Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron

Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron by Jonathan Strahan (Editor)

Hardback, 432 pages

Published 4th October 2013 by Hot Key Books

Shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, death, fairy-tales, fantasy, ghosts, let-down, magic, magical-realism, not-for-me, read, read-in-2013, shapeshifters, short-stories, supernatural

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

A stellar cast of acclaimed fantasy writers weave spellbinding tales that bring the world of witches to life. Boasting over 70 awards between them, including a Newbery Medal, five Hugo Awards and a Carnegie Medal, authors including Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix and Holly Black delve into the realms of magic to explore all things witchy... From familiars that talk, to covens that offer dark secrets to explore, these are tales to tickle the hair on the back of your neck and send shivers down your spine.

I love a good seasonal read and Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron was my choice of read for Halloween this year. The book is a collection of short stories by several well known and talented authors, with all of the stories relating in some way, to the iconic witch hat, witchery or in general, magic. 

I don't often read short stories, but with a choice of eighteen tales, I thought this would be a fun choice and I was guaranteed to enjoy at least a few of the stories! I haven't reviewed many short stories, but I thought it'd be easier to give you an idea of each of the tales, and what I thought of them. After an introduction by the editor, I started to take some short notes.

The first tale was 'Stray Magic' by Diana Peterfreund. Our protagonist, Malou, is working in a dog shelter when a magical dog called arrives. The dog has lost its owner/master. Malou is only one who can see the magic behind the dog and can  communicate with it. Malou and the dog attempt to find the owner as the dog becomes ill without him. Though the short story is resolved, this could have definitely lead to longer story. I thought that it was a well written piece, but personally I didn't find it interesting enough to hold my attention well.

The second tale was 'Payment Due' by Frances Hardinge. Immediately, this story felt modern, the contemporary writing style was very enjoyable.The story starts with our main character's gran having some of her goods reposessed by bailiffs. Our main character then seeks revenge as she trades her body with a cat, invades the bailiffs home and tricking him. The story did leave me a little confused by the end, but it was a fun read.

'A Handful of Ashes' by Garth Nix gave us a new  firm setting and a more complex story with a lot of structure. It's clear that we're only getting a sneak peek of a much bigger surrounding and story. The story consists of old magic bylaws, magic class systems and laws. It was quite dense in information and detail for a short story and I think that this will really appeal to people who like having a firmly established setting and history in their stories.

I really enjoyed the next story, 'Little Gods' by Holly Black. It had a contemporary and almost coming of age style to it. We follow a girl, Ellery, who is going on a trip to participate in a ritual with her coven. The ritual is one of passion and is actually very similar to many high school parties! The story appears to be about ghosts, witchery and magic, but really it focuses on friends, lessons and life. It focuses on the little things, and that's what I loved about this one. 

'Barrio Girls' by Charles de Lint turns the book in a little more creepy directions as we are introduced to two teenage girls who are on a walk, followed by their friend, Pepé, who usually watches over them. The friends find a Witch as they're walking in the wash and she kills Pepé. The girls look for revenge, finding out how to kill the Witch, and find out that the way is to kill her with kindness. There is a message about being yourself weaved within this story, which I appreciate, but once again, I wasn't all that interested in this story - there was no real excitement for me.

In 'Felidis' by Tanith Lee, there was a romance with a which who is a cross between a human woman and a feline. At first, I found it slightly confusing and the story was certainly peculiar. I can see the intrigue of the feline character, but this one was just too 'out there' for me.

'Witch Work' by Neil Gaiman is the shortest contribution to this book, in the form of a poem. The work was short but effective, with the very vivid scenes that you'd hope for from Gaiman. This piece may have had a small word count, but it still had one of the biggest impacts. 

'The Education of a Witch' by Ellen Klages came next, and this was one of my favourite stories in the book. It follows Lizzy, a young child who goes to see Sleeping Beauty but rather than love the 'good' princess as expected, she loves the 'evil' witch character and as her baby sister is is born, Lizzy begins to become even closer to her favourite character. This was a really fantastic story which felt quite like a psychological thriller. I loved the writing style, the slight tension and the good pace. I would have loved to have read more.

'The Threefold World' by Ellen Kushner is next and it is a story of knowledge, faith, legend and magic. It has a lot of substance and it works well. I imagine that it will appeal to many people who enjoy fantasy, journeys and folklore. I am not quite sure why, but I personally couldn't get into this story, it bored me.

Next was another slightly stranger tale, 'The Witch in the Wood' by Delia Sherman. This tale tells of a witch who finds true love -- in the shape of a stag that she shoots! The deer is a shapeshifter, and though I've never particularly enjoyed reading about shapeshifters, I thought that this was a really captivating story. I quite enjoyed the twist of the ending and I would like to know what happened in the end.

My favourite story in this book had to be 'The Carved Forest' by Tim Pratt. This is another story that read like a psychological thriller. The story told is of a witch who has a forest of trees carved into the shape of everyone in her town, and two special carvings of her late husband and daughter. When the main character, Carlos, starts worrying about his sister forming a friendship with the witch, he intervenes. This is a haunting and very intriguing read which really stood out and I loved it.

'Burning Castles' by M. Rickert had a sense of ambiguity about it - we don't know exactly what is going on between the witch and who appears to be her child. The realism with hints of a haunted spirit world was effective. The story was drark and powerful despite being so short and it was good in the way that you could use your own imagination to fill ing the blanks.

Isobelle Carmody's 'The Stone Witch' was next, following a woman on an airplane flight, disappointed to be sat next to a child. The plane starts to crash and the woman starts to dream. The child and a witch both appear in her dream, the witch threatening their lives. The woman and child both go on a quest in hope of saving their lives. Both characters have flashbacks which were effective and which added another good, strong dimension to this story. I did enjoy this story though to be honest, I think I would have preferred it without the magical/fantasy aspect!

The next tale, 'Andersen's Witch' by Jane Yolen was a very brave move by the author! This is a tale of both Hans Christian Andersen and an ice witch. I think and hope that fans of Andersen will enjoy the fairytale like quality of this story.

'B is for Bigfoot' by Jim Butcher was next. This story starts with a professional wizard being called upon by a bigfoot who needs help as his scion (half human, half supernatural) son, Irwin, is getting bullied at school. The wizard gets into the school and attempts to help the problem but ends up getting caught up in it whilst Irwin and the other kids manage to sort the problem out themselves. 

The penultimate tale in the book was 'Great Grandmother in the Cellar' by Peter Beagle. It is a story of family, present and past, and focuses on relationships, with a very spooky skeletal great grandmother at the centre of it all! Unfortunately this was another story that just didn't do anything for me, and I had to stop myself skimming through the pages.

The last tale, 'Crow and Caper, Caper and Crow' by Margo Lanagan was about a character meeting her magical grandchild. The story was a nice ending to the book as this story had very high quality writing and I wanted to read more of this tale.

Overall, this book had both high and lows, and I can't deny that at points, I really struggled keeping with it as I did feel bored or I just wanted to get onto something more exciting. However, there were also some stories that really stood out in a positive way, namely The Education of a Witch and The Carved Forest, and I appreciate the book for allowing me to sample some fantastic authors. Though this wasn't one of my favourite books, it is something that I would recommend to anybody who likes young adult fiction, especially of the fantasy genre, as there should be something for everyone in this book.

Blink Once

Blink Once by Cylin Busby

Paperback, 304 pages

Published 11th October 2012 by Bloomsbury

My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, ghosts, medical-conditions, mental-health, read-in-2012, supernatural, to-be-reviewed, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him – until an accident leaves him paralysed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, moving in and out of consciousness, West is isolated and alone. Until he meets Olivia.

Olivia is the girl next door – though not the typical girl next door. She is in the hospital room next to his, and before long, she’s sneaking into his room to talk with him. Only Olivia seems to know what he’s thinking, and even dreaming about. Yet certain questions haunt him: Why is Olivia in the hospital? And how is she connected to the terrible dreams he’s been having? But the biggest shock of all comes when West must face the possibility that the girl he’s fallen in love with – and who’s done more to aid his recovery than anyone else – may not even be alive.

My thanks go to Bloomsbury for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard about Blink Once, I knew that I had to read it! I loved the idea behind it and it sounded quite different to some of the other young-adult orientated books that are out there. When I received the book, I picked it up straight away and was quickly hooked!

Blink Once is different and a little difficult to describe. This story is narrated by West, a boy who has been left in a coma after having an accident on his bike. For around the first half of this book, West is left paralysed in his hospital bed and we observe what is happening around him - the nurses doing their jobs, his friends and family members visiting him and a very special visitor who introduces herself  and tries to communicate with him - a girl called Olivia, who it turns out that only West can see.

Olivia and West form a very strong bond whilst he is in his coma - she seems to understand him and they communicate through blinking and very brief writing. It was interesting to see how they interact and how things developed between them. The couple claim to have fallen in love, but I personally thought that this was a little too quick. West and Olivia clearly have a unique bond and I can understand that they would have a special sort of relationship, but I felt that romance was taking a bit too far, it just didn't feel right for me. However, the two characters were both equally interesting and likeable, which made the book a pleasure to read.

When West undergoes surgery and comes out of his coma, it is apparent that he was the only person who could see Olivia, which completely twists the book and changes the feeling of it completely, it gives a mystery and somewhat paranormal feel to the book. During his recovery, West makes it his aim to try and find Olivia without much help at all. I won't say too much as to avoid spoilers, but West does find out a lot of information about Olivia and discovers who she really is. There is a strong sense of suspense and I loved being with West, finding out all of the new information about Olivia.

I really enjoyed this book and I would love to read more books by Cylin Busby. I loved the idea behind this and the result was great. I admit that I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending - I think that, quite easily, a lot more could've been explored, this could've been even better if the story continued. However, I was probably mostly underwhelmed because I didn't want the story to finish! This book is great for all sorts of book fans - those who enjoy both realistic and paranormal reads will probably enjoy this. I would love to see more people read this book as I think it could become extremely popular!

The Diviners (The Diviners #1)

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Hardback, 592 pages

Published 18th September 2012 by Atom

My shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, ghosts, historical, horror, read, read-in-2012, really-good, series-or-companions, supernatural, young-adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before.

For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be.

But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a strange resemblance to an obscure group of tarot cards. And the New York City police can't solve them alone.

Evie wasn't just escaping the stifling life of Ohio, she was running from the knowledge of what she could do. She has a secret. A mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Atom for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited when I heard about the Diviners, even though I haven't read any of Libba Bray's previous work. I have read several rave reviews for Bray's books, but just haven't gotten around to reading them. I knew that with the release of The Diviners, I would finally pick up some of her writing. I  decided to set this book as my Halloween read, and picked it up on the 31st of October. This was one of the best decisions I've made (bookwise, anyway!) - it was such a fantastic read for this time of year.

There were a couple of things about The Diviners that worried me - the historical setting, which is often hit or miss for me, and the sheer length of it! I never start a book without finishing it, so starting a 500+ page book is quite a big decision for me! I have to admit that I am now a fan of the 1920's setting and I no longer find thicker books so daunting! This book was just such a pleasure to read and I find it very difficult to fault it. The setting was fantastic - Bray did a sterling job of describing 1920's New York, the fashion, the phrases, the entertainment and the attitude - it all seemed very authentic and I became truly immersed in the culture - It's clear that Bray swotted up on the trends of the 20's and it really paid off. 

The story itself was really interesting. The story follows our protagonist, Evie O'Neill, as she moves to New York to stay with her uncle Will, who lives in a museum dedicated to the supernatural. Evie thinks she's going to have the time of her life in New York and she does, though perhaps not in the way she expects! Evie ends up helping her Uncle and his assistant investigate a series of gruesome murders. It sounds like a strange word to use alongside 'gruesome murders' but it was a refreshing plot to read - it felt original and this is certainly one of the more complex, well written young adult books that I've read. It did take a little while to get into the main 'element' of the book, no words were wasted, all building up an intrigue, an atmosphere and a sense of mystery. Though this is a lengthy book, I appreciated each page and I can honestly say that I was never even slightly bored - just sometimes a little creeped out!

I thought that Bray did an amazing job of making me feel uneasy whilst reading this book - I was never really scared whilst reading this, but an extremely eerie feeling definitely lingered whilst I read the whole thing. The murderer in this book, Naughty John, is powerful and ghastly. Though there are no overly detailed macabre scenes, Bray still manages to create this spine-tingling fear. I really appreciated her writing and ability to conjure up such feelings. I thought that the in-depth explorations of the murders and the discovery of the links between them was all very intriguing. 

Of course, the book would just flop if it wasn't for it's great characters too. There were a host of exciting characters in The Diviners and I loved learning more about all of them as the story unfolded. I can't say that I favoured a particular character as they were all so well formed and had such great, diverse personalities. I enjoyed the sub-plots that the other characters provided and will look forward to seeing these expanded even more in the next book(s).

Overall, this book impressed me a lot and I am now waiting quite impatiently for the next book in the series! I am so glad that I decided to give this one a go and I will be sure to pick up more of Libba Bray's writing in the future. Highly recommended!

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Paperback, 496 pages

Expected publication: 19th September 2012 by Scholastic

My shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, fantasy, ghosts, magic, magical-realism, mythology, read-in-2012, series-or-companions, supernatural, title-appeal, to-read, too-much-hype

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Blue has spent the majority of her sixteen years being told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue meets Gansey’s spirit on the corpse road she knows there is only one reason why – either he is her true love or she has killed him.

Determined to find out the truth, Blue becomes involved with the Raven Boys, four boys from the local private school (lead by Gansey) who are on a quest to discover Glendower – a lost ancient Welsh King who is buried somewhere along the Virginia ley line. Whoever finds him will be granted a supernatural favour.

Never before has Blue felt such magic around her. But is Gansey her true love? She can’t imagine a time she would feel like that, and she is adamant not to be the reason for his death. Where will fate lead them?

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Scholastic for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Raven Boys has probably been one of the most hyped up books this year. As it is being released this week, I thought I had better pick it up and see what the fuss was about! I must admit that I wasn't a fan of Shiver or Linger, though I haven't yet enjoyed any shapeshifter book. Due to the different storyline of this book, I decided to give it a go, despite my reservations.

The Raven Boys tells a story of Blue who lives with her psychic mother and aunts. Blue visits a graveyard on a special night where she can see all of the people who are going to pass over to the spirit world during the next year. There, Blue sees a boy, named Gansey and seems to have a special connection with him. She is told it is because she either murdered him, or he was her true love - she has been told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. The story sounded interesting enough - I am very interested in the paranormal and once I got into the book there was also a lot of talk about ley lines, something that I find fascinating.

I really liked the characters in this book. Our main character, Blue had just the right amount of sass about her - despite living in a psychic-dominated house, Blue knows who she is - she is certainly an individual, with her own thoughts and beliefs. She isn't close-minded which was great. The family around her are interesting and definitely individual too, with quite vibrant personalities. After seeing Gansey, a Raven Boy, at the graveyard, Blue wants to discover more about them.

The Raven Boys are a group of boys who attend Aglionby, a private school. In the beginning, I think that they were made out to be your stereotypical rich and somewhat snobby private school kids - to me, that didn't come across very well but then again I was a private school kid myself. As the book went on, it turned out that the Raven Boys aren't really that stereotypical which I was thankful for. I really come to love Gansey and Adam, I felt I understood them well. Actually, I really enjoyed reading about all of The Raven Boys - the group of boys were certainly likeable and all so very different. They absolutely made the story for me, I could read about them all day. They had history behind them and each had an interesting one at that, particularly Adam and Noah. 

Even a few days after finishing this book, I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it. I certainly enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Shiver and Linger. The storyline is quite complex and it was vastly more impressive than The Wolves of Mercy Falls books. I enjoyed the idea, the twists and turns, but for me, Stiefvater's writing was not completely enjoyable. The book dragged on quite a lot and it was a bit confusing at points - though a lot of the detail was understandably necessary to contribute information to the story. Truly, I found things to be a little disjointed and distracting - it wasn't a book that I was eager to keep returning to and it did take me quite a while to read. 

I think a lot of people will certainly enjoy this book - it does have positive points and I would like to read more of the series just to find out more about our Raven Boys. I am glad that I picked this one up as I've certainly seen a different, more impressive side to Stiefvater than I previously saw in her earlier books. Even if you haven't been pleased by her previous work, I would urge you to try this one out.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) by Kendare Blake

Paperback, 384 pages

Expected Publication: July 5th 2012 by Orchard Books
(First Published August 30th 2011)
My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, cover-appeal, ghosts, magic,
read-in-2012, supernatural, horror, title-appeal, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story... 
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. 
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. 

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Click here to purchase the book with

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My thanks go to Orchard for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to finally get my hands on a copy of Anna Dressed in Blood after reading mostly rave reviews about it from American readers. I'm glad to say that this didn't disappoint and I can see it becoming a very popular young adult book over here when it is released here in the UK! This is the start of a trilogy that is certainly going to appeal to a lot of paranormal fans.


Anna Dressed in Blood is a fantastic YA debut from Kendare Blake and it shows that she certainly has talent and a good imagination! The plot was an interesting one - we're introduced to Cas, a boy who finds it his duty to kill the dead. I found it a little confusing that he was killing murderous  ghosts who were already dead, but it seems he was trying to get them to transition into another afterlife. Cas is always travelling, on a quest to avenge his father's death, and we meet him when he arrives at a new school. Whilst there, he meets a group of people who take him to the house where Anna, a girl who died in a blood soaked dress, haunts. From thereon in, the book is enthralling, captivating and rather gory! Personally, I loved all of the gory details and creepy situations. It was unsettling without being scary. This would certainly make a great book to read around Halloween!


Anna was such an interesting character - As soon as she was mentioned, I want to know more about her and she still remains intriguing after I have heard the story of her death. I have a very vivid image of her in my mind - she is creepy, a pretty strong character and, well, haunting - I can't fully explain it, but my main point is that she's a very bold and interesting character. She seems complex and I'd love to read more about her. Unfortunately, I wasn't that taken by our other main character, Cas. He simply didn't interest me all that much - he paled in comparison to Anna. I did warm to him as the book went on though and I found his relationships with the other characters to be interesting. Cas and Anna's relationship progressed during the book at a reasonable rate - I was glad that Blake managed to create some gradual chemistry between both of them, though I do think it was still a little too fast. As for the other characters, I absolutely loved Thomas, a guy who befriends Cas and who has some psychic abilities. He was totally endearing and his interest in Carmel was adorable.


Whilst Anna Dressed in Blood was for the most part very engaging, it wasn't perfect. The main reason why I liked this book was Anna, and she didn't always take the main stage. At some points, it felt as though Blake didn't really think of the bigger picture and just made the characters do what they wanted, even if it wasn't realistic and some things felt inconsistent. A lot of people will love the action, particularly at the end of the book, but I actually preferred the subtleties of the storytelling. 


Overall, I thought that this was a wonderfully gruesome book - I fell in love with Anna more than the storyline, but I can't wait to see what happens in the next instalment of this trilogy. It was great to read some really creepy, gritty YA and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the paranormal genre. 

Truth or Dare (You're Invited to a Creepover)

Truth or Dare (You're Invited to a Creepover) by P.J. Night
Paperback, 242 pages

Expected publication: April 5th 2012 by Atom

(First published June 7th 2011)

My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, childrens, currently-reading, ghosts, read-in-2012, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

During a round of Truth or Dare, Abby Miller confesses her crush on Jake Chilson. The only people who know her secret are her friends at the sleepover - and whoever sent her a text message in the middle of the night warning her to stay away from Jake...or else! But Abby isn't going to stay away from Jake, especially not after he asks her to the school dance. As the night of the dance comes closer, some very creepy things start happening to Abby. Someone definitely wants to keep her away from Jake. Is it a jealous classmate or, as Abby begins to suspect, could it be a ghost?

My thanks go to Atom for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I was younger, I would have absolutely loved this book. Even though I'm not in the target age range for this books (probably 8-12 year olds), this was a guilty pleasure for me! This was a simple story with a hint of creepiness that would be fantastic for children, young teens or any reluctant readers.

When I was younger, I really enjoyed reading books such as The Sleepover Club and Goosebumps, and if the Creepover series was available then, it would've been a sure hit with me! Truth or Dare certainly reminded me of both of those fantastic series of my childhood. It felt like I was reading a combination of those books, but modernised. It had just the right amount of scariness - it wasn't horrifying, but there were small scares throughout which is enough to make you feel uneasy. There was also a realistic and fun friendship between the girls at the sleepover. The book is simple and easy to follow with a few mysteries to leave you wondering throughout. I read this book in a single sitting as it was so absorbing and well paced. It was certainly a page turner! I was eager to see what would happen with the ghost that our protagonist was seeing and I definitely didn't expect the ending - I'm glad that it wasn't predictable.

I think that this book would be an ideal starting point for any reluctant readers, children or otherwise. There is enough substance without anything becoming too complex and the writing style is simple but effective. I thought that the activities left for the reader to do after the story had finished were fantastic. I don't usually comment on additional content, but I thought that the invitation to write your own story was a wonderful idea and gave me yet another reason to  urge younger readers to pick up this book.

I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did, simply because it's children's fiction, but it was actually a really enjoyable quick read. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect of it and it also reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars. This is definitely something I'd recommend to both reluctant and younger readers. If you're a parent or guardian, I'd certainly urge you to give this book to your child!

Dead Rules

Dead Rules by R.S. Russell

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected Publication: March 29th 2012 by Quercus Publishing PLC
(First Published June 21st 2011)
My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, cover-appeal, death, fantasy, ghosts, let-down, not-for-me, read-in-2012, supernatural, young-adult

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

When Jana Webster dies in a tragic accident, she finds herself transferred to 'Dead School' in the afterlife, where students fall into distinct cliques. Risers (good kids who died innocently), Sliders (bad kids, who have one foot tied to earth) and Virgins (there are fewer than Jana would expect). Jana's boyfriend and love of her life - Michael - is still in the land of the living. Michael is Romeo to Jana's Juliet and as the story goes... even death can't keep them apart. Tired of waiting for him to kill himself over his grief of losing her, Jana decides she needs to do it for him. To kill Michael she'll need the help of a dangerous and sexy Slider - Mars Dreamcoate. But Mars has a goal of his own: he wants to save a life to atone for having taken one in a drunk-driving accident. And to complicate matters, he was trying to save Jana when she died and saw what was really going on when her 'accident' happened. Jana decides to do whatever it takes to get Michael back, and nothing - not even Mars' warm touch or the devastating secret he holds about her death - will stop her.

My thanks go to Quercus for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I thought that the idea behind this book was fascinating, unfortunately this book was just not for me. I loved the idea of 'Dead School', where this book is set, but I thought that the execution was a little lacking with the numerous plot holes and not-so engaging characters. I can see that quite a few people will enjoy this though, especially if you like reading paranormal books with a strong focus on romance and (sort-of) love triangles. The story is like a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet, which sounds good but could've been better.

Jana, our main character, dies whilst bowling with her boyfriend, Michael, and their friends. She is quickly transported to 'Dead School' which is quite self explanatory - a school where those who have died go for a certain amount of time. There we are introduced to Risers (the 'good' people), Sliders (those who are 'bad'), Greys (those who have committed suicide) and Virgins (virgins who are seen as angel-like figures). I have to admit that I had a bit of a problem with the how the 'Greys' were portrayed - It was as if those who had committed suicide were singled out, looked down upon and punished. Sure, this is a fictional world that the author has created, with it's own rules, but it just didn't sit right with me. Then again, throughout this novel, I think that there are quite a few times when you will ask yourself what kind of behaviour is right or wrong. I also had a bit of an issue with the sexual references in the book. I'm by no means a prude or easily offended, but it just seemed like I was reading a book with with some random sexual references thrown in for the sake of it - there wasn't actually any need. The writing in this book felt as though it was for younger teens, but the content is definitely more for older teens.

The characters that we're introduced to in Dead School were interesting. I found their thoughts on the afterlife and the stories of how they died to be rather fascinating. There were a few recollections of obscure deaths which did make quite successful, yet bizarre, stories in themselves. I especially enjoyed reading about the Sliders, the main two being Mars Dreamcote and his friend, Wyatt. I'm not a fan of certain strange names in books and Mars Dreamcote was one of those names that made me cringe! That was quite easy to forgive though as I did like his character - he was a seen as 'bad', a rebel, but his intentions felt down to earth and sensitive - I can see why Jana liked him. I enjoyed finding out more about his friendship with Wyatt and how he ended up in Dead School.

As for the people she left on living Earth, I just couldn't stand them. I wasn't meant to like them, sure, but they were just simply awful. From the little we found out about Michael (Jana's boyfriend), he seemed totally arrogant and rather egotistical. When we find out more about him, he just seems like more despicable. From the start, I also found Jana's interest in him just too obsessive. When she dies, he is the only thing that she thinks about and tries to find a way to murder him just so that they could be together. Jana wasn't very logical - she was 'blinded'  by her love which contributed to her poorly made decisions. 

Despite not liking the characters very much, I think that, apart from the setting, the plot behind how Jana died when she was with Michael and her friends was the most interesting part of the story. It held the most mystery and intrigue, but it still could've been more complex.

Unfortunately, this book was simply not for me. It felt a little disjointed and had too many plot holes for my liking. Whilst I did like some of them, I couldn't connect with any of the characters which is something that I need to be able to do to have an enjoyable reading experience. The idea was there, but it felt all over the place and slightly confusing at points. I'm not sure whether there'll be a sequel (there wasn't a solid conclusion) but if so, I probably wouldn't read it. I understand that a lot of people have read and enjoyed this one, it's just a shame I am not one of those!