has been a while since I read the initial trilogy, but I feel like the tone of the story was different this time around. Maybe it’s partially due to the setting away from the academy. I enjoyed the solving of the mystery enough, but the impact wasn’t there for me. I think the evolution of my reading tastes and getting older are to blame and not the book itself. I am going to continue with the series. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• I liked revisiting the characters again.
• Good mix of historical and contemporary mystery.

What I didn’t like:

• The teenager drama was annoying to me this time around.
• The story struggled to settle on a focal point.

Afterthoughts:

I kind of wish I could go back in time and pick this up when I read the others, because I’d be curious to know if my reaction would be different.

Where to buy the book: