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ireadthebooks's review
3.0
I once watched a vlogbrothers video where John Green described Maureen Johnson as a “true eccentric.” That’s never more apparent than on Twitter, and if you don’t already follow her, you should because it is hysterical. She has a very distinct style and voice as an author, and I think if you gave me a bunch of chapters by different authors and said, “Pick the Johnson one,” it would be easy. Her characters are intelligent, sarcastic, and spirited, and they’ve got spunk. I don’t use the word spunk very often, but there you go.
Maureen often references her experiences in the Catholic high school system, and watching that color this book was very fun, from Jane’s cracks about the nuns to the polyester uniforms littered in many of MJ’s novels. Honestly, this book was so full of small tidbits of snark that I’ve got about four quotes in my head to add to this post, but I won’t, because 1) I left the book at home and 2) they’re funnier in context, like everything else. Here’s just one:
Favorite Quote: “There was something wrong in Providence today, and I, for one, was going home to hide from it.”
Devilish is much shorter than Johnson’s other novels, but this was appropriate for a retelling of the Faust myth. I liked Jane, who was a consummate Johnson heroine, but I was far less enamored with her friend Ally, who just seemed sad and boring. The romance angle felt forced, and the story would’ve worked just as well without it. I realize that most YA contains romance to some degree, but the story was more about friendship and being comfortable with who you are. Jane is different: she’s short, she has spiky blonde hair, she mouths off to the nuns and she’s too smart for her own good. And she’s fine with ALL of that. She is not at all concerned that the popular girls don’t like her, or that the nuns give her so many demerits, because it’s high school, and it’s temporary, and as long as she’s got Ally, she’s good to go. Then she loses Ally, and instead of letting the triumph be: “I outsmarted the devil’s representative and got my friend back and also did not get damned myself,” it’s upstaged by “cool I got a boyfriend.”
Devilish was a fun little read, but it’s not my favorite of Johnson’s work. It was short, and read more like a novella or a really long short story. If you haven’t read anything by Maureen, I’d recommend starting with Suite Scarlett or 13 Little Blue Envelopes. They’re cute contemporary YA novels that are packed full of quirky, intelligent characters.
Maureen often references her experiences in the Catholic high school system, and watching that color this book was very fun, from Jane’s cracks about the nuns to the polyester uniforms littered in many of MJ’s novels. Honestly, this book was so full of small tidbits of snark that I’ve got about four quotes in my head to add to this post, but I won’t, because 1) I left the book at home and 2) they’re funnier in context, like everything else. Here’s just one:
Favorite Quote: “There was something wrong in Providence today, and I, for one, was going home to hide from it.”
Devilish is much shorter than Johnson’s other novels, but this was appropriate for a retelling of the Faust myth. I liked Jane, who was a consummate Johnson heroine, but I was far less enamored with her friend Ally, who just seemed sad and boring. The romance angle felt forced, and the story would’ve worked just as well without it. I realize that most YA contains romance to some degree, but the story was more about friendship and being comfortable with who you are. Jane is different: she’s short, she has spiky blonde hair, she mouths off to the nuns and she’s too smart for her own good. And she’s fine with ALL of that. She is not at all concerned that the popular girls don’t like her, or that the nuns give her so many demerits, because it’s high school, and it’s temporary, and as long as she’s got Ally, she’s good to go. Then she loses Ally, and instead of letting the triumph be: “I outsmarted the devil’s representative and got my friend back and also did not get damned myself,” it’s upstaged by “cool I got a boyfriend.”
Devilish was a fun little read, but it’s not my favorite of Johnson’s work. It was short, and read more like a novella or a really long short story. If you haven’t read anything by Maureen, I’d recommend starting with Suite Scarlett or 13 Little Blue Envelopes. They’re cute contemporary YA novels that are packed full of quirky, intelligent characters.
princess_starr's review
3.0
I don’t want to say that I dislike this book. There’s some really good things about it—I like the concept, I love the characters—but there’s something about this book that feels off to me. I don’t want to bash Maureen Johnson for not writing solely realistic YA, but I don’t get why Devilish doesn’t entirely work for me.
Part of my issue is that this is another book where Johnson writes in the first-person. I’ve read her short stories, which are all first-person, but I’ve had an issue with when she’s uses it in the full-length novels. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m so used to her writing third-person omniscient, but it’s really just my personal preference.
I do really like the characters. Jane could have come off as too riot grrl troublemaker, but I like the fact that she has to face her beliefs and find something to actually fight for. She really does grow a lot throughout the book, and the growth shows in the writing. I relate to Allison the most, though, if only because I could understand her awkwardness and potentially being willing to sell her soul. And you really get the sense of how close Jane and Allison are and how far they’d be willing to go for each other. It’s a nice thing that I don’t really see expanded on in a lot of girl friendships in YA most of the time. Owen’s a sweetheart, if a little weak for being a love interest (and am I the only one who wants to guess that him really being 116 is a take that to a certain series? No? I’m just reading into this?). The only character I don’t really like is Joan—I get that she’s supposed to be intellectually Jane’s foil, but making her completely stupid felt really unrealistic to me. I felt sorry for Joan, her character comes off as a bit insulting.
The villains, while I like them in general, actually lend to the big problems I have with the book. In general, I like Lanalee. I like that she’s set up as a red herring at first, and even though that she’s made out to be a danger, she’s still stuck preying on high school girls. I get why she wants Jane’s soul, and I believe the way she uses Allison to get what she wants. THAT SAID, everything else tying Lanalee to the backstory of the town and specifically the two Catholic schools feels out of place. It feels like there’s supposed to be a reason why she’s come back to Providence, but it’s never really explained. And Fields—what was his purpose aside from giving Jane some freaky dreams and being a general creeper? I do like how Jane ultimately defeats the demons in the end, but even then, the loophole is barely explained.
And the biggest issue I have overall is the end. Yes, Allison and Jane make up and resolve their issues…but then there’s five chapters left and Jane’s stuck on her own. And there’s an explanation of what happened after Jane defeats Lanalee, but it feels more like an info-dump. And then the book just ends. The end’s extremely rushed and I didn’t really feel like anything got resolved. It feels like this was going to be a setup to a series (which I wouldn’t have minded), but even then, there’s not really much to go off of the end here.
It’s an enjoyable and quick read, but in comparison to her more realistic work, I think this is one of the weaker of Maureen Johnson’s books. I like what I read, but ultimately, I’m left wanting more.
Part of my issue is that this is another book where Johnson writes in the first-person. I’ve read her short stories, which are all first-person, but I’ve had an issue with when she’s uses it in the full-length novels. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m so used to her writing third-person omniscient, but it’s really just my personal preference.
I do really like the characters. Jane could have come off as too riot grrl troublemaker, but I like the fact that she has to face her beliefs and find something to actually fight for. She really does grow a lot throughout the book, and the growth shows in the writing. I relate to Allison the most, though, if only because I could understand her awkwardness and potentially being willing to sell her soul. And you really get the sense of how close Jane and Allison are and how far they’d be willing to go for each other. It’s a nice thing that I don’t really see expanded on in a lot of girl friendships in YA most of the time. Owen’s a sweetheart, if a little weak for being a love interest (and am I the only one who wants to guess that him really being 116 is a take that to a certain series? No? I’m just reading into this?). The only character I don’t really like is Joan—I get that she’s supposed to be intellectually Jane’s foil, but making her completely stupid felt really unrealistic to me. I felt sorry for Joan, her character comes off as a bit insulting.
The villains, while I like them in general, actually lend to the big problems I have with the book. In general, I like Lanalee. I like that she’s set up as a red herring at first, and even though that she’s made out to be a danger, she’s still stuck preying on high school girls. I get why she wants Jane’s soul, and I believe the way she uses Allison to get what she wants. THAT SAID, everything else tying Lanalee to the backstory of the town and specifically the two Catholic schools feels out of place. It feels like there’s supposed to be a reason why she’s come back to Providence, but it’s never really explained. And Fields—what was his purpose aside from giving Jane some freaky dreams and being a general creeper? I do like how Jane ultimately defeats the demons in the end, but even then, the loophole is barely explained.
And the biggest issue I have overall is the end. Yes, Allison and Jane make up and resolve their issues…but then there’s five chapters left and Jane’s stuck on her own. And there’s an explanation of what happened after Jane defeats Lanalee, but it feels more like an info-dump. And then the book just ends. The end’s extremely rushed and I didn’t really feel like anything got resolved. It feels like this was going to be a setup to a series (which I wouldn’t have minded), but even then, there’s not really much to go off of the end here.
It’s an enjoyable and quick read, but in comparison to her more realistic work, I think this is one of the weaker of Maureen Johnson’s books. I like what I read, but ultimately, I’m left wanting more.
hayleyschrock's review
5.0
When I started reading this book, I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised though. Throughout the book there are twists and turns, and everyone of them completely blew my mind. This book is one of my favorites.
charlottejones952's review
4.0
Whilst organizing my trip to Maureen Johnson’s book signing event in Birmingham on Saturday, I realised that surely I should have read more than just two of her novels before going? Having previously read ‘The Key to the Golden Firebird’, ‘Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes’ and Maureen’s short story in ‘Let It Snow’, I had a good idea that I was going to enjoy any of her other works that I could lay my hands on so I wasn’t too fussed about which I picked up next, which I think is a good thing sometimes when it comes to choosing books; it stops you assuming you’re not interested in something and gives you the opportunity to read something completely different, that you usually wouldn’t pick up, by an author that you know you like.
I went into my local Waterstones (which is quite a small one) but after only finding ‘Let It Snow’ and ‘The Key to the Golden Firebird’, I thought I’d take a look in The Works, a chain discount store in the UK, not expecting to find anything I wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised! I managed to find several books that I have been looking for over the last few months, as well as ‘Devilish’ by Maureen Johnson for just £1!
Having never heard of ‘Devilish’ and just seeing the cover, I was sceptical to whether or not I was going to like it; the cover is a bit off-putting as it makes the book look a bit too clichéd ‘high-school paranormal’, but now having read the book, I have to say that the cover doesn’t really do it justice, though some of the details used on the cover do become relevant as you read on.
I have to admit that the first half of this book was a little slow – the events that are revealed on the back of the book in the synopsis aren’t revealed until about halfway through the novel. However, I really grew to like the characters and found that the little details that are discussed in the first half of the novel come to have greater importance later on in the story, which I think is a really interesting device, especially for a Young Adult novel.
The witty writing style that Maureen Johnson seems to be an expert at is ever-present in this novel, as with all of her other works that I have read. The way she crafts a book is extraordinary in that even when nothing much is happening, the reader is still hooked in, wanting to know what will come next and how the story will progress.
For a story about demons and soul-selling, ‘Devilish’ remained a light-hearted and fun throughout, though there were slightly darker moments of suspense and mystery.
Overall, this was an easy, funny and unpredictable read. Although some things were slightly obvious, I think that the way the plot kept twisting and turning kept me on my toes and made for a really fast-paced read.
I would definitely recommend this novel, especially if you like paranormal or Young Adult fiction.
I went into my local Waterstones (which is quite a small one) but after only finding ‘Let It Snow’ and ‘The Key to the Golden Firebird’, I thought I’d take a look in The Works, a chain discount store in the UK, not expecting to find anything I wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised! I managed to find several books that I have been looking for over the last few months, as well as ‘Devilish’ by Maureen Johnson for just £1!
Having never heard of ‘Devilish’ and just seeing the cover, I was sceptical to whether or not I was going to like it; the cover is a bit off-putting as it makes the book look a bit too clichéd ‘high-school paranormal’, but now having read the book, I have to say that the cover doesn’t really do it justice, though some of the details used on the cover do become relevant as you read on.
I have to admit that the first half of this book was a little slow – the events that are revealed on the back of the book in the synopsis aren’t revealed until about halfway through the novel. However, I really grew to like the characters and found that the little details that are discussed in the first half of the novel come to have greater importance later on in the story, which I think is a really interesting device, especially for a Young Adult novel.
The witty writing style that Maureen Johnson seems to be an expert at is ever-present in this novel, as with all of her other works that I have read. The way she crafts a book is extraordinary in that even when nothing much is happening, the reader is still hooked in, wanting to know what will come next and how the story will progress.
For a story about demons and soul-selling, ‘Devilish’ remained a light-hearted and fun throughout, though there were slightly darker moments of suspense and mystery.
Overall, this was an easy, funny and unpredictable read. Although some things were slightly obvious, I think that the way the plot kept twisting and turning kept me on my toes and made for a really fast-paced read.
I would definitely recommend this novel, especially if you like paranormal or Young Adult fiction.
feyre810's review
2.0
The idea of the book is awesome but I don't think it was written well. I found myself not really caring about the characters and just wished the book would get better. That being said I really like this author, because I have read some of her other books and they were amazing. This book was just disappointing. I'm giving it two because it made me laugh a few times.
simplytakeit's review
4.0
Really different and cute. Very different from what I was expecting, but really good book.
sonshinelibrarian's review
3.0
This was interesting. I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of Maureen's other books.