The Hand on the Wall
Ratings87
Average rating4
15
Reviewed
- 3.5 stars
i blew through this trilogy and i definitely really enjoyed it. i think overall it's a 3-star trilogy, but the 1st and 3rd book hit me environmentally and mystery-wise a little better than the middle book. i honestly think i would have had a MUCH more positive review of this had the romance sub-plot been ... thrown into space and obliterated. it was so unnecessary and annoying every time it came up and kept pulling me out of the story and making me frustrated likeeee what is this even adding to the story lol stop please i'm begginggggg
i also really would have liked to have seen more with the side characters and friendships. (and uhh obvs LESS with the romance. sigh.) i felt at one point like both of stevie's best friends were sort of just ... there. they were only interesting in the first book when they were being introduced to us, and then just kinda were like a side note, and that felt like a lost opportunity.
that aside, this feels a lot like a YA version of ‘knives out' set at a boarding school, and that was truly great. the author definitely got the environment and the mystery itself down well, and i liked the main character a lot. i also loved the flashbacks to the original storyline in the past and the way the pieces wove together and were exposed to the reader. i'm glad i finally read this series!