From the Bookshelf of Challenge Corner…

Truly, Devious (Truly Devious, #1)

Maureen Johnson

Start date: May 1, 2022

Finish date: May 31, 2022

Discussion: Book of the Month

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 7 topics — 756 comments total

Book of the Month

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Previous BOTMs
By Felicia · 11 posts · 732 views

last updated Dec 27, 2024 06:25AM

* BOTM Polls!
By Alaina · 24 posts · 219 views

last updated Sep 19, 2025 07:58AM

showing 10 of 60 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Oct 12, 2020 Colleen Scidmore rated it really liked it

Shelves: currently-on-google-drive

Update 4/22/22

“Schools may be famous for many things. Academics, graduates, sports teams. They are not supposed to be famous for murders.”

I did a reread in preparation of reading The Hand on the Wall. I wanted to get a refresher and see if my feelings changed at all on Truly Devious. And I’m happy to say they did not! Obviously the content wasn’t fresh and I already knew the surprises but I still loved the atmosphere that Maureen Johnson surrounded her readers with. I kept picturing a type of Wi ...more

35 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2021 Elizabeth Aguilar rated it really liked it

RTC

It took me a while to warm up to Stevie's voice but I see why people recommend this series. The ending, though! That has to my favorite twist. ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2022 Priya rated it really liked it

Shelves: read_in_2022

This was a fun, fast paced read with the feel of a locked mystery or mysteries because there are two..
Set in Ellingham academy, whose founder believed that learning through games was the best way to go, the story begins with the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of the founder himself in 1936,a case that was never satisfactorily solved.
In the present day, the school, set in a remote location in Vermont, takes in gifted students who show a certain spark. Stevie Bell, obsessed with everything a ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2021 Elle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reads

This read was so much fun! There is a need to suspend belief a bit, but really it's just all good fun. It's an excellent, distracting read. The plot is fast and super atmospheric with great quirky characters. Stevie is a great protagonist with a realistic personality, and I loved her.

Dark academia is totally my thing and this book definitely delivered on that front. The atmosphere of the school is cool and creepy and the backstory is mysterious and fun. The founder is a bit of an eccentric, as a ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2020 Marie (UK) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reading-challenge

The opening 100 pages of this book truly pulled the reader in. The Author created a setting both visually - in the map at the beginning of the book and through her narrative building. Like many detective novels there are a plethora of character but the diversity of these characters adds depth and dimension to the story telling. There are many facets to the storyline about which I have questions - for instance what do the Games have to do with it? At the same time there are instances where the au ...more

1 like · Like · see review