The Steps by Wendelin Van Draanen

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✦ BLURB ✦

Fourteen-year-old chess whiz Ruby Vossen tries to keep to herself. She refuses to be a pawn in her wealthy family’s web of deception.

But ever since Ruby’s mother and aunt died in a car wreck, the battle lines drawn within the Vossen clan have ruled her life. Ruby’s father and uncle became irreparably estranged, and within months, Ruby’s cousin/BFF was banished from her life, her father remarried, and she wound up with a gold-digging stepmom who has two teens of her own—The Steps.

So when strange and dangerous things begin happening on the Vossen estate, Ruby sees only one logical explanation: The Steps are scheming to inherit the Vossen fortune. And as things get more and more intense, it seems like killing is in their playbook.

Luckily, Ruby has her own playbook, and she’s not about to go down without a fight. She’ll even break her dad’s rules to get her cousin back on her side of the chessboard . . . It’s time to check-mate The Steps before they can finish the Vossens off.

Secrets, lies, and lethal threats abound in this clever, quirky thriller by the award-winning, bestselling author of Flipped and the Sammy Keyes mysteries.

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Money, manipulation, and a murder-y mystery — and yes, there’s chess, but no, it’s not the main game being played.

PRE-READING THOUGHTS
With a title like The Steps, a tagline about inheritance, and a chess prodigy main character, I was expecting a twisty strategic thriller — probably full of scheming relatives and cryptic metaphors about pawns and queens. And while it sort of delivered that, it also zigzagged into some unexpected places.

POST-READING
🌀 As I thought...
This is much more about emotional power than chess moves. Ruby’s family is a masterclass in dysfunction: tangled loyalties, weaponised wealth, and carefully maintained silences. Her step-family dynamic is as chilling as it is believable — there’s that quiet horror of knowing you’re not safe, but not being believed or taken seriously. It’s Ruby’s voice that really holds it together: determined, smart, and emotionally prickly in a way that makes you want to root for her even when she’s spiraling.

✨ It surprised me by...
Leaning so deeply into family toxicity. The chess stuff, while present, is just background compared to the real game: influence, power, control. There’s a lot to unpack here — what it means to be loyal, to stand up for yourself, to stop playing the roles people hand you. The mystery itself had great tension… although the final reveal felt a bit rushed and disconnected. (It’s hard to guess the killer when they’ve had three lines!)

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✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

📚 We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
📺 Knives Out meets Cruel Summer — rich people, secrets, and unreliable truths

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “Control” – Halsey
🎶 Vibe Album: Fake It Flowers – beabadoobee (angsty, sharp, teenage fury in guitar form)
🎧 Artist Recommendation: Mitski — for her ability to make emotional collapse sound like a quiet war

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✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

🎨 Colour palette: Oxblood red, shadowy grey, crisp white pawn
🎬 Soundtrack: Ticking clocks, echoing footsteps, and a single piano note held too long
🍂 Season: Late autumn — the kind of chill that makes secrets brittle
🧠 Mood: Spiralling suspicion in a velvet-gloved fist
👃 Scent: Polished wood, garden smoke, expensive perfume with something rotten underneath

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★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

🔮 5 of Swords - The Unfolding Path Tarot

A young woman walks away from a battlefield. She's carrying her prizes, but she's battered and bruised - was it worth it? This is the card of pyrrhic victories - you've won in the moment, but the war is still looming, and your victory may yet turn to ash. No spoilers, but this card is apt for this story!

The Steps publishes on the 2nd September, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.