Hey, guys! Welcome to Reread-athon: Day 2! Today, I have a book review for you: the review for Dead Is The New Black. Hope you enjoy!
Title: Dead Is The New Black (Dead Is, #1)
Author: Marlene Perez
Summary: 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. -Goodreads
Review:
**Warning: Spoilers!**
Dead Is The New Black was one of the first books from the YA genre that I’d ever read. I purchased my copy of the book (a flimsy paperback) a couple of years ago at a discount bookstore that has a fabulous colletion. I’ve gotten Cassandra Clare there, Rick Riordan (and, yes, they had Richelle Mead), and many more!
I remember really liking this series when I first read it, but I hadn’t known the YA genre and hadn’t read other authors in the genre, so I really wasn’t the best person to recognize a stunning storyline.
This time around, I did like the storyline, and although it was a bit cheesy and ironic at times, it was also funny. Yes, there are definitely better books out there, but this was enjoyable.
In this series, instead of trying to keep your magical powers a secret (whether you’re a psychic like the Giordanos or a vampire), everyone in town knew that there was “something rotten in the state of Denmark.” –Hamlet (I totally remembered that!)
The series was kind of reminiscent to that Disney show, Wizards of Waverly Place. I was reminded of that show a lot during my reading.
So, basically, everyone in town knew that these said creatures existed.
The book had 190 pages and was very fast-paced–a bit too fast-paced at times. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a movie in fast forward. It was written in our main character, Daisy’s, POV.
Onto characters!
I LOVED Poppy, who was one of two of Daisy’s older sisters. She was very funny and kind of reminded me of Sandra Perry (The Winnie Years by Lauren Myracle), who I also loved.
Ryan was… meh. I mean, he was just this perfect guy, you know? He was definitely no Adrian. (Constantly I was thinking to myself, “So when will I get to read more about Adrian and Sydney?” I eventually read more of The Indigo Spell after I finished this…)
Penny kind of reminded me of Hana’s ex-BFF from Pretty Little Liars. What was her name? (I don’t really keep up with the show anymore.) But, you know, she was that kiss up who always wanted to get with the popular crowd. Remember that flashback where Alison was in that shop and the ex-BFF in her nerd glory went over and talked to her? So, that’s who I was thinking of whenever I read about Penny (who, evidently, has a green soul).
Samantha was like Isabelle (TMI), man! When they went to the Black Opal or whatever that club was? It was like the beginning of City of Bones where Clary and Simon were at the Pandemonium Club and Izzy was there in her ooh la la dress. Heheh.
Sean, Samantha’s boyfriend and Ryan’s friend, was pretty funny, too. I remember when Daisy was explaining how Sean was dancing at the club (he and Ryan were on the football team). It went something along the lines of, “Ryan was a natural dancer, but when I glanced over at Sean and Samantha, he was dancing in the same way he plays football: tuck in and zig-zag like he’s running on a field.” Or something like that. (I, unfortunately, didn’t take down the actual quote >.<)
Flo was AWESOME! She was a waitress at the local diner, Slim’s Diner:
Flo talked like some world-weary waitress from the fifties, the kind who showed up on late-night television musicals, but she was only twenty, hard-bodied, and with serious tats. And if you had asked her to wear a pink uniform and scarf, she would have shoved it down your throat. She wore jeans to work, along with one of her unending supply of T-shirts with slogans. This one said “Sarcasm: Just one of the many services we provide.”
HAHAHA! I so want that shirt…
And that jukebox in the diner? Sweet musical taste. 😀
Favorite Lines:
But my clue came when Penny Edwards, who could have brought home a gold in social climbing if it were an Olympic sport, rushed up to Samantha. “Where did you get that…”
“Coffin,” Samantha supplied helpfully. “Mort’s Mortuary. Burnished mahogany scaled to size for those of us with petite frames.” I could have sworn she eyed my thighs with a look of scorn.
~
“What on earth was that?” Samantha shrieked.
“I’ll explain later,” I said. “Right now we have to warn the other girls there’s a vampire in the vicinity.”
OMG that line is just totally ridonkulous. Seriously. Oh, no! We must warn the others there’s a vampire in the vicinity! Hahaha… good stuff. I just found that really funny because I’ve never heard any other heroine in a book containing vampires (not even in Twilight) say, “There’s a vampire in the vicinity.”
Overall, this was a really enjoyable quick read! I’m rating it 3/5 stars, which I think is pretty fair.
Now, I’m either going to start reading a Lauren Myracle book or the Kronos Chronicles by Marie Rutkoski. Which should I pick…?
littleonionwrites 
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