Scan barcode
A review by charlottejones952
Devilish by Maureen Johnson
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.