Devilish

Now I get it. I understand exactly why my friends were confused by my review of The Name of the Star and my surprise at Maureen's turn to the supernatural in that book. Clearly not her first time going that route now that I've read Devilish. And this was an excellent read! It was just way too much fun.

I honestly couldn't stop reading. Had to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish, I just really needed to know how it ended.

The characters felt real, human, not a clearly defined stereotype based off a hundred other similar characters. The location, Rhode Island, is certainly unique for a demon to set up shop and do her damage. I also have to say, I like that Jane doesn't have any kind of special ability, other than her mind. show more Ever since Buffy, so many writers fall into the trap of thinking the only way for a human to take on a supernatural threat is with some kind of power. Not Jane, she just thinks through the problem and acts accordingly, to the best of her ability.

And of course, I can never look at cupcakes the same way again, especially red velvet. show less

I remember liking this book when it came out, but rereading it now was pretty meh. I found parts funny and enjoyed the writing style, but the story felt a bit underdeveloped. Also, once again, I hated the love interest. Reading it did make me think a lot about good and evil though so that was interesting.

2022 reread note to say i dont hate the love interest as a character just as a love interest. He is either too young or way too old depending on how you look at it and also the fact that his whole situation is never explained is annoying.

Second time reading:

This is just...awesome. My favorite kind of demon/urban fantasy/YA story. Not too much drama to complicate things, but still intense and realistic. Demons with cupcakes. Undead teenagers. Demon-hunting old priests. Brilliant main characters with bleach blonde spikes.

One thing I love about Devilish is that there's so much information we don't get, but it doesn't feel like it got forgotten about. It just isn't featured. And for once I'm okay with having unanswered questions, because it makes the world feel very... complete. I'm not sure if that makes any sense. I'm certainly not asking for a sequel, because Devilish feels very perfect all by itself.

Another great thing about it is the characters. They are all just show more brilliant. Jane Jarvis not only has an awesome name and awesome hair, she also is actually brilliant and funny and clever. Ally is cute, in an awkward kind of way. Lanalee actually is quite scary. I honestly even love Joan, who is the type of character I normally hate.

I just love this book. show less

School misfit Jane is shocked when her best friend and fellow misfit Allison arrives at school the day after a horrible accident (puking all over another student in front of the majority of the student body) with a total makeover. And not just a physical one – now Allison is acting bitchy towards Jane, dating Jane’s ex-boyfriend, and has suddenly learned everything in the school’s text books. Jane is, obviously suspicious, but even her suspicions can’t prepare her for the truth – Allison has sold her soul to a devil, and this devil is a sophomore at their school.

Soon, Jane is working with a secret society to save Allison and rid her school of the devil.

The Review
Oh, this book had the classic Maureen Johnson humour that makes show more all of her books enjoyable. If my life could’ve been a Maureen Johnson book when I was a teenager, I could’ve been quite happy. One of the best things about Johnson’s books is that the main characters are relatable no matter your age – the reader can still empathize with what the protagonist is going through. I think this book, especially, where a lot of people feel like the outcasts in high school.

I really liked all of the characters in this book – especially the teachers. For some reason, (okay, the nun and priest thing is probably the reason) they reminded me of the cast of Sister Act 2. And even the teens were a lot of fun. While Lanalee wasn’t the best of bad guys I’ve come across, she had some fun moments. And her love of cupcakes really did endear her to me.

But Jane was definitely the star of the book. She was pretty kick-ass – even after her best friend starts treating her like dirt, she’s going to do everything in her power to save Allison. Even after Allison starts dating Jane’s ex-boyfriend, she sticks by Allison. There aren’t many people in real life who would do that, so it was quite refreshing to read a book about someone who does do that.

Devilish is an adorable retelling of the Faust story (a story that I already quite enjoy reading/seeing retellings of). And since Johnson doesn’t typically write urban fantasy books, it didn’t seem to have all the same stereotypes that most other YA urban fantasy has. You know, the brooding emo male, and other such stuff.

The Bottom Line
While this wasn’t one of my favourites of Johnson’s books, it was definitely a lot of fun. I would recommend this to other who have enjoyed stuff by Maureen Johnson. show less

In this novel, Jane must save her best friend, Allison, from the deal she has struck with a demon who has taken on the guise of a friendly, cupcake-eating classmate at their Catholic high school. The situation and the tone--funny, heartfelt, and scary at once--are similar to those of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, making this book likely to appeal to fans of the show who might be reluctant readers.

What I really enjoyed about Devilish is that it deals with the paranormal differently than do the scores of other paranormal YA books dominating the market. Rather than making the romantic subplot the focus of the book, Johnson places female friendship and the struggle to do the "right" thing versus doing what seems right to you as an individual show more at the forefront of the narrative. Her characters are smart, realistic, and very fun to read. Teenage girls could read this book and recognize themselves and their friends rather than identifying with the weak, watered-down female protagonists who only want to date a sparkly boy.

Devilish could have been two different novels: one a supernatural thriller, the other a drama about life in high school. Either one would probably have been okay, but blended together, they make a perfect book. show less

I love the main character; she was cute and short and had spiky hair but was really opinionated. She was super real and, unlike some of the characters, felt the most alive of anyone in the story. I liked that she totally refused to believe that there was anything weird and otherworldly going on, unlike most of the people in fiction today who seem to accept the fact that they’re fairies or whatever with no weirdness whatsoever. She made up all these excuses as to why it couldn’t be happening, even though her history book just randomly burst into flame. I don’t know, I thought it was funny.

The only problems that I had were: a) the rushed romance that I didn’t really feel all that into and b) her best friend’s personality. I show more mean, in the beginning of the story, her best friend Allison seems pretty real and kind of OCD, but after about the first scene with her, I saw nothing of her personality. I just didn’t like her and I didn’t understand why the MC was friends with her. The romance in the story, which was obviously a subplot, felt a little rushed and unreal. It seemed like there should’ve been more scenes with the two of them to make their mutual feelings develop, but there was nothing. I didn’t get that whoosh in my stomach kind of thing that I usually get from a kiss and it made me sad.

Overall, I really enjoyed Devilish. It was a quick read and despite some problems with character, I would definitely recommend it. show less

Jane and Allison have been best friends their entire lives, so when Allison cuts her hair, buys a new purse and starts hanging out with the cool girls, there's only one explanation--she's been possessed by a demon. As Jane enters her own devil's bargain to save her friend and keep a hellish horde from taking over Rhode Island, she discovers an underworld based on arcane rules and playing for the highest stakes imaginable.

This book is funny. Johnson's gift for snark and subversive comedy simply cannot be overstated. At the same time, however, she takes a fairly ridiculous concept and makes it perfectly believable. Jane and her demon-fighting posse seem perfectly believable in their motivations and actions. The character of Jane herself show more is a great draw--brilliant, rebellious, ungoverned and unconcerned, she handles everything life throws at her with a furiously cold aplomb. The only thing that seems to throw her is Owen (the anti-Edward, for any Twilight-haters out there), a sad 116-year-old ghost with issues of his own. Seeing their awkward romance blossom is almost more entertaining than the quickly-approaching Poodle Prom and the deadline to save Allison's soul. Recommended for grades 7-11. show less