The Ghost and the Goth - Book Review

The Ghost and the Goth – Book Review

Stacy Kade

YA Paranormal

(book 1 of the Ghost and the Goth trilogy)

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?

Review:

Simply put, ‘The Ghost and the Goth’ was a quick, light read with plenty of humour and cuteness.  The characters are interesting, the interactions between them fun and entertaining to read and overall, I think Stacy Kade has created a story that will be loved by all.

Alona Dare had everything a girl could wish for. Movie star looks, A-list popularity, a very hot boyfriend and rich parents who were never afraid to spoil her rotten. Then she gets hit by a bus and her perfect life comes to an abrupt end. Now stuck as a ghost, she can only watch as the world continues on without her, and with no white-light appearing to magically take her away, Alona has no idea how she’s supposed to move on to her (hopefully) Hawaii styled afterlife.  Now, her only hope is to befriend the gloomy Goth guy known as Will Killian.

A total social outcast, Will hides behind his hoodies and music, shutting out the world and avoiding people (both dead and alive) in order to protect his most guarded secret. That Will is a medium, someone who can see and talk to Ghosts. However after a slight mishap on Wills part, Alona discovers his strange ability and takes to stalking him. Declaring she will haunt him forever until he helps her move on and reluctantly, Will is forced to agree. But Will has troubles of his own…

There were many things I liked about this book, the first being that the story was told from the dual perspectives of both Alona and Will. Each of them had a distinct voice and by being inside their heads, it was easy to see how they began to change as characters. Alona slowly became more caring and emotional, while Will began to come out of his shell and accept his gift. Also despite being complete opposites, their romance was realistic and I enjoyed watching it develop. However their romance didn’t dominate the story, more it came about as a side effect of Will and Alona actually getting to know each other.

Also while the banter between Will and Alona is quite humorous, the plot itself is full of twists and turns that make it hard to pinpoint. I liked that the author, Stacy Kade kept you guessing and although this book is the first of a series, it is easy to read as a stand-alone novel as all the loose ends are tied off.

So overall I thought that ‘The Ghost and the Goth’ was a pretty impressive read, especially as I hadn’t been expecting to like it as much as I did. Cute and funny, it was a sweet story with very amusing characters. 4 stars!