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A review by sarahscupofcoffee
Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson
5.0
Read this and other reviews on www.travelthroughfiction.wordpress.com!
Travel Notes
The headphones felt heavy as they rested over my ears. I turned the music off and looked around. There’s so much you can learn about someone as they dance at a school function. Who do they hang out with? Where do their eyes go? Do they dance or stand on the sidelines? Are their smiles genuine or forced? What do they wear? The list goes on and on. My target for the evening: Stevie Bell.
Highlight of Trip: I explored the Great House with the rest of the first years, keeping an eye on one girl in particular: Stevie.
First Impressions
This book is gorgeous. I’m a sucker for the extras. I like maps (check), I like chapter heading graphics (check), and I like wit (check)! When you first open up this book, there’s a dedication: “For anyone who has ever dreamed of finding a body in the library.”
I cracked up before starting the first chapter.
John Green also did a blurb on the cover! I know I’m going to like this book because if John Green is shouting it out (he’s my favorite author), I have no reason to dislike it.
The Good
I’m stingy with my five out of five star reviews because there’s almost always something that I don’t like about a novel. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson was amazing!
I read this as a part of the Express Lane Weekend Readathon, which is a pop-up 24 hour readathon of my own creation that spans the course of a weekend. I finished this book in 10 hours, which is surprising to me because I thought I would’ve read it quicker.
Truly Devious was the perfect selection for a 24-hour readathon because it’s plot-driven and fast paced.
That being said, a lot of plot-driven stories tend to leave their characters and settings behind in favor of their plot lines. Maureen Johnson didn’t let that happen. This book has it all.
Let’s start with characters, because I love them so much. We meet a bunch of characters rather quickly, which is usually a problem for me. I struggle with separating characters. However, I didn’t have any issues, despite how many were introduced. Each character is so well developed that it’s easy to pinpoint who is speaking.
The settings were well developed and described, which is like the icing on the cake for me. I need that in my stories. Settings are one of my favorite parts to develop as a writer, so as a reader, I eat them up! The map helped, but it’s not needed to navigate Ellingham.
Lastly… the plot. Damn! This plot keeps twisting and turning. There’s internal conflict, external conflict. Murder, mysteries, a touch of romance. This book literally has it all, except for dragons.
I also want to touch on anxiety. Stevie has some massive anxiety issues and it’s well depicted. I have anxiety and the panic attacks can be brutal. Stevie has a panic attack in the novel and her experience is very close to what I experience. I felt represented there.
Should You Read It?
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson follows a high school junior named Stevie as she navigates Ellingham in person. She’s read all of the accounts about the murders that have happened on the grounds and she’s intrigued that she gets to be here in person. The Ellingham Academy is a free school, opened only to the brightest upperclassmen minds. Stevie wants to be an FBI agent one day and she “studies crime.” Her mission is to find out who killed Ellingham’s wife and daughter, as well as solve an additional mystery that popped up right under her nose.
This book is perfect for mystery fans, thriller fans, and honestly… fans of Pretty Little Liars. It gives off a similar vibe. I’m not a mystery fan, but I loved this book.
Travel Notes
The headphones felt heavy as they rested over my ears. I turned the music off and looked around. There’s so much you can learn about someone as they dance at a school function. Who do they hang out with? Where do their eyes go? Do they dance or stand on the sidelines? Are their smiles genuine or forced? What do they wear? The list goes on and on. My target for the evening: Stevie Bell.
Highlight of Trip: I explored the Great House with the rest of the first years, keeping an eye on one girl in particular: Stevie.
First Impressions
This book is gorgeous. I’m a sucker for the extras. I like maps (check), I like chapter heading graphics (check), and I like wit (check)! When you first open up this book, there’s a dedication: “For anyone who has ever dreamed of finding a body in the library.”
I cracked up before starting the first chapter.
John Green also did a blurb on the cover! I know I’m going to like this book because if John Green is shouting it out (he’s my favorite author), I have no reason to dislike it.
The Good
I’m stingy with my five out of five star reviews because there’s almost always something that I don’t like about a novel. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson was amazing!
I read this as a part of the Express Lane Weekend Readathon, which is a pop-up 24 hour readathon of my own creation that spans the course of a weekend. I finished this book in 10 hours, which is surprising to me because I thought I would’ve read it quicker.
Truly Devious was the perfect selection for a 24-hour readathon because it’s plot-driven and fast paced.
That being said, a lot of plot-driven stories tend to leave their characters and settings behind in favor of their plot lines. Maureen Johnson didn’t let that happen. This book has it all.
Let’s start with characters, because I love them so much. We meet a bunch of characters rather quickly, which is usually a problem for me. I struggle with separating characters. However, I didn’t have any issues, despite how many were introduced. Each character is so well developed that it’s easy to pinpoint who is speaking.
The settings were well developed and described, which is like the icing on the cake for me. I need that in my stories. Settings are one of my favorite parts to develop as a writer, so as a reader, I eat them up! The map helped, but it’s not needed to navigate Ellingham.
Lastly… the plot. Damn! This plot keeps twisting and turning. There’s internal conflict, external conflict. Murder, mysteries, a touch of romance. This book literally has it all, except for dragons.
I also want to touch on anxiety. Stevie has some massive anxiety issues and it’s well depicted. I have anxiety and the panic attacks can be brutal. Stevie has a panic attack in the novel and her experience is very close to what I experience. I felt represented there.
Should You Read It?
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson follows a high school junior named Stevie as she navigates Ellingham in person. She’s read all of the accounts about the murders that have happened on the grounds and she’s intrigued that she gets to be here in person. The Ellingham Academy is a free school, opened only to the brightest upperclassmen minds. Stevie wants to be an FBI agent one day and she “studies crime.” Her mission is to find out who killed Ellingham’s wife and daughter, as well as solve an additional mystery that popped up right under her nose.
This book is perfect for mystery fans, thriller fans, and honestly… fans of Pretty Little Liars. It gives off a similar vibe. I’m not a mystery fan, but I loved this book.