Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ishouldreadthat 's review for:
Truly Devious
by Maureen Johnson
Originally posted to I Should Read That
It has been hard to escape the hype for Truly Devious, a book that has taken the YA book world by storm, and I was totally taken in by it. I try to not let hype dictate my reading choices -- I so often end up disappointed -- but I was just so curious about this book. I had never read YA crime before, knew that it was the first in a trilogy, and knew that the author is a true crime fan -- that was all. I had one false start with this book because I couldn't get past the main character, however I ended up giving it a try on audiobook and absolutely devoured it.
This book is a funny one for a number of reasons. It breaks what I think of as the tradition of crime books by not resolving the crime by the end. The main character doesn’t stand out much -- she fades into the background because the secondary characters are much more interesting. The romance is really lackluster. The book investigates two crimes -- one historical and one current -- at the same time, and one is much more interesting than the other. However, I still found it so incredibly compelling once I had the narrator’s voice in my ears.
The setting of Ellingham Academy is really interesting, and I loved the history of the school and the tragedy that took place there. I loved Stevie’s investigations into the school’s past and the clues Johnson drops into the story. But I just didn’t have the same attachment to the modern storyline as I did the historic one for some reason. I think the thing that grabbed me most was this mysterious crime that has remained unsolved for decades -- this is exactly when draws people into the world of true crime and Johnson did a great job of recreating that sense of morbid curiosity.
While there are fun characters in this book -- Janelle has stolen my heart and I want to be her friend in real life -- I do think that Stevie is one of the weaker parts of the book. In theory, I should love her. I’m about 90% sure she’s autistic, she’s super passionate about criminal justice and solving the Ellingham case, and she’s snarky and sarcastic. However, there was something about her that just didn’t leap of the page to me. She felt almost like a bystander in her own story, if you know what I mean. I hope she gets a little more developed further down the line, but this issue honestly could just be down to personal taste.
Overall, Truly Devious is a fun and addicting mystery. I listened to the audiobook in record time and let me tell you, my flat has never been so clean. I usually don’t read sequels until I’ve reviewed the first book, but I broke my rule in this instance and have already devoured The Vanishing Stair. Now that I’ve read them both, I can confidently say that some of the issues I had in this first book and well on their way to being resolved later in the series. I am super curious to see how this series ends in 2020.
3.5 out of 5 stars
It has been hard to escape the hype for Truly Devious, a book that has taken the YA book world by storm, and I was totally taken in by it. I try to not let hype dictate my reading choices -- I so often end up disappointed -- but I was just so curious about this book. I had never read YA crime before, knew that it was the first in a trilogy, and knew that the author is a true crime fan -- that was all. I had one false start with this book because I couldn't get past the main character, however I ended up giving it a try on audiobook and absolutely devoured it.
This book is a funny one for a number of reasons. It breaks what I think of as the tradition of crime books by not resolving the crime by the end. The main character doesn’t stand out much -- she fades into the background because the secondary characters are much more interesting. The romance is really lackluster. The book investigates two crimes -- one historical and one current -- at the same time, and one is much more interesting than the other. However, I still found it so incredibly compelling once I had the narrator’s voice in my ears.
The setting of Ellingham Academy is really interesting, and I loved the history of the school and the tragedy that took place there. I loved Stevie’s investigations into the school’s past and the clues Johnson drops into the story. But I just didn’t have the same attachment to the modern storyline as I did the historic one for some reason. I think the thing that grabbed me most was this mysterious crime that has remained unsolved for decades -- this is exactly when draws people into the world of true crime and Johnson did a great job of recreating that sense of morbid curiosity.
While there are fun characters in this book -- Janelle has stolen my heart and I want to be her friend in real life -- I do think that Stevie is one of the weaker parts of the book. In theory, I should love her. I’m about 90% sure she’s autistic, she’s super passionate about criminal justice and solving the Ellingham case, and she’s snarky and sarcastic. However, there was something about her that just didn’t leap of the page to me. She felt almost like a bystander in her own story, if you know what I mean. I hope she gets a little more developed further down the line, but this issue honestly could just be down to personal taste.
Overall, Truly Devious is a fun and addicting mystery. I listened to the audiobook in record time and let me tell you, my flat has never been so clean. I usually don’t read sequels until I’ve reviewed the first book, but I broke my rule in this instance and have already devoured The Vanishing Stair. Now that I’ve read them both, I can confidently say that some of the issues I had in this first book and well on their way to being resolved later in the series. I am super curious to see how this series ends in 2020.
3.5 out of 5 stars