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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
This was disappointing because it had all the elements of being a great book.
3.5 I love this series and this was better than box in the woods. I'm excited for next one what a cliff hanger! I think the scene where the who dun it is revealed was kinda lame and the stakes were not high like... they just walk away?? and I wish we had a pov switch with David thus 3.5
Starting the year off right with my girl Stevie Bell.
If you already love the series, you’re going to enjoy this. Sure, it’s long and the setting is very drawn out, but it’s enjoyable. It’s the closest I’m going to get to England any time soon, so I had to live vicariously through my favorite amateur sleuth.
The characters are what make this series. I’d read about them in just about any situation at this point which is good because the characters and their personal business kind of overshadowed the mystery here. I know we all love watching Stevie be clever, but it wasn’t quite as- ha! gotcha!- as the others. This was definitely peppered with more teenage drama than usual. Phew.
Overall? Enjoyable. The best part? We can tell there is undoubtedly more Stevie coming because I’d seriously keep reading this series as long as Maureen Johnson wants to write it.
4 stars because it’s longer than necessary and the story isn’t quite as captivating as the others. Still good. Still will keep reading.
If you already love the series, you’re going to enjoy this. Sure, it’s long and the setting is very drawn out, but it’s enjoyable. It’s the closest I’m going to get to England any time soon, so I had to live vicariously through my favorite amateur sleuth.
The characters are what make this series. I’d read about them in just about any situation at this point which is good because the characters and their personal business kind of overshadowed the mystery here. I know we all love watching Stevie be clever, but it wasn’t quite as- ha! gotcha!- as the others. This was definitely peppered with more teenage drama than usual. Phew.
Overall? Enjoyable. The best part? We can tell there is undoubtedly more Stevie coming because I’d seriously keep reading this series as long as Maureen Johnson wants to write it.
4 stars because it’s longer than necessary and the story isn’t quite as captivating as the others. Still good. Still will keep reading.
I liked the mystery in this one. Love me a good English house party. Other reviews seem upset about the whole David thing at the end, but really who wouldn't try to drown themselves in a meaningless make out sesh after breaking up with your girlfriend who you love because you don't think you're good enough. I guess I don't really blame him. But that's just me. Plus I feel like their relationship is always secondary to the mystery anyway.
this was a fun murder mystery- though i did find it lacking in some areas (for the life of me i couldn't get through all the various descriptions of England) and i am so looking forward to the next book!
While -- for me -- Nine Liars is not as strong a follow-up as The Box in the Woods, it's still a very well-crafted mystery and the characters continue to be strongly drawn. I think, though, that part of what makes Nine Liars feel weaker than TBitW for me is that Stevie seems to have regressed a bit in this book to a new type of girl-character and one that doesn't quite gel with who she's always been. For four books, Stevie has known exactly who she is, what she does, and why she does it: she is Stevie Bell and she solves murders. The shifted focus onto who is she *to David* and who is she *without her friends* feels like it should have been a younger, less experienced Stevie, not one who's had the experiences and successes she's had for the entire series. Generously, I can map that onto being a trauma response, I guess, and also it isn't UNrealistic for a high school senior to be freaking out about Big Changes Incoming. But it's not...
It's not the power fantasy of the Girl Detective to watch a teenage girl lack confidence in herself and her skills. Even at the nadir of the plot arc, the Girl Detective knows that she is smart and capable of doing what needs to be done, and I feel like SO MUCH of Stevie's focus in this book was weird David jealousy that it overtook her confidence in all other ways, too. Which is just... not fun to read.
Especially because David sucks.
It's not the power fantasy of the Girl Detective to watch a teenage girl lack confidence in herself and her skills. Even at the nadir of the plot arc, the Girl Detective knows that she is smart and capable of doing what needs to be done, and I feel like SO MUCH of Stevie's focus in this book was weird David jealousy that it overtook her confidence in all other ways, too. Which is just... not fun to read.
Especially because David sucks.