Customer Reviews

Bad Girls Don't Die

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't think I'd like this book; it doesn't take much to scare me out of my wits, and I don't typically read novels dealing with ghosts and possession.

But I read this one anyway. And I LOVED it.

Bad Girls Don't Die is more than a ghost story. There's a touch of romance and an air of mystery, and a challenge to really get to know people before slapping a label on them and deciding you can't be friends with them--a mistake most people, including me, frequently make.

Bad Girls has a well-paced, character-driven, intriguing plot that kept me turning the pages for hours when I only meant to read for minutes. Furthermore, if I had a Top 10 list of my favorite fictional people, Alexis would be on it. She's smart, funny, unafraid of getting her hands dirty, and I really enjoyed her first-person narration. And she has pink hair!

On a couple side notes, Bad Girls is a pretty squeaky clean read, ghosts and all. There's no sex, drugs, or gratuitous swearing--and I really appreciated that. (The cleanliness also felt natural, which is another plus. Cleanliness can feel just as forced as "edginess".) Thank you, Katie Alender, for acknowledging that those things are not a part of every teenager's life. Also, while Bad Girls is exceptionally well put-together, the ending wrapped up a little too quickly--and awkwardly--for me. But it fit. Overall, I have no large complaints.

If Twilight is a vampire book for people who don't like vampire books, Bad Girls Don't Die is a ghost story for people who don't like ghost stories. And I highly recommend it!

Alexis Warren is a tough, sarcastic loner who is nursing a grudge against the cheerleading team for driving away the only friend she ever had. To deal with her loneliness, she turns to photography and seeks shelter in her dark room. After one peculiar night photographing her 100 year old house, Alexis's sister Kasey begins acting odd. She becomes spiteful and demanding, and she has extreme mood swings. At first, Alexis attributes her strange behavior to the ups and downs of being in middle school--but after a series of accidents that may not have been accidents after all, Alexis has to ask herself, Is something more sinister at work?

Snarky, engaging, and downright creepy, Bad Girls Don't Die is one stellar debut novel; Katie Alender has created one of the most engrossing and consuming novels of the year. The witty, casual tone of the novel, told from Alexis's point of view initially hooks readers, but it is the darker undertones concealed by Kasey's sweet face and her "innocent" doll collection that really ensnares readers and makes Bad Girls Don't Die such an unpredictable and tantalizing read. Alexis is a wonderfully dynamic character--she is strong and opinionated and learns how to deal with her issues in a mature manner, but along the way she also learns to recognize similar qualities in those she previously judged, making her likable without being cliché. Though the haunted house and possession stories have been done many times before, Alender's fresh slant on the topic will enthrall readers and leave them just a bit creeped out.

Alexis might not be perfectly well-adjusted to high school life, but she finds her niche as an outspoken pink-haired smart-aleck quite satisfying, thank you very much.

Her four-person family is far from perfect, but they have always managed to get by, in their spooky architectural jumble of a house. Alexis' mother spends more time at work than at home, but so do millions of other moms across America. Kasey, her doll-obsessed little sister, is sometimes too passive for her own good, but hopefully the doll-collecting is something she will grow out of. As for her father, they aren't exactly close, but he could be worse.

One night, after a family argument leaves Kasey in tears, Alexis comes to the rescue in the role of comforting big sister. Kasey requests a story, so Alexis soothes her with a made-up story off the top of her head. Since it is for her baby sister, the story revolves around a little girl and her doll, Kasey's favorite topic. Naturally, Alexis doesn't think much of the story, though come to think of it, it is a bit strange at how smoothly the spontaneous story rolls off her tongue.

However, shortly after Alexis' tale, Kasey starts behaving weirdly. More strangely than normal anyhow. It starts small, with her eyes sometimes changing color from blue to green and using old-fashioned language, like "oughtn't." At first, Alexis tries to brush away her foreboding feelings, deeming the odd vibes she is getting from Kasey as a figment of her imagination, nothing serious.

When mysterious lights appear in the middle of the night, doors close themselves, and the air conditioner goes haywire to the point where Alexis can see her breath in the house, she knows it is no overactive imagination. She has no idea what exactly is going on, but something weird is happening in their house, and much as she hates to admit it, Kasey has something to do with it.

Events spiral rapidly out of control, as midnight wanderings progress to thievery and even attempted murder. Alexis has no idea who to turn to - does anyone even believe in the supernatural anymore? People might just lock Kasey up as schizophrenic, but Alexis knows better. Her little sister is not crazy. Kasey is possessed.

Katie Alender's BAD GIRLS DON'T DIE is a haunting tale of one town's murderous history and a ghost that wants revenge.

Reviewed by: Amber Gibson

I love mysteries and the paranormal, but add that to a teenager's life within a dysfunctional family and you have a really great book. It's very well written with believable characters that had me in goosebumps some of the time and fighting back tears (joyful or sad I'm not going to say!) in the end. This may be Katie Alender's first book but it won't be her last.

Alexis is a pink-haired outcast. She may not have many friends, but she spends most of her time immersed in her photography. At night, both Alexis and Kasey notice a faint glow that can't be explained. It seemed to have been in the house, but through the viewfinder of her camera, Alexis realized that the light wasn't getting larger- it was getting closer. The next night, it seems as though her neurotic, oversensitive little sister, Kasey, changed. She's more put together and begins to speak differently.

Alexis can feel something different about the old house they've lived in since they were children, as if there was another presence. When strange things begin to happen, she pushes them aside, figuring that her sister had just gone off the deep end. Eventually, she realizes that there's more at stake than she realized. Lives are being threatened and she has to get as much information as she can muster up in order to save the people she never thought she'd get involved with.

I was torn whether to give this book a 4 or a 5 for rating. I enjoyed it a lot. It was a fast-paced read and the author kept the story interesting, with entertaining characters, dialogue, and unexpected twists and turns in the plot. Around the time I picked this book up, I didn't hear much about it and looking at the summary, I thought it was just about a creepy doll. Call me slow, but it didn't occur to me that it was about possession until someone mentioned it. There were even parts in the book where I had to stop reading just to gather what had just happened.

This was the perfect read for Halloween (especially since it took place in October, as well). I wouldn't call it a scary book, but it definitely had its creepy moments. You know, the ones where you check over your shoulder or snuggle a little closer to your cat. Or maybe that's just me.

I will definitely be looking into the sequel, From Bad to Cursed.

Can you say creepy cover? Since I am a spook-freak, I of course was drawn to it. Add into the mix a creepy doll and I was sold! Alexis was an interesting character to read, she has: pink (pink!) hair, no real friends, a darkroom in her house, and opinions that she is willing to share with everyone... sometimes in the form of bumper stickers on your SUV (without your permission). She was also very courageous, I can't imagine dealing with a possibly possessed sister who does everything but turn her head all the way around (you know what I'm talking about!). I wish I would've read this book this past Halloween or at least on a dark stormy night. I'm not saying this book wasn't scary because there were definitely some spooky things in it, but it sure would've added to the mood.

As mentioned above, Alexis has no real friends just this Goth girl who she doesn't like and can't seem to shake off. I like that Alexis was authentic, she isn't trying to be "different" and actually thinks the Goths are phony. She does her own thing regardless of what others think or say. Her parents were pretty much absent through out the book, a workaholic mom and a dad who likes to get away from it all. I felt bad for her, she really doesn't have anyone she can share her problems with (and that's before the whole doll thing with her sister). About that doll, we don't see as much as I would've liked. There is a slight romance aspect to the story, but it's on the back burner almost the entire novel. I would've liked to see more of him and I felt that his story was kind of just put out there, like wham! I guess they connected pretty fast even though she made him work for it.

There is a sequel to this book coming out later this month, I felt that this book could've been a stand alone unless the next book reveals something about this one. The ending wrapped up quickly with a cute (ok, it was semi-cheesy I admit) epilogue. I recommend this for when you're in the mood for something scary and funny. Don't expect to be scared out of your wits though, it's not quite there. Notice how I didn't talk about the main plot much? That's because it was the best part and I will not ruin it by discussing it, even just a bit :)

Bad Girls Dont Die was my first horror/mystery book that I have read, and actually loved! I loved this book because it was super creepy, and for some crazy reason, it felt very... real. Yeah I know, it's about her little sister becoming possessed by a ghost, but the author did such a good job of writing that it seemed like it really could happen. The twists in the book where great! I couldn't wait to know what happened next. I actually found myself making sure my closet was closed every night, because i was afraid somehow the creepy green-eyed doll made its way into my closet...

I really liked Alexis, I felt like she was a lot like me. Sarcastic, rude, and rarely, can be charming.
Katie Alender didn't make Alexis act like a ditz. She was very smart with everything she did.
I also really liked that Alexis became friends with Megan! It was awesome that Megan wasn't just another cheerleader.

Usually scary books just have to put a bunch of sexual crap all in it. But this one didn't, Alexis and Carter just kissed once.

Speaking of Carter... I was disappointed. I was really excited because his character started out really awesome, but I felt like I was waiting for him. He just wasn't in the book much. Hopefully the author will develop Carter more in the next book. I'm looking forward to it!

Abigaile [...].

Have you ever heard of those age old stories where a doll is a ghost? Many times right? That's exactly what the base of this story is. But such a refreshing take of an age old haunting story.

In the opening chapter Alexis is taking pictures of her old, huge house at 3 in the night. While she is going in after taking the pictures she notices a strange yellow light at one of the windows of her house. This is the first occurrence of something unusual that Alexis notices. Kasey, her 12 year old younger sister is acting stranger by the day. Her eyes suddenly turn from blue to green; she starts using words like oughtn't and possesses the strength unusual for a 12 year old.

Alexis is a misfit in school, the girl with the pink hair, the one who is always at the sidelines. The cheerleaders group hates her. And Alexis in turn hates them, especially Megan, one of the cheerleaders and one of the popular girls at school. At home too, her mom is too busy with her work to pay much attention to her or Kasey. After a string of incidents she realizes that Kasey is possessed. She tries to find out the mystery behind Kasey's behavior and the secret that seems to be surrounding her house with the help from an unexpected source. Oh and there is some romance too. Although it isn't necessary to the story it doesn't harm either.

For a rebellious teen Alexis is likable and Kasey, in spite of being possessed by the ghost 90% of the time, is quite cute. But then that is exactly what makes the story so creepy. It isn't the kind where you'll be so scared that you won't switch off the lights or jump at any unfamiliar sound. It's the mystery and the `What's going to happen next' factor that works so well. Also sentences like `It's going to get worse' adds to it. Have you ever watched `The haunting' on the Discovery channel? Yes, the same serial which has dramatization of real life ghost stories? This book reminded me of that. It slowly build's up to a showy kind of an ending.

It's a page turner for sure. Read it. It's good.

I haven't read a book that I couldn't put down in years, and this one captured my attention and my imagination for the quick few hours. I was easily drawn in to Alexis' life--and each experience seemed more real than the last. I needed to know about their sister-bond, and the bond to their home, which was a child's delight in its architectural wonder.

A book like this makes me search for more by this author; I hope it doesn't take long Katie Alender to follow up her debut novel, Bad Girls Don't Die.

Alexis Warren is part of your average dysfunctional family. Her sister is an obnoxious princess, her parents who just don't get it. She may be the pink-haired artsy type, but even her photography hobby can't distract her from her sister's latest weirdness. Kasey has always collected dolls, but ever since she found a certain specimen she's been acting crazy - maybe even possessed. As Alexis finds herself deeper and deeper in the history of her home and her town, she finds she might have to enlist the help of her least-likely co-conspirator: a cheerleader. This intensely creepy, highly insightful book goes beyond the typical haunted house story. Bad Girls Don't Die is a novel about class, status, and consequences. Still, you don't want to read it alone in the dark!