Dead Is the New Black

Dead Is #1

by Marlene Perez

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the psychic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.

Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Mystery, Supernatural, Romance

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Author of the paranormal teen mystery Dead Is series, the adult urban fantasy Nyx Fortuna series, and the new teen vampire trilogy, which starts with The Afterlife of the Party with Entangled Teen.
One of Ten Books to Pick Up After You've Sunk Your Teeth into "Midnight Sun"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelstroll...

Trilogy order
The Afterlife of the Party, Afterlife #1
I'm with the Banned, Afterlife #2
A Sucker for You, Afterlife #3

Nyx Fortuna series
Strange Fates
Dark Descent
Fortune's Favor

DEAD IS series is as follows:

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK
DEAD IS A STATE OF MIND
DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR
DEAD IS JUST A RUMOR
DEAD IS NOT AN OPTION
DEAD IS spin-off
DEAD IS A BATTLEFIELD
DEAD IS A KILLER TUNE
DEAD IS JUST A DREAM
ww.marleneperez.com.

Twitter:@MarPerez
Instagram:marperezauthor

Welcome to Nightshade FB page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Welcome...

Reviews

[Donita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was fun!

Reading Dead Is the New Black is like watching an episode of your favorite TV series, I'm looking at you Supernatural, but of course with different cast, a much younger cast, and teenage angst.

I don't think the book was trying to keep the mystery for the reader's sake, because everything's pretty predictable from the start, so if you are expecting unpredictable paranormal plot, you'd be disappointed. This book is a generic light paranormal read. But what I really enjoyed in this book was the characterization and relationship, Gosh, they were wonderful.

I'm actually looking forward in the next episode - er, next book in this series!

[Fafa's Book Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review posted on Fafa's Book Corner !

Beware spoilers ahead!

I had heard about this book series when I was in high school. But for some reason I didn't read it then. One day a friend of mine on GR wrote a review for Dead is The New Black and I remembered how when I was in high school I was interested in it. Of course I added it and checked it out from the library. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!

The book begins with Daisy coming to school. While walking in the hallway she sees her former best friend Samantha sporting a new look. One that consists of a lot of black and a coffin backpack. This isn't the normal dress code for Samantha. But of course since she's popular everyone else start to copy her.

For the next few weeks Samantha's new clothing choice is all the school can about. It's driving Daisy nuts. One day her mother comes home and mentions having trouble with a case. Her mother is a detective and she uses her powers to find the wrongdoers. Her mother has never asked any of her daughters for help. Feeling left out yet again for being human Daisy decides to look into the case as well.

This was better than I expected it to be! The book is written in first person in Daisy's point of view. It's really short so it made it easy to finish. The plot is interesting and engaging.

My favourite part of this book is the relationships. Daisy has a complicated relationship with Samantha. And Samantha wants to make it up to Daisy, because her intention was never to hurt Daisy. I'm glad that Daisy didn't forgive her right away. It was realistic and made sense.

Daisy was close to her sisters. But there were many times in the book where Daisy felt left out because she was human and her sisters were keeping secrets from her. They didn't do it to hurt Daisy. It was a realistic relationship and well done. While they did fight here-and-there they still cared for each other.

The powers were pretty cool! Rose (Daisy's oldest sister) could read minds. Poppy (Daisy's second oldest sister) could use telekinesis and her mother could read objects and tell you who touched it and so forth. There is an actual name for her mothers powers but I've forgotten it.

I did have three problems with Dead Is the New Black. I guess because this was so short I didn't really get to know Daisy. I ended up feeling indifferent to her. The murder mystery wasn't that good. It was pretty easy to figure out who the vampire was based on a certain clue. The romance between Ryan and Daisy came out of nowhere. One minute Daisy is telling you that Ryan has had a crush on Samantha since sixth grade. Then all of a sudden Ryan likes her. Part of it probably was because Daisy didn't believe Ryan liked her that way. Nonetheless this was still a fun read!

Overall this was a fun book! I recommend it to people who are looking for a fast supernatural mystery series.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I think what’s happening to Rachel is supernatural, and even the best hospital can’t cure that.”

This was a paranormal/fantasy story featuring vampires and psychics.

Daisy was an okay character, and I could see why it might be annoying to be the only normal one in a family of psychics. Taking it upon herself to investigate a murder was probably taking things a little too far though.

The storyline in this was about teen girls being attacked, and one turning up dead, and Daisy believing it to be the work of a vampire. We did also get a bit of romance, but I found the story a little dull really.

The ending to this was okay, but I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.



6 out of 10

[Kristen "Kirby" · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to start?

Dead Is the New Black was one of the cheesiest books I've ever read.

Daisy, one of the Flower girls (her sisters are Poppy and Rose. How witty!) is completely boring. Aside from breaking into a !!!Mortuary!!! with her boyfriend Ryan (and making out there when busted as a "cover up"--weird right?) she's a basic follower who goes along with every situation.
Example- Daisy "I don't want to cheer-lead." Samantha, cheer captain "Tryouts are in 5 minutes, be there." Daisy "Omigawd! Okay, whatever you say! I hate your guts but I will listen and follow you and my cheer-girls around everywhere!" END SCENE.

The "b*tchy" cheerleader Samantha drags a coffin around school, and guess what? It becomes a big fad, along with "deathly" colors becoming a must needed staple in every cheerleaders closet. You know how the cliche goes, right? The most popular girl in school, always the head cheerleader, influences everything, is, of course, blonde, and has the hottest boyfriend. **sighs** Moving on..

The Flower Girls are interchangeable. The suffer from "lackingpersonalityitis", a condition widely found in the community of Nightshade.

Did I get to boyfriend, Ryan, yet? He's a real stunner up in there second only to Sean, Samantha's boyfriend. He says things like woozy, blushes like a school girl on a first date, and has keys to the mortuary (he takes chicks back into the cooler area for kissy sessions). What more could you want right?

The plot is so silly too, yet not in an appealing way. Save the Cheerleaders from the soul sucking vamp! It's obvious the culprit from the beginning, but I won't tell.

As for the world, the author didn't even try to establish any back drop. Werewolves, vampires, witches, and psychics are just there and accepted.

There's one good thing about this book and that's that it's short. I have the inability to quit a crappy book, sadly.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fast YA read

[Supernatural Book Club · Rating 1 out of 5]

In my never ending quest to find another engaging teen series like "Twilight" I found this book while shopping at Target last year. I liked the bright colored cover, and the description on the back sounded a little different, and like it could be cute, so why not, right? Read on the see exactly "why not".

I'm not sure if Marlene Perez is herself a teenager, or if she simply is not giving them, as her intended audience, enough credit, but this book is written as if the audience is stupid. There are "hints" to upcoming plot points and by "hints" I mean all but saying the exact words. I will give you an example. We are introduced to a man who is described as having hair the color of a dog the main character once had and eyes like a wolf, but "oh, it's probably nothing", until a chapter or two later it's revealed that he's a werewolf. Big shock. The book is FULL of these "twists and turns" and no one is shocked.

In addition to being very predictable, the book also lacks description and detail. Characters minds are changed with little to no discussion and the plot is rushed along. Not that the plot is that deep anyway, but it would have been nice to understand why the main character went from not liking cheerleading to wanting to be the "best cheerleader ever" in one paragraph.

I know people complain about Stephenie Meyer being a "bad writer", but she's hardly the worst and they all can't be Tolkien or even Stephen King. Perez is in a different league than even Meyer.

Bottom line: Much like the Morganville Vampire Series this series is very "vanilla". It's not violent, or sexual. It would be approved for jr. high age teens. Adults would likely find the writing terrible and the plot lacking. I give the book a C-, not the worst I've read, but far from being good.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started my addiction.
I love Dasiy; i'm sad she's gone.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel kind of guilty for enjoying this as much as I did. I guess the term guilty pleasure applies here.

With the new school year, super popular head cheerleader Samantha shows up with a new look: She’s gone extra pale, dresses in all black, and starts hauling around a coffin (on wheels) everywhere. Others start to copy the look.

The goths howled with rage and frustration: The popular kids, now sporting Samantha’s look, were on their turf. Finally, in protest, the goths, girls and guys, switched to lime green or hot pink skirts, matching sweater sets, and pearls.

Daisy is our MC, the youngest of three sisters. Her mom and sisters are all psychics (Dad is missing) but so far Daisy is a “norm.” When cheerleaders start falling ill, Daisy joins the squad and starts investigating with her new-ish boyfriend. It turns out the supernatural is very common in the town of Nightshade.



There’s quite a lot going on for such a short book. It’s one of those where the reader knows more about what’s going on than the characters, and it’s fine. It’s light and cute and totally entertaining.

We could see two sneakers peeking out of the rubble, just like the witch’s shoes in The Wizard of Oz.

I was a bit confused by the geography. So this town is supposed to be near both Santa Cruz and San Carlos. Those two cities are about an hour and a half apart. So … ?



Clean content

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

so far i thinkk This book is really good =)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An advanced reader I received at Mid-Winter in Philly.

This is a good read-a-like for kids and teens who are fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" Series.

In "Dead" Nightshade High junior, Daisy Giordano, is on the hunt for a soul-sucking vampire. With the help of her boyfriend Ryan - who is the son of the town's Sherriff, her two sisters - Rose and Poppy, they crack the case of the mysterious vamp who is decimating the high school cheerleading squad. In addition to the supernatural powers of the psionic vampire, Daisy and her family benefit from varying psychic abilities.

This was a fun, quick read that will definitely appeal to a somewhat younger audience who may not yet be ready for Meyer's "Twilight". Publication date is said to be September 2008.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd Read: This is the only YA I have ever reread so it’s getting another star. On second read I realize none of the teens are whiny and the whole town reminds me of The Gates (2010), which deserved more than one season!

My amusement for this book was aided by having watched Not Another Teen Movie last night on Netflix. There are a lot of teen vampire stories, like Twilight and Vampire Academy, that put teens in large scale paranormal events; this is not like that. This is more like all those teen movies from Clueless to She's All That to Bring It On with paranormal characters and a touch of old world town mystery. The things that are important are the things that are teenportant. It was short, funny, simple, and I kind of liked the smallness of it. If there are more free Kindle Unlimited Narrations on this series I will read more of them.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book that got me into reading when I was in 7th grade so it will always be one of my favorites! Super fast YA read if anyone wants to give it a go! Still love it!

[Alexis Rohrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember why I liked these so much they are so cute. 3.5 stars!

[Realteenreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gist

Daisy Giordano is the odd one out in her family. Her mother’s a psychic. Her sister Rose can read minds. Her sister Poppy is telekinetic. And as far as Daisy knows, she has absolutely no powers. She’s a norm. To top it all off, her best friend (and secret crush) Ryan Mendez seems to be chasing after Samantha “the divine” Devereaux, the prettiest and most popular girl in the school. Then one day, completely out of the blue, Samantha comes to school wearing a fashion that can only be described by one word: dead. Daisy is instantly suspicious of this. Is Samantha just being weird, or is something seriously wrong here? When the high school cheerleaders start dropping like flies, and the body of a supposed dead girl disappears from the morgue Daisy is on the case trying to figure out who’s doing this, and how to stop them. Could it be Samantha, the seemingly harmless, but nasty head cheerleader, or is it someone else. Daisy Giordano is doing all she can in hopes of figuring out who’s hurting the cheerleaders, and perhaps finding her powers along the way.

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

To cut to the chase, this wasn’t one of my favorite books, but it was good enough. Some of the dialogue was corny, like no one in their right mind would ever say anything like that, but I got more used to it as I continued to read the book. I’m also really picky when it comes to dialogue. I believe that if a sixteen year old is talking, they should sound like they’re sixteen, not fifty. But, that may just be me. I liked the characters though; I thought they were sweet. Another thing about it was its length. It was extremely short, like not even 200 pages short. The story seemed a bit rushed, like the author was trying to get through to the end as quickly as possible. But, again, I’m picky about that sort of thing. A lot of people may not have a problem with how short it is. Finally a good point: there was a good mix of action and romance and family in this book. I like a book that has a balanced out plot. In summary: pretty much worth reading.

Real Teen Rating~ B: Read it, but there’s no rush.


Reviewed by Living Destiny

I read this book…well…I don’t really know. I guess I read this book because I saw Dream reviewing it, and liked the cover, because it seemed dark. So I read it. Shallow? Maybe. But it got me to read it.

This book was better than I thought it would be. Yet another shallow moment in my reading life, I assumed the book would be silly fluff and not-at-all-interesting because of its length. I mean, it’s less than 200 pages. I’ve read picture books longer than this book. No I haven’t. Not even close. But you get the point. Short book. I was mistaken. While this book was an easy read, I was definitely interested in what I was reading. I totally love the supernatural thing, and this one had quite a lot of it. Psychics? Yupp that’s supernatural all right.

Some of the stuff in the book was very predictable. Almost to the point of painful. But even still, it was entertaining. I liked Daisy’s character, although she was clingy and irritating at times, and I really liked how she and her sisters all had flowers for names (Daisy, Poppy and Rose). I also like Ryan, because he was sweet, but also tough and daring. Samantha’s character really threw me for a loop. I had this whole perception of her, and then it was completely altered. It was a weird experience.

The plot was not bad. The ending was good. I was sort of expecting it, but not enough to ruin the ending. It was sort of like when you watch a murder mystery movie, and you only have like three suspects in mind, and the murder turns out to be one of your suspects. You aren’t totally surprised, but you still are a little. The book was interesting, and a very good choice if you want something to read that isn’t too heavy. Sort of intense, but not so much. Good enough to make me follow up the series, so it has to be above average, right?

Real Teen Rating~ B: Read it, but there’s no rush.

[Hayli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series used to be one of my favorites when I was younger. The writing is a too little juvenile for me now, though.

I didn't really care for the romance. It was... weird. I was expecting a twist at any moment, like, 'just kidding! there's actually something going on and he doesn't actually like you!". Okay, harsh. But he was definitely absent a lot and acting suspicious. I mean, he started out in the book as her best friend, and then all of a sudden they're dating??

As for Daisy, she was a total Mary Sue. Everyone else was in the wrong if they were different than her. And the amount of slut shaming and judging she does? Obscene.

"She had spent plenty of time in backseats, I thought. Of course, the car wasn’t usually moving at the time."

"'Oh, fabulous! I’m starving.' Starving? I thought cheerleaders didn’t eat. Except me, which explained why I wasn’t going to be climbing to the top of the pyramid any time soon."

'But I knew if I told someone I’d just sound crazy, and they’d probably send me to the school therapist again.' 'Again?' I hadn’t been aware Sam had any mental problems. Attitude problems, maybe."

"Samantha looked hopeful, and several of the girls looked up at the mention of food. So much for cheerleaders never eating."

"Her makeup looked like she had applied it with a trowel, but even with gunk on her face, there was something about her that seemed familiar."

And then my least favorite quotes that bother me to no end.

"'Hey!' shouted a short female vampire wearing too much lipstick (at least I hoped it was lipstick) and too little clothing. 'We have nothing to do with this.' A tall undead male dressed in tight black satin pants and a frilly white shirt nodded in agreement."

"The woman vamp, who I privately nicknamed Skank, moved forward to speak, but the tall male put a hand on her arm."

"They exited, with the leader’s hand still tight on Skank’s arm."

Really???? This is a book aimed at tweens. Why does the woman vamp have to be scantily clad, whereas the male is fully covered?? Also, why does she immediately assume that the male vampire is leader? Riddle me this.

[Ashley W · Rating 3 out of 5]

➥ 3.25 Campy stars

Characters: 3 🌟
Plot: 3.5 🌟
Romance: 1 🌟
Writing: 3 🌟

★。／Review＼。★

I'd forgotten how campy this story is. It really is the cheesiest supernatural book I've ever read. And I mean that kindly. Also, the mystery is pretty straight forward, but I still ate it up. I suppose Samantha was a decent suspect for a while. I was surprised by how quickly Daisy forgave her, but I think it was pretty understanding of her as well.
I love the idea of the Council of supernatural. I can't wait to meet the rest of them. Though I wonder what Chief Mendez is doing with them.
The bit I could not get behind was the romance.

It went like this:
Daisy: Ryan really likes Sam.
*Daisy hears hints from other people that she and Ryan are dating.*
*Ryan kisses Daisy*
Daisy: I thought you liked Sam.
Ryan: I did but I like you now.
Daisy: Oh, okay.
*Daisy thinks it's a casual thing until she hears from other people who are not Ryan tell her that it isn't.
Daisy: So are we dating now?
Ryan: Duh

I just couldn't. But then this book is super short, so not a lot of time could be dedicated to building the relationship. Seems like it could have been left out altogether though.

Other than that, this was such a chill, easy book to read.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this.

First off, that cover is eye catching. Who doesn't love black nail polish. The pink background was a nice touch.

Second, this had some cheesy and somewhat eye rolling moments. But its part of the charm in a way. It took me a little longer than I thought to finish this.

Just saw it on the shelf one day at the library when I was bored and looking for something new and in a way, random to read. This caught my eye.

The summary sounded like my kind of read and noticed the length of the book and thought, this'll be interesting. And it was, even cute at times. That's how I'd describe this. Cute.

I did like the sister bond the three had going later on. At first I was like uh oh, is it going to be one of those where they don't like each other? But alas it wasn't so that's good. And the mystery was okay but had its moments as well.

Near the end, seemed to wrap up pretty quickly. Still, a quick but interesting cute read none the less.

[Damien Duplanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was younger and it’s just as fun as I remember. It’s kind of giving a high school supernatural cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the sister relationship in this and well as the friendship. The romance isn’t as good as I remember, but I’ve read a lot of good sub plot romance. I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend this because objectively it’s not great, but I have a nostalgic feeling about this.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, this was one of those books where I read it, I was pretty entertained but there was nothing spectacular enough to make anything really jump out at me. The story kind of blends into every other vampire/cheerleader/maybe boyfriend story out there and I really don't think it had the oomph enough to elevate it over the crowd.

It gets huge kudos for the Santa Cruz reference, not to mention its wharf. I'm curious to know why she didn't reference the Boardwalk since that's really where all the teenagers hand out. Maybe Perez felt the wharf needed a little love too. That's ok. But big-up to that.

The writing was decent. Didn't sweep me off my feet but I didn't hate it either. It was writing.

And what's with the name Devereaux in teen lit lately? This is, like, the third book I've read with someone with that surname. Is everyone accessing the same names database or something?

Anyway, the whole "awkward girl becomes a cheerleader" motif is getting really old and I'm just plain old tired of it. From the books out there with something like this in it, you'd think that were every girl's dream or something. Can we find a new way to infiltrate the in-crowd, please? Popularity and cheerleading are not the only bed mates.

The story as a whole had a real campy feel, but I mean that in a good way. I like camp. I liked the big reveal at the end. Very kitsch but I really liked it. My guess was teetering back and forth between the actual culprit and another character so I was close to guessing who it was! But parts of it had that kind of old school Goosebumps feel which is always a good thing. You can never go wrong with that feeling.

The characters were kind of typical. I didn't find too much about them that really stood out to me. They were relatable enough but that also made them kind of forgettable too, unfortunately.

There were some really interesting tidbits hinted at in this story though that I think hold a lot of potential. The whole supernatural committee is really intriguing and I'm wondering if Perez was influenced at all by, "Ghouls and werewolves occupy high positions at city hall." (ten points if you know where that's from) And Daisy coming into her powers were really interesting although if she ends up taking the Special Child route and gets the powers of all of her family members combined, that would severely disappoint me. I doubt I'm going to read the following books so someone's going to have to update me on that one.

You know, overall, it was just kind of blah for me. It was paranormal, it had a slight love interest, a "normal" girl that "normal" teens can relate to, the bitchy cheerleader with the pig boyfriend, the boy friend/boyfriend. To me it just blended too easily. It's not a bad read. It really isn't. But I've read better. If you like kitschy, campy paranormal (again, not a bad thing), then pick this one up. There's nothing not to like about it. It's just a matter of what your tolerance level is for this kind of thing as a whole and, frankly, I'm a little oversaturated on the same 'ol.

[Taylor K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Is The New Black by Marlene Perez

Daisy Giordano is a junior at Nightshade High School. Weird things happen in Nightshade that date back for centuries. Daisy is the only “norm” in a family of a psychic mother and two telekinetic and mind-reading sisters. Her mom uses her powers to help the Police Chief solve some of Nightshade’s strange mysteries. When teenage girls, particularly that of the cheerleader kind, start to drop dead, Daisy isn’t the first person that her mom goes to for help on the case. Instead of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad and starts an investigation herself, along with her current boyfriend, longtime friend, and Police Chief’s son, Ryan Mendez. Along the way, Daisy learns a lot about herself and the people around her. Most importantly, Daisy learns that, “Sometimes, something unexpected wasn’t bad at all.” (Perez 190)

Perez did a great job of holding my attention from beginning to end. On every page it seemed like another clue came up and I found myself trying to solve the mystery. Daisy is an awesome character and I love how her relationship with Ryan started off as them being best friends since they were little and although he became really popular and she stayed sort of a “girl next door” type, Ryan still loved her. Daisy is such a strong character and I love the way the narrator describes the part where she finally catches the bad guy/girl. “...wasn’t going to get away with this, not without a fight, anyway...was a soul-sucking vampire and I was a sixteen-year-old cheerleader, but I was [profanity] if she was going to suck the life out of all my friends. High School was hard enough.” (Perez 177) I started this book expecting a shallow teen love/mythical creature story, but I was glad that it actually had a meaning. The moral of the story ended up being that things don’t always have to be perfect and sometimes they are better that way. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a meaningful, but quick and easy read.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It held my attention and I loved the main characters and the moral of the story, but sometimes the writing could get really cheesy. The way Perez was always describing these different mythical creatures and supernatural councils made me feel like I was reading a little kids story about some made up world. For this reason, the book was brought down to a three, but because of the great description, I give it a four. Overall, though, this book was not a complete waste of time and the good definitely outweighed the bad, so I recommend it if you are in the mood for a book that you don’t have to think much about.

[Lady Bocwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked: 1-800-Where-Are-You?, and The Mediator series by Meg Cabot; Oh My Goddess by Tera Lynn Childs; The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt; Heist Society by Ally Carter; Awakening by Kelley Armstrong; Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Recommended for: Those who enjoy a good blending of paranormal, mystery, and light-hearted realistic fiction. Good for a reluctant reader, or as a just-for-fun beach read.

Review:
Dead is the New Black is the first book in Perez’s Dead Is… series. It’s an urban-paranormal that is also a mystery—think Nancy Drew meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While being light-hearted and fun, it does present a realistic view of teen life and issues, not a sanitized, more conservative view; although, these issues are usually presented in periphery by supporting or minor characters. Due to some mild profanity and implied suggestive content, I recommend this book for no younger that 8th grade. Basically, it’s a little more mature than most Disney shows, and less suggestive than most ABC Family shows. I enjoyed it as a light, fast read (I finished it in less than a day). While it may start out as a predictable tween novel, it takes some interesting turns – just enough to make the reader sit up and say: “Hey, that was fun. Now where’s the second one?”, but not enough to keep the reader up all night trying to find out what happens next.

Conservative Breakdown:
Language: Mild profanity (6 instances – damn(ed), God, Jesus, and bitch)

Violence: Supernatural violence—psychic vampire attack; murder mystery—dead body (in morgue), missing body; knocking someone out; tying someone up; accidental death; mean-girl cattiness; teen problems– eating disorder, drugs, and teen pregnancy (mentioned).

Romance: Crushes, kissing, girl sneaking into guy’s room (mentioned, supporting/minor characters), implied sex (supporting/minor characters), guy staying over at a girl’s house when parents are not around (supporting/minor characters).

Supernatural: Vampire (blood-sucking and psychic), psychics, telekinesis, telepath, werewolves, banshee, witch, animated skeleton.

Other: Missing father (unknown if abandoned, or abducted), minors sneaking out, unauthorized entering of the morgue, peeping tom (mentioned), investigating behind a parent’s back, all-ages clubbing.

[Bethany Ainsworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

8% in.

8%.

And I already gave because it's so fucking cliched.

1. A girl comes back wrong that has to do with supernatural origins? Check.

2. Girl in a family of psychics? Check.

3. Girl who doesn't have any psychic abilities despite being born in a family of psychics? Check.

4. Racism in the form of these psychics looking down on normal people despite sibling being a "norm"? Check.

5. Girl with childhood male friend? Check.

6. Girl suddenly crushing on said childhood friend who she knew when they were in diapers? Check.

7. Girl's siblings is told that girl is a late-bloomer, who develops powers along the course of the book? Check.

8. Girl's mother helps out with the police because she's a psychic herself? Check.

9. Gothic sounding town's name which happens to be Nightshade? Check.

10. Town apparently attracts "odd" sort? Check.

11. Girl with missing parent? Check.

12. Missing parents either turns out to be dead/psychic/supernatural themselves? Check. (I haven't gotten that far, but I wouldn't put it past Perez judging that we're in the ten's.)

13. Girl solves the case with her newfound developing abilities? Check.

14. Girl realizes that male friend is hot because of someone pointing it out to her? Check.

15. Denial over the hotness of the said male-friend? Check.

16. Male-friend and Girl go out by the end of the book? Check. (I didn't read that far, but judging from the back of the second book that I own, yeah, they're going out.)

17. Love-interest being introduced in the first chapter, with Girl realizing her crush on the same first chapter? Check.

18. Popular girl being friends with Girl in middle school but ditches her for some reason? Check.

19. Male friend being reluctant to help, but does anyway to help out who he probably secretly likes? Check.

20. Male Friend conveniently has dad on the police force so they can use keys to break into places, i.e. morgue, case file room, office space...etc? Check.

21. Girl gets mad when the parent wants their oldest kid for help on the case because oldest sibling has psychic abilities when Girl won't be of any use? Check.

Wow, look at that list, and it's just from the first chapter too.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a super clever series this is! I read this in a leisurely two hours, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's marketed/shelved as young adult fiction, but adults who enjoyed the guilty pleasure of Joss Weedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will make short work of these stories. The dialogue is quick and catchy, the premise is great, and in this first entry in what will soon be a three-volume series, Perez has left herself lots of great storylines, opportunities, and options to explore in future episodes (e.g., a town with some sort of supernatural founding story, paranormal powers and supernatural beings, a missing parent, the usual teen themes of not fitting in, young love, etc.).

In this first book, the main character is high school junior Daisy Giordano. Her mother and two siblings are psychic and have a range of paranormal gifts. Mom works with the local police in solving crimes, the eldest daughter is in college (and studies diligently!), and the two younger daughters are still in high school. Daisy, we are led to believe, is the odd woman out--dismissed by her sister Poppy as merely "a norm." In the course of following up on a mysterious series of illnesses that appear to be the work of a psionic vampire (one who sucks the souls from living victims), Daisy must negotiate the typical trials and tribulations of an American high school. Where I often wanted to shake Bella in the Twilight series for being such a wimp, Daisy has all the spunk and independence of a Buffy with the intelligence of a Rory Gilmore. What a welcome relief.

I'm starting the next book in the series, Dead is a State of Mind, just as soon as I finish this review. Great work, Marlene Perez. Keep 'em coming!

[Jo-Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. After reading some of the other reviews, I feel that some of them are a bit harsh, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It did annoy me that at times the main character, Daisy, seemed so insecure in her relationship with Ryan...it was the very beginning of their romantic involvement after knowing each other since they were tots, so really, I felt like telling her to get over it already and start enjoying it!

The town that the book is set in is Nightshade. Nightshade is a strange town...a town where paranormal, supernatural, and strange things just happen, okay? It's just accepted by those who know what is actually going on. Considering that Daisy's mom and sisters all have some form of psychic abilities, well, strange things are not outside the normal realm of possibilities for this family. The story really starts heating up when Daisy's mom winds up working on a case with the chief of police that involves some really weird circumstances- even weirder than usual by Nightshade standards.

I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the overall feeling of the book. I did feel like this book is aimed more towards a high school audience, but I still had fun reading it, and would definitely continue on with the series.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead is the New Black is about Daisy Giordano, and her family of psychics. Well, her two sisters, Poppy and Rose, and her mom are psychics. Daisy is considered a “norm” in her family. Daisy’s father was also a “norm”, but he disappeared six years ago. In the first book in this series, Daisy—with the help of her sisters, totally smokin’ boyfriend, and a jukebox spilling out clues—will solve her first mystery: teenage girls being attacked in Nightshade.

Girls all around Nightshade, California are being attacked and drained of life by something unknown. Most girls are being attacked from Nightshade High, where Daisy is a junior there. When the head cheerleader, Samantha Devereaux, comes back from summer looking... dead. Daisy suspects she could be the unknown person draining the life out of the young girls. Could she?

To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading team to keep a watch on Samantha. But does Daisy actually like being a cheerleader?

I really enjoyed reading about Daisy Giordano and her life. I recommend this book to girls twelve and up. I hope you will like it as much as I did!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

While on my mission to not read anymore YA supernatural/fantasy books, I found this. It's a YA supernatural/fantasy book. I had finished my LightRail Book and needed a new one and meant to get something completely new and different and wound up with this, instead.
So far, however, it's really cute. So far, there are no whiny, humorless teenagers who mope about lusting constantly after a kiss. So far, there's a neat family and a unique family dynamic (they get along like a real family! There are no orphans! Yeah, the dad is missing, so that's a bit cliche, but it's a realistic scenario and I can forgive that) that is rather fun to follow. So far, it's light-hearted, well-written, and plain-old enjoyable.
We'll see what transpires...

Ok, I've finished.
I was right - it was a cute book. It reminded me of Nancy Drew for the new, supernatural millennium. It's very light, a very fast read. It's not worth putting tons of thought into but definitely worth just enjoying. It's fun!

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightshade is a very odd town where it’s normal for some to have supernatural powers, where to pose as a vamp is a fad and to drag a small coffin instead of to clutch a purse is the norm. What’s even odder is that pretty teenage girls seem to be a target of a serial killer on the loose. Daisy, the heroine, a “norm” in a family of psychics is more than happy to go on full Nancy Drew mode to catch the culprit even if it means having to be a cheerleader, dating the hottest guy in school and befriending the school’s Queen Bee.

It’s your generic teen flick, a bit predictable and a bit stereotyped but definitely enjoyable and entertaining. Recommended to readers looking for a mindless, paranormal light read.

[Kim Baccellia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun paranormal mystery. Can't wait for book two!

[Amber Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez is a fun YA paranormal mystery, with a dash of romance.

The story follows high school junior Daisy Giordano as she tries to figure out what is draining the energy from local cheerleaders. Without the psychic powers of her mother and sisters, Daisy is stuck snooping with her handsome friend (or boyfriend?) for leads. Will she live to solve the case, or will the culprit get to her first?

This one was a fast read for me. I kept telling myself one more chapter, okay, maybe one more, and before I knew it, the book was done. For a story involving murder, it’s fairly light. The mystery is a key piece of the story, but it’s also in some ways a coming of age story. You get the usual friendship/family/relationship drama that you might expect from such a tale.

There was a lot I enjoyed. I love how quirky Nightshade is. A town of paranormal ghouls? Yes, please. The sisterly dynamics were good. I appreciated how close all three were, but also it made sense that Rose and Poppy had a bit more of a bond because of their shared psychic powers, leaving Daisy feeling a little left out.

There were some things that irked me as well, such as the occasional slut shaming (e.g., Daisy nicknames a young woman she sees as “Skank”). Some of the scenarios and interactions feel a bit forced and unnatural at times. Like the homecoming bit, it seemed far fetched and cliche, although I can also see why Perez would include it. This is fantasy, not reality, after all. Daisy’s insecurity around Ryan was a little tedious, but on the other hand, I’m the same way, so I can’t fault her too much for it. Sometimes a crush is obvious to everyone except the recipient.

If you’re looking for a light paranormal mystery, you may want to check out Dead is the New Black.

cw: death, murder, disappearance of a parent, physical violence