Queen of the Dead Review

Author: Stacey Kade
Release Date: May 31, 2011
Pages: 266 (E-book)
Publisher: Hyperion
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From Netgalley for review
Other titles in series: The Ghost and the Goth

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like. Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

I enjoyed The Ghost and the Goth a decent amount, as I did Queen of the Dead, though I think I enjoyed this book even more than I did the first. The plot is full of twists and drama and I was entertained for every minute of it.

Alona is much less annoying in this installment (woo!), and Will's angst is never over-the-top and always believable. I have so much fun rooting for the two of them to solve their life and death problems, as well as become a couple. 

There are very few side characters in the novel, and we don't get to know the few that are, unfortunately. Maybe we'll learn more about them in the next book? (But nothing could make me like Mina either way. Just for the record.)

The Ghost and the Goth series is just plain fluffy fun. This story doesn't really stay with me for long, but I enjoy it while I read it. Queen of the Dead takes this series to a place I would've never expected it to go, and I'm excited to read the next book.

Plot: Unpredictable and entertaining.

Characters: Alona and Will (especially Will) are so easy to like.

Writing: Pretty good.

Ending: Um, how's that gonna work?!

Kid friendly? There's some swearing and mentions of pot, and making out, but nothing too serious.
Should I read it? If you read and enjoyed The Ghost and the Goth, you'll devour Queen of the Dead!

Overall:

The Ghost And The Goth Review

Author: Stacey Kade

Release Date: June 29, 2010

Pages: 278 (ARC)

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publisher

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit (DON’T call her a ghost) in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast who despises the social elite. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?
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The Ghost and The Goth was a cute book.

I was kind of worried that it'd be too cute, but luckily it wasn't. It had a nice romance, along with a good paranormal story and it kept me interested.

I kind of wanted to stab Alona (The Ghost) at the beginning of the book. She was selfish, cold-hearted, and just someone who I didn't want to meet, much less read about. However, I expected that she'd grow throughout the story, and thank God she did. Will (The Goth) was sarcastic, sweet, and overwhelmed with all of the ghosts he hears. I loved him, and he too grew throughout the story. Together, they were like some kind of cute old couple that you love to read about.

The writing was funny, and easy to read. Stacey Kade paints a good picture but her fresh voice and good storytelling will appeal to a lot of teens.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I don't really have a big complain about it. Definitely one to pick up!

How kid friendly is it? Pretty. There's no violence or sexual content, but there is language as well as mentions of alcohol. I think it will have a lot of appeal to the younger crowd, and I'd give it to most of them.