A review by no_prince_here
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

dark mysterious relaxing slow-paced

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

3.75

So… this one was fairly good, don’t get me wrong. However, I won’t hide the fact I was disappointed with it. Now, unlike most, my problems don’t lie with the focus on the romantic/ sexual relationship between Stevie and David. As it is, I still don’t ship it, or care enough about it, but I do think it’s unfair to say that the mystery takes a back seat to this romance. On the contrary, I believe the mystery had problems itself. It was slow, and at times felt incredibly loose, even though when hearing about the case made it seemed very tense and intriguing. It’s actually baffling to me how spread out all the clues were within the pages, or how little they actually helped unravel in the first place. The main thing I found a problem with won’t be talked about for spoiler reasons, but it really baffled me how disconnected from the rest of the story it was, yet how much time it took away from it. And once again, it’s not the romance I’m talking about. The girls who know, know. It wasn’t unbelievable, but for someone like Maureen Johnson, who know how to handle and weave everything together naturally, this one stuck out like a sore thumb. And maybe that was the entire point of it, but dedicating so much time to it without it paying off, was sort of annoying to read about. This book could’ve probably been shorter if this one part was removed, I feel like. And it wouldn’t have taken away from the story at all. Lastly, I feel the setting wasn’t well realised at all this time. This was especially strange when having read another book of Johnson’s set in London, ‘Hello, Cruel Heart’, which really showed off her love and cultural understanding for it in every page. Here…? At many times it felt like I was reading about London, by an American author. Largely because I was, but also because the atmospheric descriptions of the setting that were such a treat in her previous work within, and outside this series (special shoutouts to Truly Devious, The Hand On The Wall and The Box In The Woods) seemed to fade away this time. It really blew my mind, how an old timey mansion where a murder had taken place could just be this boring. And I’m not saying that Johnson cannot make a setting like this interesting. That’s not what I’m saying at all, she’s more than proved she could do it in her previous works, just not here. Which is weird, this book feels all too weird to me. Also not having a chase sequence like TBITW in an old mansion during a game of hide and seek? Oh my god, that was a letdown. 

But let’s get to the actual good stuff. And unfortunately, there’s not a lot. But the characters were once again really fun and charming, and kept me going. The Nine were very well fleshed out as characters on their own, and I hardly ever mixed up who was who. The representation of diverse groups was fantastic as always, and, for once, it seemed like the main cast was taking their first steps to development. Hopefully we see more of it with the next entry. And that was all for good. 

Now a something that’s neither good, nor bad. Unlike TBITW, Nine Liars does not feel like a standalone. Essentially, it is, but without knowing the history of the characters, I don’t think a new reader would be invested at all. 

This one I guess really has the ‘middle book syndrome’, where it feels like we’re just waiting for the next one. Oh well, hopefully the next one will be better.