Title: Dead Girl
Author: Kerrie Faye
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Teen Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Dying has its perks...mostly. Bullied teen, Ember O'Neill goes from the weird girl to the tyrant of her school when she is resurrected from a deadly prank. Now secretly supernatural, she dethrones the school drama queen and snags the hot new guy, but her reign is at risk when the Order, a heretical sect, sends an assassin to eliminate her. Ember must expose her powers, potentially losing all she has gained, in order to save herself and her friends as her killer closes in.
My Review:
A thrilling debut YA fantasy novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters.
Ember O’Neill knows firsthand how difficult it is to be different. Throughout elementary school in small-town Kentucky, she grapples with unusually heightened senses making her the outcast. But as her sophomore year at Wilson High approaches, she vows to shake that image and fit in—a task that proves insurmountable until she dies, returns from the dead, and learns her abilities are paranormal. Her status as the ‘Dead Girl’ moves her up to the top of the social ladder, but also draws the attention of a heretical sect that wants her dead.
The characterization is well done. Ember is imperfect and relatable as are her closest friends Erick and Hallee, her love interest Logan, as well as a mysterious friend she meets while dream walking. Other minor characters play interesting roles in rounding out the high school experience and making Ember’s experiences feel real to the reader.
Suspense builds in the opening chapters and carries throughout an intricate, but easy to follow plot that reveals the truth about who Ember is, where she came from, what her special abilities, are most importantly—who her enemies are. Although the main storyline of the book is resolved, intriguing questions remain, leading into what I hope will be a second book.
Fans of faith-based fantasy and secret orders will love this book as much as I did.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Amazon https://a.co/d/1PXfain
Author Biography:
Kerrie Faye is a Gen X wife and mom who found her passion to write later in life. A graduate of Murray State University, she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Raised in Western Kentucky, where her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, takes place, the author currently resides near the Rocky Mountain Flatirons in Colorado where there is far less humidity, but not nearly enough BBQ. Her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, will be published on February 26, 2024 by The Wild Rose Press.
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Reviewed by: Michelle