The Ghost and The Goth

Author: Stacey Kade

Series: The Ghost and the Goth # 1

Genres: Paranormal, Contemporary, Young Adult, Supernatural

Publisher: Hyperion

Released: 29 June 2010

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.
I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?
Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.
I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

For Fans Of: You are So Undead to Me, Hereafter, and Give Up the Ghost

My Review:  The Ghost and the Goth was one of very few books that made me laugh out loud, told in alternating points of view Stacey Kade gives the reader the opportunity to see the story unfold from two very opposing sides.  The relationship between Alona and Will is incredibly funny and Kade does such a great job at running parallel plot lines, first with the Alona/Will relationship and then with the mysterious black entity that is basically a force of darkness and is hurting Will.

I loved the banter back and forth, Kade really gets the popular girl speak and isn’t afraid to make Alona seem at times shallow, vapid, and annoying and then suddenly give her great depth.  Kade explains why Alona is the way that she is, and I really appreciated that. Although on the surface The Ghost and the Goth is a really light and fun read, it also delves into some pretty heady subjects.

Kade’s characters are all justly motivated, although at times incredibly selfish they both stuck with their original characterizations.  Both Alona and Will go through a type of growth in the novel which I enjoyed.  Also, the paranormal aspect was quickly explained without having to go to all the trouble of “discovering” something about Will.  Will is a guy who knows exactly what is going on and has no problem ignoring it.

For a ghost story with heart and love and growth of characters that you can read quickly over the summer, I definitely recommend this one.