Queen of the Dead

Queen of the Dead (The Ghost and the Goth, 2) by Stacey Kade, May 31, 2011. 266 pages. Published by Hyperion Book CH. Source: Library.

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea. 

First Sentence:

On television, ghost-talkers run antique stores, solve crimes, or stand on a stage in a nice suit giving the teary-eyed audience a toothy, yet sympathetic grin.

 I actually cannot remember how long it has been since I first read The Ghost and the Goth, but when I came across Queen of the Dead I knew that I was going to start in on it without even re-reading the first one. Why, because my patience couldn't wait another day or a few hours to brush up on what happened in book one. Thankfully, I remembered how the first book ended, which meant that I had no trouble diving back into the characters’ stories and back into Stacey Kade’s writing.

Good golly! That is what I have to say concerning the latest twist that the story took in Queen of the Dead. I could not believe that: A) Alona did that and B) that there was more to Will’s dad’s past then just a shared ability (can’t say more because it would spoil the surprise).

One of the things I've enjoyed most about Stacey Kade’s writing, in the two books of hers I have read, is that she is really good at writing a humorous tale and yet keeping a slightly serious undertone to the overall story line  I've also really enjoyed seeing how much her characters evolve from one book to the next.

What I actually enjoyed most Stacey Kade’s second book, would have to be that you could see the progress that Alona has made in the time she’s been dead. I find it quite exciting to see a more vulnerable, less guarded side to her. While she still could be her catty self at times, I did enjoy seeing how she cared what Will thought of her and the decisions that she made. Like I said, it was interesting to see how much she changed during the time she’d been dead, as, well as her return from the light.

Even though I thought Queen of the Dead was an excellent follow up to The Ghost and the Goth, I admit that I was frustrated with both Will and Alona at times. Why, because they would both seem to be making progress to trusting and relying upon one another and then they’d go and screw things up by saying or doing something stupid. While their bickering did keep the story from going stale, I do wish that maybe there had been fewer flair-ups between them regarding how they both were before Alona’s death.

Final Verdict: Queen of the Dead, a wildly funny, well written read. 

Queen of the Dead earns 4.5 out of 5 pineapples.