Reviews with content warning for Child death - Truly Devious

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

87 reviews

sunflower_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I hate that I am forced to read the whole series to know what happens when I don't even like the characters that much

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lanies's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This is basically going to be a review of the whole trilogy. I enjoyed this series; it was fun, engaging, and a decent balance of trope-y and self aware.
The characters were a bit one-dimensional and sometimes frustrating but overall likeable. I never felt that the plot was lagging. The series is essentially one long book broken down into three parts, and I’m glad I waited until all three books were out so that I could read one straight after another.
I don’t love when authors throw a bunch of current pop culture references in, because they just strike me as cringey sometimes (yes, this is about the reference to “sexy” BBC Sherlock), but this series didn’t have too many of them.
As a person with an anxiety disorder, the discussion of Stevie’s anxiety didn’t really bother me, but if you are triggered in any way by in-depth discussion of anxiety/panic attacks, I would exercise caution.
The one real gripe I have with this series is only an issue in the first book. Early in the book, Janelle informs Stevie that Vi uses they/them pronouns, but everywhere else in the book, the author uses she/her pronouns for Vi. I’m guessing that Vi being non-binary was probably a detail added after most of the book was written and no one remembered to go back in and change the pronouns (as opposed to deliberate misgendering), but either way it was disappointing to see it throughout the book. In the 2nd and 3rd books, they/them pronouns are used consistently for Vi.

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coolbeancat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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reese3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Slow start but worth it because it sets up an incredible atmosphere

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

So as far as mysteries go, there were a couple of directions that I saw this book going. A few red herrings got in the way

I really thought David killed Hayes but nope

but it didn’t make the story any less thought provoking. Sometimes, authors & editors have a hard time making sure the flashbacks aren’t awkwardly placed in the story. Thankfully, Johnson found a way to have the transition between past and present have some sort of order. I didn’t care enough about what the supposed romance between Stevie and David was supposed to be- I tuned that out. Minus that, it was a decent read and I’m curious about the rest of the series.

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thecourtofreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

holy shit maureen johnson knows how to write a good mystery, and leave it ending on a fucking CLIFFHANGER.

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genny's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hmm! It's hard to review this because it really doesn't feel like a complete book - there was no resolution at all as everything is set up for the sequel. I was aware of this going in so it didn't hamper my enjoyment, but just keep that in mind! That said, I had fun and found myself flying through the pages - the blurb on the cover is right, this is "compulsively readable". I dove into the second book immediately after finishing this one.

The 1936 mystery is a classic whodunnit, and it's enjoyable to see Stevie dissecting it with the lens she's developed from following mystery novels and true crime. It allows her to come across as a teenager with believable detective skills. She has lovely friendships with Janelle and Nate. The romance, though?

I don't get why Stevie and David are attracted to each other, but...eh. They're hormonal teenagers on a remote mountaintop, I can allow it.

Anyway, I liked both the past and present mysteries, and I'm excited to see how they play out in the next books. Love the "dark academia" atmosphere of Ellingham. Just don't read this without the sequels onhand, because it'll be very frustrating.

Side note: The narration misgenders Vi - it's established that they go by they/them pronouns but the narration later refers to them as "she"; I looked it up and Maureen Johnson said that these were unfortunate typos. The correct pronouns are used in The Vanishing Stair.

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