Book Review: The Ghost & The Goth by Stacey Kade

The Ghost & The Goth by Stacey Kade
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Pages: 288
Source: Received from author/publicist for honest review

Summary: 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 as a spirit (DON’T call her a ghost) in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light 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 who despises the social elite. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High. Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

My Review: The Ghost & The Goth was an amusing and delightful debut by Stacey. Written in a dual point of view narration Alona and Will were appealing and likable protagonists. So far, this style of writing is my favorite because the author gives the reader the opportunity to visit both characters mind's. Alona, was a pretty blond cheerleader ghost with a sassy attitude. She was the typical stereotype of a popular high school girl who was held in high regard. You think being hit by a bus would change her outlook. Nonetheless, it didn't. Even as a ghost, people's feelings didn't faze her until later on. Her narration was sarcastic and undeniably entertaining.

Now, the only person who could see her was Will, a labeled "emo-goth" boy, who was quiet and kept to himself. I enjoyed getting to know him and his inner struggles. Dealing with the gift to see and speak to ghosts wasn't easy for him. There was something about him that I found very attractive or maybe I just have a thing for cute, emo guys? Throughout the novel, Will and Alona go back and forth with what to do with their situation. Will not only has loud-mouth Alona on his case but as well as other ghosts who haunt the school. Each ghost had unfinished business that prevented them to move on and Will was the only person to help them.

Will and Alona's relationship was adorable. They bickered like a married couple. Even so, I wished the romance developed a little faster. Will crushing on a ghost could be strange to most people. But, to me it seemed perfectly normal, that's how real Stacey's character development was. There were times where I forgot that Alona was even a ghost. I also found pleasure at the in-depth look into Alona and Will's family lives, it definitely helped me understand them better. The Ghost & The Goth was a cute and light read with more aspects that weren't mentioned. The cover was beautifully executed and added to the visual identity of the characters. Overall, Stacey shows great potential and I am eagerly anticipating her future releases.

My Rating:
Author's Info:
As an award-winning corporate copywriter, Stacey Kade has written about everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps. But she prefers to make things up instead. From her first childhood scribbles about a magical necklace that would turn people into cats, Stacey has long been fascinated with what happens when the “ordinary” bumps up against “out of this world.” What if aliens landed on Earth? What if the afterlife is really just another dimension? She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their three retired racing greyhounds, Joezooka (Joe), Tall Walker (Walker) and SheWearsThePants (Pansy). When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll likely find her parked in front of the television with her Roswell DVDs, staring rapturously at Jason Behr.

For more info on Stacey, visit her site(s):
-Website
-MySpace
-Twitter
-GoodReads
-Facebook

Wanna meet Stacey? Check out her remaining tour dates below!

- June 23: 2pm, Watermark Books, Wichita, KS (all authors)

- June 24: 5pm, Books of Wonder, New York, NY (all authors)

- June 25: 6pm, Reception at American Libraries Association Convention, Washington, DC (all authors)

- June 26: 3:30 pm, Politics & Prose, Washington DC (all authors)