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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
4.5 stars! I went into this audiobook thinking I'd half-listen to it while doing other tasks, but I was wrong. I became pretty hooked pretty quickly. The narration is wonderful and the characters are very distinct to me. The setting of Ellingham is crystal clear to me and the way Johnson described it made it quite atmospheric. This is a true-crime, murder mystery with some dark academia boarding school vibes (so exactly what I like to read about). It's definitely YA, but I couldn't stop listening and I immediately moved onto the next audiobook. As for But I'm so here for the friendship between Janelle, Nate, and Stevie though. That's my favorite relationship so far!
Spoiler
David, I am not really sure that I like him as the love interest. I kind of read Stevie as ace? demi-sexual? (but maybe that's my own bias) so I just wasn't totally vibing with that relationship. Maybe it's written that way on purpose for the next books...
This took so long to finish because I ended up in a big reading rut, BUT, this book flew once I got over that. In the back of my mind I knew this was part of a trilogy, but was still bummed when I got to the end and had no clear answers. I have immediately requested the following two in the series from my library. I was honestly a little creeped out while reading, but I just need to know what happens! About halfway through I felt like nothing much had happened, so as with most multi-series books, there did seem to be a fair bit of set-up here, hoping that this dwindles in the rest of the series. Excited to uncover the mystery!
Hey Biblophiles!!
This book was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed the mystery and the fun riddles. To kick off my 2020 reading year off to a good start, I picked up a book with the perfect vibe for this cold, foggy and mysterious month of January.
Trulu Devious by Maureen Jhonson is the first book in a trilogy. I have read The Vanishing Stair (2nd book), and The Hand on the Wall (3rd book) will be coming out this year, and I literally can't wait!!
If you don't know what this book is about, it follows the story of this girl named Stevie Bell who has been accepted into the Ellingham Academy, an exclusive free school for people who are passionate about a subject or career field. So Stevie is a true-crime afficionado, and she has always been really interested in the Ellingham murder case in which a student named Dottie Epstein mysteriously disappears, and the family of Mr. Ellingham, the founder of the school is kidnapped and murdered.
So essentially the story has 2 timelines: The first timeline is in the year 1936, when the actual events of this kidnapping took place and the kidnapper just leaves with a note signed "Truly Devious". The second timeline follows Stevie as she comes to Ellingham and Truly Devious makes a chilling return. Another student dies, one more disappears. It seems as if history is repearing itself.
I absolutely loved this book!! If you are a fan of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes, this book is just for you! Personally, I really love the mystery and contemporary thriller genre, so it was a treat for me! Other than that, there is the mystery, the fun riddles, the plot twists to keep you hooked.
Go to my blog, The Bookworm's Express, for more reviews like this at https://fantasymaniac.wixsite.com/Bookworm's express
This book was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed the mystery and the fun riddles. To kick off my 2020 reading year off to a good start, I picked up a book with the perfect vibe for this cold, foggy and mysterious month of January.
Trulu Devious by Maureen Jhonson is the first book in a trilogy. I have read The Vanishing Stair (2nd book), and The Hand on the Wall (3rd book) will be coming out this year, and I literally can't wait!!
If you don't know what this book is about, it follows the story of this girl named Stevie Bell who has been accepted into the Ellingham Academy, an exclusive free school for people who are passionate about a subject or career field. So Stevie is a true-crime afficionado, and she has always been really interested in the Ellingham murder case in which a student named Dottie Epstein mysteriously disappears, and the family of Mr. Ellingham, the founder of the school is kidnapped and murdered.
So essentially the story has 2 timelines: The first timeline is in the year 1936, when the actual events of this kidnapping took place and the kidnapper just leaves with a note signed "Truly Devious". The second timeline follows Stevie as she comes to Ellingham and Truly Devious makes a chilling return. Another student dies, one more disappears. It seems as if history is repearing itself.
I absolutely loved this book!! If you are a fan of Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes, this book is just for you! Personally, I really love the mystery and contemporary thriller genre, so it was a treat for me! Other than that, there is the mystery, the fun riddles, the plot twists to keep you hooked.
Go to my blog, The Bookworm's Express, for more reviews like this at https://fantasymaniac.wixsite.com/Bookworm's express
3.5 stars but enough fun that I’ll continue the series.
Such a fun YA mystery with total Nancy Drew vibes! The boarding school setting and twists made this one super enjoyable. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series
this book was so thought through and ready to take the reader on a roller coaster of a ride. Stevie is a baddie and David is a hottie and together they have become the OG ie's. what does that mean. I don't know, but I'm saying it anyways because it is what it is. but this book/series really was so good & I didn't even guess the plot twists. which I feel like never happens to me so I was glad !
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Finished this book and I stared at the ceiling like "why did I put myself through that? just why?". I did not like this book. Everything seemed to get on my nerve.
Okay so this book is supposed to follow a murder mystery. It's about this elite school and there was a kidnapping that was unsolved. Years later enters Stevie, the quirky kid whose whole personality is being a detective. Stevie has one goal and that's to solve the mystery and I'm like "do you girl"
I wanted to love this book, heaven knows I wanted to love it. First off the book was boring, I'm sorry but I couldn't find one single moment where I was actually excited or intrigued. Maybe except when the second mystery popped up but even that died after a few pages.
The characters were so boring. They felt so one dimensional and without personality. I didn't even care for any single one of them. There was no depth anywhere.
Now let's talk about the thing that pissed me off the most, the romance. There was absolutely no reason David and Stevie should have had anything between them. There was no connection between them, no spark, no nothing so where the hell did feelings come from??
Then you have the "mystery". It wasn't ever solved by the way. Apparently you need three books to solve the mystery (PS. I went ahead to read the spoilers and it felt like the author put together the most bizzare things to give you that shock factor).
I've read unsatisfying book before but this right here? This might as well take the crown
I only gave this two stars because for a brief moment, the second half almost made me feel like something was finally happening.
PS. Take my review with a pinch of salt <3
Okay so this book is supposed to follow a murder mystery. It's about this elite school and there was a kidnapping that was unsolved. Years later enters Stevie, the quirky kid whose whole personality is being a detective. Stevie has one goal and that's to solve the mystery and I'm like "do you girl"
I wanted to love this book, heaven knows I wanted to love it. First off the book was boring, I'm sorry but I couldn't find one single moment where I was actually excited or intrigued. Maybe except when the second mystery popped up but even that died after a few pages.
The characters were so boring. They felt so one dimensional and without personality. I didn't even care for any single one of them. There was no depth anywhere.
Now let's talk about the thing that pissed me off the most, the romance. There was absolutely no reason David and Stevie should have had anything between them. There was no connection between them, no spark, no nothing so where the hell did feelings come from??
Then you have the "mystery". It wasn't ever solved by the way. Apparently you need three books to solve the mystery (PS. I went ahead to read the spoilers and it felt like the author put together the most bizzare things to give you that shock factor).
I've read unsatisfying book before but this right here? This might as well take the crown
I only gave this two stars because for a brief moment, the second half almost made me feel like something was finally happening.
PS. Take my review with a pinch of salt <3
I liked it: the atmosphere of the academy, the flashbacks, the characters. But I'm not someone who tries to figure out the mystery before the detective, so the .