A review by mariekejee
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 
fuck now I have to read the sequel.

In all seriousness: these teens are insufferable. A school for gifted teens sounds like the worst, and reading about them is exhausting; but as they say, it gets better.

And it mostly gets better not because of the characters gaining an actual personality, but because the plot picks up and we get to follow Stevie trying to solve a mystery. The double mystery is enticing and keeps you hooked, and I genuinely wanted to keep reading this book to find out more - towards the end this book is great, and I can almost forgive it for making me read through the first 100 pages. Additionally, I feel books are sometimes being too lax with "parental oversight", i.e. I find myself wondering multiple times "Wait, where are your parents?" - but I think this books handles that part quite well. I liked how Larry warned her about trying to solve this case, and how her counsellor decides her project should be to put a face on the Ellingham murder, instead of trying to solve it - and how Nate
involves Larry when shit gets real
.

Unfortunately, due to the cliffhanger at the end, and the overall lack of resolution on the Ellingham case, I don't feel satisfied reading this book - and that's usually one of the main things I look forward to in a mystery. Also:
the whole David plot twist? Fucking sucks.
Either way, I will have to read the sequel (and the third book, if I'm unlucky). Would I recommend this book? I think I have to answer that after having read the second book. 
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