Review: Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Title: Dead is the New Black 

Author: Marlene Perez

Publisher: HMH Books for young readers

Publishing Date: September 1st, 2008

Pages: 190
Audio Length: 4 Hours and 57 Minutes

Genre: YA Paranormal Mystery

Series: Dead Is

Source: Audio

 

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!
Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.

Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad.

What made me pick this book up: 

The title most definitely caught my eye the most.

What did I like about the cover: 

I don't really care for the cover much. I mean, I get what it's trying to portray, and I do love the minimalist feel for it. But it's almost too simple. 

What made me read this book: 

The story sounded really interesting, plus it was a short book. It also matched for a task for the challenge.

What did I like the most: 

The story was really great. It's a really simple story, but it has so much in it. And it's definitely a very unique story. 

The pace is really good. It does feel a bit rushed in places, but it's not slow by any means. I guess when the book is that small, it can't really be slow. 

But it also kept me wanting to read. This is my second time reading this book, and I didn't remember anything about it. So this time around I finished it in a couple hours, because I listened to it at 2 speed on audio. 

Either way, it kept me wanting to read more. I wanted to know what happened. So with that being said, the mystery is really good. Why are the cheerleaders acting so strange? And why do they keep ending up in the hospital? So many questions. 

And don't worry, they all get answered. Well, mostly.

The characters are also pretty good. Well written and likable. And I loved the characters names. Daisy, and her sisters Poppy and Rose. 

I think what I like the most about this book is it's a simple read. It doesn't take a lot of brain power, but it definitely keeps you wanting to read more. 

And it's all about vampires and psychics. So that's always cool. 

What didn't I like: 

I wish we could have really gotten to know the characters a bit better. Half the time I couldn't connect with them. And I couldn't picture them in my head very well.

I feel like the author wasn't very good at describing things. The area, the characters. 

Other than that, it was a quick simple read. So can't really complain too much.

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Most definitely. I want to find out what else happens

This is a really short and quick read, but it has a lot in it. 

“She was a soul-sucking vampire and I was a sixteen-year-old cheerleader, but I was damned if she was going to suck the life out of all my friends. High school was hard enough.” 
― Marlene Perez, Dead Is the New Black

Author of the paranormal teen mystery Dead Is series and the adult urban fantasy Nyx Fortuna series. My new young adult novel Forward Into Darkness releases on April 25, 2017.
www.marleneperez.com.
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