Review: The Ghost and The Goth by Stacey Kade

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

Review:

The Ghost and the Goth was a fun, quick read with endearing characters and an original plot. I had a bit of a hard time getting attached to Alona at first, but the more I read, the more I realized she really had a good heart and was dealing with a lot of family problems. Will was a sweet, lovable guy who I adored from the first page. The alternating chapters really helped you get into the minds of both characters and understand their perspective on things. Sometimes alternating chapters don't work, there isn't enough time for character development, etc, but it really worked in The Ghost and the Goth.

The plot of The Ghost and the Goth was original and engaging and I had a hard time putting it down. There are quite a few twists in the plot that keeps the story moving. I really felt for Will, that no one else understood that he was really seeing and hearing ghosts when they thought he was going mad. It was very frustrating for not just him, but the reader as well! There were a few characters that I really, really couldn't stand (and that's how it was supposed to be!) including the psychiatrist and the principal. Stacey Kade did a great job of making each character really well developed and realistic. While you might think this may be an emotional read because the main character is, uh, dead- you're wrong. While it did have it's dark sides, this was an overall humorous, sweet, and enjoyable read.

As for the writing, Stacey Kade really knows how to get into her character's heads. Readers will feel a connection with them and I already missed Will and Alona when I turned the last page. There is a lot of action in the last few chapters and the ending is perfect. I really want to read the sequel ASAP though!

In the end, The Ghost and the Goth is the perfect summer read with two awesome main characters that you will love! I also want to mention, I think the title is great because it's so ironic- Alona doesn't want to be called a ghost and Will doesn't think he's goth :)

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

June 29, 2010/Disney*Hyperion/281 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Other books in the series: Queen of the Dead