Release Date: June 29, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Children
Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary
Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook
My Shelf: Want to Buy
Alona
Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming
Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly
dead.
I’m the girl you hated in high school.
Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod,
and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t
perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there
anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and
friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t
believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To
top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I
don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking
white light already?
Will
Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd
for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a
ghost-talker.
I can see, hear, and touch the dead.
Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving
high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.”
After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I
was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new
ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to
throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing
about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink
is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric
evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is
searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until
graduation?
Review:
The
Ghost and the Goth is all kinds of cute and adorable. I was grinning like a
total fool when I read the last page, and I fell completely in love with this
book. The story itself is light and cute, the characters are fun and witty, and
I loved the relationship between Will and Alona.
To
be honest, I am very surprised at how much I loved this book. Based on the cover
and synopsis, I expected this book to not be plot-heavy or emotionally intense
(which it was not), but the characters really threw me for a loop. I expected
Alona to be the stereotypical teenage cheerleader, and I was imagining her as something
like a ditzier Regina George from Mean Girls. However, she proved to be an interesting
character, and I really liked her. The girl is smart, almost wickedly so, and I
just loved how devious she got, especially when it came to manipulating Will. (You
have got to respect a woman who can own a man verbally.) There is a lot more to
her than meets the eye, and learning more about her and what makes her the way
she is was interesting and added excellent depth to her character. And then
there is Will. Oh, how I adored Will. Again, as was the case with Alona, I was
pretty judgmental early on, and I was expecting him to be a super emo/depressing
sort of character. Thankfully, I was proven wrong again! He is snarky, slightly
brooding, and hates his ‘gift,’ but there is a lot to him. I could not help but
adore him! He was the perfect male lead, in my opinion.
Kade portrays both Alona and Will really well.
Their individual voices stood out really well, even with their viewpoints being
switched every chapter or so. In fact, there were a few times I forgot this story
was written by a woman because Will’s voice was so believable! (I was going to
say manly, but I do not think that explains things well, and I am not too sure
if that would be an insult to the author or not. You, sir ma’am, have a
very manly way of writing/speaking. What does that even mean?) Getting back to the point, I loved Alona and Will’s
characters and voice, and I especially loved their growing relationship as they
learned more about one another. The dialogue between the two of them had me
laughing at random moments, and I could not help but get invested in their
slow-but-steadily progressing relationship.
Something
else I liked a lot was Kade’s take on ghosts and Will’s ghost whisperer
abilities. I think Kade did a good job describing and explaining Will’s
ability. It was interesting to learn about, and I think it added to the story
really well. I do not want to say too much about it for the sake of not giving any
spoilers, but just know that his ability is pretty awesome and it provided some
interesting moments between him and Alona!
Overall,
this was a great, light read, and I enjoyed it greatly. There is no complex
plot or anything, but there is enough intrigue with murders, high school drama,
and rogue, malevolent ghosts to keep things plenty interesting. Add to that the
great characters, awesome dialogue, and some rather hilarious moments, and we
have a book you should not miss out on! I cannot wait for the next dose of Will
and Alona in the second book, Queen of the Dead. I am eager to see what becomes
of their relationship, and I’m sure some more hilarity will ensue!
A Great Escape!
Cover Reveal: The Jelly Bean Crisis
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