Title: Jonas (Beautiful Dead)
Author: Eden Maguire
Published: republished March 1, 2010
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781402239441
Source: ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire
Author: Eden Maguire
Published: republished March 1, 2010
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781402239441
Source: ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire
Description: Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss. Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head... And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. He tells her that she must help Jonas - the first of the four to die - right the wrong linked with his death. Only with her help can Jonas finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?
I Give This Book 3.5 Stars!
I really wanted to like this book, and for the most part I did. It was a fast and easy read. Darina seemed a bit extreme to me at first (maybe I'm growing tired of the love-struck teenager role?). But, she quickly grew on me. She has a lot of backbone for a teenager. I was impressed with the was she handled herself in a lot of the situations. She also seemed genuinely concerned for a friend. She knew that helping Jonas would also be helping her estranged best friend (her name escapes me at the moment). I was not impressed with her parents, but I could see that being normal with a step-parent in the picture(another running theme is teen fiction). The 4 dead teens and their "group" also make for interesting characters. They added humor and definitely some suspense and terror to the story. Although I wonder how they expected to right the wrongs associated with their deaths without Darina. It's almost like they knew she would come help them. I loved the idea of the angel wing tattoos marking them according to how they died. It was an interesting idea to the story.
Now, there were a couple things that bring this book down for me. First, the use of the word zombie. When I think of zombie, I think of the living dead. That's not what these people are. They are more like ghosts with actual bodies. Second, I really disliked the ending for some reason. I was not surprised with the circumstances surrounding Jonas' death. But, I thought he could have been vindicated differently. I understood the feelings behind the extreme actions that brought about the ending. It just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It felt over the top. Last, but really not important, I wish the book was a little longer. I felt like all the action took place way to fast.
Now, there were a couple things that bring this book down for me. First, the use of the word zombie. When I think of zombie, I think of the living dead. That's not what these people are. They are more like ghosts with actual bodies. Second, I really disliked the ending for some reason. I was not surprised with the circumstances surrounding Jonas' death. But, I thought he could have been vindicated differently. I understood the feelings behind the extreme actions that brought about the ending. It just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It felt over the top. Last, but really not important, I wish the book was a little longer. I felt like all the action took place way to fast.
As part of the Beautiful Dead blog tour, here are links to other reviews by fellow bloggers!
| 21-Mar | |
| My Ever Expanding Library | 22-Mar |
| Bri Meets Books | 22-Mar |
| Book Loons | 22-Mar |
| The Book Lush | 23-Mar |
| Bran Hambric Fan Blog | 24-Mar |
| Red Headed Book Child | 24-Mar |
| Book Blather | 25-Mar |
| Inside The Mind | 25-Mar |
| National Children's Book Examiner | 26-Mar |
| Babbling About Books, and More | 26-Mar |
| Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf | 26-Mar |
And if you are interested in reading the first chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love comments!