Friday, June 14, 2019

REVIEW: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Queen of the Dead (The Ghost and the Goth, #2)

The Ghost

Okay, I admit it. I'm not perfect, no matter what you've heard. First off, I'm dead. Second, I got sent back from the Great Beyond. I mean, seriously, who is running things up there? Now I have to spend the summer after my senior year working - and on behalf of a bunch of whiny spirits, no less. But a girl's got to what a girl's got to do.

It's a good thing Will Killian is still around. Even though he drives me crazy, and he could seriously do with a tan - Hello! It's summer! - I'm glad he's here to help me. Now he's all distracted by this frizzy-haired girl who can - big deal - communicate with the dead, too. Whatever. I don't need Will. But there are some things - like saving my parents from a couple of horrible mistakes - that would be easier with his assistance. Still, I will get what I want... with or without him.

The Goth
I'm still totally amazed that Alona Dare is my spirit guide and that it works. Yes, I've had a crush on her since sixth grade, but I also kind of hated her. And sure, she had to die before she'd talk to me - but I don't know, I kind of like having her around.

Things get confusing when I meet Mina, who's the first ghost-talker I've ever encountered (other than my dad). I always thought Alona and I were doing the right thing helping those other ghosts, but Mina has me thinking otherwise. Plus, she might know stuff about my dad that even my mum doesn't. But if there's one thing I should have learned by now, it's not to ignore Alona. That's never a good idea.


Note: This is the second book in a series. To see my review for book one look here.


MY THOUGHTS
I'm continuing my reread of this series with this book. Like the last book, I still did not quite love it as much as the first time I read it, but I still found it to be a fantastic book!

Alona has gotten rejected from the light so she's still on Earth as Will's spirit guide. When Alona and Will attempt to help a disgruntled spirit, a strange girl, Mira, comes in trying to fight off the ghost. Turns out there is a whole organization of ghost talkers and Mira is one of them. They are strangely interested in Will's powers and Will is willing to talk with them for answers, but they see ghosts as objects they have to trap to protect the living. At the same time, Alona doesn't like that Will is spending time with Mira and the other ghost talkers. She feels like she's being replaced and it doesn't help that her parents are moving on with their lives, forgetting about her.

The first time I read this series I remembered loving the books more and more as the series went on. I wasn't so sure about that when I first started this book. This book introduces a lot more problems to the main characters and seemed to be trying to tear them apart. I was a bit wary of Mira from the get-go and throughout this book the characters made decisions I did not agree with. Yet, this book does get very interesting. We are introduced to the other ghost talkers and a major plot twist that impacts the rest of the series happens in this book (I mean, I saw the twist coming, but I read this book before). Things really do get interesting in this book, even if it frustrated me at times how much Alona and Will fought.

It's important to note that while things happen in this book, a lot of it is character based. Will doesn't interact a whole lot with the ghost talkers and mainly does so to learn more about his ability and his father. Alona thinks her mother is forgetting her and her father is trying to replace her. With this, she has anxiety that Will wants to get rid of her (especially since the light rejected her). These characters have certainly changed since book one but a lot of times it really feels like we're slowing understanding more and more about these characters. At the same time, Will and Alona are trying to grow closer, but not only is the situation odd (one dead, one not), but they still have trouble understanding each other's perspectives. I'm going to be vague because of spoilers, but in one situation Alona makes a mistake and Will gets upset at her. This was frustrating because I really wanted Alona to explain, but it wasn't exactly clear what happened. I'm not even sure if Alona knew why she did what she did.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did really like this book. This is a great continuation of The Ghost and the Goth and I was both surprised at times and just nostalgic for the moments I remembered. I look forward to rereading the final book!



I hereby give this book
4 Stars!
Meaning: I really liked this book!

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