Teen Review: As Dead As It Gets

As Dead As It Gets (Bad Girls Don't Die #3) by Katie Alender
Release Date ~ May 15, 2012
Hyperion Books
ISBN-13: 978-1423134725
Novel purchased personally

Goodreads Synopsis
 It's been three months since Alexis helplessly witnessed Lydia Small's violent death, and all she wants is for her life to return to normal.

But normal people don't see decaying bodies haunting photographs. Normal people don't have to deal with regular intrusions from Lydia's angry ghost, sometimes escalating to terrifying attacks.

At first, it seems that Lydia wants revenge on Alexis alone. But a girl from school disappears one night, and Alexis spots one of Lydia's signature yellow roses lying on the girl's dresser the next day. Soon, it becomes clear that several of Alexis's friends are in danger, and that she's the only person who can save them. But as she tries to intervene, Alexis realizes that her enemy is a much more powerful ghost than she's ever faced before... and that its fate is tied to hers in ways she couldn't possibly imagine.

Not even in her worst nightmares.

So I completely forgot that this book came out in May, or else I would've bought it as soon as it came out.  I found myself in Barnes and Noble one day, and to my surprise, I found it on the shelf.  I grabbed it, and did a little victory dance because I've been dying for this book to come out!  The last book left me hanging, and there was so much that happenned in those last fifty pages that I knew the next book would be awesome.

1. This novel is different than others in the series:
   
   One thing that I really like about the Bad Girls Don't Die series, is that I find each novel has a very different feel to it.  The first novel, Bad Girls Don't Die, has an overall creepy and disturbing feel to it, as opposed to the second novel, From Bad to Cursed, which had a bit more of a psychological thriller feel to it.  I found that this book was very...  Unsettling.  That's really the only way I can describe it.  I got so many bad feelings about events, people, and there was a dream sequence that scared me silly.  There were too many coincidences, and I knew that there was something dreadful going on beneath the surface of everything. 
2. Lexi's Attitude:
   
   Unlike a lot of heroines, Lexi doesn't like fighting ghosts.  She doesn't fight because she really wants to fight ghosts, she fights because she knows that she is one of the only people that can help.  In the book, as soon as she realizes that there is violent ghost activity in her town, she knows that she has to fight back.  I don't really think that Lexi would really bother too much with fighting ghosts if they didn't begin to affect her so much, which makes her seem a whole lot more real to me.
3.  Loose ends are tied up:
   
   For those of you who have read the previous books, I'm sure the the last book's ending drove you crazy, as it did me.  At first, I was afraid that all the loose ends from the other book would just be ignored and forgotten about, and none of them would ever get tied up.  I can assure you that all loose ends are tied.

I really like this book, and I think that it's a marvelous conclusion to the Bad Girls Don't Die series.  I'm really sad that this trilogy is over, but I'm also really excited to see what Alender comes up with next.

 

Purchase Links

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Barnes & Noble	Chapters Indigo

Teen Review: From Bad to Cursed

From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die #2) by Katie Alender
Release Date ~ June 14, 2011
Hyperion
ISBN13: 9781423134718
Purchased personally

Goodreads Synopsis:
Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul for beauty and popularity. After all, she already has everything she needs--an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a family that finally seems to be healing after her sister Kasey's unfortunate possession by an evil spirit.

But then Kasey tells Alexis about the mysterious new club she has joined, and the oath she has taken to someone named Aralt. Worried that Kasey's gotten in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend Megan decide to investigate by joining the Sunshine Club, too. At first, their connection with Aralt seems harmless. Alexis tries a new -- normal-- look, and finds herself reveling in her elegance and success.

Still, despite the Sunshine Club's outward perfection, the group is crumbling from within, and soon Alexis finds herself battling her own personal demons. She can hardly even remember why she joined in the first place. Surely it wasn't to destroy Aralt...why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?

 A couple months ago, I read Bad Girls Don't Die, and loved it.  I was so excited when I got the sequel, From Bad to Cursed.  This book did not disappoint my expectations.  Do not get it confused with the first book though; it is a very different sort of a book.  It is still very well done though, and this series is definitely one of my new favourites! And the third one is coming out this May!

  

1. Creepiness Factor:
   I actually found this book to be a lot creepier than the first.  There was so much in this book that I had to read again, so I could be sure that I had understood what I had read.  If you were a little bit creeped out from the first book, you will definitely be with this one.  There was definitely something very, very disturbing about his book the entire time I was reading it.  It still won't keep you up all night afraid, though, which I was very glad to find.
2. Alex and Kasey's Relationship:
   In the first book, we never really get to see a strong, established relationship between these two.  And although at the beginning they are as far apart as ever, they gradually start to become closer and closer.  You start to feel a really strong bond between to the two, particularly at the end of the book. 
3. The Writing:
   The writing in this book was absolutely brilliant.  The change you see in Alex is very slow and gradual, so much I hardly even noticed it.  You start to almost believe that the change is for the better.  I found myself beginning to wonder why Alex had ever been apprehensive about joining the club.  It was clearly benefiting her and everyone else who joined.  A really good writer will be able to twist your thinking.  Alender's writing did that to me.

I could come up with many more reasons, but I'll stop there.  I don't want to ruin the book for you all.  I will admit that the ending of this book is very frustrating since I'll have go wait a couple of months before the next one comes out.  This book is very disturbing and creepy, but in a different way than the first book.  If you enjoyed the previous novel, I'm fairly certain you will enjoy this novel as well.

Bad Girls Don't Die & say Hello!

I have something INCREDIBLY exciting to share with all of you (well, I'm excited about it at least)!

My younger sister, Dorian, who's 15 years old has agreed to join Esther's Ever After as a book reviewer and poster!

While I'm thrilled with the response I've received to my blog, and how fortunate I've been with interested readers and review requests, I simply can't take on all of them on my own any longer. Dorian has always loved to read as well, although we tend to pick out fairly different books so I'm hoping that our tastes combined will allow for a broader variety of books and reviews on here!

So please welcome her to Esther's Ever After, and leave her some love for her first review on here!

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Release Date: April 21, 2009

Disney ~ Hyperion

ISBN13: 9781423108764

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

 When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

I’m the kind of person who gets scared easily, so when I recently picked up Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender, I was a bit apprehensive. Needless to say, I read the first chapter- no, the first page and I was HOOKED.

 Reasons to Read:

1. The Storyline: This book has a fairly creepy plot.  I mean, what with the psychotic, murderous ghost and the disturbing way of how the ghost came to be, this book will give you shivers the moment the plot is introduced.
2. The Characters: I found that this book had a pleasurable variety of characters.  They were fascinating with intriguing back stories.  Each one wasn’t at all that they seemed.  They all had their good points and their flaws, which I thought made them easier to relate to.
3. Carter and Alexis: I really enjoyed reading about this couple.  The two characters are seemingly polar opposites who end up together.  Although the two are so different, the deep connection between them is very interesting.  Carter is very much a sweater-vest wearing, class president, “prep”; while Alexis is more of a distant, misfit of a person.

The overall storyline is pretty creepy, but it isn't so scary that you’ll be afraid to go to bed at night. I liked how Katie was able to portray an actually disturbing storyline without making it over the top. I found myself captivated by the story and the characters. Each character had a distinct personality that made them different from all the others.

Alexis: the independent outcast.

Kasey: the shy misfit.

Mrs. Warren: the distant workaholic.

Carter: the all-American boy with an unexpected past.

Megan: the all-American girl with a dark secret.

Parts of the story were a bit predictable, but I didn’t really mind being able to guess something that would happen. I did find it a bit frustrating how I had almost pieced together the whole mystery, while the protagonist was still on square one. I did like how it was written. The funny parts were funny, the serious parts were serious, and the creepy/scary/disturbing parts were creepy/scary/disturbing. All the loose ends were tied up at the end of the book with a very satisfying ending.

P.S., If you’re still not sure, pick it up for Carter and Alexis! Hands down one of the best couples I have read about.