Beautiful Dead

December 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-A sequel to Beautiful Dead: Jonas (Sourcebooks, 2010). In life, Daria and Arizona were not close friends, or even acquaintances. But Daria has the ability to see the souls trapped in limbo, the so-called Beautiful Dead, and now she must help Arizona research the circumstances of her sudden demise. Looking into Arizona's death, she discovers a previously hidden younger brother, a secret romance, and a motive for murder. Daria is dealing with her continuing grief over the death of her boyfriend, Phoenix, and chafing against the restrictions on their relationship: he is allowed 12 months on Earth to find out more about his death. The "Twilight" parallels begin to overwhelm the story; the teen couple is passionately in love, circumstances have forced them apart, there is an insurmountable divide between them, and the only possible reconciliation requires immense sacrifice. The behavior exhibited by Hunter, leader of the Dead, borders on abusive, and Daria's meek acceptance of his control smacks of stereotypical gender roles. The climactic flashback and gun battle lack suspense, and the saccharine ending makes the tortured romance of the protagonists that much harder to bear.-Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2010
Grades 9-12 This second book in the Beautiful Dead seriesin which Darina has to solve the mysterious deaths of a group of teen zombies before she can reunite with her dead boyfriendhas Darinas efforts to uncover the truth about Arizonas drowning (an apparent suicide) complicated by the zombie girls desire to protect her autistic younger brother and hide the affair she was having with a married man. Sentimentalized dialogue and convenient clues lead to a tidy ending, but those seeking light mystery, or who cant get enough supernatural romance in any form, are likely to enjoy this follow-up to Jonas (2010).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

February 8, 2010
From the quick-cut narrative to the vividly visual descriptions, debut author Maguire’s first book in the Beautiful Dead series reads like a novelization of a TV show. It’s an accessible if shallow style, and the love-after-death theme has popular appeal. High school senior Phoenix, knifed to death in a street fight, returns as a zombie, and his grieving girlfriend, Darina, is a hidden witness to his resurrection. Defying the eerie zombie master, Hunter, Darina claims Phoenix, risking mind erasure or worse. The zombies have a goal—to solve the mysteries surrounding their deaths—and Darina offers to “play detective” for them. Hunter accepts, on the condition that Darina focus on Jonas, one of four newly undead “revenants” from Darina’s high school. From there, the story becomes a series of emotional confrontations, sweet interludes between the lovers, and adrenaline-surging moments of physical threat. Despite all the drama, the characters’ emotions seldom feel genuine (romantic sentiments are especially corny), but fans of the Twilight franchise and shows like Supernatural
should be an eager audience. Ages 12–up.