Customer Reviews

Dead Is the New Black

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first in a series of Paranmormal adventure's aimed for young adults 12 years and up. I am not in the market range but I enjoyed this story very much before passing it along to my stepdaughter. I intend to read the other books in this series as well. This book tells the story of Daisy, a non-psychic child who lives with her mother (a psychic) and her sisters Rose and Poppy, who both have psychic abilites. Daisy feels like she doesn't quite fit in. With her family or at school. But suddenly Nighshade's cheerleaders are becoming very deathly ill..its almost like something is literally sucking the life from them. As a favor to her ex-best friend Samantha, Daisy joins the squad. From that vantage point, Daisy and her new boyfriend start to investigate the murder of a teenage girl who shows up walking and talking to the pep rally...It soon apparent that Nightshade has more than its fair share of odd beings. This story was quick and quirky and fun. It definetly caught and kept my attention and my step-daughter loved it. The writing is well done and the characters are well crafted. The paranormal jukebox is just one of many great touches. I think this book will captivate any teen or pre-teen and maybe their parents. I recomend this book as lighthearted, clean, paranormal fun.

Daisy Giordano is a junior at Nightshade High and a "norm." Her sisters have inherited her mother's psychic abilities: one can read minds and the other has the gift of telekinesis. Her father, who vanished mysteriously five years ago, was also a "norm". Though her mother assures her she is probably just a late bloomer, Daisy can't help feeling left out at home.

School is not much better. Her former best friend Samantha, the "it girl" and star cheerleader of Nightshade High, has returned from summer vacation sporting the "walking dead" look complete with the mini casket on wheels she drags behind her. When Daisy is encouraged to join the cheerleading squad, she wonders what complete humiliation Samantha has in store for her this time.

Daisy's mom, being psychic, works with the town police chief on tough cases. When her mom seems stumped on a case involving the mysterious death of a teenage girl, Daisy is determined to help her. It doesn't hurt that the police chief's son just happens to be her best friend and the cutest guy at Nightshade High. But when the girl's body mysteriously disappears from the morgue and the girl herself makes a surprise appearance at Daisy's first pep rally as a cheerleader, things get really interesting.

Marlene Perez has done a fabulous job of creating the town of Nightshade, California where nothing is as it seems and no one is who they seem to be. (Cue Twilight Zone theme here). Daisy is instantly likable and everyone can relate to the angst that is the teenage years and struggling to find your place in the world, even if Daisy's world is a touch more supernatural than most. The plot twisted, turned and kept me guessing right up until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed this first installment of a promising new series and I am looking forward to reading about Daisy's further adventures in Dead Is a State of Mind.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Lori
The Bitten by Books review score for this book was 4.5 Tombstones

Daisy Giordano has lived her entire seventeen years in the quirky little town of Nightshade in Northern California, where vampires, werewolves, banshees, and witches roam freely, unbeknownst to the ordinary residents. Daisy's family members are magically gifted, too--all except Daisy. Her mother receives premonitions and revelatory images; her eighteen-year-old sister Poppy moves objects without touching them via telekinesis, and her nineteen-year-old sister Rose reads minds. Daisy's mom insists she's a late bloomer, but Daisy has little hope she will ever be able to do anything psychic.

As a result, Daisy feels left out in her family at the best of times as the only "norm," but when her mother, who uses her powers to help the local police chief, asks Rose to assist her in figuring out who murdered a local cheerleader, it's the last straw. Daisy may not have psychic powers, but the crime happened to one of her fellow students at Nightshade High School, where Daisy is a junior and Poppy a senior, and she's determined to do something about it. Whoever--or whatever--killed the cheerleader is starting to harm other cheerleaders, and at the top of Daisy's list of suspects is her ex-friend and current enemy, the gorgeous head-cheerleader, Samantha. Sam has returned to school this fall looking and dressing like a vampire, and Daisy thinks Sam might actually be one. With the help of her long-time best friend Ryan, Daisy sets out to solve the case while trying not to get distracted by her uncomfortably non-platonic feelings for Ryan, who has recently morphed into an amazingly hot guy.

I loved this book! It's a fun read, and a fast one--especially since I couldn't put it down once I started it. Daisy is an immensely likable heroine with a great family, and her romantic interest, Ryan, is adorable. Nightshade itself has a delightful cast of quirky paranormal characters, and one of my favorites is the enchanted juke box at the local diner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy with a light, and frequently comic, touch.

Note for parents, teachers and librarians: This book is G-rated. There are no incidents of drinking, drugs or adolescent sex either on or offstage, and Daisy's family relationships are warm and loving.

I grade the book as follows:

Heroine - 5 stars
Subcharacters - 5 stars
Fantasy world-building - 4.5 stars
Writing - 5 stars
Mystery Plot - 3.5 stars for adult readers and older teens, 5 stars for younger teens
Romantic Subplot - 5 stars
Overall - 5 stars

Daisy Giordano is the only one in her family without psychic powers. This normally doesn't bother her that much, but there's something irritating about how Daisy's mom enlists Daisy's older sister Rose's help in solving a teenage girl's recent death because there's nothing Daisy can do to aid her mother--Daisy can't provide the psychic support her mother needs. But that won't stop Daisy from investigating, especially when strange and unexplainable illnesses strike several girls at her own school. Plus, the head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux's new look is enough to arouse some suspicion; her style has taken goth to its extreme. Now, it's only a matter of making it onto the cheer squad and convincing her friend Ryan to help her to further this investigation and crack the case, although a little romance or some psychic abilities would be helpful as well.

Interesting and fun, this paranormal mystery is a quick and enjoyable read. Dead is the New Black delves into only some of the secrets of Daisy's hometown, Nightshade, primarily its supernatural side or psychics, vampires, and werewolves galore. This provides for a unique mystery that mostly kept me guessing. I like how Perez smoothly integrates the supernatural with everyday life as it makes the story seem more plausible and provided for quite a bit of amusing entertainment. I can't say that anything about this novel is particularly excellent, but it is satisfactory. The characters are realistic with only the smallest inconsistencies, but lack of development in the minor characters is disappointing. It would also have been nice to have more background information about Daisy's life and the town of Nightshade, because while several past details are mentioned, they aren't elaborated on; the only way this would work for this story is if newly uncovered secrets are incorporated in later novels. Fast and humorous, Dead is the New Black is a cutesy and innocent paranormal read.

Fans of You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay, Revealers by Amanda Marrone, Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, The Otherworldies by Jennifer Anne Kogler, Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley, and the Midnighters trilogy by Scott Westerfeld will also like this supernatural novel. I look forward to reading its sequels, Dead is a State of Mind and Dead is So Last Year.

Best book I ever read! I was surprised, intrigued, and amazed by every page. Questions appeared everywhere. Good or bad? Vampire or human? Friend or enemy? Mystery and adventure chasing you throughout the book. You follow Daisy, your average teenage girl, (maybe not completely average) through a fabulous tale of mysterious murders, meetings and people. A must read for any gender or age 10 and up.

Originally Posted at: [...]

What happens when you feel like you don't fit in? Do you blend into the background? Stand up and shout, expecting to be seen? Or do you let nature take it's course? If you're Daisy, then you just be yourself.

Marlene Perez writes humorous paranormal stories that are relevant to today's teens. Dead is the New Black doesn't disappoint readers wanting something sassy, comical, and new. I love the setting of Nightshade, California. It's said that the water's different in California. I'd say the landscape is, too. Peppered with vampires, werewolves, and psychics. It's no wonder Daisy, totally not psychic feels invisible.

I liked Daisy because she's realistic. She's a junior in high school with typical high school issues--wanting a boyfriend, not wanting to be laughed at, not wanting to be embarrassed. She's relatable. I wanted to see her get her dreams--a nice little romance with Ryan, and to find her place in society.

Though it seems simple, Daisy's former best friend is back after vacation and looking dead to the world, the plot is anything but. As the title suggests, dead is the new black--everyone wants to be one of the popular people; the people who aren't exactly breathing. There are plenty of twists and turns that kept me in my seat and enthralled, wanting to know what would happen next. Trust me, this isn't just another teen book. There are little bits here and there that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

If you want a book that's got a lot going on in a short amount of pages, then you need to read Dead is the New Black. I give this book 4 suns.

Daisy Giordano is the only non-psychic in a family full of them and could not feel worse about it. Her desire to help out her psychic mom on a case gets herself and her best friend Ryan involved in some strange happenings they never knew could happen. Their hometown, Nightshade, turns out to be a very strange place to live. A soul-stealing vampire is on the loose and is preying on the Cheerleaders of Daisy's high school, and they're dropping like flies. With Ryan's help Daisy is off to discover who the vampire is before it's too late. A romance sparks up between Ryan and Daisy on the way to solving the mystery of how a dead girl (whom they saw with their own eyes) could show up cheering at a pep rally. While searching for the mysterious vampire Daisy also discovers she may not be without power after all.

I could not get enough of Daisy's story! Perez's dialog was very well structured, and she had some very funny, snappy moments throughout the book. I found it easy to rally behind her characters, as they shared their high, low, and scary moments. I originally picked DitNB up as filler between books, but I wound up stretching it out for two days, simply because I wanted to live in Nightshade just a little longer with Daisy. Nightshade is definitely a town I would want to visit, though I wouldn't want to live there. All in all, this book was great, and I will most certainly be reading the rest of the series!

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK
MARLENE PEREZ
YA Paranormal Mystery

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Sixteen-year-old Daisy Giordano is used to unusual things, after all, everyone in her family has some sort of psychic ability, well, everyone except her, that is. Also, her hometown of Nightshade, California is known for peculiar happenings.

Things really start to get strange when cheerleader Samantha Devereaux shows up with the new dead look. Soon everyone is copying it, right down to the miniature coffin, which can be a pain to take to a club. But, when teen girls start getting attacked, Daisy thinks Samantha has something to do with it. She's determined to find out the truth even if that means joining the cheerleading squad.

Daisy might not be psychic but she'll use her own skills to help solve this mystery. Hopefully she can figure this out before others get hurt too. Dead is one fashion trend she can do without.

Take a fast-paced paranormal mystery, add a dash of romance, humor, and attitude and you're sure to be hooked, I know I was! Daisy was a modern day Nancy Drew who just happened to be looking for the vampire she's sure was causing all the recent problems. I really enjoyed Ms. Perez's fast-paced storyline and realistic characterizations. I could really relate to Daisy's way of handling stressful situations, it was so realistic. I wanted some of her homemade tiramisu.

If you're looking for a fun paranormal series, this is the one. The sequel Dead is a State of Mind will be out next year.

Marlene Perez is the author of Unexpected Development, which was named the ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. She lives in Orange County, California.

Kim
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
August 2008

If you are into the supernatural than this is the book for you. Once you read you will never stop. There was tons of surprises, weird moments and so much more. The halfway of the book you will stand up and say "WHAT?!" I will also recommend Marlene Perez's other book "Death is a State of Mind".

This was a fast fun read. Nightshade is a very unique town with many many secrets. Daisy and her family are very unique. I liked this book a whole lot and read it in a day. I will continue reading this series. Very promising beginning to a series.