Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Truly Devious

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

120 reviews

chilivanilli28's review

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mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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luminareads's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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booklover26's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

I liked this book overall, but the first half was slow. The present was boring, while the past was interesting.

But after Hayes died, things started to ramp up and get interesting.

I read the majority of the second half in one day.

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It was okay, and the characters were likeable.
What was happening in the past with Albert Ellingham was moving at a good pace, but Stevie investigating and what was happening in the present was moving so slowly.
I got to page 170 and still nothing much had happened to progress the plot or solve the mystery. It just felt like at least half of what I was reading was pointless to the plot.

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ruthypoo2's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a solid YA mystery with dual timelines, one revolving around a current-day murder and the other recounting a kidnapping and related murders that took place in the 30s.

The characters very much come across as the older teenagers they are. The main character, Stephanie (Stevie) Bell, is an eccentric young lady, obsessed with true crime. Stevie finds herself enrolled in the Ellingham Academy, a private school that will allow her to not only pursue elite studies, but focus some of those studies on solving a decades-old crime that involved the school’s wealthy founder but remains unsolved.

I found the old crime from the 1930s very interesting, but the modern day experiences of the teens a little tedious. Overall, Stevie is a unique character with true crime interests similar to mine, but as bright and pragmatic as she’s portrayed, she does a lot of stupid things that seem to happen only to create friction between her and her new school friends. It’s a good mystery for young adult readers and the relationships described will probably be something teens can relate to because they’re not overly complicated… yet still get messy.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Kate Rudd, did a very good job giving voice to Stevie. The other characters were also distinctive, but the portrayal of Stevie seemed especially on point.

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sandwiiche's review

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i could not get into this book at all. it was so boring. i know it's a mystery and it'll probably pick up in the second half, but i just couldn't do it. maybe one day ill revisit this book and give it another shot, but for now this book will be dnfed

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