March 2015 – as told by zaheerah

GoodReads Summary:

Set in a girls’ boarding school in Massachusetts a haunting and sinister story YA story for World Book Day from prize-winning author Marcus Sedgwick. 1963.

Foxgrove School near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. One of the oldest and finest academies in the country – but what really goes on behind closed doors?

Nathaniel Drake, the new young English teacher, Isobel Milewski, the quiet girl who loved to draw spirals, her fingers stained with green ink, Jack Lewis, who lent Isobel books – just words, just ink on paper, Margot Leya, the girl with those eyes – who are they, what part have they played in killing the dead?

Follow the dark, dark path Into the dark, dark woods To the dark, dark bridge. By the dark, dark water. Linger. Let the ghosts of heaven tell their story.

A stylish and creepy story for World Book Day from prize-winning author Marcus Sedgwick.

My Review:

Rating: ★★★★☆

Set in girls boarding school, Killing the Dead is a sinister YA story released for World Book Day 2015.

It is an enjoyable read – one that throws in a little paranormal atmosphere.Sedgwick managed to fit such an enthralling cast of characters into such a short book, bringing to life the private school for girls well for a limited word count and it was pleasing to read. The story begins with just one view and then as the story progresses, more and more points of view are explored so you could not guess what the climax of the story was going to be. The way in which information was revealed reflects one of the main themes of the story – spirals. However, I did guess that Margot had something to do with it. (Why would a ghost haunt you unless you’ve done something to piss it off?)

However, I feel as though I still didn’t understand some parts of it. There were individual mysterious sections that felt too vague, to the point where I didn’t know what was supposed to be happening and had to re-read that part. Overall, I did enjoy the book. It’s quick and easy, and a good creepy story from Marcus Sedgwick. I might look into his other books. 🙂

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Author Website

GoodReads Summary:

Emma decided to skip the gym and went home early. It was the last easy decision she made because she found her roommate being raped by her boyfriend.

She had two choices. Call the cops and be killed by his family’s mafia connections or kill him first and hope to survive. There was no choice to her.

She killed the bastard first and went to the one person who could protect her. Carter Reed. He’s a weapon for the rivaling mafia family, but he’s also Emma’s secret. Not only was he best friends with her brother, but she’s the reason he became that weapon in the first place.

My Review:

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

There’s so many things that I dislike about this book. The character, the story and just everything in general.

Emma, as a character, is so irritating, too demanding,and acted like a spoiled brat. She has killed someone, abandoned her equally irritating friends, and let them be hunted by the mob, while she look for shelter , to another mobster. When a mobster also happened to be your dead brother’s best friend and after seeing his GQ body, she basically forgot about the murder she JUST committed and starts lusting over him.

Also, I can’t believe this girl thinks she can have a say in all that was happening. She really believed she has the right to complain when a Mob is trying to kill her and she seeks protection; you need to sit yourself down and don’t put yourself in danger just because you feel like it, or because you were lonely. And about Carter? Im pretty sure even he was 100% done with Emma, with the disappearances he has made even when Emma begged him to stay.

Carter could’ve been a good character but he was so manipulative. But his confidence doesn’t balance out how he turned into a sappy love struck guy by the end of the book, falling in love with one of the most boring characters I’ve ever read. How he could’ve fallen in love with this girl is beyond me.

The secondary characters were undeveloped and flat, and it was impossible to connect with any of them. The writing style is not enjoyable, filled repetitive sequences and cringe lines. This book was neither romantic or thrilling, the premise had so much potential for an action-driven storyline, when in reality the story unfolded at a snail’s pace.

There was always something missing with this book. Perhaps a better backstory or Carter’s pov from the past? Added depth from the characters was desperately needed and I just wasn’t connected with the two main characters in the slightest. There is zero chemistry at all between Emma and Carter.

Month: March 2015

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