Review : The Ghost & The Goth by Stacey Kade

Title : The Ghost and the Goth
Author : Stacey Kade
Publisher : Hyperion Book CH
Genre : Young Adult
ISBN : 978-1423121978
Series : 1st in Trilogy
Release Date : June 29, 2010
Rating : 4.5/5 Stars - Very Good

Description from Author Website :

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?

Review : 

Alona Dare has always been the center of attention.  She was the Homecoming Queen at her high school, Groundsboro High, for three years running, so it's no surprise that she's a bit peeved about being dead.  If it wasn't for the bus she happened to get run over by, she probably would still be sitting with all her friends on the first tier of the popularity ladder.  Unfortunately, that's not the case.  Alona is no longer the center of attention, and to make things even worse, the only person that can see, or hear her is the biggest loser in school, Will Killian.

Will Killian has always been able to see and hear the dead, but that doesn't mean that he prefers living his life trying to block out their voices.  He'd much rather be a normal teenager, one that doesn't get threatened to get locked up in the closest loony bin.  It takes an accident for the most beautiful and popular girl in school to talk to him, but he doesn't want anything to do with her.  She needs his help before she vanishes completely, but will he give into the needs of the dead, or watch or disappear forever?

On first glancing at the cover of this book, I honestly squealed.  The cover is flat out gorgeous, and I knew that I just HAD to read it.  I know judging a book by it's cover is wrong, but in this case, it was completely right.  I flew through this book in a matter of two days on my lunch breaks at work.  Had I had the time at home, I would have curled up for hours and just enjoyed the story.

Alona's character is your typical high school debutante.  I didn't like her from the get go, but then again, I'm pretty sure that's the point.  She's selfish, and so stuck up that her nose can probably be seen floating through the clouds.  On the other hand, Will Killian, reminds me of the students that I could be found roaming the halls with.  He's quiet, reserved, and clearly doesn't want to be there, but then again, who does?

While The Ghost & The Goth is a great story about life, afterlife, it's also a wonderful depiction of how school really is for students.  Everywhere you go there is a social ladder, and school is the first place it starts.  Some people let it get to them, and turn into nasty people, while others, simply don't care what those around them have to say.  In this story, Alona and Will learn more in a few short weeks than most people learn in their whole lives about the social ladder, and how to truly gain the respect you deserve.

I'm extremely grateful to have been given a chance to read this first installment to a new trilogy, and can't wait to see what new adventures Alona and Will have in store for them in the future.

Get this book for your Kindle.

Where did I get this book? : 

I received this ARC in order to participate in a traveling tour with Around the World Tours, hosted by Cindy @ Princess Bookie. (I am not longer participating with ATWT)

Amazon Affiliates : 

Clicking on title links in this post will redirect you to Amazon.com.  If you happen to make a purchase after clicking these links I will receive a small percentage of the profits.