Waiting on Wednesday, #33

Waiting on Wednsday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. WOW spotlights upcoming releases that you are dying to read and can't wait to get your hands on!

Body and Soul, by Stacey Kade
(The Ghost and the Goth, #3)
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: May 1, 2012

Pre-Order: Amazon

The final book in The Ghost and the Goth Trilogy! 
The Ghost I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now. 
Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously? 
I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying... 
The Goth I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that. 
Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

I'm very sad this is the last book to this awesome trilogy, but I am super excited to be continuing the story! It's such a fast, cute read! Looove this trilogy! =D I can't wait to see what happens with Alona and Will!

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Series: The Ghost and the Goth
Read my review of The Ghost and the Goth.
Next book in series: ?
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Hardcover: 288 Pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads
Source: Hyperion Books @ Netgalley
Challenge: None
Overall: 4/5

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea. 

First Paragraph: On television, ghost-talkers run antique stores, solve crimes, or stand on a stage in a nice suit giving the teary-eyed audience a toothy, yet sympathetic grin. 

Even though Queen of the Dead wasn't as good as The Ghost and the Goth, I really liked jumping back into Will and Alona's world! They are, as always, fighting, but you can really tell they are really starting to care about each other and set aside their differences. They find out that they really depend on being around each other all the time now.

I really love how there is romance in this book, but it isn't all what it's about. There is a big story around it, with just the romance bit thrown in there. It is VERY entertaining to read and I really hope there is a third one. If not I think I will seriously cry! The first book had me wanting more, but I could live if there wasn't a second book. But now it has left me wanting more with hoping VERY desperately there is another book to add to this series.

It is a very fast and cute read. I love that about this series. You can read it within a couple of hours, about 2, and it entertain you greatly.

I don't like the new character that was thrown in here. She just reallys bugs me. And Alona, ha ha! Even though Alona isn't the type of girl I'd hang out with. Actually, I would be trying to stay as far away from her as possible if I came upon a girl like her. Which is a huge surprise to me since she is one of my favorite characters. Funny how that works isn't it?

I just love her attitude! And I love how much she's grown since the beginning of the series. I guess death has done her a lot of good!

Even though Will and Alona are complete opposites and they bicker back in forth a lot and sometimes try to outdo themselves with annoying the other, I think they are meant for each other!

Overall, there better be a third book. This series is just too entertaining for this to be the end! So please Stacey Kade, write a third book! =)

Cover: I really like these covers. They are gorgeous!

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
The Ghost and the Goth, book #1


Next book in series: Queen of the Dead
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Hardcover: 281 Pages
Age Group: Young Adult (13+)
Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads
Source: Library
Challenge: '11 Support Your Local Library Challenge
Overall: 

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead. I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already? Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker. I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?(Summary from Goodreads.)

First Paragraph: It was easy enough to sneak out of school. I knew that from previous experience. This time, all I had to do was wait until Mrs. Higgins had led everyone onto the outdoor track and then slip behind the bleachers and walk down to the other opening in the chain-link fence. 

I've been wanting to read The Ghost and the Goth for a while, I had heard lots of things about it being a cute, short, light read. I chose to read it exactly for that reason. I wanted to read a book that was cute and not very serious like a lot of the books I've been reading lately. 


And that's exactly what I got! :) It was cute, funny, very-light, and a very short read. I loved the writing style and everything flowed very nicely together. I was always happy to dive into Alona and Will's world. 


I love how it is almost a normal high school teen story, but has a light supernatural element to it. Also, switching between Alona and Will's perspectives were really fun. They are completely different, and I love that. I really love when an author can create these two completely different characters and get into both of their heads with no trouble. 


Usually Alona's type of character would bug me; perfect, popular, blonde cheerleader who thinks she can do whatever she wants. But even though Alona might of been that way when she was alive, she still had a whole different side to her that no one, even her best friend, knew about. She tried to keep this perfect image so no one would know what really went on at her house. 


I really liked Will's sarcastic, moody voice. He always made me laugh. He's the one who left the lasting impression. He had a lot more character to him, and you just really want to know more about his ability to see and communicate with the spirits. I really hope to see that in the sequel, Queen of the Dead. Which will be coming out June 7th! 


I really can't wait to dive into more of their story. I am content at the way The Ghost and the Goth ended, but at the same time I want to read more. It's just so much of a fun, light read. 


I really don't know what else to say about this book, other than read it. It's not very long and doesn't have very much depth to it, but it is a really cute book. It may be cute, but it's not one of those books that is way too cute and girly to read. It has a perfect balance between cute and supernatural element. 


Cover: 
I LOVE this cover! It is so cute! I love the colors and everything. The models on the front cover really fit the descriptions of Alona and Will perfectly. Right down to the clothes! I love how Alona is kind of disappearing, to make her more ghostly. 
Cover art: Jacket photo by Tom Corbett, Jacket design by Jennifer Jackman. 
I recommend this book to: Anyone who would love to read a cute, short read. 

Rating Breakdown:

Plot: 18/20

Characters: 19/20

Creativity: 19/20

Writing: 20/20

Ending: 19 /20

Overall:  95/100=