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Devilish
During her senior year at St. Teresa's Preparatory School, Jane must battle against the devil, who is masquerading as a sophomore with a penchant for cupcakes, to save her best friend Ally, who has sold her soul in exchange for popularity. Reprint.
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2006
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January 8, 2016One thing that always appeals to me is a voice that I find sharp, funny, and insightful, and this book hit the target dead on for me.
The story: Jane Jarvis, who is short and feisty and a senior at a Catholic school, is worried that her best friend Allison (who is kind of wimpy as well as clueless) is going to get burned badly in a yearly event. Jane is so right …and so wrong.
Because Allison goes down for a more spectacular fall than anyone could have guessed—and yet returns from it stylish, with nifty things, and an attitude that surprises students as well as teachers. Jane wonders if it's too good to be true. She's warned by the school's single priest, Brother Frank, to watch out and be careful of her soul. She figures his words are just more adult preaching and goes on a hunt to figure out what happened to her best friend. Because Jane's smart, she can take care of herself.
Right?
Well, maybe she can, against her fellow human, but what about …demons? Oh, yeah, right, demons, ha ha ha. Ooops.
The story gets more tense and exciting as the pages turn, the characters interesting, the story fascinating because it manages to present the supernatural with hints of a greater structure to the universe without committing to any party line. Even more daring and incredibly innovative these days, Brother Frank is not a child molester! Wow! Even more amazing, the nuns are not stupid, venal, sex-starved witches. Stunning and radical new idea!
The story: Jane Jarvis, who is short and feisty and a senior at a Catholic school, is worried that her best friend Allison (who is kind of wimpy as well as clueless) is going to get burned badly in a yearly event. Jane is so right …and so wrong.
Because Allison goes down for a more spectacular fall than anyone could have guessed—and yet returns from it stylish, with nifty things, and an attitude that surprises students as well as teachers. Jane wonders if it's too good to be true. She's warned by the school's single priest, Brother Frank, to watch out and be careful of her soul. She figures his words are just more adult preaching and goes on a hunt to figure out what happened to her best friend. Because Jane's smart, she can take care of herself.
Right?
Well, maybe she can, against her fellow human, but what about …demons? Oh, yeah, right, demons, ha ha ha. Ooops.
The story gets more tense and exciting as the pages turn, the characters interesting, the story fascinating because it manages to present the supernatural with hints of a greater structure to the universe without committing to any party line. Even more daring and incredibly innovative these days, Brother Frank is not a child molester! Wow! Even more amazing, the nuns are not stupid, venal, sex-starved witches. Stunning and radical new idea!
May 5, 2015
although this was an interesting idea, I just couldn't get past how many ridiculous situations and things that happened at the school - things that were just too far out there to be believable.
add that to a disjointed and odd story line that seemed to jump all over and introduce people, situations and conversations that had no point to the plot.
also, I didn't find any character particularly interesting or even nice. I think Jane set up a lot of her life to be unlikable and yet, she was supposed to be friends with everyone....it was just odd and not my kind of story.
add that to a disjointed and odd story line that seemed to jump all over and introduce people, situations and conversations that had no point to the plot.
also, I didn't find any character particularly interesting or even nice. I think Jane set up a lot of her life to be unlikable and yet, she was supposed to be friends with everyone....it was just odd and not my kind of story.
August 19, 2019
A very quick read, and I think MJ’s earliest supernatural novel. It took a while for things to get interesting, and I can see how much her writing has improved over the years since this book. Only a couple books of hers I haven’t read now! Another 30 Years 30 Books pick.
January 16, 2009
I have to admit something to all of you. When I first picked this book up from my pile of award nominees I had very low expectations for it. I thought it was going to be terrible. I really did. I'm not sure why I thought this. Perhaps it had to do with the cover, which, while perfectly fitting for the story itself, would never have grabbed my interest in the book store--not in a million years. This has a lot to do with the fact that the story is more aimed, in my opinion, towards teenage girls. It is, after all, from the viewpoint of a high school girl, dealing with high school romances, friend problems, and other typical teenage dramas. Therefore, the cover had to reflect the target audience.
I am so happy that I was horribly and idiotically wrong about this novel. It was fantastic. So good, even, that at times I wished I had a valid excuse not to go to work. I read it over the course of the last three days (finished it last night), reading at work during break and an hour each night. I didn't want to put it down, but I had to. I wanted to continue on. I wanted to get to the end so bad because I wanted to know everything that happened.
What makes this novel so good? Johnson's writing style, or at least how she writes the first person narrative of the main character Jane. It's that perfect style that tells you exactly what you need to know about the character--she's a teenager, smart, and downright sarcastic and hilarious. Her style is strong throughout. I found myself giggling internally--I don't generally laugh out loud when reading or express much of any emotion...that's just the norm for me.
The story is this:
Jane attends a religious prep school with her best friend Allison. Jane is, well, to put it simply, an academic genius. But she's not without her faults--she tends to get in trouble a lot. Allison is clumsy, throws up when put under pressure, and altogether quirky and odd. Then one day, after a terrible disaster where Allison throws up all over a freshman in the gym, Allison returns to school a completely different person. She's so different that she's answering questions during class, and correctly, she's wearing new clothes and has new confidence. To make things worse, she's just stolen Jane's ex-boyfriend--well stolen is the wrong word, but you get the picture.
Soon Jane finds out that there's more to this sudden change than meets the eye. Allison has done something terrible and stupid--she's just sold her soul to the devil.
The story is, well, excellent. It's strong, flows well, and sticks right to the point without running off in directions that are unnecessary. Jane is an awesome character. She's full of life, spunk, and awesomeness--yes, I used that word to describe her. I found her to be a fantastic character.
There were only a couple times I got annoyed during the novel and this had nothing to do whatseover with the story itself. I think the publisher perhaps misprinted some sentences in the novel so that they are in some ways using the right words, but are grammatically incorrect. I doubt this has anything to do with the author though.
All in all the novel is damn good. It moves fast, has its fair share of twists and turns, and proves to me that I can't judge a book by its cover all the time. Doing so means I will miss out on gems like this. Check this novel it. I think you'll really enjoy it!
I am so happy that I was horribly and idiotically wrong about this novel. It was fantastic. So good, even, that at times I wished I had a valid excuse not to go to work. I read it over the course of the last three days (finished it last night), reading at work during break and an hour each night. I didn't want to put it down, but I had to. I wanted to continue on. I wanted to get to the end so bad because I wanted to know everything that happened.
What makes this novel so good? Johnson's writing style, or at least how she writes the first person narrative of the main character Jane. It's that perfect style that tells you exactly what you need to know about the character--she's a teenager, smart, and downright sarcastic and hilarious. Her style is strong throughout. I found myself giggling internally--I don't generally laugh out loud when reading or express much of any emotion...that's just the norm for me.
The story is this:
Jane attends a religious prep school with her best friend Allison. Jane is, well, to put it simply, an academic genius. But she's not without her faults--she tends to get in trouble a lot. Allison is clumsy, throws up when put under pressure, and altogether quirky and odd. Then one day, after a terrible disaster where Allison throws up all over a freshman in the gym, Allison returns to school a completely different person. She's so different that she's answering questions during class, and correctly, she's wearing new clothes and has new confidence. To make things worse, she's just stolen Jane's ex-boyfriend--well stolen is the wrong word, but you get the picture.
Soon Jane finds out that there's more to this sudden change than meets the eye. Allison has done something terrible and stupid--she's just sold her soul to the devil.
The story is, well, excellent. It's strong, flows well, and sticks right to the point without running off in directions that are unnecessary. Jane is an awesome character. She's full of life, spunk, and awesomeness--yes, I used that word to describe her. I found her to be a fantastic character.
There were only a couple times I got annoyed during the novel and this had nothing to do whatseover with the story itself. I think the publisher perhaps misprinted some sentences in the novel so that they are in some ways using the right words, but are grammatically incorrect. I doubt this has anything to do with the author though.
All in all the novel is damn good. It moves fast, has its fair share of twists and turns, and proves to me that I can't judge a book by its cover all the time. Doing so means I will miss out on gems like this. Check this novel it. I think you'll really enjoy it!
March 18, 2009
Johnson’s section of made me want to check out more of her work; this particular book may not have been the right choice as, though it’s well-written, it suffers from a rather weak plot. Smart, rebellious Catholic schoolgirl Jane is (naturally) shocked to discover that her best friend, socially awkward Ally, has sold her soul to a demon. Sub-par Scoobying ensues. Johnson’s—I feel pretentious using this word, but okay, her mythology seems very poorly thought out. The rules of her universe don’t make much sense, nor are her characters—including the clearly clever Jane—particularly adept at maneuvering around them. Various deals are made for various characters� souls (all in attempt to regain Ally’s and defeat the demons), but in order to keep the plot going, the characters continue to be incapable of taking the easy way out and instead repeatedly entangle themselves more. It’s very hard to enjoy witty prose when everyone is being an idiot. Perhaps supernatural fiction is not Johnson’s milieu?
March 8, 2021
Dieses Buch hat mir leider gar nicht gefallen. Weder zu den platten Charakteren, noch zu der Handlung habe ich einen Zugang bekommen. Die Story hatte null Tiefe, manche Charaktere, die eigentlich hätten wichtig sein können, haben absolut nichts zur Geschichte beigetragen. Viele Dinge wurden nicht erklärt (Was genau hat es mit den Dämonen auf sich? Warum sehen sie aus? Warum sind sie bei einem bestimmten Ereignis anwesend? Was ist das für ein Ort, an dem sie sich sonst aufhalten? Welche Rolle spielen sie bei dem Ganzen? Warum kann das Bett plötzlich laufen? Was hat es mit dem Orden auf sich? etc.). Es wurden einige Aspekte einfach eingestreut, ohne diese richtig einzubinden und ihre Notwendigkeit zu erläutern. Das Potential, die Story interessant zu gestalten, war durchaus gegeben, wurde aber nicht genutzt.
Die andauernden Hinweise auf die Hochbegabung der Protagonistin waren nervig und hatten keinen Mehrwert für die Handlung. Denn die Hochbegabung war für absolut keinen Aspekt wichtig. Auch ein Mathegenie kann sich einfach nur dämlich verhalten, was auch hier der Fall gewesen ist.
Was mir besonders missfallen hat, war die Tatsache, dass die Autorin tief in die Klischeekiste gegriffen hat und z.B. die Schwester der Protagonistin auf eine absolut diskriminierende Art und Weise dargestellt hat. Warum muss die hochbegabte Person nun auch noch eine Schwester haben, die permanent als dumm bezeichnet wird?! Davon abgesehen, dass sich diese angeblich dumme Person schlauer verhalten hat als die Protagonistin. Zudem hat Dummheit nichts mit mangelnder Allgemeinbildung zu tun. Die Tatsache, dass die Schwester eine sehr hübsche sportliche Blondine ist, die den Unterschied zwischen Südamerika und dem Süden Amerikas nicht kennt, und nur belächelt wird, hat mich massiv gestört. Was sollte das?! Auf die eigentliche Handlung hatte dies keinerlei Einfluss.
Fazit: Nicht lesenswert.
Die andauernden Hinweise auf die Hochbegabung der Protagonistin waren nervig und hatten keinen Mehrwert für die Handlung. Denn die Hochbegabung war für absolut keinen Aspekt wichtig. Auch ein Mathegenie kann sich einfach nur dämlich verhalten, was auch hier der Fall gewesen ist.
Was mir besonders missfallen hat, war die Tatsache, dass die Autorin tief in die Klischeekiste gegriffen hat und z.B. die Schwester der Protagonistin auf eine absolut diskriminierende Art und Weise dargestellt hat. Warum muss die hochbegabte Person nun auch noch eine Schwester haben, die permanent als dumm bezeichnet wird?! Davon abgesehen, dass sich diese angeblich dumme Person schlauer verhalten hat als die Protagonistin. Zudem hat Dummheit nichts mit mangelnder Allgemeinbildung zu tun. Die Tatsache, dass die Schwester eine sehr hübsche sportliche Blondine ist, die den Unterschied zwischen Südamerika und dem Süden Amerikas nicht kennt, und nur belächelt wird, hat mich massiv gestört. Was sollte das?! Auf die eigentliche Handlung hatte dies keinerlei Einfluss.
Fazit: Nicht lesenswert.
March 30, 2022
3.5 stars. This was one of the weirdest and pulp-y-est books I've ever read. Think Hocus Pocus meets Jennifer's Body with Faustian Bargains. It has Maureen Johnson's signature wit, which at times, had me laughing out loud and reciting passages to others. Though not my favorite of hers, it solidified her as my favorite author.
July 15, 2010
It all started with a cupcake...
Well, not really. It started at prom night, when Alison's date never came. Stood up by a guy off the internet, the shame! And then Jane's boyfriend of just over seven months broke up with her and started ignoring her even as a friend. And then the cupcake. And Ally's puke all over the freshman. And then Ally's new haircut. And then Jane found out that her best-and-only friend was dating her ex, but also had sold her soul to the devil.
Well, the devil likes games... the question is, who's the better player? Jane... or Satan?
Wow. I'm impressed. This is a much better book than I thought it would be. I'm not really one for the supernatural, but MJ didn't do anything weird like have a demon slayer hook up with Jane (though Owen is pretty cool for a 116-year-old 14-year-old) or have the demons really just be misunderstood... and you can never really be sure if everyone's going to die in the end or not. I mean, there's a distinct possibility through the entire thing that Ally or Jane could just die. Fun, right? YES.
Devilish is set in Providence, Rhode Island. Which, for the record, is a lot more interesting than it sounds. They have trollies. Do we have trollies where I am? No, no we do not. We don't have a subway, even. We also don't--so far as I know--have an all-female Catholic school. This book does. And it also has a heaping plate of MJ humour--the best kind. And a few dead people. And cupcakes. What more could you want?*
*Edward Cullen? Sorry, nobody sparkles and the dead guys keep their hands off. So sorry to disappoint you.
Well, not really. It started at prom night, when Alison's date never came. Stood up by a guy off the internet, the shame! And then Jane's boyfriend of just over seven months broke up with her and started ignoring her even as a friend. And then the cupcake. And Ally's puke all over the freshman. And then Ally's new haircut. And then Jane found out that her best-and-only friend was dating her ex, but also had sold her soul to the devil.
Well, the devil likes games... the question is, who's the better player? Jane... or Satan?
Wow. I'm impressed. This is a much better book than I thought it would be. I'm not really one for the supernatural, but MJ didn't do anything weird like have a demon slayer hook up with Jane (though Owen is pretty cool for a 116-year-old 14-year-old) or have the demons really just be misunderstood... and you can never really be sure if everyone's going to die in the end or not. I mean, there's a distinct possibility through the entire thing that Ally or Jane could just die. Fun, right? YES.
Devilish is set in Providence, Rhode Island. Which, for the record, is a lot more interesting than it sounds. They have trollies. Do we have trollies where I am? No, no we do not. We don't have a subway, even. We also don't--so far as I know--have an all-female Catholic school. This book does. And it also has a heaping plate of MJ humour--the best kind. And a few dead people. And cupcakes. What more could you want?*
*Edward Cullen? Sorry, nobody sparkles and the dead guys keep their hands off. So sorry to disappoint you.
Read
September 20, 2009Dude.
Awesome.
For writers: If you want to know what that mysterious "voice" thing is, just read this book. There's so much voice in it, it leaks from the pages and makes your hands sticky.
Strong voice, brilliant plot, clever characters--this one has it all. A wonderful combination of light entertainment and thought-provoking philosophy, this is a highly recommended book.
Awesome.
For writers: If you want to know what that mysterious "voice" thing is, just read this book. There's so much voice in it, it leaks from the pages and makes your hands sticky.
Strong voice, brilliant plot, clever characters--this one has it all. A wonderful combination of light entertainment and thought-provoking philosophy, this is a highly recommended book.
Want to read
December 29, 2008This book's setting is a fictionalized version of my mom's high school (she and the author went to the same school! Tho many, many years apart.) Will definitely have to get around to it some day soon.
February 5, 2017
3.5 stars. I really loved the plot line because it was something totally different than I have ever read. I have a personal motto, however, that a book cannot get above 3 stars if it has obvious grammar errors. Sorry?
September 9, 2019
I liked June and that she was super mathematically talented and a great friend. I wish we found out more about the St Otto demon fighting group! Was Owen a member before or after he died? Is there a limit to how many times they can be resurrected? Overall, it was light and fluffy and fast.
October 11, 2022
3.5!
Such a fun underrated title from my YA queen. They should make this into a movie.
Such a fun underrated title from my YA queen. They should make this into a movie.
March 16, 2013
Full review also posted
I've read two of Maureen Johnson's previous books so when this came up as a free e-book download a few months ago I snapped it up right away. Devilish tells the story of Jane, whose unfortunate friend Ally seems to be having even more difficulties lately. When the two of them meet the mysterious Lanalee, life around school and their local town becomes even more strange.
I really like Maureen Johnson's quirky writing style and this book definitely had that. I loved how the book started out with typical high school drama - as the older students choose a "little" - a student to sort of attach themselves too. It managed to convey all that angst and jealousy you get with high school which always draws me in. I wasn't quite sure where the book was going to head genre-wise, whether it was going to stay contemporary or delve into paranormal. In the end it kind of gradually becomes clear there's more going on and weird stuff starts happening as you get further into the book so it has a little bit of both.
My main problem with this book was that I really didn't get on with the main character, Jane. I just couldn't connect with her. There's this one conversation with one of the teachers at her school where he lists all these rebellious things she's got up to whilst at school and the whole time I just wished we saw that side of her rather than just hearing about it through somebody else. I think if the book was narrated by one of the other characters such as Ally or Lanalee then I would have been a lot more connected with the story, because those two characters - who the majority of the plot revolves around - were more interesting characters to me. I was even drawn to Jane's sister Joan more than I was her.
I did like the mystery throughout the story of trying to find out just what was going on. Ally acting suspiciously peaked my curiosity and I found myself wanting to know what Lanalee was plotting because it was clear she was the character to be keeping an eye on. As it started to descend into more freaky stuff I started to lose interest because it got too weird. I just couldn't really go along with what was happening.
The book isn't too long so it was good to kill a few hours. I think some of my problems struggling to connect with characters were down to the fact the book was so short. It almost felt like a short story, and I think it maybe could have been told better in that format.
It's really hard to review this book because on the one hand, it kept my attention and the writing was good and entertaining enough but I just didn't connect with the main character and the plot was just a little too out there. I did find the climax to the story drew me in and had me turning pages but I don't think it would be a book I'd re-read.
I've read two of Maureen Johnson's previous books so when this came up as a free e-book download a few months ago I snapped it up right away. Devilish tells the story of Jane, whose unfortunate friend Ally seems to be having even more difficulties lately. When the two of them meet the mysterious Lanalee, life around school and their local town becomes even more strange.
I really like Maureen Johnson's quirky writing style and this book definitely had that. I loved how the book started out with typical high school drama - as the older students choose a "little" - a student to sort of attach themselves too. It managed to convey all that angst and jealousy you get with high school which always draws me in. I wasn't quite sure where the book was going to head genre-wise, whether it was going to stay contemporary or delve into paranormal. In the end it kind of gradually becomes clear there's more going on and weird stuff starts happening as you get further into the book so it has a little bit of both.
My main problem with this book was that I really didn't get on with the main character, Jane. I just couldn't connect with her. There's this one conversation with one of the teachers at her school where he lists all these rebellious things she's got up to whilst at school and the whole time I just wished we saw that side of her rather than just hearing about it through somebody else. I think if the book was narrated by one of the other characters such as Ally or Lanalee then I would have been a lot more connected with the story, because those two characters - who the majority of the plot revolves around - were more interesting characters to me. I was even drawn to Jane's sister Joan more than I was her.
I did like the mystery throughout the story of trying to find out just what was going on. Ally acting suspiciously peaked my curiosity and I found myself wanting to know what Lanalee was plotting because it was clear she was the character to be keeping an eye on. As it started to descend into more freaky stuff I started to lose interest because it got too weird. I just couldn't really go along with what was happening.
The book isn't too long so it was good to kill a few hours. I think some of my problems struggling to connect with characters were down to the fact the book was so short. It almost felt like a short story, and I think it maybe could have been told better in that format.
It's really hard to review this book because on the one hand, it kept my attention and the writing was good and entertaining enough but I just didn't connect with the main character and the plot was just a little too out there. I did find the climax to the story drew me in and had me turning pages but I don't think it would be a book I'd re-read.
March 2, 2015
Seriously after finishing with this book I listened to Prince's "I Would Die For You" and thought to myself this would be a great theme song for this book.
I have to say that when I started Devilish I didn't have a lot of hope that this would be a good read. Just because the young adult novels I have started in 2014 have been pretty hit or miss for me. This one was definitely a hit.
The main character is Jane who is anxious about her best friend Ally getting through her senior year at St Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls. Every senior is supposed to have a Freshman that bids to be the Senior girls little. Jane is pretty much over anything dealing with St. Teresa's, but Ally desperately wants to fit in and be part of things. After a school wide embarrassing incident starring Ally, Jane becomes even more worried for her friend. However, Ally suddenly transitions into the most beautiful, articulate girl at St. Theresa's. Jane is left wondering who or what is behind Ally's transformation.
I liked Jane's voice throughout this book. The snark was seriously strong in this girl. Also though she likes to play tough she really does love her mother, father, and sister Jane. And through the entire book her love for her best friend Ally comes through. Some characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more (like Jane's mother) but other than that I was fine with the dialogue and flow of the book.
Also I have to give Ms. Johnson kudos. For once I wasn't forced to plod through a book that has a girl stuck in the midst of a love triangle, or trying to fight to the death for something in a dystopian future where no world building has been established. This was a very funny wry look at teenage girls and specifically on how one teenage girl truly loved her friend and would do anything for her.
I went and looked and I don't see that Ms. Johnson followed up with a sequel to this book which is a shame. It would have been nice to have a series of books starring students at St. Theresa. She did leave things with a nice little setup to the future so you could see that future books starring characters from this book would be possible.
"It doesn't matter how old you are when you die, I'd been told.
When you die, that's the right time for you.
I'd also been told my life was a small price to pay.
I was glad to pay it for Allison."
I have to say that when I started Devilish I didn't have a lot of hope that this would be a good read. Just because the young adult novels I have started in 2014 have been pretty hit or miss for me. This one was definitely a hit.
The main character is Jane who is anxious about her best friend Ally getting through her senior year at St Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls. Every senior is supposed to have a Freshman that bids to be the Senior girls little. Jane is pretty much over anything dealing with St. Teresa's, but Ally desperately wants to fit in and be part of things. After a school wide embarrassing incident starring Ally, Jane becomes even more worried for her friend. However, Ally suddenly transitions into the most beautiful, articulate girl at St. Theresa's. Jane is left wondering who or what is behind Ally's transformation.
I liked Jane's voice throughout this book. The snark was seriously strong in this girl. Also though she likes to play tough she really does love her mother, father, and sister Jane. And through the entire book her love for her best friend Ally comes through. Some characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more (like Jane's mother) but other than that I was fine with the dialogue and flow of the book.
Also I have to give Ms. Johnson kudos. For once I wasn't forced to plod through a book that has a girl stuck in the midst of a love triangle, or trying to fight to the death for something in a dystopian future where no world building has been established. This was a very funny wry look at teenage girls and specifically on how one teenage girl truly loved her friend and would do anything for her.
I went and looked and I don't see that Ms. Johnson followed up with a sequel to this book which is a shame. It would have been nice to have a series of books starring students at St. Theresa. She did leave things with a nice little setup to the future so you could see that future books starring characters from this book would be possible.
"It doesn't matter how old you are when you die, I'd been told.
When you die, that's the right time for you.
I'd also been told my life was a small price to pay.
I was glad to pay it for Allison."
October 4, 2012
This review was originally published at
I was thrilled to hear that Harper Collins is publishing some of Maureen Johnson's earlier work here in the UK. As much as I love her Shades of London series and I'm dying to read the next book in the series, I've also been incredibly curious to read the books that haven't been as readily available here in England. I've enjoyed all of the books I have read by Maureen Johnson, and while Devilish can be quite fun, there was something lacking in it to move it up from being an okay read to one I absolutely loved.
Devilish is a book about popularity in high school and the lengths that some students would go to in order to achieve it. The story starts out with a ceremony in which upperclassmen like Jane and Ally are to be paired as mentors with incoming freshman in a Big-Little event. I didn't quite get the importance of this event, but aparently it's a big deal.
So when Ally humiliates herself in a big, flashy way, she feels like there's no hope for her whatsoever. Ally goes to incredible lengths in order to achieve popularity after the most embarassing moment of her life. And Ally will do anything to repair the damage done, including selling her soul to a demon in the form of new sophomore student, Lanalee. But when Ally's best friend, Jane, finds out about it all SHE decides to make another deal with the demon in order to save Ally's soul.
I don't know. Some parts of Devilish really worked for me. I quite liked Jane as a character, she had a fun personality and I liked how much her friendship with Ally meant to her. I was hoping for a bigger sense of friendship between the pair, but it is mostly missing until the last third of the novel. I also like the wackiness of it. I found myself laughing at the craziness of this book - demons and blood-soaked cupcakes and the fact that the show-down of good and evil happens at the Poodle-Prom. But while the quirky storyline kept me reading, I still didn't feel any great connection to the characters.
I was thrilled to hear that Harper Collins is publishing some of Maureen Johnson's earlier work here in the UK. As much as I love her Shades of London series and I'm dying to read the next book in the series, I've also been incredibly curious to read the books that haven't been as readily available here in England. I've enjoyed all of the books I have read by Maureen Johnson, and while Devilish can be quite fun, there was something lacking in it to move it up from being an okay read to one I absolutely loved.
Devilish is a book about popularity in high school and the lengths that some students would go to in order to achieve it. The story starts out with a ceremony in which upperclassmen like Jane and Ally are to be paired as mentors with incoming freshman in a Big-Little event. I didn't quite get the importance of this event, but aparently it's a big deal.
So when Ally humiliates herself in a big, flashy way, she feels like there's no hope for her whatsoever. Ally goes to incredible lengths in order to achieve popularity after the most embarassing moment of her life. And Ally will do anything to repair the damage done, including selling her soul to a demon in the form of new sophomore student, Lanalee. But when Ally's best friend, Jane, finds out about it all SHE decides to make another deal with the demon in order to save Ally's soul.
I don't know. Some parts of Devilish really worked for me. I quite liked Jane as a character, she had a fun personality and I liked how much her friendship with Ally meant to her. I was hoping for a bigger sense of friendship between the pair, but it is mostly missing until the last third of the novel. I also like the wackiness of it. I found myself laughing at the craziness of this book - demons and blood-soaked cupcakes and the fact that the show-down of good and evil happens at the Poodle-Prom. But while the quirky storyline kept me reading, I still didn't feel any great connection to the characters.
September 22, 2013
I decided to read the novel Devilish as the blirb made it sound very unusual and different from the books I normally read. The novel fitted the category on the bingo board: fantasy and this genre was interesting as I haven't read a fantasy book in a while and especially not one about devils and Satan which I have NEVER read before. I found this book very strange and didn't like it at all as it was too fast paced, lacking realistic motives, human emotions and the way the school is set up is extremely strange. So I was very disappointed. My favourite quote is: " Lanalee was a girl of the world, and if anyone could help me, she could " this is an amusing quote as Lanalee is the opposite of what she's portrayed, she is popular but not well meaning or kind as she is a devil in disguise trying to recruit the main character Jane Jarvis so she is definitely NOT looking out for her. A character that was interesting in the book Devilish was Alison as she was desperate enough to sell her SOUL to the devil to become more popular and receive more friends. This action shows how little she thinks of herself and the type of person she is, her personality: weak, ashamed of herself, desperately wanting to fit in and unpopular. Something new I learnt from this book was that you shouldn't trust everyone you meet, not everything is as it seems ( this also links in with the quote I picked out from the novel. )
February 14, 2015
Actual rating 4.5
I didn't really have high expectations for this book. I'm gonna be honest here. I only picked it up because Maureen Johnson is my favorite author so I decided to buy all her books but I almost didn't buy this one because.. that cover. I mean it does look terrible, so I thought I was going to hate it and also this is not the kind of book I would normally read so there's that too.
So this ended up being a pleasant surprise. Maureen Johnson's writing style is everything. She has this ironic and witty way that just makes you enjoy the story and love the characters. Props to Maureen.
The plot is really original and weird, sometimes it feels a bit like a parody because it's just so funny and ridiculous and you'd think that would be bad but it's not!
If I had to complain about something it would be about
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and light read! This is proof that you can't really judge a book by its cover ;)
I didn't really have high expectations for this book. I'm gonna be honest here. I only picked it up because Maureen Johnson is my favorite author so I decided to buy all her books but I almost didn't buy this one because.. that cover. I mean it does look terrible, so I thought I was going to hate it and also this is not the kind of book I would normally read so there's that too.
So this ended up being a pleasant surprise. Maureen Johnson's writing style is everything. She has this ironic and witty way that just makes you enjoy the story and love the characters. Props to Maureen.
The plot is really original and weird, sometimes it feels a bit like a parody because it's just so funny and ridiculous and you'd think that would be bad but it's not!
If I had to complain about something it would be about
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and light read! This is proof that you can't really judge a book by its cover ;)
November 17, 2009
The cover was the reason this book caught my eye. It's so cute and totally diferent from other books. The only thing that creeped me out were the eyes because they're kinda...weird-looking. But other than that, very chic. Love the cupcake too. :D
For the characters, at first, I thought Ally was really annoying because she kept whining about how her life sucks and that no one wanted to be her "freshman". It was this ritual where seniors would get a freshman for a day and spend time with them. [Personally, I don't want to have a "freshman". They're loud and annoying and RUDE excluding all bloggers though. :] So when she sold her soul to the devil, I was like: ha, that sucks for you! But Jane, being the total best bestfriend ever, wanted to save Ally's soul as well as her own. Oh, and the devil? It turns out that it was a type of corporation that makes up the term: devil. People could be promoted to be in the higher ranks so they could have more powers. But anyway, the "devil" that Ally sold her soul to happened to be Lanalee, a new girl at the Catholic school. So Ally and Jane gets thrown into this whole evil vs. good war where things start to get muddled and lines are blurred. I suggest to you read this book if you haven't because the plot is original (I've been saying this a lot...but it's true) and the characters were well-developed, somewhat.
For the characters, at first, I thought Ally was really annoying because she kept whining about how her life sucks and that no one wanted to be her "freshman". It was this ritual where seniors would get a freshman for a day and spend time with them. [Personally, I don't want to have a "freshman". They're loud and annoying and RUDE excluding all bloggers though. :] So when she sold her soul to the devil, I was like: ha, that sucks for you! But Jane, being the total best bestfriend ever, wanted to save Ally's soul as well as her own. Oh, and the devil? It turns out that it was a type of corporation that makes up the term: devil. People could be promoted to be in the higher ranks so they could have more powers. But anyway, the "devil" that Ally sold her soul to happened to be Lanalee, a new girl at the Catholic school. So Ally and Jane gets thrown into this whole evil vs. good war where things start to get muddled and lines are blurred. I suggest to you read this book if you haven't because the plot is original (I've been saying this a lot...but it's true) and the characters were well-developed, somewhat.
August 8, 2009
Once again, the ending knocks a book from 4 to 3 stars for me. I really liked the fact that there was a story where the male and female characters were just friends and had no sexual tension. I like a good couple as much as the next girl, but more than a good couple, I like the possibility of a good friendship. Though Jane was resistant at first, wary of Owen, once things got going and she needed him, they started to have a good friendship. The kiss between them and the sudden relationship between them came out of left field. It just didn't seem necessary to me.
Another thing that drops the rating was the lack of decent proofreading. There were a lot of errors in this book, not just misplaced punctuation, but a lot of missing words. In one sentence toward the end, I had to stick in 2 or 3 words before the sentence made any sense. The repeated stops to fill in the blank pulled me out of the story, broke up the flow.
I did like, though, that she did a different take on salvation from a demon. It was still sacrifice, but of a different variety. As it went along, I forgot about the book's prologue, and when Allison admitted what she done, I thought that would be the deal breaker. Maureen also did a pretty good job of hiding Allison's true intention.
Overall, it was an interesting quick read.
Another thing that drops the rating was the lack of decent proofreading. There were a lot of errors in this book, not just misplaced punctuation, but a lot of missing words. In one sentence toward the end, I had to stick in 2 or 3 words before the sentence made any sense. The repeated stops to fill in the blank pulled me out of the story, broke up the flow.
I did like, though, that she did a different take on salvation from a demon. It was still sacrifice, but of a different variety. As it went along, I forgot about the book's prologue, and when Allison admitted what she done, I thought that would be the deal breaker. Maureen also did a pretty good job of hiding Allison's true intention.
Overall, it was an interesting quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2014
To be honest, when I read the back cover of this book I thought it was going to be pretty bad- I was only reading it because of Maureen Johnson. But I actually really enjoyed it! It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but I think she did a good job of incorporating the supernatural into a young adult novel without being super annoying and over-romanticized about it. I feel like the first person narration was kind of a downfall in a way, since I really wish we had perspective from people who knew what was going on. But Maureen Johnson always writes in first person, so it was to be expected. I do like her writing and how she writes first-person, I just feel like I still had a lot of questions about the demons and the history of the demon order and such. I wanted some backstory, but in the end I still did like it. Although, we really didn't get a lot of character development from anyone except Jane. Allison does redeem herself in the end, but I don't know... it just seemed kind of random since we didn't see any progress of her journey. And I thought her family sounded interesting, so I'm sad they weren't in it so much. The mom doesn't even talk except for the conversation at the pizza place. This sounds really negative now, but I promise you I did enjoy this book! Definitely a fun and easy read.
October 26, 2010
Again, this was a book I just pulled off the library shelves because I needed a book to read. I'm beginning to think I should do it more often. I'm finding some great books that way. Anyway, I'd seen this one a number of times, and Maureen Johnson's a good writer. I couldn't really turn it down (when I didn't have any other books in my hands).
Jane's your average genius stuck in a horrifying Catholic school that's run by some very scary nuns. She's best friends with a girl named Allison who feels she's not good enough and Jane recently broke up with her boyfriend of 7 months. When Allison starts acting differently after an embarrassing situation, Jane tries to find out what's going on. A freshman from a neighboring school helps her find out Allison sold her soul to the devil. Jane will do whatever it takes to save Allison.
There was some humor in here I thought was great. I particularly fell in love with Owen. He's just the sweetest. This is one of those books I could see her coming out with a sequel to sometime. There are loose ends she could potentially tie up somewhere down the road, like she's doing with 13 Little Blue Envelopes now.
Jane's your average genius stuck in a horrifying Catholic school that's run by some very scary nuns. She's best friends with a girl named Allison who feels she's not good enough and Jane recently broke up with her boyfriend of 7 months. When Allison starts acting differently after an embarrassing situation, Jane tries to find out what's going on. A freshman from a neighboring school helps her find out Allison sold her soul to the devil. Jane will do whatever it takes to save Allison.
There was some humor in here I thought was great. I particularly fell in love with Owen. He's just the sweetest. This is one of those books I could see her coming out with a sequel to sometime. There are loose ends she could potentially tie up somewhere down the road, like she's doing with 13 Little Blue Envelopes now.
December 23, 2019
Summary: Seniors Jane and Allison aren’t popular, but they have each other. When Allison makes a dangerous deal to gain a little popularity, can Jane save her?
Review: This was the first book I read after my month-long Harry Potter revival, so I sort of expected to be let down. But this is Maureen Johnson, so I should have known better.
What I loved:
* Cupcakes—On the cover, in the story. Mmm. After I finished the book, I ran right out to our local cupcake shop to stuff my face.
* Hella funny—I don’t often laugh out loud while reading, but MJ is one of the few authors who can make me.
* 116-year-old love interest—Maybe this is my Angel crush showing a bit, but that’s hot stuff.
Review: This was the first book I read after my month-long Harry Potter revival, so I sort of expected to be let down. But this is Maureen Johnson, so I should have known better.
What I loved:
* Cupcakes—On the cover, in the story. Mmm. After I finished the book, I ran right out to our local cupcake shop to stuff my face.
* Hella funny—I don’t often laugh out loud while reading, but MJ is one of the few authors who can make me.
* 116-year-old love interest—Maybe this is my Angel crush showing a bit, but that’s hot stuff.
January 3, 2008
It took me a little while to get into the meat of this book, but once I did, it had me hooked.
Jane's best friend Allison is acting strangely. Once a meek and geeky girl, Allison has transformed into a sleek, stylish, self-assured senior. And she's dating Jane's ex! Something dark is afoot in Providence and Jane is going to figure it out.
Jane, as the main character, could have been more defined. We only see her surface for most of the story, and while she is depicted as smart and quirky--in a Veronica Mars sort of way--we don't ever really get to know her. The first couple of chapters feel like the into to a mundane story rather than a demonized fantasy. Once you get through that the rest of the book is fun and smart. It might be hard to get readers who are used to the action starting right away to continue to the good stuff.
Jane's best friend Allison is acting strangely. Once a meek and geeky girl, Allison has transformed into a sleek, stylish, self-assured senior. And she's dating Jane's ex! Something dark is afoot in Providence and Jane is going to figure it out.
Jane, as the main character, could have been more defined. We only see her surface for most of the story, and while she is depicted as smart and quirky--in a Veronica Mars sort of way--we don't ever really get to know her. The first couple of chapters feel like the into to a mundane story rather than a demonized fantasy. Once you get through that the rest of the book is fun and smart. It might be hard to get readers who are used to the action starting right away to continue to the good stuff.
March 5, 2011
This book was about Jane (the protag) and a demon. What makes the whole situation personal, is the fact that Ally, Jane's best friend, sold her soul to this demon which in turn is the devil. Predictably it's up to Jane to get her friend out of the crappy situation, because Jane is the 'fixer'. Ally turns on Jane for beauty, grace and wealth.
Jane goes to a Catholic girls' school, and there's this whole secret realm of dead-but-living 'people' who either want to sell human souls/take peoples' life force or want to protect human souls. Jane is on the side of protecting, but there are all these rules and of course complicated feelings to get her tangled and fixing kind of becomes a problem.
It wasn't one of those books where YOU HAVE TO READ IT IN ONE NIGHT OR ELSE YOU WILL DIE, which is a very relaxing feeling (to not have to read it all at once) but it was still quite good.
Jane goes to a Catholic girls' school, and there's this whole secret realm of dead-but-living 'people' who either want to sell human souls/take peoples' life force or want to protect human souls. Jane is on the side of protecting, but there are all these rules and of course complicated feelings to get her tangled and fixing kind of becomes a problem.
It wasn't one of those books where YOU HAVE TO READ IT IN ONE NIGHT OR ELSE YOU WILL DIE, which is a very relaxing feeling (to not have to read it all at once) but it was still quite good.
May 23, 2013
Loved this book, I never read anything quite like it before, featuring a girl making a deal with a representative of the devil to sell her soul, friend steps in, toes get cut off, etc etc. It's not like any ordinary girls in high school story.
A true case of Do Not Judge The Book By Its Cover.
Neither the ridiculous tagline ("What would you give to be popular?") nor the cover do the book any justice or are even remotely related to it. , catching the attention of the Guardian, BBC and the New Yorker among others - and this book is a real case of this prejudice.
A true case of Do Not Judge The Book By Its Cover.
Neither the ridiculous tagline ("What would you give to be popular?") nor the cover do the book any justice or are even remotely related to it. , catching the attention of the Guardian, BBC and the New Yorker among others - and this book is a real case of this prejudice.
January 2, 2016
Jane Jarvis isn't looking forward to her senior year at St. Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls; she's unpopular and proud of it, but she does have her best friend Allison as an ally. She does, that is, until something strange happens to Allison, who's suddenly attractive, smart, and dating Jane's ex, Elton. Clearly, Allison has sold her soul to the devil -- quite literally, and Jane decides to save it for her, with the assistance of a mysterious but very cute freshman boy. Devilish is populated with well-drawn characters, but Jane is particularly great: snarky, rebellious, and very smart.
February 19, 2016
I once told myself that I would read all of Maureen Johnson's books. Reading this one though I have nearly lost interest. I've outgrown most young adult. Devilish is a big example of that. I hated the main character. She was bossy, arrogant, and annoying. The rest of the characters had no substance. The plot and background information was confusing. I didn't get how the main character's best friend turned so bitchy so quickly.
It's very unlikely that I'll continue on my original goal of reading all of Johnson's books. This book has disappointed her for me. 12 Little Blue Envelopes will continue to be one of my favorites however.
It's very unlikely that I'll continue on my original goal of reading all of Johnson's books. This book has disappointed her for me. 12 Little Blue Envelopes will continue to be one of my favorites however.
December 5, 2016
Es tut mir wirklich leid, aber diese Geschichte war überhaupt nicht meins... platte Charaktere, langweilige Story, großteils sehr vorhersehbare Wendungen, Wesen, die nicht näher beleuchtet werden (wer sind sie? Warum leben sie schon seit hundert Jahren und sehen aber aus wie Menschen??) und ein Ende, das ich absolut nicht mochte...
Es lies sich aber flüssig lesen, daher 1 Stern für den Schreibstil :)
Es lies sich aber flüssig lesen, daher 1 Stern für den Schreibstil :)
February 20, 2008
Abso-smurfly brilliant! I could NOT put this book down. Johnson has created some amazing, very real teen characters, going to Catholic school and faced with the trials of popularity and homework and crazed nuns screaming about the state of your uniform. . . . And then she added the devil. Love it so much!
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