Dead Beautiful , by Yvonne Woon

Paperback

Published (first published September 21st 2010)

ISBN

1409530248 (ISBN13: 9781409530244)

edition language

English

original title

Dead Beautiful

series

Dead Beautiful #1

setting

Attaca Falls, Maine

After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California’s Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, “crude sciences,” and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It’s here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn.
As they get to know each other better, Dante can’t seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee’s life. 
Dante’s not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own... Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why.
Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul

My Review
At the beginning, it was a bit slow, but in many ways this was an advantage because it meant it wasn't all that predictable. On the other hand, there was too much about the book that just seemed to relate to the twilight series. I.E the mysterious boy who is cold, never eats and never sleeps. The mysterious deaths that just seem to happen but the cause of them doesnt seem right. Even some of the phrases that the characters say throughout the book are somewhat similar to those in the twilight book. This in itself was a huge negative. It was like the author had stolen the idea of twilight, but wanted to make her own story. Yes it was interesting nad the plot behind it had me intrigued to know what was happening and the ending had me screaming. But I just felt that the book could have been a whole lot more had it been based on it's own ideas. The characters were ok but I didn't really feel myself attaching to them in this book. In many ways they appeared to be "Undead" if you like. You were reading about them but you didn't really know a whole lot about them. Some of their emotional reactions for example, appeared to be flat, unengaging and non relatable to. I just found myself putting the book down a lot wondering, why am I reading this again?

I suppose in many ways, like the twilight series, it was hyped up to be this amazing story, and whilst I wouldn't agree to it being amazing, I would state that it was ok, but just ok. I liked the idea behind the story but the ending was probably the best bit because of its major cliffhanger, he gets his soul back and then he kisses an undead person, what happens from there on out because I refuse to believe he is now dead, and if so, are they merely going to end up going round and round in a circle of swapping lives and becoming undead, or are they both going to become undead? I know that a second book is being published and just because I didn't enjoy this one as much as I hoped I would, it does not mean to say that I will not read the next one. My curiosity will force me to read it just so that I can see what occurs and happens next.

I just feel like the depth wasn't really there. it was just to.... twilightish in many respects. I know that others will disagree with me, but I have a right to my own opinion. And just because I feel that way does not mean I did not like it. I did like it, but its perhaps not a book I would pick up and read again.

My rating