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blewballoon's review
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wasn't sure quite what to expect from this, I knew it was a popular YA thriller and I had been a little disappointed with The Inheritance Games and I thought this might be a little closer to what I wanted from that. I do think that's the case. Stevie is an interesting, flawed protagonist that is still charming and even funny. The cast of surrounding characters at the school provides camaraderie and intrigue. I enjoyed the chapters from the past about the original disappearances at the school as well. The romance felt a little strange and forced, but that's not unusual for YA. The cliffhanger ending was frustrating, but I did know this was a series so I wasn't entirely unprepared for that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Child death
Minor: Alcohol
alyvia_jeane's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol
itsheyfay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Stalking
Minor: Gaslighting, Transphobia, and Infidelity
angelina246810's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Murder, and Kidnapping
booksawyer's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I’ve heard so many great things about Truly Devious, and I am glad to say it did not disappoint!
Truly Devious follows Stevie Bell, a true crime and mystery novel enthusiast, as she begins her first year at Ellingham Academy, a private school for gifted students known for a series of murders that occurred in the 1930s. Stevie arrives at the school, determined to finally solve the case, but does not expect that another crime may take place right in front of her.
This mystery is solved over the course of a trilogy, so the pacing of this book is slower than standalone mysteries I have read. Although I typically don’t enjoy slower placed books, I actually really loved this choice! It was really great to get to know Stevie, her peers, and the school as a whole.
This novel kept me engaged the whole way through, and I am so happy the sequel is out so I can read it very soon!
Truly Devious follows Stevie Bell, a true crime and mystery novel enthusiast, as she begins her first year at Ellingham Academy, a private school for gifted students known for a series of murders that occurred in the 1930s. Stevie arrives at the school, determined to finally solve the case, but does not expect that another crime may take place right in front of her.
This mystery is solved over the course of a trilogy, so the pacing of this book is slower than standalone mysteries I have read. Although I typically don’t enjoy slower placed books, I actually really loved this choice! It was really great to get to know Stevie, her peers, and the school as a whole.
This novel kept me engaged the whole way through, and I am so happy the sequel is out so I can read it very soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol
m4rtt4's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A good start for the series, though it was very obvious from the text that it's a part of something bigger and doesn't really work as a standalone. The characters felt pretty shallow and stereotypically one-dimensional, but I could brush that off as the book's focus was more on the murders and the atmosphere really managed to creep me out at times — also the surroundings of the boarding school were well created and described. I'm excited to read the sequel, but I seriously hope it's got some more depth and action in it🤞🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Child death
jjames_mal's review
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
This YA thriller follows Stevie, a girl who enrols in a school to solve the murders that occurred there decades before.
This one was kind of hard to review. As far as the plot goes, I really liked it, but I’m really struggling getting behind a book series of thrillers where there’s an overarching plot. I feel like you’ll only like this book if you don’t need closure at the end because there is none. That being said I’m interested in finding the answers so I will be picking up the next book in the series ASAP.
This one was kind of hard to review. As far as the plot goes, I really liked it, but I’m really struggling getting behind a book series of thrillers where there’s an overarching plot. I feel like you’ll only like this book if you don’t need closure at the end because there is none. That being said I’m interested in finding the answers so I will be picking up the next book in the series ASAP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
meikesbieb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
can writers make a book ONCE where the MC isn't fucking annoying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
honestlyyours77's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, and Murder