Body & Soul (The Ghost and the Goth #3) by Stacey Kade

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Alona Dare has been living as Lily “Ally” Turner for over a month...and it's not been easy. Besides being trapped in a body so not as good as her original one, she's failing miserably at playing the sister and daughter of people she barely knows. Plus, she can't help but think that Will Killian - the boy she hates to care about - somehow wishes the real Lily were back.

She and Will have been trying to find a solution, looking for a two-for-one miracle that would free Alona and keep Lily alive. Visits to local psychics have proven useless, but then they stumble across Malachi the Magnificent, who seems to be different. His office is full of ghosts, for one thing. But Malachi doesn’t seem to hear or see them, which is odd. Plus, he bolts the moment he sees Will. To make things even weirder, Misty Evans, Alona's former best friend, is waiting in Malachi's lobby and claiming that she's being haunted. By Alona.

Will's convinced that Malachi has answers, while Alona is all kinds of pissed that someone's impersonating her. But their efforts to uncover the truth will bring them much unwanted attention and put them directly in the path of a ghost who will stop at nothing for another stab at life. Even if it means destroying Alona.

Book Review:
I've really enjoyed this series. Alona's character has come full circle. I'm glad to have seen the changes in her personality. Also, I've really enjoyed Will's growth as well. Though they've both been through a lot of emotional turmoil, I'm really happy with where they have ended up. The Edmond and Erin subplot definitely makes the story a little richer. I would love to see another book or two added to this series. It's whimsical and engaging without being over the top.

Favorite Quote:
“'My shirt is gray',” I pointed out. 'You’ve expanded my fashion horizons dramatically. I wear three colors now'.” 

Cover Art Commentary:
Honestly, I wasn't a fan of these covers when I picked up the first book, but they've since grown on me. :)

Rating:

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

 

Book Summery (via Amazon.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.

Book Review:
I really enjoyed Kade's first book, The Ghost and the Goth. So I couldn't wait to get my hands on Queen of the Dead. While I enjoyed the majority of this second installment, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as its predecessor. First of all, I found the pacing in the beginning a bit slow, speeding up more as the story went along. I cherished Alona's character. I sympathized with her as she despaired over her parents and how the seemingly began to move on with their lives, and stopped grieving over her. Will was a bit more difficult to identify with this time around. He seemed distracted and engaged more into finding out about Mina. I felt like it took some time for him to come around to the character I fell in love with in the first book. Mina...well, let's just say I didn't care for her character very much. I was interested in her connection to Will, but I felt that at times, she was downright selfish and surly. It will be interesting to see if she pops up in future books. Overall,Queen of the Dead was enjoyable. However, I did have a few issues with the characters. There were some interesting plot twists that kept me hooked, especially towards the middle and ending of the story. I am looking forward to the next chapter of Will and Alona's journey. For more info, check out Kade's website.

Cover Art Commentary:
I think this is an improvement from the first cover. Still, it would not have been a book that I picked up solely based on the cover. :P

Overall Rating:

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Book Summery:
After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist? -goodreads.com

Book Review:
I had seen this book pop up occasionally on various book blogs. Initially, I just passed over the reviews because the cover seemed so cheesy. However, the reviews were persistent...and as I finally read them, I knew I was missing out! Do not make the same mistake I did and judge this book by it's cover! It's a very cute and dynamic read! The contrast of the characters really adds a lot of color and dimension to the overall story. I really enjoyed the alternating narration between Will and Alona. It definitely depicts both sides of the story. Overall, the "don't judge a book by it's cover" theme is well executed in this whimsical tale! I absolutely adored every page and can not wait to get my hot little hands on the next book in the series! :)

Favorite Quote:

"Dying should have been the worst moment in my life. I mean, hello, getting run over by a school bus full of band geeks while wearing the regulation gym uniform of red polyester short shorts and a practically see-through white T-shirt? It doesn't get more tragic than that. Or, so I thought." (p.5)

Cover Art Commentary:
Honestly, this is not my favorite. Had I just gone by my impression of the cover, I would not have read this book. However, it does serve a good purpose...don't always judge a book by it's cover! I would have sorely missed out had I skipped this one!

Overall Rating: