Book Review: The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell is FINALLY back, and this time she’s investigating a cult. Check out my full review of The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson below!
Book Information
Stevie Bell is still reeling from the unexpected breakup with her boyfriend, David. Graduation is looming. She feels like she has no direction. So when she finds out that Nate is going to New York over the Christmas break, she jumps at the chance to be anywhere but home. Of course, though, not one but TWO murders happen right down the hall from her. Stevie must uncover long hidden secrets and look into someone who may be a lot more dangerous than he seems.
Review | Heidi Dischler
I was so excited to get an ARC for this book because it feels like we’ve been waiting centuries to get another Truly Devious novel. While the overarching style is our same, beloved Stevie Bell, this mystery wasn’t my favorite. What it lacked in mystery, though, it made up for with all of the things that happened between all of our characters.
So, the gist of the mystery is that back in the 1950s, a girl named “Blue” is drugged out of her mind by two other people while they basically interrogate her about someone else. After that chapter, you’re back in Stevie’s time as she’s in a fog from breaking up with David. That’s when she finds out Nate is going to New York and Stevie decides to go with him.
Basically, this mystery is supposed to be surrounding a “cult”. I, personally, didn’t feel like the cult vibes were really there. To me, it just felt like these characters who were in the “cult” were just being manipulated by a really horrible man. Not to mention, most of the book didn’t feel like a mystery. Most of it, like I mentioned above, it more about Stevie’s relationships with her friends and about her moping because of David. Which, after the way the last book ended, I’m fine with, but man. I really wanted a good mystery (there were a few moments of “oh my freaking gosh!” but not a lot).
Since this is an early release, I won’t be saying any spoilers until the book actually comes out. So, come back here on release day to see everything that happens and all the details about David 👀.
Overall, while I loved being back in Stevie’s head, there wasn’t a lot that went into the mystery for this book. You get Janelle, Vi, Nate, and Stevie with a lot of new characters as well. The parrot (or whatever type of bird he was), Murph, was my favorite. If I was just rating for the mystery, maybe a 2.5/3 out of 5 stars? But since we got some closure that we so desperately needed (if ya know what I mean), It definitely went up to 4 out of 5 stars. Like I said, check back here on release day to see all my spoilers for this book! They’re some good ones….
Source: Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers
(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)
