Body and Soul

Author: Stacey Kade

Series: The Ghost and the Goth # 3

Genres: Paranormal, Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Publisher: Hyperion

Released: 1 May 2012

Summary:courtesy of goodreads.com The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now. Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...
The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that. Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

For Fans Of: The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead, Hereafter, and Arise

My Review:  I thoroughly enjoyed Body and Soul.  As the final novel in The Ghost and the Goth trilogy I feel like it definitely lives up to it’s predecessors.  The reason I liked this one the most is that I feel like Alona and Will finally begin to figure stuff out.  We’ve been waiting peeps, and the day has finally come!

No more beating around the bush, no more “let’s be nice all the time” Alona and Will are finally becoming adults, and acting like they are in an adult relationship!  Go Alona and Will!  I don’t want to give anything away, and Body and Soul has the potential to be very spoiler-ridden (review wise) so let me just say this:  If you liked the first two, Body and Soul is a worthy finale.  I’ve loved going on this book journey with Alona and Will. Alona is still her same old smart aleck self, and Will has the patience of a god.  But that is why the these two work.  It was so much fun to see them enter this new phase of their relationship and try to re-figure each other out.  There were still plenty of laughs, and in true Stacey Kade fashion I was holding my breath towards the end.  You’ve got your villain, you’ve got your love interest, now go curl up on the couch and read about them like your back in high school ;)

Queen of the Dead

Author: Stacy Kade

Series: The Ghost and the Goth # 2

Genres: Paranormal, Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Publisher: Hyperion

Released: 31 May 2011

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.
Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

For Fans Of: The Ghost and the Goth, Hereafter, and Haunting Violet

My Review:  Let me start by saying that I was a pretty massive fan of The Ghost and the Goth and I totally wasn’t planning on it. So I had some pretty high expectations for Queen of the Dead and they were met…sort of.  Queen of the Dead still has the same Alona and Will that were in The Ghost and the Goth, but we’re also introduced to some new characters and get a chance to find out some more about Will’s dad which I was excited about.  However, Queen of the Dead falls into the same trap that most “filler” novels in a trilogy do, it becomes one of those books where you could read the first few chapters and the last few chapters and be set to go for the third one.

Although Alona and Will’s relationship is definitely developing this one they begin to have some trust issues, which is actually one of the things I really enjoyed.  Alona and Will are in high school (well, barely out of, but still)  and of course they’re going to start having some trust issues, and it was really fun and interesting to see Kade handle those.  But, where I could sympathize with Alona in The Ghost and the Goth, some of the choices that she makes in this one were so selfish that I lost some respect for her as a character.

Though Alona’s choices are what make a third novel possible, so for that I am grateful, but it was definitely something that I wasn’t expecting.  So here is my advice: At times this book is going to seem really tedious and you’re probably going to want to punch Alona Dare in the face, but keep going because the third one?  Well, I think it’s gonna be great.  Also: Shout out to the cover models! They capture Will and Alona perfectly (in my opinion)

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.