Jane Jarvis and her best friend Allison Concord have attended Saint Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls for years, muddling through each year at the prestigious academy on the bottom of the social totem pole. But this year - their senior year - the two girls decide to make a change. This will, without a doubt, be the best year of their lives, regardless of the fact that they must contend with an all-female population, and nun's who watch, and dictate, their every move. Jane and Allison are used to standing out from the crowd, given their quirky personalities, and different looks, it's not surprising that they don't mesh well with the conformist styles of their classmates. But one day, after Allison falls victim to one of the most embarrassing moments in history, she appears in school looking like a new person. Not only are her tresses chopped in a short bob and dyed red, but she's also sporting new - expensive - clothes, and accessories; and just so happens to have Jane's ex-boyfriend, Elton, hanging off her arm. Now, with the help of an extremely strange, and old-fashion freshman named Owen, Jane has discovered the unbelievable truth about her...ex-best friend...Allison has sold her soul to the devil, and the devil just so happens to be close by - as in many of their classes. Jane does her best to play along with the whole charade, but when she realizes that it's no joke, she risks her own soul in an attempt to rescue Allison. Little does she know that the tables are about to turn, and Jane will have to save Allison before the all-exclusive Poodle Prom, or risk burning in hell...forever.
There was something about Maureen Johnson's DEVILISH that reeled me in based on looking at the cover photograph. Perhaps it was the cupcake basking in it's frosting-covered chocolaty goodness, or the evil gleam in the model's eyes, but it caught my attention, and dragged me into this sugar-coated, impossible-to-put-down novel. DEVILISH is like an all-girls, teenage version of the Elizabeth Hurley Brendan Fraser film BEDAZZLED. Each character is quirky and interesting, and has the power to hold the story on their own two shoulders, while the twists and turns that occur on just about every page leave you on the edge of your seat. Jane is imperceptibly interesting with a witty personality, brains, and quite a bit of brawn for such a petite character; Allison is your typical, run-of-the-mill, geek turned popular character, who works much too hard to fit in and be accepted by the crowd, yet has little to show for it; but the character who takes the cake (no pun intended) would most definitely have to be the new girl, Lanalee, a rich, connected, gorgeous, lanky sophomore with a co-dependency problem on sweets and starting a ruckus. Lanalee is the girl everyone loves to hate, and hates to love, yet she instantly wins your heart, and captures your attention with her many outrageous antics. The secondary characters sprinkled throughout this sordid tale are also quite intriguing to read about, and possess spin-off potential. Maureen Johnson has truly outdone herself with this latest teen romp, that is sure to leave you feeling a bit DEVILISH yourself.
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
