A review by readwithkayy
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
nine liars is the fifth book in the truly devious saga, following stevie bell and her friends on a weeklong study abroad trip in london. there, she meets Izzy, a friend of David’s, who basically hands her another case on a silver platter. back in the 90s, Izzy’s aunt and her theatre troupe went on a trip, where two of their friends were murdered with an axe in what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong. but izzy’s aunt isn't so sure, so stevie takes on the case.
i'm always partial to stories set around theatre groups, for the drama and the closeness that their dynamic provides. however, I did feel like out of books in the series, this mystery wasn’t my favorite. it may have been due to the structure of the book. jumping right into the background on the case was a little hard to do out of context, especially with there being 9 people involved, and because of that, we get little time to actually care about them. also, this may just be a me thing, but i found myself pretty indifferent about the reveal. i still love being in Stevie’s orbit, though. she’s so funny and quirky and smart, and the found family between her and her friends is top tier. specifically her closeness with nate warms my heart. david... smh. i can't wait to read the next one.
*thank you harper collins & netgalley for the eARC!
i'm always partial to stories set around theatre groups, for the drama and the closeness that their dynamic provides. however, I did feel like out of books in the series, this mystery wasn’t my favorite. it may have been due to the structure of the book. jumping right into the background on the case was a little hard to do out of context, especially with there being 9 people involved, and because of that, we get little time to actually care about them. also, this may just be a me thing, but i found myself pretty indifferent about the reveal. i still love being in Stevie’s orbit, though. she’s so funny and quirky and smart, and the found family between her and her friends is top tier. specifically her closeness with nate warms my heart. david... smh. i can't wait to read the next one.
*thank you harper collins & netgalley for the eARC!