You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Liked it more than I thought I would. I wasn’t fully sold on the relationship between Stevie and David, but I’m intrigued to see where it will go, both with them and with the mystery!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first YA mystery/thriller and i really enjoyed it!!!
Can’t wait to find out who the killer is
Can’t wait to find out who the killer is
This wasn't a usual type of read for me. My main attraction to the book was one review I skimmed that said, "If you like Criminal Minds, you may like this book." Taking this remark with a very large grain of salt, I picked up the book, having pretty low expectations but at the same time being excited to dip into mystery and crime.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which I feel can be reflected by how quickly I read it. At first, I was worried the characters would all be the typical quirky schoolkid types, and many of them absolutely had those tropes. In my experience, many YA books have these types of characters - they have little depth of personality, no complex thoughts, and little insight into where their uniqueness comes from. The characters in Truly, Devious were 'different' and 'quirky', but they had lives that backed these tropes up in a logical way. It made sense for each person to be the way they were.
Usually I enjoy books that change perspective each chapter or have flashbacks, though in this case it was a little bit jarring at times. I think the intention was that the reader would learn something about the past situation, and then in the next chapter the present day main character, Stevie, would learn something in conjunction to it. However, this didn't always line up, and I found myself having to flip back to previous chapters every now and then to put the pieces together. This really wasn't that big of an issue, and it obviously didn't deter me enough to take off more than one star.
I loved learning about the school's past while Stevie worked to solve her mysteries and navigated her own life as a teenager. The main focus was the crime that occurred at the school, which she had learned about and was interested in, but she also had to figure out where she stood in a new place with a new friend group, some of whom had mysteries of their own. The ending was a little fast, and I felt that there was a sudden growth of a handful of new plot branches in the last 80-or-so pages; however, I'm interested to pick up the second book and find out which direction the author took.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which I feel can be reflected by how quickly I read it. At first, I was worried the characters would all be the typical quirky schoolkid types, and many of them absolutely had those tropes. In my experience, many YA books have these types of characters - they have little depth of personality, no complex thoughts, and little insight into where their uniqueness comes from. The characters in Truly, Devious were 'different' and 'quirky', but they had lives that backed these tropes up in a logical way. It made sense for each person to be the way they were.
Usually I enjoy books that change perspective each chapter or have flashbacks, though in this case it was a little bit jarring at times. I think the intention was that the reader would learn something about the past situation, and then in the next chapter the present day main character, Stevie, would learn something in conjunction to it. However, this didn't always line up, and I found myself having to flip back to previous chapters every now and then to put the pieces together. This really wasn't that big of an issue, and it obviously didn't deter me enough to take off more than one star.
I loved learning about the school's past while Stevie worked to solve her mysteries and navigated her own life as a teenager. The main focus was the crime that occurred at the school, which she had learned about and was interested in, but she also had to figure out where she stood in a new place with a new friend group, some of whom had mysteries of their own. The ending was a little fast, and I felt that there was a sudden growth of a handful of new plot branches in the last 80-or-so pages; however, I'm interested to pick up the second book and find out which direction the author took.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Leonardo Nair Holmes was accustomed to gaps in the calendar, days simply went away. Once in 1928 he misplaced all of june and had no solid proof that 1931 ever existed people told him it did, they showed him newspapers and everything, but you can't believe everything you read.” It blew my mind. Loved it loved it.
It's an amazing combination of Harry Potter universe and sherlock Holmes. It's more on detective side of the story than a thriller. The characters are young adults, so it does bring you back to young yourself a little bit but not too much, it doesn't feel like young adult book.
The book is thrilling and exciting and it's the first book in years that a was a page turner and I couldn't put it down and I read it, maybe in two days I’m not sure I lost track of hours I didn't sleep I was just reading the book.
It’s also the book that you forget the name of right of the gates. It’s a pure pleasure, not a thinker.
It's an amazing combination of Harry Potter universe and sherlock Holmes. It's more on detective side of the story than a thriller. The characters are young adults, so it does bring you back to young yourself a little bit but not too much, it doesn't feel like young adult book.
The book is thrilling and exciting and it's the first book in years that a was a page turner and I couldn't put it down and I read it, maybe in two days I’m not sure I lost track of hours I didn't sleep I was just reading the book.
It’s also the book that you forget the name of right of the gates. It’s a pure pleasure, not a thinker.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
A fun and entertaining mystery! Very Nancy Drew or Ebola Holmes. Hate that the main mystery spans 5 books but they are quick and easy so I’ll read the next one and then decide if I want to keep going.
*2.5 Stars. Just… ugh I guess.
I had pretty high hopes for this one, and I’m feeling a little let down. It was enjoyable enough and readable. I never disliked reading this book or had trouble getting through it, but I also had a ton of problems and it was just kind of painfully mediocre.
It took a real long time for the plot to start happening. I would mind a lot of time spent on character introduction if the characters were a little more interesting. I never found myself invested or attached to any of them.
Also, David is the worst love interest I have read in a long time. He just kind of insults and lies to Stevie all the time and she likes him because… he’s pretty I guess? Could not get invested in their relationship at all. He was awful.
I will say that the novel’s greatest strength is probably the vibes. The quirky private school setting was cool. The background characters were lively enough, and the overall fun atmosphere and tone of the book were enjoyable. This book was a lot of style and not a lot of substance.
I think the most frustrating aspect is that the mystery is left really incomplete. I know this is a trilogy and not every loose end was going to be tied up, but we really got no concrete answers. And the big cliffhanger literally had me feel nothing but frustration.
Maybe I’ll give the sequels a shot at a later time, but I’m not super excited about them. Overall, I think this one was a miss for me.
I had pretty high hopes for this one, and I’m feeling a little let down. It was enjoyable enough and readable. I never disliked reading this book or had trouble getting through it, but I also had a ton of problems and it was just kind of painfully mediocre.
It took a real long time for the plot to start happening. I would mind a lot of time spent on character introduction if the characters were a little more interesting. I never found myself invested or attached to any of them.
Also, David is the worst love interest I have read in a long time. He just kind of insults and lies to Stevie all the time and she likes him because… he’s pretty I guess? Could not get invested in their relationship at all. He was awful.
I will say that the novel’s greatest strength is probably the vibes. The quirky private school setting was cool. The background characters were lively enough, and the overall fun atmosphere and tone of the book were enjoyable. This book was a lot of style and not a lot of substance.
I think the most frustrating aspect is that the mystery is left really incomplete. I know this is a trilogy and not every loose end was going to be tied up, but we really got no concrete answers. And the big cliffhanger literally had me feel nothing but frustration.
Maybe I’ll give the sequels a shot at a later time, but I’m not super excited about them. Overall, I think this one was a miss for me.
Now this. Is a damn good murder mystery. Normally I can guess who committed the murder but this one left me wondering right until the end. I can't wait to start the sequel!