Dead Is a State of Mind

Dead Is #2

by Marlene Perez

A creepy, campy new mystery series

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!

There’s a gorgeous new guy at Nightshade Duke Sherrad, a fortune-teller claiming to have descended from Gypsies. Even though she’s psychic herself, Daisy is skeptical of Duke’s powers. But when a teacher who was the subject of one of his predictions ends up dead, she begins to wonder if Duke is the real deal after all.

Maybe if Daisy can track down the teacher’s killer, she can find out the truth. The only trouble is, all signs point to the murderer being of the furry persuasion. Is Daisy any match for a werewolf? Maybe she is . . . in more ways than she bargained for!
 

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

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Poppy’s dating a ghost,”

This was a YA paranormal story featuring psychics and werewolves.

Daisy was an okay character and she didn’t seem quite so immature as she did in the previous book. It was a little sad the way her relationship with Ryan seemed to be going though.

The storyline in this was about a teacher being killed in the park and Daisy and her sisters trying to work out who did it, as well as a storyline about a new boy at school who seemed determined to take Daisy to the prom, even though she was still going out with Ryan. The pace wasn’t too bad in this one though, and I preferred it to book 1 in the series.

The ending to this was okay, but I’m beginning to wonder if everyone in this town is going to turn out to be a supernatural being.



6 out of 10

[Donita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously, i don't know what the title has got something to do with this sequel. I know it has something to do with psychic powers and all, but I still can't figure out the direct connection.

Anyway, this sequel is pretty much the same as the first book, with the Giordano sister's dealing with high school life and getting entangled with the mysteries of their paranormal town.

Still a pretty light read. I noticed some logic lapses along the way but it is something I can let go of. Still too cheesy and full of YA cliche's but for some reason I'am not getting tired of Nightshade's mysteries! :)

Now if I can just complete this series I can be totally happy.:)

[Krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are cheesy and very teeny bopper-ish. Normally I would avoid that. But this series is surprisingly entertaining. I can't really explain why I enjoy them. But I'm not going to question it and just enjoy the ride.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (to me) provided the perfect transition to the 3rd book.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun as well. It really is giving supernatural cozy mystery. The plot of this one honestly wasn’t as interesting, but the relationship drama was fun.

[Loren Boutin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like the first one was better because it had more action. It was cute just like I remember but i wanted to hear more about daisy powers and her learning how to control them. Instead it was about her and her boyfriend Ryan. I wish we could have seen this book maybe from poppy or rose perspective. I enjoyed the book overall. It was just very slow for me. Especially compared to the first one.

[Veronica Morfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5

Dead is a State of Mind is the second book in the Dead Is series that follows Daisy and her two sisters Poppy and Rose. In this one, Daisy is continuing her Junior year in high school after her very intense first semester (a.k.a Dead is the New Black). This time around there is a new mysterious guy in her school that claims he is a fortune teller and even though Daisy is no stranger to powers like that, since her family has more than one psychic. But for some reason Daisy doens't trust the new guy, until his precdictions start coming true and a teacher pops up dead. Now everyone's attention is one the killer who seems to be of the furry kind.

This had all the light, funny, breezy writting and storyline I loved in the first book. I really enjoyed the second adventure of the Giordano sisters. And even though the 'twists' of this one were pretty obvious I didn't really mind. I love the whole town of Nightshade, with all its weird residents and creatures.

It's all real fun to read about Daisy and her sisters. I am a big fan of Poppy myself and her story in this book was heartbreaking. I also enjoyed the progress that Daisy had in her relationship. I am just really glad that there are a lot more books in the series waiting for me to pick them up.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd Read: I’m adding a star for page-turning fun.

Another short tale of the travails of a paranormal high school. Daisy finds out what troubles her boyfriend, who killed her teacher, and gets a clue as to what happened to her missing father. The free kindle unlimited audible was good until chapters 15 to 17 where there was this crinkly popcorn noise. Thankfully it went away.

[livia · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you can't tell by the title, this book was terrible. (First of all, who in their right mind would title a book "Dead Is a State of Mind?") It seems like a more toned-down version of Twilight.

I picked up this book from one of those little libraries that you find outside of houses on the street. I read the back, went "hmm, interesting," and read 12 pages. I did not pick up this book again until last week.

The writing and world-building are so bad that I did not know that it was a sequel. Characters were introduced in a way that I thought it was a stand-alone. It wasn't until I logged this book on Goodreads that I found out that it is a series.

The writing is cringe. A sixth grader could write better than that! The storyline is about three psychic sisters, one of whom is dating a werewolf, another dating a ghost and another dating someone who turns out to be a werewolf. The town which this is set is called Nightshade. Ryan, Daisy's (the main character's) boyfriend, managed to produce a picnic basket out of thin air to take Daisy on a picnic in the middle of high school. A strange but handsome stranger comes into town and has fortune-telling abilities. A teacher is murdered. I wonder who did it?

My mind was absolutely blank reading this book. I had to trudge through it. It was painful to read. There were multiple times where I had to reread a page because I forgot what happened. I do not recommend this book whatsoever, but if you read it, hey, I'm just a random person on Goodreads.

[Lani Baclian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll start with the things I liked about the book. I loved the small-town mystic vibe. There's something comforting about returning to series.

However, this book was plagued with the early 2000s love triangle trope. This is a short novel, but it was also slowed down by the severe miscommunication or, more accurately, LACK of communication! Miscommunication tropes are also my least favorite.

I also didn't love how long it took Daisy to figure out what was going on with her boyfriend. But she automatically knew what was going on with the antagonist when faced against them. When none of the lead up indicated how she came to that conclusion.

I'm going to see if the series turns it around with the next book before I decide to DNF the series.

[Life on Readpeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Read more of my reviews at Whoo Gives A Hoot *

REVIEW COMING SOON!

[Heaven Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was cringy and funny reading as an adult haha, would still recommend to get out a slump or if you just need something between big reads.

[Kaleb Gandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book and was very interesting. I think this because when I read this book I thought that I couldn't put this book down. Also I think that this is a good book because it is the type of book that I like and that is fiction because it is like a fantacy. This was interesting because fantacy is made up but made up storys or books ae nice because you can get a break. This is a great book.

[Mariana N. L. R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a city, Nightshade, and the paranormal things that happen there, like werewolves, vampires, ghosts, etc. It wasn't amazing and it wasn't bad, I enjoyed it but wouldn't read it again. I don't really like books about these types of things but it was alright. It also has some romance (just a bit) at the end and has some funny moments. Most of the story actually happens at the end of the book, but it doesn't have any boring moments. It's a really fast read, it only has 175 pages. I would recommend this book for young people that like paranormal stories but don't want to get scared and read an easy and fast book.

[Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Find this and other reviews, plus fun stuff, on my blogs! Booklikes or Blogspot**


Basic Info

Format: Paperback
Pages/Length: 175pgs
Genre: Young Adult; Paranormal
Reason For Reading: Keep reading the series

At A Glance

Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: No
Cliff Hanger: Kinda
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 3.5 stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 7
Plot: 7
Characters: 7
World Building: 7
Flow: 8
Series Congruity: 9
Writing: 7
Ending: 8

Total: 7

In Depth

Best Part: Secrets revealed!
Worst Part: Ryan being a POS
Thoughts Had: I need mores

Conclusion

Continuing the Series: Yes
Recommending: Yes

Short Review: Oh that ending, now i must read book 3 ASAP. I was almost about to say eff you to Ryan but i guess his "reasoning" is good enough, for now. Duke was a major creep from the start. The new shifters are pretty great! The few twist we get really keep the story going. Sam is a bit better in this book as well, thou she has to be as she is kinda having some issues that should help her come back to Earth a bit more. Poppy's love story in this crush my heart, i feel so bad for her :(

Misc.

Book Boyfriend: Gage
Best Friend Material: Poppy!

Review in GIF Form:

[Shannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just say, that I am indeed part of the crowd that LOVED Twilight! That said, when I was at the bookstore one day, the DEAD IS… books were right next to the Twilight display. They looked short and had snazzy (yes, I actually said snazzy) titles. Therefore, I picked up all of them. After reading the first two chapters of the first book, I knew this was for young teenagers. In fact, I just happened to look at the back of the book and in small text above the ISBN it clearly states, 12+. I actually laughed aloud! I am defiantly on the + side. Did I stop reading it? No way! It was a fast, fun read that reminded me of when I was a teen reading Nancy Drew and R.L. Stein books.

The whole series, which right now consists of three books, mixes the supernatural with mystery. Even though I always figured out what was going to happen early, it was still interesting until the very end of the book. The main character, Daisy, is cute, pretty – although she doesn’t think so (so normal in these young books) – and brave. She does pretty much anything to solve the mysteries with occasional help from her boyfriend and her two sisters. The one thing I truly loved about the books was the diner scenes. When the jukebox plays music, the names of the songs give clues to help Daisy solve the mysteries. Very fun indeed!

I would not recommend these books for young adults. However, any girl between 12 and 17 would find them easy, fun, and clever. Enjoy!

I give this book 4 out of 5 STACKS (for teens)

Sending lots of STACK love your way, Shannan

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this sequel to Dead is the New Black Daisy Giordano and her psychic sisters are back. Rose is dating a werewolf, Poppy falls for a ghost, and Daisy has problems of her own because as prom approaches Ryan hasn't asked her out yet. Worse than that, Ryan seems to be keeping secrets from her. When a teacher ends up dead, possibly a victim of a werewolf attack, Daisy jumps in to investigate, and finds out more than she bargained for.

I love, love, love, love, love this series. Okay, I realize I am gushing, but I can't tell you how much I have needed a book (or in this case series) like this. These books are light and funny and have a touch of the paranormal. They don't take themselves to seriously and make for a great summer read.

As with Dead is the New Black I listened to the audio as well as read the book. The audio is produced by Brilliance Audio and read by Suzy Jackson who does an excellent job producing voices for the characters and making Daisy sound like a real teen.

Overall this is a great series. I would recommend starting with the first book because you might need some of the background info to figure things out in the story. These are fun books for fans of both paranormal stories and mysteries who love quirky towns and fun characters.

Cautions for sensitive readers: Some violence.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am part of amazon.com's new Vine program. In exchange for reviewing products, I get stuff for free. One of my most recent picks was Marlene Perez's book Dead is a State of Mind. Unfortunately, this book had a few strikes against it right out of the box. The first being that I was not expecting a young adult book. The second strike was that this book was actually the second in a series (the first book is called Dead is the New Black).

While I thought the title was amusing and could almost get past it being a YA book when I was hoping for a non-YA book, I couldn't get into this one. The story seems to stand alone, but Perez peppers the text with references that seem to be pointing to the first book. Unfortunately, not knowing anything about the first book just made the references confusing rahter than helpful.

I also wasn't a big fan of the writing. I suspect part of the problem was my not getting what I expected from this book. But part of the blame does have to lie with the book and its references to "rock hard abs" twice in the same chapter. I'm a big advocate of suggesting young adult books to readers of any age, but the bit of the writing that I did get throughhere seems like support for why some readers look askance at young adult fiction.

[Karenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book that you have to read.

This book has many secrets that Daisy does not know, but will figure out.

There's a gorgeous new guy at Nightshade High: Duke Sherrad, a fortune-teller claiming to have descended from Gypsies. Even though she's psychic herself, Daisy is skeptical of Duke's powers. But when a teacher who was the subject of one of his predictions ends up dead, she begins to wonder if Duke is the real deal after all.
Maybe if Daisy can track down the teacher's killer, she can find out the truth. The only trouble is, all signs point to the murderer being of the furry persuasion. Is Daisy any match for a werewolf? Maybe she is . . . in more ways than she bargained for!

[Desti A]

Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez is a book mosstly about life and explain different problems. Each character is alittle different in a good way. Daisy Giordano is a teenager at Nigheshade High school. Dasiy has just met Dukker Sherrad he has one thick accent hes from Mexico. Dukker learns that he has a big crush on Dasiy. On page 38 "My psychic powers went wonky when i was understress." I chose this sentence beause Dasiy was having a hard time on figuring out what was going on with her. Most of this book has different reactions and most time they were shocking. New things happen in various chapters and it's weird to fallow but its still a very good book.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that we get to see more of the supernatural community in Nightshade in this one. The mystery is interesting, and I like that it sets up potential issues for later books.
I really love how easy it is to get pulled into the story. Daisy is a relatable character, and I love her friendship with Sam, and her romance with Ryan. Even though this one has a lot of relationship drama between Daisy and Ryan, it feels realistic and not overly drawn out.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters in this annoyed me a bit, but they weren't as bad as they were in the first one.

This was an okay read. There were a few times where I started to lose interest a bit, but as it was only short it wasn't too bad.

This was a bit better than book one, So I'm hoping the next one will make an improvement also.

[Julie]

such a good book!

[Rosa Tapia · Rating 2 out of 5]

One sentence of the book is that Daisy wanted to know who was the person who killed Mr Davis in the story. Most powerful quotation is that “Solving mysteries ran in my blood” For me it was powerful because it telling us she loves solving mysteries and nothing can stop her. My first adjective for this story is “tragic” because in the story there was a murder in the middle of the night. Some text that support my word is that in the text it said “she said, teary eyed. “Mr Davis is dead”. Another one says “But we heard he might have been murdered “, Jordan Kelley said.” This evidence supports my explanation because it is telling me someone, named Davis, has been murdered and students from the school were sad about it. My second adjective for this story is “heartbreaking” because in the story, they are telling me that Daisy saw her boyfriend with another girl at a coffee place. Some text that support my word is that “Ryan was standing outside Slim’s. Next to him was a tall beautiful brunette.” They also said “ The sight of Ryan with another girl made me feel like there was a cement mixer in my stomach.” This evidence supports my explanation because it telling me that Daisy boyfriend Ryan is with another girl and it making Daisy feel sad and jealous. My third adjective for this story is “action-packed” because in the story, they are telling me that there trying to figure out who the killer is and who is he going to murder next.Some text that support my word is that there saying “There was a full moon the night Mr Davis died,” I pointed out.” it also says “There were new people in the town, as far as I knew. Maybe it was one of them. Was Penny right about Duke ? Was he just a charming fortune teller ? Or was Duke the mysterious new werewolf in town ?” This evidence supports my explanation because it telling me that probably the new people can be the killer of the story and when the murder happen. What kind of person would reach this well I think a person who loves mysteries because even the main character of the story said that she loves to solve mysteries.

[Amber Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez is a YA paranormal mystery with a touch of romance.

This book is a fun read, but it’s not quite as good as Dead is the New Black, in my opinion. The characters are largely the same as in book 1, with a few new faces. They’re a quirky bunch, and their personalities and antics are a big part of what makes the book enjoyable. And of course Nightshade is still, well, nightshade. We get much of the same paranormal fun as in book 1, including the psychic jukebox.

The storyline is a little muddled. We have a ghost at the mortuary causing trouble, something going on with the local werewolves, a new student who claims to be a fortune teller, and the murder doesn’t even happen until about 40% of the way through. All of these are interesting storylines, but I think the book could have been stronger had Perez really focused on one, and initiated the murder earlier so the main mystery would be clear. But I liked all of the mysteries, and the ambiguity didn't really detract from my enjoyment.

My chief complaint, though, is the relationship drama between Daisy and Ryan. It got tired fast, and zapped most of the enjoyment from the romance angle of the book. Just talk to each other already, I wanted to shout at them. And the way people kept encouraging Daisy to give Ryan chance after chance when he kept blowing her off without explanation felt kind of icky and I think sends the wrong message. If a partner will not give you the time of day, that is a very bad sign, and if they are not even able to communicate why they need space, you don’t have to stick around. Daisy had every right to be hurt and angry by Ryan’s behaviors, and I wish the book had validated her feelings instead of pushing the “I should have trusted him” angle.

There’s still a lot to like about Dead is a State of Mind, though, and if you like YA paranormal mysteries, I’d recommend checking this one out.

cw: death, murder, car accident, missing parent, blood

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the first book, I knew the book would be cheesy and campy. But that's why I love it! It's like what Twilight was but takes itself less serious. It was hella predictable, how Daisy didn't realize that Ryan was a shifter way before it dawned on here is still a mystery. And of course Duke was not what he said he was! A murder happens soon as he shows up? Really lol?

I also find a kindred spirit in Daisy. Awkward but smart. Romantic but not a guy's pushover. Sam is becoming less and less bitchy but can still get a zinger in when she needs to! Penny is still annoying but becoming more tolerable. Ryan is such a sweetheart. Poppy got more "screen" time this time and that was what I was hoping for in the second book. Still need more of Rose and Nicholas. Hopefully we can get more about Chief Mendez and the mom in the next book. Either way, this book gave me quite a few chuckles so I'm excited about the rest of the series and the spinoff series.

[Bailey]

It is spring semester of Daisy's junior year and she still hasn't been asked to prom by her boyfriend, Ryan. Daisy is worried that Ryan may not be that into her anymore but the new guy, Duke, who can predict the future has his eyes on Daisy. But Duke has been predicted the murder of a teacher at their school and it is up to Daisy to find the killer before another murder is predicted to come true.
Yet again Marlene Perez has left me staying up all night reading the entire book. The story line follows so nicely.
This book is great for students who loved Dead is the New Black, the first book of the series. It is a chapter book but an easy read. Would give it to students who like to be kept on their toes and not expect the outcome.

[Brooke M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Is a State of Mind is a great sequel to an ok book (Dead Is The New Black). I personally enjoyed this book a lot more than the first book in the series, and the series somehow keeps getting better from here on. This novel had a very interesting and unique storyline, it also continued a few main points and mysteries from the first book in an intriguing way. I loved seeing more about the Giordano sister's father and how the idea of him affected their decisions. I also loved the way that there was sort of a hidden enemy. One of the only downsides I see in this book is the length. I wish this mystery in the Giordano's lives was much longer.

[Canice · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was so badd. 1.5

I was given this book as a gift, and it kinda felt like if Dork Diaries was supernatural and just said the word bitch. Like. It was so melodramatic in the worst way, and, like, nothing really happens. A few clues are scattered around that you kind of forget about because the story so focused on the relationship drama that it forgets to be a mystery. Also, Daisy just knows shit. Like, we're never really given her completed thought process about the case until the end when they can just say this is what she thought the whole time. But she's also just, like, really dumb about some stuff. I don't know. This was really bad.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice easy quick read. I do have to go back and read the first book in this series (I didn't realize this was part of a series. I also didn't realize this has paranormal creatures. I enjoyed the mystery and the snarky remarks by some of the characters. I really loved it when Penny punched the one guy. The way it was written in the book I laughed out loud, so glad I was home when I read that part.