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Review: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

January 16, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Truly Devious #1

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.

3.5 Drink Me Potions

Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review

**Truly Devious comes out January 16, 2018**

Truly Devious delivered two interesting mysteries that are connected through time, with a cast of individually unique characters.

Stevie is not your ordinary kind of girl. She loves crime with a passion, and hopes to solve an age-old mystery surrounding the school she’s about to attend. Although it doesn’t necessarily market it this way, I feel this portrayal of Stevie is akin to another young, Sherlock Holmes-esque girl protagonist, such as Brittany Cavallaro’s series. I liked this depiction, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lush descriptions of the settings. It was written very much in third-person view that mimics the feeling of older mysteries like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie. However, the downside to this was the inability to really connect with the characters, particularly Stevie. She’s not the most charming and sociably likeable girl so feeling the extra distance with her didn’t make it any easier in really investing in her and what’s happening in her life.

The vast cast of characters had its ups and downs too. It definitely made the mystery harder to figure out as there’re so many people that have been introduced. It could be anyone! But at the same time, there’s less room to invest in any of these characters, so much so that they start feeling a bit two-dimensional and whittled down to their stereotypical tropes.

The romance was all right, I suppose. I love my romance in any story as I feel it adds another layer of complexity to the characters. Stevie’s not too keen on getting into a relationship, and that’s fine. There is someone I can root for in the romance department, but it’s slow-going, and you never know if he’d turn out to be the culprit.

Although this story seemed to be a rollercoaster ride in my emotions and feelings towards it, Truly Devious was an easy read that I got through in a sitting or two. The mysteries are the heart of the whole thing, and while the ending was definitely by FAR from satisfactory in solving either of the crimes at hand, it hopefully sets the stage for some more amazing twists that are yet to unfold later on. The present-day mystery took a long while to really occur which made the plot a bit slow, yet there’s something beautiful about the way that the past and the present stories really intertwine so well. Overall, it was an interesting read from Maureen Johnson and I look forward to the sequel.

But if I’m honest, I kinda wished there was a bit more closure. And that ending! I can’t believe it just stopped there. You’ll just have to read and find out what kinda twists are in store.

P.S. that letter from Truly Devious at the beginning was really what reeled me in. You’ll know it when you see it. Like a letter from your nightmare.

Overall Recommendation:
Truly Devious fits well into the genre of excellent mysteries throughout the ages, with this book featuring a past and current murder that could very well be linked. I found the book slow going at times, particularly with the present-day mystery, but the descriptions are lush and well-written and the suspense was ramped up high. I love that I couldn’t really guess a culprit in the end, but the ending wasn’t all that satisfactory as it left us with more questions than answers. If that means you have to read the sequel, then what do ya know? Guess I’m hooked till the end. Overall, a good impression of Maureen Johnson for me.

4 star, YA

Review: Everless by Sara Holland

January 1, 2018January 1, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Everless #1

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

4 Drink Me Potions

**Everless comes out January 2, 2018**

Thank you HarperCollins and Edelweiss for this copy in exchange for an honest review

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Everless at first, but boy was my opinion changed in a matter of moments. This book was one quick and easy read, filled with intrigue and a new, unique twist on a magic system in fantasy.

Jules has always hated Everless and the privileged people who lived there, where their vaults were filled with blood-iron that captured the essence of time to prolong one’s life if ingested. Where she now lived with her sick father, time was only taken instead of received.

Enter the Gerling boys, Roan and Liam. I wasn’t sure if this book initially vied for a love triangle but thankfully it wasn’t really such a thing. The romance was minimal, as some other reviewers noted, but there was one whom she felt attracted to and another whom I was secretly rooting for as there are some sort of strong feelings geared towards him.

Either way, no matter if the romance wasn’t as heavy in this fantasy, the storyline very much made up for it (or if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t love a huge dollop of romance in their fantasies, then this is EVEN better for you!). Secrets abounded as Jules made her way to Everless. Vague memories and dreams that didn’t seem to have any meaning.

Then there’s the mystery of who created the first blood-iron and the legend surrounding these individuals. How did this relate to what was happening in Jules’ time and the upcoming nuptials of Roan to the Queen’s heir? Although the plot initially seemed simple enough, it had a surprising amount of twists that I didn’t quite foresee. Everless definitely didn’t quite fit into a straightforward formula for fantasy writing, and I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Sara Holland’s debut novel seems to have started off with a big bang, and I look forward to reading more in this series and from her!

Overall Recommendation:
Everless was different than I had initially expected, beyond just a simple fantasy story filled with magic and a girl who doesn’t fit in. Surprising twists in the plot and intrigue upon intrigue as we follow Jules on her journey to Everless topped everything while the unique magic system on ingestible time pieces kept me fascinated. I’m the kinda girl who loves a good romance, and although the romance wasn’t much in the book, it was enough that I could root for someone to be with Jules. Overall, I liked this book more than I thought I would, and that really says volumes.

3.5 star, YA

Review: A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole

December 30, 2017 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: A Conspiracy of Stars #1

Octavia has only ever had one goal: to follow in the footsteps of her parents and become a prestigious whitecoat, one of the scientists who study the natural wonders of Faloiv. The secrets of the jungle’s exotic plants and animals are protected fiercely in the labs by the Council of N’Terra, so when the rules suddenly change, allowing students inside, Octavia should be overjoyed.

But something isn’t right. The newly elected leader of the Council has some extremist views about the way he believes N’Terra should be run, and he’s influencing others to follow him. When Octavia witnesses one of the Faloii—the indigenous people of Faloiv—attacked in front of her in the dark of night, she knows the Council is hiding something. They are living in separate worlds on a shared planet, and their fragile peace may soon turn into an all-out war.

With the help of Rondo, a quiet boy in class with a skill for hacking, and her inquisitive best friend, Alma, Octavia is set on a collision course to discover the secrets behind the history she’s been taught, the science she’s lived by, and the truth about her family.

3.5 Drink Me Potions

**A Conspiracy of Stars comes out January 2, 2018**

Thank you Edelweiss and HarperCollins for this copy in exchange for an honest review

I always love a good book that ties in a bit of science into it, and A Conspiracy of Stars definitely adds this wonderful layer into it well.

In some far off planet where humans escaped after the demise of this Earth, they’ve learned to survive among the new life forms found here. Whether it be fauna or flora, the surviving humans on that fateful spaceship learned to categorize and utilize the animal and plants’ abilities to live and even thrive in such environments. I thoroughly enjoyed the curiosity and learning aspect of this book through the eyes of our protagonist, Octavia.

I will admit, it can get a little slow and dry, even for someone who can appreciate the bits of science here. And what normally keeps me going is a good romantic element to the story, but it lacked somewhat in this area as well. Octavia is very much focused on being a scientist (or a white coat as they call it), but she does develop some sort of new attraction to her classmate Rondo as they get a bit closer.

The suspense of what’s happening in the labs the students are now accessing as part of their studies does build up if you can hold on long enough. And there’s of course a wonderful mystery surrounding the nature of Octavia’s strange symptoms whenever she interacts with any species on this planet directly. It wasn’t all too unpredictable but how it all tied together was definitely interesting.

At the end of the day, this book made for a fun read that could be quickly gobbled up no matter if you’re uninterested in the technical details of taxonomy and species in general. A little bit of romance and a huge dollop of suspense goes a long way into creating a fun story formula, and I felt this story has enough of it to be enjoyable.

Overall Recommendation:
A Conspiracy of Stars is a mystery at the heart of it. From Octavia’s strange symptoms to the going-ons in the middle of the night at the labs she’s been wanting to work at, there is definitely something weird going on in this faraway planet the humans have settled on. While I normally enjoy a decent amount of romance in any book, the bits of romance and attraction between Octavia and Rondo was satisfying enough without detracting any bit from the suspense that’s building in the central plotline. I think overall this is an interesting book and I look forward to seeing more from this series and author.