The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton: Blog Tour Review

I'm super excited to be part of The Everlasting Rose's UK blog tour!  I adored this book and you should all definitely check this series out if you haven't already!  Quick warning: while I've avoided spoilers for The Everlasting Rose, there are some The Belles spoilers in here, so read on at your peril!  And definitely buy The Everlasting Rose - it's out now at all book stores and libraries near you! 

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Series: The Belles, Book Two

Publisher: Gollancz

Format: ARC**

Published: 7^th March 2019

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review*

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythical, Dystopia, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol References

Author’s Site: Dhonielle Clayton

Blurb From Goodreads:

With a price on her head, the evil Queen Sophia out for blood, and no idea who to trust, Camellia Beaureguard, the former favorite Belle, must race against time to find the ailing Princess Charlotte, who has disappeared without a trace. Sophia's imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep Camille, her sister Edel, and her loyal guard, Rémy, from returning Charlotte to the palace and her rightful place as queen.

With the help of an underground resistance movement called the Iron Ladies-- a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely--and the backing of alternative newspaper the Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections, and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and attempt to restore peace to Orléans. But enemies lurk in the most unexpected places, forcing Camille to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice to save her people.

Review:

“But my desire to see Sophia fall has become a whispered refrain making my body restless, as if my limbs and heart know that this isn’t the place for us. That I must face her. That I must make her pay for what she’s done. That I must do what Queen Celeste would have wanted.”

Camille is a Belle – she controls beauty.  But now she’s on the run from the crazed soon-to-be ruler who wishes to imprison her and abuse her abilities.  Together with her sister and their ally Remy, Camille is in a race against time.

She needs to evade capture, find the true queen of Orléans and overthrow  Sophia – to protect the people of Orléans, but most of all to protect her sisters.

She finds allies in the most unlikely places, but when Sophia is willing to go to any lengths to achieve her desires, Camille may be forced to go to new heights to restore peace to her home and save her family...

I absolutely adored The Belleswhen I read it last year – I seriously just fell in love with it.  I adored what it said about society’s obsession with beauty and fashion trends.  I adored the lavish setting, the totally different kind of dystopia that subverted so many tropes.  And because of this, I’ve been almost ridiculously excited for The Everlasting Rose.  I had some insanely high expectations – and while I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as The Belles, I still totally stormed through The Everlasting Rose!

There was definitely a lot more going on in this one – there was way more action and I seriously loved that.  I also loved the introduction of a rebel group – it was such a cool addition and really added to the narrative about questioning beauty.  I adore Clayton’s writing – it’s so wonderfully lavish and lush and beautiful.  I really enjoyed the continued character development and especially the revelation about where Belles come from – it’s so brilliantly bizarre and I really want to know more.  

Honestly, my main issue with this was one of the character choices: Camille goes pretty dark and does something I feel was really unnecessary and made me quite uncomfortable.  I don’t want to say what, but trust me when I say you’ll know it when it happens – it’s right towards the end.  I also still have so many questions and I really hope that there’s another book because I think there’s still so much more to explore in this world!

I did enjoy the characters in this one, that blip of Camille’s aside.  She’s really grown a lot from the beginning of The Belles and is way more badass now.  I really love Remy – he’s so sweet!  

But, for me, the scene stealers of this book were the teacup dragons.  I want a teacup dragon.  I want ten.  They are adorable and precious and I love them and I want to kiss their noses and cuddle them to sleep.  

Sue me, I love dragons.

For real, though, the world was literally on of my favourite things about this book.  It is lavish and beautiful and so different.  It’s like a dystopian fantasy – about the ridiculous lengths people go to for beauty, about the blatant exploitation of those who can give you beauty, about bullying and abuse.  It’s just so cleverly done and so magical and dark and I love it.  I also am kind of obsessed with the teacup pets.  I’m unsure why they are all teacup sized.  But I love them.  And the background of the Belles.  And everything, if I’m honest.

The plot was super fast paced in this one, full of twists and turns.  I do think the ending was a touch sudden and really did leave me with so many questions!  Does anyone know if she’s planning another book?  Please tell me she is – I need!  

I hope I haven't sounded harsh, but if I have it's just because I loved The Belles so much and therefore The Everlasting Rose had a lot to live up to, bless it!  It was still a brilliant and exciting book and I definitely recommend it to you if you like fantasy-dystopias with a difference.  Basically imagine Hunger Games, but with more leeches, magical beauty powers, a crazy princess, smol dragons and the Capitol on crack.

Ok that sold nothing.  This is why we shouldn’t write reviews at 1:30am.  But I couldn’t stop, ok?  I had to find out what happened!  I had to!  

I would say I’ll regret this tomorrow... but I won’t.  And if that isn’t praise enough, I don’t know what is!

Star Rating:

4 Stars

Read this book if you liked:

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was received from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review

**Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen

Publisher: Penguin

Format: ARC**

Published: 7^th February 2019

Number of Pages: 368

Book: For Review*

Genre:  Contemporary, Romance, Coming-Of-Age, Mystery, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Alcohol, Drug, Smoking, Sexual References – Like a Lot

Author's Site: Lev A.C. Rosen

Blurb From Goodreads:

Couldn't get enough of Love, Simon or The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue?

This is the (slightly NSFW) book for you!

---------------

'My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it's going to be weird for everyone's first time, though.' 

Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time.

His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'.

He doesn't actually expect that to come true.

But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy.

Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating.

They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him.

As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous...

                                                                   Review:

Jack Rothman is kind of notorious in his school.  He likes sex, you see.  A lot.  And partying.  The number of guys he’s slept with always a source of gossip – which is a bit awkward, but Jack can deal.  

Until he starts writing a sex advice column for his friend’s website.  And the love notes he’d been receiving turn into threatening emails...

Someone is stalking him and judging him.  They don’t approve of Jack’s promiscuity and want him for themselves.

Jack and his friends have to discover his stalker – before he carries out his threats...

I knew about this book like a year before I got my greedy hands on an ARC copy.  I’ve been desperate to read it since I heard about it.  And yet when I finally got it, I was too busy!  So when I got a break over the Christmas holidays, I happily dove straight into Jack of Hearts.  I devoured two thirds of the book in an evening, reading until 2am when my eyes began to get heavy.  This book... is awesome.  Seriously just brilliant.  It’s bold and brave and glittery – it tackles serious issues like stalking, bullying, homophobia and stereotypes without ever feeling heavy or preachy.  It was hilarious and sassy and scary and I just loved this rollercoaster of a read.  I really didn’t want it to end!

Jack I just adored.  He is utterly unashamed of his love of sex, bold in his fashion choices and his eye make-up slays everything.  He’s so strong and it honestly hurt to see him become so broken by the stalker’s actions!  I really wanted to hug him and protect him from all the bigots in the world – but Jack needed no protection!  He’s totally fierce and someone all kids – gay, bi, straight, asexual, all the letters of the rainbow – need to read about. 

I also loved Jenna – best girl friend and ally ever.  She was so strong and fierce and I adored her.  Ben was the cutest bean ever – my little romantic fashion geek, I just wanted to wrap him up in fabulous blankets and hug him!  Basically, the two of them were the best best friends ever, period.

I also adored Jack’s mum – who was just t he coolest ever.  She was totally open-minded and supportive of Jack and I just loved that.

So, Rosen really didn’t shy away from sex details!  This book is kind of an LGBTQ+ sex-ed lesson – in the best possible way.  It tells you everything you could want to know as a gay teen thinking about sex – and everything they really ought to teach you in school.  It’s fun and informative and not at all preachy – it’s totally like an advice column.  It concentrates on the fun of sex – and the less fun bits that you should be aware of.  And it was brilliant – I haven’t read a sex-ed book this brilliant since Dawson’s This Book Is Gay and I’m pretty sure Jack of Hearts pips This Book Is Gay to the sex-ed trophy of the year prize.  This comparison has become awfully unwieldy so I think it’s time to move on.

But really, Jack of Hearts manages to make you question so much about heteronormativity and homophobia without you even realising.  You’re reading about this boy who is gay and enjoying life, having sex and then is being bullied.  More than anything, it’s the reaction of the principal that made my blood just boil over.  So many people claim to be ‘supportive’ of LGBTQ+ people and just aren’t when it comes down to it and that’s just not ok.  It’s not ok to judge someone because of their sexuality or their skin colour or their sexual habits – Jack is terrified of going to the police because he’s sure they’ll just see him as a “slut” and won’t do anything.  And that’s just not ok.  There is so much wrong with the world and it’s only with books like this that things can change for the better.

I’m making this sound so heavy, but honestly it isn’t.  Yes, the bullying storyline is a big part of the story.  But it somehow doesn’t overshadow Jack’s brilliant personality, his friends’ antics, the humour in the story.  Everything is just done so cleverly that this book manages to tackle some big issues without crushing you under their weight.

I really need to stop with the metaphors.

Seriously, though.  Read Jack of Hearts.  It’s honestly one of the best LGBTQ+ things I’ve read and I seriously think it may just be a favourite of mine in 2019.  It’s so unapologetic in its queerness and the sexual details it includes are so honest and real.  It’s like a breath of fresh air, honestly.  It’s an ‘eff you’ to everyone who thinks stereotyping is ok, that doing nothing is better than encouraging shaming of any kind, that it’s ok in this day and age to be a homophobic dickhead.  As someone who is bi and has a bunch of LGBTQ+ friends, I honestly just can’t recommend this book enough.  We need more books like this!  Please give me more books like this.  It’s the kind of book you finish reading grinning, just thinking ‘Can I get an amen?’ to yourself, because preach.  

Also.  If you get my reference there, I love you.

And please read Jack of Hearts.

Ok, bye.  I need to go shove this book at some people because the word must be spread!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

Blog Avalance: Paper Avalance by Lisa Williamson Review

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Format: ARC**

Published: 3^rd January 2019

Number of Pages: 368

Book: For Review*

Genre:  Contemporary, Romance, Coming-Of-Age, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Swearing

Author's Site: Lisa Williamson

Blurb From Goodreads:

‘Bonnie. Never Mum or Mummy or Mother. Just Bonnie.'

When it comes to flying under the radar, Ro Snow is an expert.

No friends. 

No boys.

No parties.

And strictly NO VISITORS.

It may be lonely, but at least this way the truth remains where it should – hidden.

Then Tanvi Shah, the girl who almost died, comes tumbling back into her life, and Ro finds herself losing control of her carefully constructed lies.

But if Ro’s walls come crumbling down, who’s going to take care of Bonnie…

                                                                   Review:

 ‘It takes me for ever to drop off and when I do I dream the dream I’ve dreamed at least one hundred times before.

Being buried alive under piles and piles of paper.’

Ro Snow has a secret.  One she doesn’t want anyone to ever find out.

Her mother, Bonnie, is a hoarder.  Their house is overrun with stuff, but Bonnie can’t seem to help buying more.  Ro feels like she’s drowning, but no one can ever find out.  Because if they do, they might take her away from her mother.  And she’s worried what would happen to Bonnie if that happened.

Which is why she keeps to herself.  Why she never invites anyone round.  Why she never lets anyone get close.

Until Tanvi Shaw shows up in class.  Tanvi is bubbly and smiley and so friendly – all the things Ro avoids like the plague.  But Tanvi has already decided she and Ro will be friends, and now Ro can’t seem to shake the girl.

And maybe that’s a good thing.  Because maybe Ro needs a friend, someone to hold on to, when her whole world is one paper away from collapsing.

I really do love Lisa Williamson.  She’s not only a wonderful writer, but she also writes about things other people don’t think to write about.  Paper Avalanche, the book about the daughter of a hoarder, was pure genius and utterly compelling.  I possibly stayed up until 3am to finish it.  I really just couldn’t put it down.  I’m awful when it comes to contemps, so finding one that just hooked me like this was a rare and amazing surprise. I’m not even sure what it was exactly that gripped me so much, but I truly was just entranced by Paper Avalanche.  To the point that I neglected Christmas present making, sleep and my family to read it.  I would say sorry, but I’m not sorry because it was worth it!

Ro I really just wanted to hug.  From the very first page, her personality and voice just leapt off of the page – especially how much she just suffered because of her mother’s hoarding.  She was forced to be the parent to her mother, to take on things no child should have to worry about, and you could just feel how badly it was breaking her.  I really did just want to hug her because God that girl needed so many hugs.

Tanvi was just so bloody adorable.  I want a Tanvi.  She was bubbly and friendly and so freaking cute.  I want to wrap her up in a unicorn onesie and adopt her because gosh she’s awesome.  She may be tiny, but she’s stubborn and strong and I love her.  And the relationship that formed between her and Ro was just so cute – it was very one sided to begin with, but no one could resist Tanvi for long!

Ok, I just want a little rant about Ro’s parents.  Because while Bonnie wasn’t a good mother, she had a legitimate mental health reason for it.  But Ro’s dad?  He was just a dick.  He abandoned his daughter to the stress and fear she lived in every day, just for his shiny new family.  And that’s just cruel.  It made me so so angry for Ro, because she deserved so much better.

Rant over.  I really just had to get that off my chest.

I loved the writing and plotline as well – Ro’s voice really did just leap off of the page and the story totally sucked me in.  There was a dash of romance, which is always welcome!  The friendship was what truly made the book though – I have so much love for Ro and Tanvi that it’s a little insane!

Seriously, though.  Paper Avalanche was one of the best coming of age type stories I’ve read.  It was about the daughter of a hoarder, yes.  But it was about so much more.  It was about friendship, first love, finding your voice and fighting for what you deserve.  And I just loved it.  It left me just smiling dopily with a tear in my eye.

So preorder Paper Avalanche because it really is not one to be missed next year.  Lisa Williamson has done it once again and I adore her for it.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Am I Normal Yet by Holly Bourne

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

Elysium Fire by Alastair Reynolds

Series: Prefect Dreyfus Emergency, Book Two

Publisher: Gollancz

Format: Hardcover

Published: 25^th January 2018

Number of Pages: 416

Book: For Review* 

Genre:  Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Crime Fiction, Thriller-Suspense, Mystery, Adult

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing

Author's Site: Alastair Reynolds

Blurb From Goodreads:

Featuring Inspector Dreyfus - one of Alastair Reynolds most popular characters - this is a fast paced SF crime story, combining a futuristic setting with a gripping tale of technology, revolution and revenge.

One citizen died a fortnight ago. Two a week ago. Four died yesterday . . . and unless the cause can be found - and stopped - within the next four months, everyone will be dead. For the Prefects, the hunt for a silent, hidden killer is on . . .

Alastair Reynolds has returned to the world of The Prefect for this stand-alone SF mystery in which no one is safe. The technological implants which connect every citizen to each other have become murder weapons, and no one knows who or what the killer is - or who the next targets will be. But their reach is spreading, and time is not on the Prefects' side.

                                                                   Review:

“He saw it now, what had always been there, always explicit, but which he only now forced himself t acknowledge in all its truth and simplicity.  To destroy Devon Garlin – to destroy the enemy of everything he held precious - it was first necessary to destroy Wildfire.

And so he would.”

The Glitter Band is a man-made system of planets and microworlds.  Run by the people, they are a utopia of sorts, where crime is almost non-existent.

But when it occurs, they need someone who can deal with it.  That’s why the Prefects were formed – a planet of police, ready to deal with anything that threatens to harm the Glitter Band.

Until they were forced to protect it by doing something unthinkable...

Now, dissent is rising among the worlds of the Glitter Band – led by a man named Devon Garlin, worlds are declaring independence from the Prefects.

Meanwhile, Prefect Tom Dreyfus and his fellow operatives are trying to stop a series of deaths – scores of people are dying, their implants overheating for no discernible reason, with no connection between the victims.  And the rate of Wildfire deaths is ever-increasing – soon it will be in the thousands and before long all of the Glitter Band could perish...

But when links begin to appear between the two cases, the risk of the destruction of the world as Dreyfus and the others know it is rising ever higher...

I have never read anything by Alastair Reynolds, but Elysium Fire intrigued me from the moment I received it.  Even though I hadn’t read any of the books in the series, let alone the previous Prefect Dreyfus Emergency, I was soon sucked right into the story.  I need to get my hands on the other books now – I am just in love with Dreyfus and the Glitter Band!  

Also, I’m pretty awful at reading sci-fi – let alone adult hard-core sci-fi space operas.  And there were a few terms I may have had to look up, but I found it really, really easy to just immerse myself in this world, in this story.  I’m a sucker for crime thrillers, although I think crime thrillers in space may have ruined me for the more mundane earthly kind!  

It helped that I just loved all of the characters in the book!  They were all brilliantly complex and three-dimensional.  I just need to read the first Prefect Dreyfus book so I can fully understand them all!  Because I need some more backstories, guys!

I love Tom Dreyfus – he is such a badass.  Plus he’s so driven and dedicated to protecting everyone.  I also love that while he’s very level-headed, he does lose his cool occasionally (to be fair, Garlin was a dick). I really have to read book one because I want to know more about him!

Jane Aumonier was awesome – such a brilliant leader and so very, very badass too.  She was tough, but fair – and when you messed with her, watch out!  I also loved Thalia and Sparver - they were amazing prefects and I just loved how they interacted together.  And I really enjoyed the characters of Julius and Caleb – and trying to figure out what their story was.  Those two intrigued me from the very beginning... 

This story was just genius.  I just loved the multiple story lines – we had the Prefects trying to solve the implant-caused deaths, then them trying to deal with the anarchy Garlin caused, and then there was another storyline following two boys with many a secret in their family past...  I just loved seeing how it all tangled together, all the little clues that we were given to unravel the plots and discover what was happening.  It was just so exciting and utterly addictive.

And I will admit, it probably would’ve helped if I’d at least read the previous Prefect Dreyfus book, because there were quite a few references to what occurred in it – but I managed to guess most things and catch up, so it really didn’t confuse me or take away from my enjoyment of Elysium Fire.

Oh, and have I mentioned the multiple perspectives?  No?  It was brilliant.  It let us follow so much action and mystery and plot lines in a single chapter and it really could’ve been confusing but it just wasn’t.  I loved it so very much! 

I honestly don’t know why I don’t read more sci-fi books – I enjoyed this so much.  Elysium Fire was exciting and intriguing and wonderful and I seriously have to get the rest of this series!  I definitely recommend the Prefect Dreyfus series to sci-fi lovers – and even those who don’t generally read sci-fi!  The crime thriller aspect is just amazing and I honestly can’t wait for my next adventure with Tom Dreyfus!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

Prefect Dreyfus Emergency by Alastair Reynolds

Agent Cormac by Neal Asher

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

The Androma Saga by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Series: Truly Devious, Book One

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Format: ARC**

Published: 16^th January 2018

Number of Pages: 432

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller-Suspense, Crime Fiction, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Smoking References

Author's Site: Maureen Johnson

Blurb From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder. 

The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three.

                                                                   Review:

“Riddle, riddle, on the wall

Murder comes to pay a call

The detective’s here. It’s time to play!

Truly Devious lives another day.”

In 1936, Albert Ellingham, one of the richest men in America, opened up a school for geniuses of all kinds.  It was meant to be an idyllic place where anyone could come to learn - where learning could be a game.

But the game took a dangerous turn when one day Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter vanished while on a drive, along with a young student.  A kidnapper who called themselves Truly Devious demanded a ransom, but Iris and Alice Ellingham were never seen alive again.

Now, eighty years later, crime obsessed Stevie Bell arrives at Ellingham Academy as a new student.  Her goal?  To solve this impossible mystery and discovered what really happened all those decades ago.

But her cold case is not so cold anymore as Truly Devious makes a shocking return and one of Stevie’s classmates ends up dead.

Once again, someone is playing a game with life and death and once again they seem to be getting away with it.

But the detective is on the scene now and Stevie will solve this case – before it’s too late...

Oh.  My.  God.  OhmiGod!  This book.  I’m such a massive geek when it comes to mysteries.  I watch way too many police procedural shows and I’ve been reading crime thrillers from much too young an age (I’m still scared of James Patterson’s books after being scarred for life by Kiss The Girls at the age of twelve or so).  So when I got sent Truly Devious, I was beyond excited – I have a real weakness for YA mysteries and I adore Maureen Johnson.  And Truly Devious totally did not disappoint – it was a twisty, exciting, utterly absorbing murder mystery and I loved every single second.  Because Truly Devious doesn’t just have one murder for us to solve – it has three!  I raced through the book, guessing all the time and getting pretty much every theory I had instantly thrown out of the window.  And that ending!  Bloody hell, Maureen – that was just cruel!  And I have to wait until 2019 for the second book!  2018 has only just started!  So please excuse me while I go have a minor breakdown and throw a pillow at the wall in a fit of detective-deprived fury.

Alrighty, I’m back!  Let’s talk suspects – I mean characters!  Maureen has created a lovely diverse cast, rich with possible suspects and bizarre personalities.  It’ll be hard to say too much without giving anything away – no spoilers, which means no giving away anything that might ruin the suspense!

Stevie – oh how I loved her!  She was such a great protagonist – brave, loyal, smart, a detective through and through.  She really was very Sherlock-esque at times, which is always fun!  Plus she was very dog-with-a-bone and I loved how intuitive she is.  And while I know I’m certainly no expert whatsoever on social anxiety, depression and panic attacks, I feel they were all accurately portrayed – or definitely in a way that felt utterly believable to me.

Janelle was an awesome best friend – totally weird and adorable and always wearing the most gorgeous clothes (I want her fashion sense).  Plus her and her paramour are just the cutest ever.  And then there’s Nate – a boy after my own heart, with his fantasy book and writing obsession!  Plus he totally gets the frustration of writing! 

The rest of the cast is... interesting.  Special props to Larry the security guard, Pix with the teeth and Ellie with her hidden alcohol stashes.  And as for David... well.  Let’s just say I have many reasons for wanting book two...  

Ah, the way Truly Devious was written!  I’ve read a few books that have a then/now kind of narration and I’ve always enjoyed it.  But Truly Devious just had more –because while we did get snippets into the past via the perspective of the past characters, we also got police interviews and articles and more!  I just loved it! 

But I’m docking a star for that ending – it was cruel!  Oh my God, Maureen Johnson!  That was so unfair!  I’m on the verge of another rant here – so I’m going to cut myself off before I can start.  Anyways, I’m often pretty good at guessing twists and t urns, but I was never able to untangle the mystery of Truly Devious.  I loved all the threads, all the clues, all the riddles and mysteries and murders.  It was all just so fun – in a bad, murder-y way.  And yes, I would honestly sell my soul or my kidney for book two right now.  Please, Maureen.  Please!

So clearly I adored Truly Devious.  It was just so brilliant and engaging and I honestly just couldn’t get enough.  Sort of like my beloved Murder Most Unladylike series, just for teenagers, Truly Devious was amazing – even if that cliffhanger almost killed me!  I was scared she would rush the ending – instead, she leaves me hanging, clinging to the edge of the cliff, hoping I don’t fall into the insanity that is waiting for a new book.

I feel this metaphor got away with me.  The point is Truly Devious is awesome and you all need to go read it.  Like, right now.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

The Shades of London by Maureen Johnson

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Wells & Wong by Robin Stevens

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book