June 14, 2011

Book Review: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Ghost and Goth
At First Sight: Queen Bee Alona Dare's life gets cut short when, a few weeks before graduation, she gets run over by a school bus but, for some reason, she didn't go to the great beyond right away, and instead keeps waking up in the middle of the street where she died.

In the days that follow her death, Alona gets to see how everyone is moving on without her, like she was never there, like she was never important. And that gets her plenty mad, too bad there is nothing she can do because no one can see or hear her. No one, that is, except for Will Killian.

Social reject Will Kill who was so far out of Alona's sphere that she barely noticed him in life, just knowing that he was the resident weirdo of their high school... and she might have just discovered why he's always acting so weird.

All his life, Will has been able to see the dead - just like his Dad did before him - and suffered for it. He has an over protective mother, a psychiatrist hell vent on sending him to a "facility" and he's on the high school principal's black list. Still, he figures that if he can stick it out until he's 18 he'll be able to get out of town and stay out of trouble.

Until he lets his guard slip and Alona realizes that he can see the dead, suddenly, ghosts are clamoring for his help and landing him in trouble left and right; and the only one willing to help him is Queen of Mean Alona.

Second Glance: I'm going to come clean and say that I sort of dismissed  The Ghost and the Goth when I first saw it last year. I was having a paranormal overload and I don't know, I just thought the cover was cute but not much else. However, then I read Small Review's thoughts on The Ghost and the Goth and then on Queen of the Dead, and it got me thinking that maybe I have been too quick to dismiss Alona and Will.

So I reconsidered.

And I'm SO GLAD I DID!

There is a lot more to G&G than what meets the eye first. I loved Alona, she's definitely a bit of a mean girl, but she's fabulously mean and there is a lot more to her than just that. There are layers to her personality, and a real story behind the image she projected. Plus, she was really smart.

Will was a loner, sure, but with surprisingly few issues other than the "I See Dead People" thing and all it implied, I got the sense that he was a good friend and a good son, and I totally liked him for it.

The book has a dual narration and I liked getting into both their heads, each with a distinct voice but both equally fun. Plus the book was a great pace, that kept me going even though it was the middle of the night and I really should have been asleep.

Bottom Line: I loved Alona and Will, and The Ghost and the Goth is definitely one of my favorite reads of this year. I can't wait to read Queen of the Dead and see what's in store for this odd-but-very-functional couple.

Favorite Quote: There were so many, but I don't trust myself not to spoil much, so I'm picking one from the beginning.
“Trust me, I’d find someone else if I could. You’re just mad because I never talked to you when I was alive.”
“Yeah, the waves of regret are washing over me.”
-- Alona & Will
starstarstarstar2/3Personal Favorite
Alex

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