Johnson, Maureen - Devilish

I liked this less than rilina and buymeaclue did, possibly because a) I read it in two hours while extremely nervous about computer science class and b) it contains some backstabbing among female friends, which is a trope I detest. This is, however, not to say that I didn't like it; I did like it and generally would rec it. I just didn't absolutely adore it.

Jane and her best friend Allison don't quite fit in the social scheme at their Catholic girls' school. Neither one of them is a pariah, but Jane is too savagely smart to quite fit, while Allison is a bit on the loopy side. Then one day, Allison comes in with new hair and more confidence, and things start going wonky.

Jane's narrative voice is a joy to read: she's smart, snarky, and irreverent, but not annoyingly so. Instead, she seems to be thinking the very things I would be (only with more wit than me). I love her reactions to the gradual increase of the supernatural in her life in particular.

As noted, I was a little put off by the fact that Jane's opponents in the book are mostly female, while those helping her are mostly male. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that Johnson resolved this in a way that left me satisfied and not sporky.

This is a really fun book, though by the end, I wished a little that it took more time: I didn't quite believe how fast events went in the book timeline, and I wanted more pages so it took more time for me to read as well.

Links:
- rilina's review
- buymeaclue's review
- rachelmanija's review

Florence, Italy - Sept. 11-12, 2004

Note: This is an entry I am typing up from notes I just found, with a few edits. Aka, I am sadly not in Italy now. Anything in brackets are comments from now.


( Sept. 11 (brief notes) )

( Sept. 12 (Palazzo Pitti!) )