Book Review: Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

In summer I like to pick up light reads.  Ones that are fun, entertaining, and fast reads.  I like to avoid serious books when selecting my summer reads.  Last week I picked up the first book in Marlene Perez's Dead is series and it had me hooked.  Now four books later and only one more to go, I am looking for something else just like it.  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the fast paranormal reads!  Daisy and her sisters are fun, quirky, and very entertaining. 

If you like paranormal fiction, but want something on the lighter side, check out Dead is the New Black and its sequels.  (Also available on audio!)  Need more convincing?  Check out my review below!

Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daisy Giordano is the only one in her family who hasn't inherited psychic abilities, but being a "norm" isn't going to stop her from trying to help her mother solve the case of the teenage girls who are being attacked all over town. With the help of Ryan, the son of the local police chief, and possibly her new boyfriend, Daisy is going to put everything on the line to figure out what is happening to these girls.

This novel was simply charming. I love Daisy and loved her sisters. The characters were fun and felt like people you wanted to know even the Divine Devereaux. Daisy is a fun, likable, teenage girl who wants to prove that she is as talented, just in different ways, as her two psychic older sisters. Ryan is a good guy who will do just about anything for Daisy.

While Nightshade has always been a bit of a mysterious town, it really gets creepy when a girl turns up dead and her body disappears from the morgue. Suddenly other popular girls from the cheer leading squad start getting sick, Daisy knows she needs to stop the culprit before someone else dies.

The audio version of this book is produced by Brilliance Audio and performed by Suzy Jackson. Jackson was a superb narrator for this book. She sounds convincing as a teenager and made the listening experience an exceptional one. I would recommend this audio experience to anyone. It is a great book to listen to.

Overall, this is a remarkably fun book. Dead is the New Black is just a fun light-hearted read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, light-hearted, fun mystery, with laughs and charming characters.

Cautions for sensitive readers: This book has paranormal touches and even a few paranormal chacters, but the violence in this novel is tame and there is no foul langauge or sex at all in this book.

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Book Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone born after the Shift can see ghosts. Aura is no exception. She has used her ability to help them move on by working in her Aunt Gina’s lawfirm. Everything changes, when the love of her life dies and becomes a ghost. She loves Logan and doesn’t want him to move on, but keeping him here may be far more dangerous. It could make him turn Shade.

This book really surprised me. I was expecting another paranormal romance, and while that is what I got, I can honestly say I got so much more that I didn’t expect. In fact this book kind of left me with the feeling I had just finished a dystopian novel, even though isn’t exactly the right description for what this book is.

Shade was a fun book from the get go. Aura loves Logan and his death hits her hard. Her grief is believable, and the struggle for her to leave him behind and rejoin the living was fantastic. Jeri Smith-Ready does an admirable job of character development. We like Logan, we like Zachary, and we hate the thought that Aura must choose between the two.

I can’t explain exactly why I liked this book. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it surprised me. I really wasn’t expecting the whole government involvement in the story and that took me off guard. As I said, I was expecting another paranormal romance, but it gave me so much more. For a girl who likes dystopias and conspiracies, this book had it all with the romance thrown in. My single complaint for this book is that it left too many strings dangling. I felt that too many of my questions were left unanswered and that make it difficult for this book to stand alone.

Those many unanswered questions however, will pave the way for its sequel, Shift in May of 2011. I will definitely be picking up the sequel, because I really want to know what is going to happen next.


Cautions for sensitive readers:  Some violence, drinking, and drug use.  Mentions of sex and mild language.


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Book Review: Whisperby Phoebe Kitanidis

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since the age of three, when her sister first showed her how, Joy has been able to hear whispers. Whispers are people’s desires and wishes, the thoughts they think but don’t often express. Joy has always gone out of her way to try to give people around her their whispered wishes, but her sister Jessica isn’t as happy with her own ability to hear the whispers and goes out of her way to make people miserable by telling the truth they don’t want to hear. When Joy hears Jess whisper that she wants to kill her hearing and even kill herself if that is what it takes, Joy knows she has to save her sister at any cost.

This book has a little bit of everything. It has paranormal abilities, friendships, family, adventure, and even a touch of romance. I really like Joy’s growth throughout the novel as she discovers that not everything is as it appears to be and that sometimes she needs to think and act for herself. In the beginning Joy goes out of her way to make people happy even at her own expense. Slowly she discovers what Jessica has known, that even the best of friends may have selfish desires and thoughts. She comes to terms with the fact that she can’t make everyone happy all of the time and becomes stronger because of it.

One concern I had was that I thought having a young man enter the story with abilities similar to Joy’s was a bit of a stretch, but I did like Jamie, and in the end, was glad he made an appearance.

Overall I would say that this book is a fun fast read. I read it completely in two days, and am a very slow reader. If you can’t tell by the review, let me just say, that there isn’t much for me to say for this book. I liked it, it was entertaining, and a little different from some of the paranormal fiction out there. The ability to hear whispers was intriguing, but the best part was how Joy struggles to respond to those whispers. Joy does a lot of growing up in this short novel, and without hearing the whispers this could have been more of a coming of age story than a paranormal story.

Recommended for paranormal fans.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Some violence, no sexuality, some language.

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Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lucinda Price has seen shadows her entire life, dark twisting blackness that leaves disaster in its wake. It is because of the shadows that she is forced to go to Sword & Cross reform school, because she can’t remember exactly what happened to Trevor the night the shadows came. Now she finds herself living at Sword & Cross, with other “troubled” teens. It is there, at Sword & Cross, where she first sees him, a boy her own age who looks so startlingly familiar, Daniel. As she tries to get closer to Daniel, to discover how she knows him, the shadows too are moving closer to Luce and the people she cares for.

Fallen, from the very beginning, is both intriguing and enticing. It grabs you from the first page and propels you into an ages old struggle between good and evil. At each haunting turn you never know where this story will take you. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as the story progresses. Fallen is both romantic and intriguing. The ending left the reader wanting more, which leaves the door open for sequels. Torment the next installment is due out September 28, 2010 in the US. I will probably pick up the sequel since I enjoyed Fallen so much.

While I would classify this as paranormal romance, I think fans of the genre may find it a little lacking on the romance side. You feel the attraction between the characters, like you do in Twilight and maybe even Linger but unlike those, sometimes the relationship between the characters leaves you cold. You don’t see it; you don’t really feel it. If you are looking for the hot attraction you see in those books, you might what to try something else, because it just isn’t here in Fallen

The audio book is read by Justine Eyre who does an excellent job narrating the story. Her narration is the picture of clarity and is spot on for Luce and her schoolmates. The running time for the audio is just short of 11 hours and consists of 9 compact discs if listening on CD. It was the audio that propelled me through the tough, slow spots, and is an excellent way to enjoy this book.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Mild language and some violence are present in the novel. Mild kissing, but no sex.

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Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
After a love spell goes horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer is sent to live, at Hecate Hall. There she and other teen Prodigium, shape shifters, witches, and faeries, learn to use and control their powers so they don’t attract the attention of their mortal enemies. When Sophie arrives, she discovers that something more sinister is lurking inside the protected wall of Hecate Hall, something that will put lives in danger.

At first this book came across as a tamer version of P.C. Cast’s House of Night series mixed in with a little of Rowling’s Harry Potter. Readers may recognize parts of the books that will remind them of other favorite series that they are familiar with. Once past the initial pages, things begin to pick up and become a little more original.

Her characters are wonderful, especially Sophie and her roommate Jenna. Sophie’s naiveté and inability to control what comes out of her mouth when she starts speaking, provides us with a charming and likable heroine with a refreshing dose of humor. Hawkins writes with a wonderful sense of humor, and has some pretty good laugh out loud moments:

“Sophia Mercer, “ Elodie intoned, “we have come to induct you into our sisterhood. Say the five words to begin the ritual.”
I blinked at her. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Anna gave an exasperated sigh. “No, the five words are, ‘I accept your offer sisters.’” (pg 92)

I like that this book made me laugh, and since it picked up towards the end, I may definitely have to give the sequel a shot. Yes this is the first book in a projected Hex Hall series, and I think that it will be interesting to see where Hawkins will take us next.

Cautions for sensitive readers:  This book had all the fun of House of Night without the mature content.  No language, some violence, and very mild sexuality.

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Book Review: Tantalize Cynthia Leitich Smith

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Quincie Morris has a lot on her mind. Since the death of her parents three years ago, Quincie and her Uncle Davidson have been running the family restaurant Fat Lorenzo’s. With the completion taking away business they decided to change the restaurant into Sanguini’s, a restaurant built around a vampire theme. When the head chef, and good friend Vaggio is murdered in the restaurant kitchen, Quincie’s best friend, Kiernan, a hybrid werewolf and the boy of her dreams, warns her that real vampires may be involved. While the police investigate Kiernan and the werewolf connection, Quincie must get the restaurant ready for its grand reopening, and hope that whoever killed Vaggio doesn’t come back for her.

Cynthia Leitich Smith did an excellent job with her characters and her plotting. I can’t believe how fast I was drawn into this novel. While it still suffers from the Twilight vampire and werewolf phenomenon, it was still interesting and unique.

Recommended for those who like paranormal fiction, vampires, and werewolves.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Some violence, some sexuality although no sexual descriptions are in the book. Mild language.

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Book Review: Snap by Carol Snow

Snap by Carol Snow


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Preppy and pampered Madison Sabatini has just about everything going for her. She got the job as photographer for her school newspaper, she has great friends, great clothes, and she is going on a Hawaiian vacation on her summer break with enough time left at the end of the summer to come home for the newspaper’s pool party. That is, until her parents cancel the trip and inform her that they are going to Sandyland instead. She suspects something is up with her parents, her dad isn’t talking much and her mother has been angry a lot lately. They seem to be keeping secrets from her. Then her prized camera begins to capture images that aren’t there in real life. Images of people who later suffer tragedies. Now Madison has a secret of her own, one she can only share with her new friends at the Psychic Photo store in town. Can she figure out what’s wrong with her parents and solve the mystery of her camera before it is too late?

A quick read for someone looking for light paranormal stories or semi-realistic fiction. It has the feel of a Sarah Dessen novel with paranormal circumstances.

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Book Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Violet Ambrose was eight years old she found the remains of a human corpse. Violet has been able to find the dead her entire life. She senses echoes off both the dead and those who are responsible for their deaths. When a serial killer starts targeting teens in her area, Violet sets out to use her ability to find the murderer. What she doesn’t plan on is that as she gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to her.

Part romance, part paranormal fiction, part mystery, this book has a little for everyone. Although it has a few slow spots, the mystery and the romance pull you through the book. Violet’s abilities are unique. She can sense, visual, auditory, olfactory, or even taste echoes off both the dead and those responsible for their deaths. It was an interesting twist to see a character who senses violent deaths, rather than ghosts. The romance with her best friend was realistically portrayed and appropriately awkward at times. But my favorite parts of the book were the chapters from the killer’s point of view, which were riveting and kept me engaged. In fact, I found myself wanting to flip forward to find the next chapter from the killer’s point of view. (I was good and didn’t skip to those chapters, but boy did I want to.)

Overall this was a fun and entertaining read. Derting has created a highly enjoyable debut novel. I would recommend this to fans of paranormal fiction, romance, and mystery. The sequel, Desires of the Dead is scheduled to be released in 2011.)

Cautions for sensitive readers: While you know girls are being murdered, there are no gruesome descriptions. There is some drinking at a party and an incident where an intoxicated young man makes unwanted advances on Violet.

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