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Beautiful Dead #1
Jonas
"J'étais paumée. Je cherchais des réponses aux grandes questions existentielles : amour, deuil et sens de la vie. Comment expliquer que Jonas, Arizona, Summer et Phoenix aient été tués en l'espace d'un an ? La mort de Phoenix avait brisé mon coeur d'adolescente. Je l'aimais si fort. Quand je l'ai vu, torse nu, magnifique, je n'en ai d'abord pas cru mes yeux. Sauf qu'il s'agissait bien de lui, aussi réel que moi. Aussi vivant, alors qu'il était mort." Ni vivants, ni morts, ces êtres merveilleux, les Beautiful Dead, ne vous laisseront pas en paix.
357 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
108 people are currently reading
4156 people want to read
About the author
Eden Maguire
19 books331 followersEden Maguire graduated from Birmingham University with a PhD in English Lit and now lives in the Yorkshire Dales with her two daughters, her horse, Merlin, plus a dog and a cat.
She spends part of each year at a ranch in Colorado, where she rides alone in the mountains – her idea of perfect happiness.
Whenever she can, she loves to indulge her passion for travel and take in the world's major cities, from New York to Nairobi – where she can be found in the churches and temples, the galleries and sculpture parks, and occasionally in the designer boutiques of Fifth Avenue and the Champs Elysees.
Back at home, Eden's interests include cinema and theatre, plus art history and painting.
She spends part of each year at a ranch in Colorado, where she rides alone in the mountains – her idea of perfect happiness.
Whenever she can, she loves to indulge her passion for travel and take in the world's major cities, from New York to Nairobi – where she can be found in the churches and temples, the galleries and sculpture parks, and occasionally in the designer boutiques of Fifth Avenue and the Champs Elysees.
Back at home, Eden's interests include cinema and theatre, plus art history and painting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews
August 6, 2011
This book irked me for many reasons... (Listed in the order that they annoyed me as I read it)
Firstly, the names! How many people do you know with names like Phoenix, Arizona, Darina and HUNTER (esp as he would have been named aaages ago... not exactly a realistic name)? Now, does practically everyone you know have kinda kooky names like that? Probably not! It's fine to have odd names for your SIMs or whatever, but not in books!!!!
Secondly, all the Twilight copying..... I mean, obviously it got published because the publishers thought twee little Twilighters would love another paranormal romance that makes no logical sense, but PLEASE. The main similarities that I can remember and that got to me areeeeee
(1) The Beautiful Dead all look like they did before they died but even more beautiful, ahhh, with pale white skin etc etc, blurg x.x OH, and they all have special powers now, surprise surprise!
(2) They live in a big family group out of town and cannot let people know they exist, because even though they are really powerful, humans just can't be beaten
(3) The reinvention of a traditional supernatural creature; in Twilight it's Vampires, here it's zombies... I mean, hello? zombies are NOTHING like the BD... give them another name or something but don't just do the Twilight reinvention thing!
(4) All the other stupid little similarities.... calls her mom by her first name, she's thought of as a bit different, her best friend hits on her when she isn't interested in that way.... and on and on and on
Thirdly... the plot is actually ridiculous!
However.... I *did* finish the book. Partly because I was stuck with nothing to do for an evening, and partly because it was so bad I just had to check it didn't redeem itself... but still, that's how it got the second star.// later edit: no, it really was so shit it's going down to one. eugh.
WILL NOT BE READING THE REST OF THIS PATHETIC SERIES
Firstly, the names! How many people do you know with names like Phoenix, Arizona, Darina and HUNTER (esp as he would have been named aaages ago... not exactly a realistic name)? Now, does practically everyone you know have kinda kooky names like that? Probably not! It's fine to have odd names for your SIMs or whatever, but not in books!!!!
Secondly, all the Twilight copying..... I mean, obviously it got published because the publishers thought twee little Twilighters would love another paranormal romance that makes no logical sense, but PLEASE. The main similarities that I can remember and that got to me areeeeee
(1) The Beautiful Dead all look like they did before they died but even more beautiful, ahhh, with pale white skin etc etc, blurg x.x OH, and they all have special powers now, surprise surprise!
(2) They live in a big family group out of town and cannot let people know they exist, because even though they are really powerful, humans just can't be beaten
(3) The reinvention of a traditional supernatural creature; in Twilight it's Vampires, here it's zombies... I mean, hello? zombies are NOTHING like the BD... give them another name or something but don't just do the Twilight reinvention thing!
(4) All the other stupid little similarities.... calls her mom by her first name, she's thought of as a bit different, her best friend hits on her when she isn't interested in that way.... and on and on and on
Thirdly... the plot is actually ridiculous!
However.... I *did* finish the book. Partly because I was stuck with nothing to do for an evening, and partly because it was so bad I just had to check it didn't redeem itself... but still, that's how it got the second star.// later edit: no, it really was so shit it's going down to one. eugh.
WILL NOT BE READING THE REST OF THIS PATHETIC SERIES
April 7, 2010
Eh... How shall I put this... The ideas behind this book are good. But the writer just didn't do enough with it in my opinion.(this is just what goes on in my head and to be honest after a while I started skipping pages because I got so bored)
First of all: Darina. Who is madly in love with Phoenix, who is one of the 4 kids that died within the last year. After a few days she starts seeing him pop up in a few places and she discovers he is still "alive". He and the other 3 kids Jonas, Arizona and Summer are The Beautiful Dead.
And that's my spider sense started tingling.
Yes a teenager's love is ~epic. Nobody has ever been in love like they are blah blah. I honestly don't have any idea why she fell in love with Phoenix in the first place. (either his looks or the guy is a viking in the sack, I dunno to be honest) Same goes for Jonas and his girlfriend Zoey. I lurv you. I lurv you more. I lurv you the most. And if I wanted to read about all-consuming love I'd pick up Twilight again.
Why are there never any ugly dead kids around in these books? The guys are always muscular, smart, gorgeous, pale, smooth skin, shampoo commercial hair, lean bodies, the works. I'd love to read a book where the guy is just a regular average nerd nobody notices. They're always best friend material, it gets annoying.
Again, the ideas behind it are good: 'back from the dead to clean up some unfinished business', admit it, it sounds good. Next time I'm not going to buy a book because the cover has angel wings on it.
First of all: Darina. Who is madly in love with Phoenix, who is one of the 4 kids that died within the last year. After a few days she starts seeing him pop up in a few places and she discovers he is still "alive". He and the other 3 kids Jonas, Arizona and Summer are The Beautiful Dead.
And that's my spider sense started tingling.
Yes a teenager's love is ~epic. Nobody has ever been in love like they are blah blah. I honestly don't have any idea why she fell in love with Phoenix in the first place. (either his looks or the guy is a viking in the sack, I dunno to be honest) Same goes for Jonas and his girlfriend Zoey. I lurv you. I lurv you more. I lurv you the most. And if I wanted to read about all-consuming love I'd pick up Twilight again.
Why are there never any ugly dead kids around in these books? The guys are always muscular, smart, gorgeous, pale, smooth skin, shampoo commercial hair, lean bodies, the works. I'd love to read a book where the guy is just a regular average nerd nobody notices. They're always best friend material, it gets annoying.
Again, the ideas behind it are good: 'back from the dead to clean up some unfinished business', admit it, it sounds good. Next time I'm not going to buy a book because the cover has angel wings on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2011
I am trying to think of one redeemable thing about this book and I find myself coming up short. At some point in the third chapter I decided to take notes on the things I disliked about the book, but there were so many that it was taking too long for me to read the book and I just wanted to be done with it. There are so many things wrong with this book; the characters were un-relatable, the situations were unbelievable, the setting was just stupid. Just about every sentence I came across something that made me dislike the book more.
*spoilers*
Darina is your typical moody emo teen, who knows why, because apparently she is hot stuff and everyone wants her. We readers would not know because the author never bothers with actual descriptions of the characters. All she tells us is that every single character in the book is unearthly beautiful. Oh, except Darina's best guy pal, Logan, who wants to be more than friends but he looks like a total geek, so why would she ever date him.
Darina is the most self-centered, egotistical, total bitch of a character. I had a hard time believing any of the other characters wanted to actually be her friend. She is rude, sarcastic, and downright mean, especially to Logan and she is even worse to her mother. The story is told from her POV (except when the author forgets) and from the way Darina tells it, everything that happens in the story is about her.
Another issue I had was all of the extreme names: Darina, Jonas, Phoenix, Arizona, Summer, Hunter. Darina makes a big deal about how small of a town they live in; how likely is it that so many parents in a small town are going to choose such different names. She couldn’t name just one character Jennifer or Paul?
But it’s not just the characters with weird names; ever last rock was a landmark. There was Government Bridge, Angel Rock, Foxton Ridge, Turkeyshoot Ridge. Having names for all these landmarks wouldn’t bother me so much if the author had made any geographical references about how they were located in relation to each other or what they look like. I only had a vague picture as to what the town looked like because she gave me not one little detail about the setting.
Throughout the course of the book the author uses strange phrases as if they’re something you would hear in a normal conversation, and then there is Darina using terms like “pussyfooted”… MORE THAN ONCE! She also refers to her "smokey mascara eyes" which bothered me, possibly because that is the only clue we get as to how she looks. On top of this the author was trying to insert weird advice into the book like always carry a full can of gas in the back of your car because you never know when you might run out. How about watch your gas gauge so you know when you might run out.
Maybe I'm being nit-picky, but all of this stuff starts to add up and it really doesn't even scratch the surface of things I disliked. In the end it all equals one really terrible book. Needless to say, I will not be reading the other three books.
*spoilers*
Darina is your typical moody emo teen, who knows why, because apparently she is hot stuff and everyone wants her. We readers would not know because the author never bothers with actual descriptions of the characters. All she tells us is that every single character in the book is unearthly beautiful. Oh, except Darina's best guy pal, Logan, who wants to be more than friends but he looks like a total geek, so why would she ever date him.
Darina is the most self-centered, egotistical, total bitch of a character. I had a hard time believing any of the other characters wanted to actually be her friend. She is rude, sarcastic, and downright mean, especially to Logan and she is even worse to her mother. The story is told from her POV (except when the author forgets) and from the way Darina tells it, everything that happens in the story is about her.
Another issue I had was all of the extreme names: Darina, Jonas, Phoenix, Arizona, Summer, Hunter. Darina makes a big deal about how small of a town they live in; how likely is it that so many parents in a small town are going to choose such different names. She couldn’t name just one character Jennifer or Paul?
But it’s not just the characters with weird names; ever last rock was a landmark. There was Government Bridge, Angel Rock, Foxton Ridge, Turkeyshoot Ridge. Having names for all these landmarks wouldn’t bother me so much if the author had made any geographical references about how they were located in relation to each other or what they look like. I only had a vague picture as to what the town looked like because she gave me not one little detail about the setting.
Throughout the course of the book the author uses strange phrases as if they’re something you would hear in a normal conversation, and then there is Darina using terms like “pussyfooted”… MORE THAN ONCE! She also refers to her "smokey mascara eyes" which bothered me, possibly because that is the only clue we get as to how she looks. On top of this the author was trying to insert weird advice into the book like always carry a full can of gas in the back of your car because you never know when you might run out. How about watch your gas gauge so you know when you might run out.
Maybe I'm being nit-picky, but all of this stuff starts to add up and it really doesn't even scratch the surface of things I disliked. In the end it all equals one really terrible book. Needless to say, I will not be reading the other three books.
February 5, 2011
It was the plot (and the cover, to be honest) that made me pick up this book. I was hoping for an epic story of love, angels and horror. But unfortunately, I didn't get that. I really love the idea for this series, and it could have been really good! But it wasn't.
All the characters were boring. Flat. It feels like the author was like "Okay, so I've got this good idea. But damn it, I can't write a book without characters!" The were all kind of predictable and without any personalities. If I had to describe them, everyone would get the same description! They were all the same.
The writing was not of my taste either. It was too choppy and short. Like; she did that, and then that and then that. Not much variation or "playing with words".
I don't like giving books bad ratings, because I know that somewhere there is an author who has worked her but off to write it. But you can't love every book and this one just didn't suit my taste. Maybe someone else will like it, but I don't. Sorry.
All the characters were boring. Flat. It feels like the author was like "Okay, so I've got this good idea. But damn it, I can't write a book without characters!" The were all kind of predictable and without any personalities. If I had to describe them, everyone would get the same description! They were all the same.
The writing was not of my taste either. It was too choppy and short. Like; she did that, and then that and then that. Not much variation or "playing with words".
I don't like giving books bad ratings, because I know that somewhere there is an author who has worked her but off to write it. But you can't love every book and this one just didn't suit my taste. Maybe someone else will like it, but I don't. Sorry.
May 6, 2020
vlog coming sunday. prepare yourselves.
May 6, 2010
Title: Beautiful Dead
Author: Eden Maguire
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
This book made me completely and utterly stumped as to how to rate it. I had seen it in stores, and loved the premise and cover, but never picked it up. When I got offered an ARC from teensreadtoo, I jumped on the chance. And I still can't figure it out. On one hand, it wasn't amazing, and has first-novel-in-series syndrome, on the other...it was fun and slightly dark and cool to read.
Eden Maguire introduces us to our protagonist, Darina, who is dealing with the deaths of four students from her high school within the past year; Jonas, Arizona, Summer, and Phoenix. The last one hit home, Phoenix being her boyfriend of two months. But, in Darina's depressed state, she thinks she sees Phoenix alive, so she follows him...And discovers the world of the Beautiful Dead.
The Beautiful Dead is actually the four students, along with four other people, that have died within the past year. At the head is a man named Michael, who is cold and distant to Darina. They try to control her mind and make her forget, but her love for Phoenix is too strong, so she makes a deal. In order to retain knowledge of their little zombie state, she has to help each on of them take care of unfinished business so they pass on.
And so the story unfolds. We are met first with Jonas, who died when he crashed his motorcycle, severely wounding his girlfriend, and a former friend of Darina's, Zoey. Darina begins to delve into the mystery, all the while trying to cope with only seeing Phoenix in small time frames, and dealing with some other not-so-nice townsfolk.
The first half of the book did not impress like I thought it would. There was an info dump (which was a one time thing, thankfully) and the romance between Darina and Phoenix was already established, so it kinda felt flat. The only concept I found new in their love was that both people were equally devoted, and while it had Twilight-shadowing, Phoenix is never abusive or cruel or monstrous. He still shows love and affection like a normal teenager who is entrapped by the bindings of true amour. The characters were pretty good, but nothing spectacular. And the plot was interesting, if ripping off Ghost Whisperer.
It was somewhere around a certain plot revelation that the story began to speed up, and change for the better. Darina was a nice character, but Zoey really had my attention. She wasn't too amazing as a character, but she was interesting, and I loved reading about her lost love with Jonas. It appealed to my romantic side quite well. And it was near tear inducing despite the cliche of the situation. I also enjoyed the mythos added to the book involving the Beautiful Dead - they become slightly darker and troubled. And that really sets it apart from the light paranormals we see. This book deals with death. With people dying. And it doesn't shy away from it. Which is cool, and welcomed, especially among the almost too happy paranormal books we see today.
Overall, it was a pretty good book. The writing was good, and the plot elements were cool despite being a little contrived. The characters were just enough to keep me going, though the myth and the romance could use with a good expanding and fleshing out along the way. Maguire has an interesting series starter, and while it wasn't anything spectacular, it appealed to my romantic side and my love of paranormal stories. Needless to say, I will be picking up book two, because its an enjoyable paranormal series despite some flaws that come with the territory. And I enjoy the covers. They are cool and gothic, while at the same time not too insane. :) But that's just another reason I'll keep reading.
A side note: Maguire talks about influences involving Wuthering Heights, and I can really see it well. I think some of it is a little shallow for teen readers, but it's an interesting perspective, and fits with the book's darker atmosphere.
Rating: Four Stars
Copy: Received for Review from TeensReadToo and Sourcebooks Fire (Thankies to both)
Book review provided by Dreaming in Books. http://dreaminginbooks.blogspot.com
Author: Eden Maguire
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
This book made me completely and utterly stumped as to how to rate it. I had seen it in stores, and loved the premise and cover, but never picked it up. When I got offered an ARC from teensreadtoo, I jumped on the chance. And I still can't figure it out. On one hand, it wasn't amazing, and has first-novel-in-series syndrome, on the other...it was fun and slightly dark and cool to read.
Eden Maguire introduces us to our protagonist, Darina, who is dealing with the deaths of four students from her high school within the past year; Jonas, Arizona, Summer, and Phoenix. The last one hit home, Phoenix being her boyfriend of two months. But, in Darina's depressed state, she thinks she sees Phoenix alive, so she follows him...And discovers the world of the Beautiful Dead.
The Beautiful Dead is actually the four students, along with four other people, that have died within the past year. At the head is a man named Michael, who is cold and distant to Darina. They try to control her mind and make her forget, but her love for Phoenix is too strong, so she makes a deal. In order to retain knowledge of their little zombie state, she has to help each on of them take care of unfinished business so they pass on.
And so the story unfolds. We are met first with Jonas, who died when he crashed his motorcycle, severely wounding his girlfriend, and a former friend of Darina's, Zoey. Darina begins to delve into the mystery, all the while trying to cope with only seeing Phoenix in small time frames, and dealing with some other not-so-nice townsfolk.
The first half of the book did not impress like I thought it would. There was an info dump (which was a one time thing, thankfully) and the romance between Darina and Phoenix was already established, so it kinda felt flat. The only concept I found new in their love was that both people were equally devoted, and while it had Twilight-shadowing, Phoenix is never abusive or cruel or monstrous. He still shows love and affection like a normal teenager who is entrapped by the bindings of true amour. The characters were pretty good, but nothing spectacular. And the plot was interesting, if ripping off Ghost Whisperer.
It was somewhere around a certain plot revelation that the story began to speed up, and change for the better. Darina was a nice character, but Zoey really had my attention. She wasn't too amazing as a character, but she was interesting, and I loved reading about her lost love with Jonas. It appealed to my romantic side quite well. And it was near tear inducing despite the cliche of the situation. I also enjoyed the mythos added to the book involving the Beautiful Dead - they become slightly darker and troubled. And that really sets it apart from the light paranormals we see. This book deals with death. With people dying. And it doesn't shy away from it. Which is cool, and welcomed, especially among the almost too happy paranormal books we see today.
Overall, it was a pretty good book. The writing was good, and the plot elements were cool despite being a little contrived. The characters were just enough to keep me going, though the myth and the romance could use with a good expanding and fleshing out along the way. Maguire has an interesting series starter, and while it wasn't anything spectacular, it appealed to my romantic side and my love of paranormal stories. Needless to say, I will be picking up book two, because its an enjoyable paranormal series despite some flaws that come with the territory. And I enjoy the covers. They are cool and gothic, while at the same time not too insane. :) But that's just another reason I'll keep reading.
A side note: Maguire talks about influences involving Wuthering Heights, and I can really see it well. I think some of it is a little shallow for teen readers, but it's an interesting perspective, and fits with the book's darker atmosphere.
Rating: Four Stars
Copy: Received for Review from TeensReadToo and Sourcebooks Fire (Thankies to both)
Book review provided by Dreaming in Books. http://dreaminginbooks.blogspot.com
May 9, 2022
I loved the idea of the plot, where Darina starts to see her recently-dead boyfriend and 3 other students from her school who also died that same year. Arizona, Phoenix, Jonas and Summer are part of the Beautiful Dead, they've come back from the dead to solve the mystery behind their deaths. I like how each book will focus on a different death/person, this book being about Jonas.
I didn't enjoy the writing at the beginning of the book as it was quite cringy, over-flowery and jumped from being really descriptive to abrupt and lacking. The use of "totally" was ridiculous at the beginning! It was used way too much and sounded super cringy!!! It was unnecessary.
That being said, I loved the writing from then on, and had no issues with it. There were some paragraphs in particular that I really loved and were quite lyrical!🥰
I love the idea of the Beautiful Dead, dark angels are super interesting characters and it's not often that dark angels are included in books!👼🖤
The characters were all interesting! I really felt for Zoey and Darina, who were grieving throughout the book🥲
I really liked Darina and Jonas together as well😫 However, Logan really SUCKED! He would pressure Darina into things, cross boundaries and try and come onto her without her consent (while she was grieving?!).
Overall, this book gave Twilight/Fallen vibes, so if you're into that, then I think you'd enjoy this book! The mystery behind Jonas' death was interesting and I was really hooked from the second half of the book onwards! This book made me want to be an angel for the day too😂👼
I didn't enjoy the writing at the beginning of the book as it was quite cringy, over-flowery and jumped from being really descriptive to abrupt and lacking. The use of "totally" was ridiculous at the beginning! It was used way too much and sounded super cringy!!! It was unnecessary.
That being said, I loved the writing from then on, and had no issues with it. There were some paragraphs in particular that I really loved and were quite lyrical!🥰
I love the idea of the Beautiful Dead, dark angels are super interesting characters and it's not often that dark angels are included in books!👼🖤
The characters were all interesting! I really felt for Zoey and Darina, who were grieving throughout the book🥲
I really liked Darina and Jonas together as well😫 However, Logan really SUCKED! He would pressure Darina into things, cross boundaries and try and come onto her without her consent (while she was grieving?!).
Overall, this book gave Twilight/Fallen vibes, so if you're into that, then I think you'd enjoy this book! The mystery behind Jonas' death was interesting and I was really hooked from the second half of the book onwards! This book made me want to be an angel for the day too😂👼
December 1, 2009
I have to be very honest about this book. I didn't like it. The beginning confused the snot out of me. In the opening scene, Darina is in the middle of nowhere looking at an old decrepit house. No clue why she's there, but her boyfriend Pheonix just died two days ago and low and behold he is there, with 3 other dead kids and a guy described as "An older guy, with grey hair". And to be honest, the descriptions of characters does not progress - at all. One of the girls is described as "fair-haired" and that's it. Her boyfriend Pheonix is just beautiful and again.. we know his eye color and hair color. They are the 'Beautiful Dead'. You get a bit of information about what that means - they've come back from the in-between and have a year to figure out why they died.
And so, Darina doesn't get her memory zapped and becomes the little human helper of the group. The other thing that sort of bugged me was the fact that it was from Darina's point of view, but her mother was always called Laura outside of dialogue - which confused me - I thought she was a stepmother or adopted mother of some sort.
Oh, and that older guy with grey hair - he's the 'overlord' - but no one really understands the meaning and you get the feeling they should be afraid of him - because he's so powerful and controls the group - but he's really just some old guy with grey hair. Ooooo scary.
The plot would have been great if it had characters that you could physically see and relate to. I liked some of the ideas in the novel - such as a forcefield of angel wings that beat you back physically - but humans can only hear the flapping of wings. The idea of helping save souls of those murdered unjustly.. It had some serious potential.
I'm putting the downfall of this book to the lack of good writing, characterization and descriptions. But please, let me know if you've read this and LOVED it and why. I need to know. The plot just did not save the book for me.
And so, Darina doesn't get her memory zapped and becomes the little human helper of the group. The other thing that sort of bugged me was the fact that it was from Darina's point of view, but her mother was always called Laura outside of dialogue - which confused me - I thought she was a stepmother or adopted mother of some sort.
Oh, and that older guy with grey hair - he's the 'overlord' - but no one really understands the meaning and you get the feeling they should be afraid of him - because he's so powerful and controls the group - but he's really just some old guy with grey hair. Ooooo scary.
The plot would have been great if it had characters that you could physically see and relate to. I liked some of the ideas in the novel - such as a forcefield of angel wings that beat you back physically - but humans can only hear the flapping of wings. The idea of helping save souls of those murdered unjustly.. It had some serious potential.
I'm putting the downfall of this book to the lack of good writing, characterization and descriptions. But please, let me know if you've read this and LOVED it and why. I need to know. The plot just did not save the book for me.
October 27, 2016
I think I really, really, really wanted to like this book when I picked it up. The premise looked good. The cover looked good, dark and mysterious. But it just didn't quite cut it. I've been fumbling with the idea of giving this three stars or more, or less, but I think it's three. I did enjoy it - not as much as I wanted to - and some parts of it irked me off unbelievably. But it gave me suspense when I needed it, some of the romance orientated stuff finally cut out of being corny and sounded believable, and the overuse of the word 'totally' finally dulled down near the end.
The story begins with Darina, living in a small town out in the US someplace (it never specifies). She's partially grieving due to the loss of her boyfriend, Phoenix, and whilst trailing around a barn in the middle of nowhere she sees him - along with four other teenagers who have also died - seemingly alive, breathing, no longer dead. Stunned, she runs away, but like a person possessed, she returns the next day andgets rebuked, but manages to come back again and thus learns they are the Beautiful Dead, souls with unfinished business, to a degree - in the sense they don't know who their killers are, and why they were killed. Darina should have her memory zapped straight away - but pleads that she remember, since she doesn't want to forget finding Phoenix again. Hunter, the leader of the Beautiful Dead, eventually agrees on the terms that she help solve the deaths of the other teens that went to her school, starting with Jonas, then Arizona, then Summer, and finally Phoenix. As this is the first book, it deals with Jonas and his death.
Sounds a fairly good premise; unfortunately it's not as good as it could be.
The characters seemed, to me, undescribed and not fleshed out. No descriptions of what they looked like - so even with knowing the scenery, the people just ended up being blobs in my mind. Some of them seemed to be clones of other characters from other places. It didn't help the author threw in more characters than she could realistically handle in a story so they were just sideliners even if they were supposedly good friends with Darina. Darina and Phoenix's relationship seemed to be trying too hard to be the new Edward and Bella but not even coming close. With Darina, it always felt like I wasn't on the same page with her even as she told the story. A lot of the time it wasn't harmonious - it was only occasionally in some sequences that everything seemed in synch. They also seemed to lack the vocabulary of saying anything other than 'totally', which after having an entire conversation and this appeared in every other sentence, it began to tick me off, but that was just a minor concern. It did seem to dull down near the end. The Beautiful Dead also seemed to be infested with powers from mind reading (remind you of something...?) to mind erasing to... well, whatever you can think of. Godly-fying them didn't cut it, really. They should have flaws.
Also, maybe I'm overlooking this - but Darina was only dating Phoenix for two months. Would she grieve that badly? Would she cling onto him that badly? If it was six, then, maybe. Two doesn't seem quite long enough. But it's something I can overlook.
Despite the flaws, it wasn't always too bad. Overall, I did enjoy it and some parts did make me laugh and smile, which is why it wound up getting three. But disregarding that, it would be getting two. I liked the relationships it tried to build up - some just seemed thrust on you, but as the book progressed it made more sense; the mystery is also tried to give off, and the sudden jumps all over the place with what would happen next kept you on your toes, and some of the characters were likeable when they should be, and dislikeable when they shouldn't, which is important.
A disappointment in the sense I went into it with perhaps slightly too much of a high expectation, but it was an easy read. In retrospect, it could have been a lot worse.
The story begins with Darina, living in a small town out in the US someplace (it never specifies). She's partially grieving due to the loss of her boyfriend, Phoenix, and whilst trailing around a barn in the middle of nowhere she sees him - along with four other teenagers who have also died - seemingly alive, breathing, no longer dead. Stunned, she runs away, but like a person possessed, she returns the next day andgets rebuked, but manages to come back again and thus learns they are the Beautiful Dead, souls with unfinished business, to a degree - in the sense they don't know who their killers are, and why they were killed. Darina should have her memory zapped straight away - but pleads that she remember, since she doesn't want to forget finding Phoenix again. Hunter, the leader of the Beautiful Dead, eventually agrees on the terms that she help solve the deaths of the other teens that went to her school, starting with Jonas, then Arizona, then Summer, and finally Phoenix. As this is the first book, it deals with Jonas and his death.
Sounds a fairly good premise; unfortunately it's not as good as it could be.
The characters seemed, to me, undescribed and not fleshed out. No descriptions of what they looked like - so even with knowing the scenery, the people just ended up being blobs in my mind. Some of them seemed to be clones of other characters from other places. It didn't help the author threw in more characters than she could realistically handle in a story so they were just sideliners even if they were supposedly good friends with Darina. Darina and Phoenix's relationship seemed to be trying too hard to be the new Edward and Bella but not even coming close. With Darina, it always felt like I wasn't on the same page with her even as she told the story. A lot of the time it wasn't harmonious - it was only occasionally in some sequences that everything seemed in synch. They also seemed to lack the vocabulary of saying anything other than 'totally', which after having an entire conversation and this appeared in every other sentence, it began to tick me off, but that was just a minor concern. It did seem to dull down near the end. The Beautiful Dead also seemed to be infested with powers from mind reading (remind you of something...?) to mind erasing to... well, whatever you can think of. Godly-fying them didn't cut it, really. They should have flaws.
Also, maybe I'm overlooking this - but Darina was only dating Phoenix for two months. Would she grieve that badly? Would she cling onto him that badly? If it was six, then, maybe. Two doesn't seem quite long enough. But it's something I can overlook.
Despite the flaws, it wasn't always too bad. Overall, I did enjoy it and some parts did make me laugh and smile, which is why it wound up getting three. But disregarding that, it would be getting two. I liked the relationships it tried to build up - some just seemed thrust on you, but as the book progressed it made more sense; the mystery is also tried to give off, and the sudden jumps all over the place with what would happen next kept you on your toes, and some of the characters were likeable when they should be, and dislikeable when they shouldn't, which is important.
A disappointment in the sense I went into it with perhaps slightly too much of a high expectation, but it was an easy read. In retrospect, it could have been a lot worse.
July 1, 2015
Source: I own this book
Cost: It was a gift
Title: Jonas
Series: The Beautiful Dead #1
Author: Eden Maguire
Overall Rating: 3.9
Darina has lost everything, her one true love died. Stabbed to death in a gang fight. And now as she wonders aimlessly in the Alpines near her house, she comes across an old farmhouse with her dead boyfriend Phoenix inside, along with three other dead kids and she truly believes she has gone insane. But if there’s a chance that Phoenix is really there, and really alive, she wasn’t going to give this chance up. Learning that these four kids are here from Limbo to figure something out, Hunter, the heartless overlord, enlists Darina as their connection to the human world to help figure things out. But she has to help each person individually before their time runs out. Starting with Jonas.
Jonas was a boy who loved his girl, loved his bike and was loved by everyone. His death in a motor cycle crash devastated the town and it paralysed his girlfriend who was riding on the back. It was put down to speeding but Jonas denies that he would ever endanger Zoe. When Darina begins to uncover what actually happened, she realises that not everything is as it seemed.
I loved this series in 2009, I loved it. The covers had me all in love but I didn’t really remember specifics? If that makes sense. But six years on I’m still fond of the covers. The thing that confuses me is, that this cover has Darina as a member of the Beautiful Dead? Why not Jonas?
I hated Hunter. He’s such an absolute butt. I don’t care about his past, I don’t care about his future. I just have no care for him at all. Also add Logan to that list. Don’t care for him either. He wasn’t a best friend. He reminded me of Snape from Harry Potter a little bit, he couldn’t get over being friend zoned. Her boyfriend died, stop following her and trying to force her into a relationship. That’s never okay!
I won’t lie, I didn’t think it was going to end the way it did. I remember the culprit being someone I did expect but I didn’t even think of the person that it was, they seemed so insignificant in my head.
The writing in this book was so straight to the point and there was little to no irrelevant waffle, expect for Darina constantly thinking about Phoenix when Jonas should’ve been the main priority. That’s what lost it stars for me to be honest. The fact I didn’t click with Darina.
Death Toll: VI
“There’s a gap as deep as a canyon between how you come across to people and the way you are on the inside. And you feel that gap especially when you’re lying in bed, not sleeping, staring at the ceiling.”
Cost: It was a gift
Title: Jonas
Series: The Beautiful Dead #1
Author: Eden Maguire
Overall Rating: 3.9
Darina has lost everything, her one true love died. Stabbed to death in a gang fight. And now as she wonders aimlessly in the Alpines near her house, she comes across an old farmhouse with her dead boyfriend Phoenix inside, along with three other dead kids and she truly believes she has gone insane. But if there’s a chance that Phoenix is really there, and really alive, she wasn’t going to give this chance up. Learning that these four kids are here from Limbo to figure something out, Hunter, the heartless overlord, enlists Darina as their connection to the human world to help figure things out. But she has to help each person individually before their time runs out. Starting with Jonas.
Jonas was a boy who loved his girl, loved his bike and was loved by everyone. His death in a motor cycle crash devastated the town and it paralysed his girlfriend who was riding on the back. It was put down to speeding but Jonas denies that he would ever endanger Zoe. When Darina begins to uncover what actually happened, she realises that not everything is as it seemed.
I loved this series in 2009, I loved it. The covers had me all in love but I didn’t really remember specifics? If that makes sense. But six years on I’m still fond of the covers. The thing that confuses me is, that this cover has Darina as a member of the Beautiful Dead? Why not Jonas?
I hated Hunter. He’s such an absolute butt. I don’t care about his past, I don’t care about his future. I just have no care for him at all. Also add Logan to that list. Don’t care for him either. He wasn’t a best friend. He reminded me of Snape from Harry Potter a little bit, he couldn’t get over being friend zoned. Her boyfriend died, stop following her and trying to force her into a relationship. That’s never okay!
I won’t lie, I didn’t think it was going to end the way it did. I remember the culprit being someone I did expect but I didn’t even think of the person that it was, they seemed so insignificant in my head.
The writing in this book was so straight to the point and there was little to no irrelevant waffle, expect for Darina constantly thinking about Phoenix when Jonas should’ve been the main priority. That’s what lost it stars for me to be honest. The fact I didn’t click with Darina.
Death Toll: VI
“There’s a gap as deep as a canyon between how you come across to people and the way you are on the inside. And you feel that gap especially when you’re lying in bed, not sleeping, staring at the ceiling.”
May 3, 2017
Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss.
Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head! And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina.
Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a 'death mark' - a small tattoo of angel's wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth.
Darina's mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace.
Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?
First of all, anyone marking this as zombies clearly hasn't read the damn book, they're fucking angels, Gregg.
THE BOOK THAT MARKED THAT STARTED THE SERIES THAT GOT ME OUT OF MY READING SLUMP ALL THE WAY BACK IN SECONDARY SCHOOL YEAR EIGHT.
There was something about this book that just made me pick it up. Maybe it was the beautiful cover that stuck out to me. Maybe something told me to read it. I don't know. But I picked it up, checked it out of my college library without even reading the blurb, and it was the best damn decision I have ever made in my life.
For some reason I read Jonas and Arizona but never read Summer when I got it out the library and forgot about the series rip that'll be another past-me mistake I'll be fixing this year
There's just something about this book series that speaks to me on a lovely level. I got gripped really quickly, and I fell in love with Darina, Arizona and Phoenix. I seriously don't know what it was. I never loved these kinds of stories before I picked up this one, and after that, I was totally hooked.
Looking back now, the writing it quite simple. It's for a younger young adult audience, rather than the elder of the genre, but that has never ruined it for me. I have been able to read this three times, and not bat an eyelid at the writing or the characters, or the small little holes in it. They have never upset or annoyed me in the book at all, and that is a small miracle. Normally I pick up on every tiny little detail that is out of place.
This is one of those young adult series I will be taking with me throughout my adult life and, hopefully, passing on to my children. These books helped me become who I am today - I modelled myself for a long time after Darina - and for that, they earn a place on my eternal bookshelf list. I will be buying this series and rereading Jonas and Arizona and I will be reading Summer and Phoenix .
If this book series appeals to you, definitely give it a try! I can't recommend it enough!
Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head! And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina.
Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a 'death mark' - a small tattoo of angel's wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth.
Darina's mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace.
Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?
First of all, anyone marking this as zombies clearly hasn't read the damn book, they're fucking angels, Gregg.
THE BOOK THAT MARKED THAT STARTED THE SERIES THAT GOT ME OUT OF MY READING SLUMP ALL THE WAY BACK IN SECONDARY SCHOOL YEAR EIGHT.
There was something about this book that just made me pick it up. Maybe it was the beautiful cover that stuck out to me. Maybe something told me to read it. I don't know. But I picked it up, checked it out of my college library without even reading the blurb, and it was the best damn decision I have ever made in my life.
There's just something about this book series that speaks to me on a lovely level. I got gripped really quickly, and I fell in love with Darina, Arizona and Phoenix. I seriously don't know what it was. I never loved these kinds of stories before I picked up this one, and after that, I was totally hooked.
Looking back now, the writing it quite simple. It's for a younger young adult audience, rather than the elder of the genre, but that has never ruined it for me. I have been able to read this three times, and not bat an eyelid at the writing or the characters, or the small little holes in it. They have never upset or annoyed me in the book at all, and that is a small miracle. Normally I pick up on every tiny little detail that is out of place.
This is one of those young adult series I will be taking with me throughout my adult life and, hopefully, passing on to my children. These books helped me become who I am today - I modelled myself for a long time after Darina - and for that, they earn a place on my eternal bookshelf list. I will be buying this series and rereading Jonas and Arizona and I will be reading Summer and Phoenix .
If this book series appeals to you, definitely give it a try! I can't recommend it enough!
February 29, 2016
Mientras espero a que mi copia de Days of Magic, Nights of War cruce la aduana, ¿qué mejor que dedicarme a leer libros tranquilos y que no me hagan pensar en exceso? Además, este cuenta una historia que SEGURAMENTE nadie había contado antes...
Phoenix, el guapo e inteligente, pero rebelde novio de Darina, no está vivo ni muerto. Todo mundo en el pueblo lo da por muerto y sepultado, menos ella, que lo ha visto congregado junto a otros muertos recientes en una granja oculta en medio del bosque.
Lo que Darina descubre es que Phoenix, al morir, se convirtió en una de las Almas Escogidas, muertos a los que se les ha dado una segunda oportunidad para resolver los misterios que envuelven sus últimas horas de vida. Y, con tal de estar junto a su amado Phoenix unas horas más, Darina se compromete a ayudarlos.
Esta historia podría ser muy interesante: tenemos a cuatro adolescente muertos (Jonas, Summer, Arizona y Phoenix), que ocupan develar misterios y atender asuntos pendientes, pero no son del todo capaces, por lo que su compañera de clases/novia, Darina, hace las veces de detective y confidente. Podría haber sido una original historia para chavos... PERO es otro de esos libros que tomaron la fórmula de Crepúsculo para sacar la misma fama y fortuna sin lograrlo.
Las similitudes hacen que cualquier cosa que la autora quiso que se tomara en serio pareciera una parodia. Por mencionar algunas:
-El amigo enamorado que nada más no sale de la friendzone.
-Los padres separados y el nuevo y flamante novio de mamá.
-La hija que llama a su madre por el primer nombre.
-Los personajes con nombres atípicos.
-Tomar a una criatura ficticia conocida y rehacer su mito de manera ridícula .
Y aunque los personajes son agradables a la lectura y relativamente tranquilos, la protagonista me pareció insufrible. Si algo me molesta de esta clase de historias es la manera en que los hijos se comportan ante y con sus progenitores. Bella fue el parteaguas, sí, y aunque Darina es casi que una copia a calca de ella, Bella al menos era un poquito respetuosa con René y se medía hasta cierto punto con Charlie; Darina, no. Cada escena que Darina compartía con su mamá y/o con su padrastro, era para leer los berrinches de la niña y los insultos entre personajes (y es peor porque la novela está narrada desde el punto de vista de Darina).
Pero Cuatro Almas no es una perdida rotunda. Mantiene entretenido al lector e intriga un poco. Leer cómo se iban conjeturando las sospechas de Darina hacia el asesino y leer sobre la muerte de Jonas fue interesante.
Este libro no lo compré: me lo prestaron, por lo que no tengo especial interés de comprar el resto de la serie. Sí me pica la curiosidad, así que si llego a tener un lector digital y consigo los PDFs, es posible que la termine. Pero si no, puedo vivir sin ella.
La calificación final que le dejo a Cuatro Almas es tan baja por lo siguiente:
-Darina.
-La historia a copia y calca mal lograda.
-La introducción de algunos personajes. SRLY, ¿Jordan y Logan son entidades separadas o es el mismo personaje pero la traducción o el mal trabajo de un editor los volvió uno solo? En mi libro se referían a Jordan como una ella y a Logan como un él/ella, por lo que ya no supe en quién creer...
-^esos mismo problemas.
Si les gusta leer cosas como Crepúsculo para pasar el rato (como a mí) o para tomarlo en serio, es una buena opción :) Si no, no vale la pena.
Phoenix, el guapo e inteligente, pero rebelde novio de Darina, no está vivo ni muerto. Todo mundo en el pueblo lo da por muerto y sepultado, menos ella, que lo ha visto congregado junto a otros muertos recientes en una granja oculta en medio del bosque.
Lo que Darina descubre es que Phoenix, al morir, se convirtió en una de las Almas Escogidas, muertos a los que se les ha dado una segunda oportunidad para resolver los misterios que envuelven sus últimas horas de vida. Y, con tal de estar junto a su amado Phoenix unas horas más, Darina se compromete a ayudarlos.
Esta historia podría ser muy interesante: tenemos a cuatro adolescente muertos (Jonas, Summer, Arizona y Phoenix), que ocupan develar misterios y atender asuntos pendientes, pero no son del todo capaces, por lo que su compañera de clases/novia, Darina, hace las veces de detective y confidente. Podría haber sido una original historia para chavos... PERO es otro de esos libros que tomaron la fórmula de Crepúsculo para sacar la misma fama y fortuna sin lograrlo.
Las similitudes hacen que cualquier cosa que la autora quiso que se tomara en serio pareciera una parodia. Por mencionar algunas:
-El amigo enamorado que nada más no sale de la friendzone.
-Los padres separados y el nuevo y flamante novio de mamá.
-La hija que llama a su madre por el primer nombre.
-Los personajes con nombres atípicos.
-Tomar a una criatura ficticia conocida y rehacer su mito de manera ridícula .
Y aunque los personajes son agradables a la lectura y relativamente tranquilos, la protagonista me pareció insufrible. Si algo me molesta de esta clase de historias es la manera en que los hijos se comportan ante y con sus progenitores. Bella fue el parteaguas, sí, y aunque Darina es casi que una copia a calca de ella, Bella al menos era un poquito respetuosa con René y se medía hasta cierto punto con Charlie; Darina, no. Cada escena que Darina compartía con su mamá y/o con su padrastro, era para leer los berrinches de la niña y los insultos entre personajes (y es peor porque la novela está narrada desde el punto de vista de Darina).
Pero Cuatro Almas no es una perdida rotunda. Mantiene entretenido al lector e intriga un poco. Leer cómo se iban conjeturando las sospechas de Darina hacia el asesino y leer sobre la muerte de Jonas fue interesante.
Este libro no lo compré: me lo prestaron, por lo que no tengo especial interés de comprar el resto de la serie. Sí me pica la curiosidad, así que si llego a tener un lector digital y consigo los PDFs, es posible que la termine. Pero si no, puedo vivir sin ella.
La calificación final que le dejo a Cuatro Almas es tan baja por lo siguiente:
-Darina.
-La historia a copia y calca mal lograda.
-La introducción de algunos personajes. SRLY, ¿Jordan y Logan son entidades separadas o es el mismo personaje pero la traducción o el mal trabajo de un editor los volvió uno solo? En mi libro se referían a Jordan como una ella y a Logan como un él/ella, por lo que ya no supe en quién creer...
-^esos mismo problemas.
Si les gusta leer cosas como Crepúsculo para pasar el rato (como a mí) o para tomarlo en serio, es una buena opción :) Si no, no vale la pena.
March 14, 2015
The concept of the book made it an enjoyable quick read. It was something different compared to what the usual teenage books are offering up (in the sense that this is not a vampire love story). However, I found the main character to be somewhat of a cliché: almost as though the usual love-struck teenage girl from the vampire stories had been thrown into something different.
Nevertheless, the idea itself is great if you’re looking for a quick read. Plus the way it is set out leaves you curious to read more. As it stands I have yet to read the second book but I wouldn’t turn it down if someone offered it me.
Nevertheless, the idea itself is great if you’re looking for a quick read. Plus the way it is set out leaves you curious to read more. As it stands I have yet to read the second book but I wouldn’t turn it down if someone offered it me.
August 11, 2016
DNFing at page 128. I have a to-read list as long as my lifetime and I'm not wasting another moment on this melodramatic teenage eternal love crap (or the heroine who is amazed by that incredibly long and complex word "intermittent" - in other words, she's a moron; or the hero with his lame superpowers - he can talk to a "buddy" a whole mile away. Heaven forbid they have mobile phones and a more interesting power). I find it extremely hard to believe that the author has a PhD in English Literature; clearly she did not take any inspiration from her studies when writing this book. I cannot stand mediocre YA - teens have just as much of a right to good literature as anyone else.
April 19, 2021
If I had known that Jonas was going to give me horrible Twilight vibes.. I would have never dove into it. That being said, I didn't know and I still read it. All I'm going to say is that this book and I didn't get along. So it was no surprise that I needed a strong drink while reading this one.
I honestly don't even want to dive into the characters. Mostly because I just didn't like them at all and I didn't even try to find a connection with them either. They were completely dramatic, like overdramatic in every horrible way, and I was just rolling my eyes the entire time. I also think this book did the impossible.. it made Twilight likable. Like a teeny tiny bit. Would I ever dive back into that series? Ha - no. Never.
Besides all of that, this was highly predictable and completely cliché. So in other words, this was not my cup of tea. Maybe next time I will actually read the other reviews before I make my own assumption (in this case).
I honestly don't even want to dive into the characters. Mostly because I just didn't like them at all and I didn't even try to find a connection with them either. They were completely dramatic, like overdramatic in every horrible way, and I was just rolling my eyes the entire time. I also think this book did the impossible.. it made Twilight likable. Like a teeny tiny bit. Would I ever dive back into that series? Ha - no. Never.
Besides all of that, this was highly predictable and completely cliché. So in other words, this was not my cup of tea. Maybe next time I will actually read the other reviews before I make my own assumption (in this case).
August 27, 2025
Pouah, la retombée dans la pré-adolescence ! J'avais lu ce livre quand j'avais 11 ou 12 ans, quand 16 ans me paraissait le summum de ce qui se fait en matière de maturité...
Avec mes yeux d'adultes, la traduction est parfois franchement pourrie, mais il y a un truc, du chien, du drame, des morts (tellement de morts !), et j'adore toujours ce bouquin...
Je ne me rappelais pas grand chose de l'intrigue du livre, seulement de l'intrigue de la saga. Et de l'ambiance ! Quelle ambiance! L'Amérique Américaine des séries ! Un petit plaisir coupable sur lequel je ne revendique aussi objectivité.
J'ai beaucoup hésité entre 4 et 5 étoiles, mais je m'en fous au fond, j'ai passé un pur moment à lire, et je vais passer un pur moment avec le reste de la saga. Vive la nostalgie.
Avec mes yeux d'adultes, la traduction est parfois franchement pourrie, mais il y a un truc, du chien, du drame, des morts (tellement de morts !), et j'adore toujours ce bouquin...
Je ne me rappelais pas grand chose de l'intrigue du livre, seulement de l'intrigue de la saga. Et de l'ambiance ! Quelle ambiance! L'Amérique Américaine des séries ! Un petit plaisir coupable sur lequel je ne revendique aussi objectivité.
J'ai beaucoup hésité entre 4 et 5 étoiles, mais je m'en fous au fond, j'ai passé un pur moment à lire, et je vais passer un pur moment avec le reste de la saga. Vive la nostalgie.
Read
March 21, 2020I don’t know how to rate this book because it was so bad it was actually good. 1 star because of the actual story or 5 stars for the reading experience and laughing I did reading it. Who knows but I’m glad I read it because I needed the laugh.
July 25, 2020
Very predictable
August 5, 2010
uff al fin se ha acabado, pensé que nunca llegaría al final.
...Llevo una racha últimamente...
60% de culpa: La Traducción
What a pity de book... ¿Por qué hacen esas cosas? Es realmente deprimente que una traducción aniquile (véase también matar, destruir, masacrar) un libro de esa manera. Con lo que se gastaron en la portada podrían haberse estirado un poquito más con los traductores (y sé de muy buena fuente que hay muchos en paro). Ya sé que la crisis nos afecta a todos, pero...
Al leerlo me costaba avanzar, tropezaba con la lectura, más bien, nunca habéis experimentado la sensación de que las letras te pongan la zancadilla? pues eso me pasaba. Me pegué tremendos tortazos, quería avanzar pero me seguía cayendo, hasta que presté más atención y me di cuenta de la cantidad de errores y sin-sentidos que hacían detenerme y recapitular. Al final presa de la curiosidad, me fui a leer el primer cápitulo en inglés y descubrí que en la lengua Shakespeareana no está tan mal (como se entere William que lo involucro en algún modo con este librito se revuelca en su tumba, perdón Guillermo perdón, ha sido sin querer).
Ejemplo de traducción (ojo al piojo):
Beautiful Dead = Almas Elegidas
No encontré el libro entero como para poder asegurarlo al 100% pero estoy convencida que se lo han cargado.
40% del resto de culpa: Sosedad absoluta
Tampoco vamos a decir que en general sea como para lanzar cohetes, pero creo que la autora podría haber aprovechado mejor el argumento, la historia es original y bastante interesante. Pero le falta de todo para ser un buen libro.
Se podría decir que si se sorteara una entrada para mi sección de "Para ahorrarte el disgusto" el libro tendría casi todas las papeletas :-)
Tiene un final totalmente previsible, dialogos sosos, personajes flojitos y de reacción lenta, una historia de amor que quiere ser intensa pero no tiene fundamentos...
Por cierto Eden Maguire es una chica! Esto es toda la biografía que encontré: Escritora inglesa, es una autora de literatura juvenil cuya serie de libros Cuatro Almas ha conseguido un gran éxito internacional.
El argumento va de una chica - Darina - a la que se le muere el novio y un buen día lo ve (a él y a otros cuatro chicos que tambien murieron hace poco en su ciudad) y descubre que son todos zombies. Han regresado del limbo porque tienen que solucionar las cosas pendientes que les quedaron antes de morir y descubrir las verdaderas razones por las que han muerto, con un plazo límite de un año. Nuestra prota se compromete a ayudarles. Imagino que irá ayudando a cada uno en cada libro, en éste en particular le toca echarle una mano a Jonas, por eso se llama Libro 1-Jonas, luego les tocará a Arizona, Summer y por último a Phoenix (su novio).
Ahora una preguntita para los que lo leyeron: ¿Para que M. van al pasado? Yo no entender.
http://leer-es-un-placer.blogspot.com...
...Llevo una racha últimamente...
60% de culpa: La Traducción
What a pity de book... ¿Por qué hacen esas cosas? Es realmente deprimente que una traducción aniquile (véase también matar, destruir, masacrar) un libro de esa manera. Con lo que se gastaron en la portada podrían haberse estirado un poquito más con los traductores (y sé de muy buena fuente que hay muchos en paro). Ya sé que la crisis nos afecta a todos, pero...
Al leerlo me costaba avanzar, tropezaba con la lectura, más bien, nunca habéis experimentado la sensación de que las letras te pongan la zancadilla? pues eso me pasaba. Me pegué tremendos tortazos, quería avanzar pero me seguía cayendo, hasta que presté más atención y me di cuenta de la cantidad de errores y sin-sentidos que hacían detenerme y recapitular. Al final presa de la curiosidad, me fui a leer el primer cápitulo en inglés y descubrí que en la lengua Shakespeareana no está tan mal (como se entere William que lo involucro en algún modo con este librito se revuelca en su tumba, perdón Guillermo perdón, ha sido sin querer).
Ejemplo de traducción (ojo al piojo):
Beautiful Dead = Almas Elegidas
No encontré el libro entero como para poder asegurarlo al 100% pero estoy convencida que se lo han cargado.
40% del resto de culpa: Sosedad absoluta
Tampoco vamos a decir que en general sea como para lanzar cohetes, pero creo que la autora podría haber aprovechado mejor el argumento, la historia es original y bastante interesante. Pero le falta de todo para ser un buen libro.
Se podría decir que si se sorteara una entrada para mi sección de "Para ahorrarte el disgusto" el libro tendría casi todas las papeletas :-)
Tiene un final totalmente previsible, dialogos sosos, personajes flojitos y de reacción lenta, una historia de amor que quiere ser intensa pero no tiene fundamentos...
Por cierto Eden Maguire es una chica! Esto es toda la biografía que encontré: Escritora inglesa, es una autora de literatura juvenil cuya serie de libros Cuatro Almas ha conseguido un gran éxito internacional.
El argumento va de una chica - Darina - a la que se le muere el novio y un buen día lo ve (a él y a otros cuatro chicos que tambien murieron hace poco en su ciudad) y descubre que son todos zombies. Han regresado del limbo porque tienen que solucionar las cosas pendientes que les quedaron antes de morir y descubrir las verdaderas razones por las que han muerto, con un plazo límite de un año. Nuestra prota se compromete a ayudarles. Imagino que irá ayudando a cada uno en cada libro, en éste en particular le toca echarle una mano a Jonas, por eso se llama Libro 1-Jonas, luego les tocará a Arizona, Summer y por último a Phoenix (su novio).
Ahora una preguntita para los que lo leyeron: ¿Para que M. van al pasado? Yo no entender.
http://leer-es-un-placer.blogspot.com...
March 9, 2010
Quick & Dirty: A good first entry to what promises to be an interesting paranormal series.
Opening Sentence: The first thing I heard was a door banging in the wind.
The Review:
First Jonas, then Summer, followed by Arizona, and now Phoenix is the fourth student from Ellerton High to die within a year. Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend is caught in the grip of grief’s talons and having a hard time dealing with his death. Then Phoenix appears with the sound of beating wings and tells her about the Beautiful Dead. They are unable to complete their transition into the afterlife because of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They will be held in limbo until justice has been exacted. Darina will help each of them find the answers they seek and bring closure to their restless existence.
Ms. Maguire gives readers the story of Jonas – the first student to die. Beautiful Dead starts out a bit slow, but settles into an enjoyable and engaging read. While Darina is a likable character, I felt that she was a bit formulaic, making certain aspects of the story predictable. I like the premise of the Beautiful Dead and Ms. Maguire has a unique spin on “zombies”. I can’t give too many details because it would be a major spoiler. Darina and Phoenix’s relationship is portrayed as all encompassing, but I think the reader misses many elements of what their relationship was like before he died. Establishing a stronger setup to explain the connection between the two would have been wonderful. In addition, some secondary characters were lacking a bit in character development and depth.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book. Twists and turns will keep the reader guessing and invested in the outcome of this story. Ms. Maguire’s descriptions are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the Beautiful Dead is intriguing. This mixture of the paranormal and the romantic delivers a tale of dark secrets, loss, and redemption. So go ahead and walk alongside Darina on her quest to put the Beautiful Dead to rest.
Notable Scene:
Now my heart was beating fast and loud, the wind from the wings tearing at me. I was breathless, filled with dread, almost defeated. Why are you doing this to me? I asked, crouching in the shelter of a tall rock.
I sensed movement overhead and looked up into one of those skull-faces with black holes where eyes should be, domed head and death-grin, swooping down, coming right at me, one and then another and another until my hands rose in panic and I was screaming just like the time before.
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks provided me with a copy of Beautiful Dead ~ Jonas. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
Opening Sentence: The first thing I heard was a door banging in the wind.
The Review:
First Jonas, then Summer, followed by Arizona, and now Phoenix is the fourth student from Ellerton High to die within a year. Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend is caught in the grip of grief’s talons and having a hard time dealing with his death. Then Phoenix appears with the sound of beating wings and tells her about the Beautiful Dead. They are unable to complete their transition into the afterlife because of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They will be held in limbo until justice has been exacted. Darina will help each of them find the answers they seek and bring closure to their restless existence.
Ms. Maguire gives readers the story of Jonas – the first student to die. Beautiful Dead starts out a bit slow, but settles into an enjoyable and engaging read. While Darina is a likable character, I felt that she was a bit formulaic, making certain aspects of the story predictable. I like the premise of the Beautiful Dead and Ms. Maguire has a unique spin on “zombies”. I can’t give too many details because it would be a major spoiler. Darina and Phoenix’s relationship is portrayed as all encompassing, but I think the reader misses many elements of what their relationship was like before he died. Establishing a stronger setup to explain the connection between the two would have been wonderful. In addition, some secondary characters were lacking a bit in character development and depth.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book. Twists and turns will keep the reader guessing and invested in the outcome of this story. Ms. Maguire’s descriptions are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the Beautiful Dead is intriguing. This mixture of the paranormal and the romantic delivers a tale of dark secrets, loss, and redemption. So go ahead and walk alongside Darina on her quest to put the Beautiful Dead to rest.
Notable Scene:
Now my heart was beating fast and loud, the wind from the wings tearing at me. I was breathless, filled with dread, almost defeated. Why are you doing this to me? I asked, crouching in the shelter of a tall rock.
I sensed movement overhead and looked up into one of those skull-faces with black holes where eyes should be, domed head and death-grin, swooping down, coming right at me, one and then another and another until my hands rose in panic and I was screaming just like the time before.
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks provided me with a copy of Beautiful Dead ~ Jonas. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
December 31, 2014
Davina is 17, and has recently lost the love of her life Phoenix in a fight which ending in him being stabbed and bleeding to death. She's struggling to come to terms with it, but Phoenix is not the first teen to have died in her year. Over the past 12 months Jonas has died in a bike crash, Arizona has drowned, and Summer has been shot.
Walking in the woods one day Davina comes across a barn, and inside are four people she recognises - Phoenix, Jonas, Arizona, and Summer. All are pale and beautiful, and they are welcoming Phoenix as the newest member of the 'beautiful dead'. The sound of wings and haunting skull faces drives her away however, but she then begins to see Phoenix everywhere she goes, and begins to think that she is really crazy.
Desperate to know what's really going on, Davina goes back to the place where she saw her friends to investigate, and this time actually meets and talks to Phoenix. He explains that he is now one of the 'Beautiful dead', a zombie, bought back to this side to discover the real cause of his death, and to seek justice. Unfortunately he only has 12 months in which to do this though, and although he has some special powers (hypnotism, the ability to become invisible, time travel, and mind control), he is on the earth under the guardianship of Hunter - a guide who is there to help them in their quest.
Hunter tells Davina that noone can know about the beautiful dead, but she offers to help them find out what happened to them in return for not having her memory wiped, and being able to spend more time with phoenix. Hunter eventually agrees to this, but time is short - Jonas has only 10 days until he must leave, and they still have no idea what actually happened to him.
Knowing that this is the only way she is going to be able to spend time with Phoenix, Davina puts all her efforts into uncovering the truth about Jonas' accident, talking to his girlfriend Zoey who was with him at the time but has amnesia. But the question is, will Davina find out the truth in time? Or will Jonas be stuck in limbo for eternity?
This book was a fairly good little read but is obviously intended for a young-adult market. At 23 this was a little simplistic for me, and I felt the story could have been more indepth than it was. The one massive flaw in the whole thing though is that the beautiful dead can supposedly time-travel, I may be being a bit picky here, but if they can time travel why don't they just go back to when the death occured and watch what happens? Stupidly simplistic, but why beat around the bush if they can just go back to the event itself?
Overall - a nice idea, a couple of flaws, and definately intended for a teenage market.
Walking in the woods one day Davina comes across a barn, and inside are four people she recognises - Phoenix, Jonas, Arizona, and Summer. All are pale and beautiful, and they are welcoming Phoenix as the newest member of the 'beautiful dead'. The sound of wings and haunting skull faces drives her away however, but she then begins to see Phoenix everywhere she goes, and begins to think that she is really crazy.
Desperate to know what's really going on, Davina goes back to the place where she saw her friends to investigate, and this time actually meets and talks to Phoenix. He explains that he is now one of the 'Beautiful dead', a zombie, bought back to this side to discover the real cause of his death, and to seek justice. Unfortunately he only has 12 months in which to do this though, and although he has some special powers (hypnotism, the ability to become invisible, time travel, and mind control), he is on the earth under the guardianship of Hunter - a guide who is there to help them in their quest.
Hunter tells Davina that noone can know about the beautiful dead, but she offers to help them find out what happened to them in return for not having her memory wiped, and being able to spend more time with phoenix. Hunter eventually agrees to this, but time is short - Jonas has only 10 days until he must leave, and they still have no idea what actually happened to him.
Knowing that this is the only way she is going to be able to spend time with Phoenix, Davina puts all her efforts into uncovering the truth about Jonas' accident, talking to his girlfriend Zoey who was with him at the time but has amnesia. But the question is, will Davina find out the truth in time? Or will Jonas be stuck in limbo for eternity?
This book was a fairly good little read but is obviously intended for a young-adult market. At 23 this was a little simplistic for me, and I felt the story could have been more indepth than it was. The one massive flaw in the whole thing though is that the beautiful dead can supposedly time-travel, I may be being a bit picky here, but if they can time travel why don't they just go back to when the death occured and watch what happens? Stupidly simplistic, but why beat around the bush if they can just go back to the event itself?
Overall - a nice idea, a couple of flaws, and definately intended for a teenage market.
February 26, 2011
So I will try to keep this short and sweet.
Darina's boyfriend Pheonix gets stabbed in a fight. He was trying to defend his brother, Brandon, and lost his life for it. No one knows who exactly was responsible for his death. This wasn't the only tragedy in this town however. Over the last year 4 teenager's have lost their lives in various "accidents". While the town morns the loss of these teenagers things begin to happen. Darina sick over losing Pheonix, can't eat or sleep, and now she is seeing him. He pops up in familiar places, and some not so familiar places. Even his own funeral. She begins to think she is crazy, but then she sees the others. The Beautiful Dead. Wondering restless until they can solve their unfinished business. Can Darina help them before it's too late?
OK so I had high hopes for this book, despite the bad reviews. I'm sad to say it didn't prove me wrong. This book is a very fast read but it is only surface deep. I already own the rest of the series and therefore I will continue on in hopes that it will get better. I just found it hard to connect with the characters, not because the story wasn't good, but because it was lacking. It did start to get better at the end and I hoping that the next book will take me deeper into the characters. I want to feel a connection with them, really I do! The only other issue I have is that the Beautiful Dead refer to themselves as zombies but it just doesn't fit for me. The have powers like witch's, looks like a vampire, restless souls like ghost. If it were me I would have just called them the Beautiful Dead and left it at that, creating a whole new being that goes bump in the night:)
Here's hoping that I will be back here is a couple days saying the next book as redeemed this series.
Darina's boyfriend Pheonix gets stabbed in a fight. He was trying to defend his brother, Brandon, and lost his life for it. No one knows who exactly was responsible for his death. This wasn't the only tragedy in this town however. Over the last year 4 teenager's have lost their lives in various "accidents". While the town morns the loss of these teenagers things begin to happen. Darina sick over losing Pheonix, can't eat or sleep, and now she is seeing him. He pops up in familiar places, and some not so familiar places. Even his own funeral. She begins to think she is crazy, but then she sees the others. The Beautiful Dead. Wondering restless until they can solve their unfinished business. Can Darina help them before it's too late?
OK so I had high hopes for this book, despite the bad reviews. I'm sad to say it didn't prove me wrong. This book is a very fast read but it is only surface deep. I already own the rest of the series and therefore I will continue on in hopes that it will get better. I just found it hard to connect with the characters, not because the story wasn't good, but because it was lacking. It did start to get better at the end and I hoping that the next book will take me deeper into the characters. I want to feel a connection with them, really I do! The only other issue I have is that the Beautiful Dead refer to themselves as zombies but it just doesn't fit for me. The have powers like witch's, looks like a vampire, restless souls like ghost. If it were me I would have just called them the Beautiful Dead and left it at that, creating a whole new being that goes bump in the night:)
Here's hoping that I will be back here is a couple days saying the next book as redeemed this series.
February 16, 2010
My thoughts... BLINK. This book was very easy to read and I literally devoured it. When I first saw the cover, I thought "looks very cool". Then I read I heard the word zombies and thought, UGG, but forged ahead anyway. Let me just say that I am so glad I did.
The plot of the story was very unique. Darina found her recently deceased boyfriend alive and well, surrounded by his undead classmates. No vampires, zombies, but not it the theatrical sense. The book held something for everyone, mystery, heartbreak, action, a bit of romance, and motorcycles. I could not put the book down. The writing was very smooth and I feel it had a strong voice. The story was believable.
The characters were all very interesting and very memorable. This book focused on Jonas, and Darina's quest to help him. Darina, the heroine was very determined and devoted to her friends. I liked her more and more as the story progressed. One of the characters I hope to learn more about is the guardian, Hunter. We did not learn much about him in this book, but there is something about him, I think he is keeping a huge secret. My favorite thing about the story is the Angel wings tattoo. I don't want to give away what it is, but I will say it was very creative.
The cons...The only thing I could not figure out is how Darina found the Beautiful Dead in the first place. The book opens with her finding them in an abandoned farm. It seemed out of the way-a long drive up a mountain road and a hike through the woods. Unless I missed something, it was a bit too convenient.
The plot of the story was very unique. Darina found her recently deceased boyfriend alive and well, surrounded by his undead classmates. No vampires, zombies, but not it the theatrical sense. The book held something for everyone, mystery, heartbreak, action, a bit of romance, and motorcycles. I could not put the book down. The writing was very smooth and I feel it had a strong voice. The story was believable.
The characters were all very interesting and very memorable. This book focused on Jonas, and Darina's quest to help him. Darina, the heroine was very determined and devoted to her friends. I liked her more and more as the story progressed. One of the characters I hope to learn more about is the guardian, Hunter. We did not learn much about him in this book, but there is something about him, I think he is keeping a huge secret. My favorite thing about the story is the Angel wings tattoo. I don't want to give away what it is, but I will say it was very creative.
The cons...The only thing I could not figure out is how Darina found the Beautiful Dead in the first place. The book opens with her finding them in an abandoned farm. It seemed out of the way-a long drive up a mountain road and a hike through the woods. Unless I missed something, it was a bit too convenient.
May 24, 2011
Tengo muchísimos libros pendientes, deberia terminar de leer El Diosero, Colección Marquez de Sade, La divina comedia y Hex Hall, que deje' pendientes por las semanas tan ocupadas que tuve este mayo, pero hoy que fui al mercado y vi su seccion de libros tuve que aprovechar que tenían el 20% de descuento y me hice de este libro que le tenía ganas desde hace rato. En lo que esperaba en el banco me puse a leerlo y me encanché tanto que no pude soltarlo.
El libro me ha encantado, me atrapó desde el primer capítulo nada de super introducciones que parecen eternas y aburridas. Ahora muero por leer el segundo libro que quien sabe cuando lo encontrare' en mi ciudad.
Muy recomendable, la autora nos presenta una novela juvenil con un toque paranormal bastante original y un romanse que no me ha decepcionado ni cansado.
Spoiler... o eso creo XD
Algo que no me gustó para nada es que se le acunara el termino zombi para referirse a estas cuantro almas (o las almas elegidas). Por muy hollywoodesco que tenemos el término de zombi la historia y leyendas nos muestran que un zombi es un cadaver sin voluntad, asi que no me agrada que se les llame de esa forma.
El libro me ha encantado, me atrapó desde el primer capítulo nada de super introducciones que parecen eternas y aburridas. Ahora muero por leer el segundo libro que quien sabe cuando lo encontrare' en mi ciudad.
Muy recomendable, la autora nos presenta una novela juvenil con un toque paranormal bastante original y un romanse que no me ha decepcionado ni cansado.
Spoiler... o eso creo XD
January 31, 2012
I tried to read the first "Beautiful Dead" book by Eden Maguire, but failed. I felt like I was reading a piece of work by one of my year 9 students! The pacing was off and the characters seemed predictable... perhaps it gets better as you get into it, but that's hardly a commendation.
I dislike giving bad reviews as I appreciate the time and effort it takes to write a book. However, even as a confessed lover of YA lit, this book was just too juvenile in its approach...at least for me.
Plenty of top ratings out there say I'm wrong so if you disagree with my opinion then that's just dandy!
I dislike giving bad reviews as I appreciate the time and effort it takes to write a book. However, even as a confessed lover of YA lit, this book was just too juvenile in its approach...at least for me.
Plenty of top ratings out there say I'm wrong so if you disagree with my opinion then that's just dandy!
May 15, 2013
OMG, que libro tan aburrido, y con una de las peores protagonistas ever, o sea se le muere el novio con el que solo tenia saliendo 2 meses, y ya se quiere morir por que era el amor de su vida (Are u fucking kiddin´ me?) y cuando se le aparece, como si nada la tipa ni se sorprende ni nada. El "misterio" es mas aburrido y sin chiste que te da igual lo que haya pasado y solo quieres terminar el libro. Ni para pasar un rato esta. Si no tienes NADA pero NADA que hacer, se fue la luz, no tienes pila en el celular, estas en el desierto o incomunicado, y solo tienes esto a tu alcance, léelo, si no es así, aléjate !!!!
November 25, 2014
Cuando me decidí a leer este libro, era consciente de las malas críticas que arrastraba, pero también de las buenas. Al leerlo, he encontrado el equilibrio entre ambas, y es que para mí, empezó con muy buen pie, aunque el desarrollo a partir de la página 90 (más o menos) empezó a decaer y no me enganchaba mucho... a pesar de eso, más adelante volvió a cobrar un ritmo más agradable que me llevó hasta su agridulce final, que me ha encantado...
En definitiva, ha sido una lectura satisfactoria, inicio de saga que continuaré.
En definitiva, ha sido una lectura satisfactoria, inicio de saga que continuaré.
June 1, 2016
Aunque en realidad le doy un aprobado, siguiendo las puntuaciones de Goodreads debo usar las dos estrellas. It was ok. Ya está. No ha sido el libro de mi vida, pero tampoco uno que odiase. Como la mayoría de libros de este tipo, es fácil de leer (aunque lo he encontrado bastante más denso en cuestión de la narración que la mayoría, con descripciones y todo), pero falla a la hora de crear unos protagonistas definidos y profundos y captar al lector en la historia.
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February 11, 2015
i enjoyed this book on the whole as it was a new take on the gendre. I did have a few complaints however. The main character is a wimp and not all that likeable. When reading it, it feels like a section should be on the front to introduce her - which would probably make me like her more. I also didn't like the outcome and though the morals of the story were somewhat odd and not really appropriate for the age group the book is intended for.
October 21, 2015
Actual Rating: 4.05
This book was a great read. I thought the story was good and the characters were awesome. The story did tend to make me bored at times, but the ending made the book worth the read. I thought that the premise to be unique and different. Definitely recommend to fans of the YA genre. It is great, but there could have been improvements to the story to make it amazing. Can't wait to read the next book! Arizona...here I come.
This book was a great read. I thought the story was good and the characters were awesome. The story did tend to make me bored at times, but the ending made the book worth the read. I thought that the premise to be unique and different. Definitely recommend to fans of the YA genre. It is great, but there could have been improvements to the story to make it amazing. Can't wait to read the next book! Arizona...here I come.
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