ellekeene's review against another edition
4.0
Populated by real characters and keen dialogue. Some expected twists but a real emotional punch. Add it to your TBR if you haven't.
insaaf's review against another edition
4.0
Many mysteries star white protags in all-white towns so it's honestly hard to get into them. This book starred Mila, my good sis, who is brown and practices Wicca!!! Undead Girl Gang is funny and dark and was just very fun to read. The twists and turns really allowed for a good balance between navigating death and the actual mystery of it all. I was genuinely very shocked at ~big reveal~ but I think the pacing of the story could've been better, and it felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I really ended up liking the girl gang and even though it all felt cliche teen movie at times, I think it was an enjoyable book. Also, I seriously need the pins from the cover.
(sidenote: I could tell Aniyah was a bad binch so I am docking a star because she should've been in this a lot more.)
(sidenote: I could tell Aniyah was a bad binch so I am docking a star because she should've been in this a lot more.)
readingrobin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Paranormal girl gangs in fiction have always hit a certain sweet spot with me. It might be the camaraderie, it could be the tendency to use supernatural powers for sweet revenge on those that had wronged them, either way this element made the book all the more entertaining. There were points where I still didn't really buy the friendships between the girls, there were still too many moments of the bullies hanging onto their old ways even after some empathizing character development, but they, that's just teenagers for you.
The witchy aspects take more of a precedence than the living dead ones as there is some focus on the specifics of rituals, their consequences, all giving off a vibe similar to The Craft. We even have a biker gang full of older witches and really it can't get much better than that. I don't know enough about the Wiccan religion to say if it was an accurate or flattering portrayal, since not all Wiccans define themselves as witches or vice versa, so just take that as you will.
If you've seen a good amount of murder mysteries, you'll probably get the twist right away. At some point it just becomes a process of elimination to figure out who the killer is, and that becomes very simple when the cast itself isn't too large. Still, it didn't detract from the intensity of the reveal or the follow up. In fact, the spiral we see the killer go down was very much 0-60 in nothing flat. At least that does something for the creep factor.
The witchy aspects take more of a precedence than the living dead ones as there is some focus on the specifics of rituals, their consequences, all giving off a vibe similar to The Craft. We even have a biker gang full of older witches and really it can't get much better than that. I don't know enough about the Wiccan religion to say if it was an accurate or flattering portrayal, since not all Wiccans define themselves as witches or vice versa, so just take that as you will.
If you've seen a good amount of murder mysteries, you'll probably get the twist right away. At some point it just becomes a process of elimination to figure out who the killer is, and that becomes very simple when the cast itself isn't too large. Still, it didn't detract from the intensity of the reveal or the follow up. In fact, the spiral we see the killer go down was very much 0-60 in nothing flat. At least that does something for the creep factor.
danys_reads's review against another edition
3.0
On my journey to read all the books I own: this was cute, though the mystery was very obvious from the start
sparkwaren's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I was outside the majority for this one, but I was super unimpressed by this book! I went in thinking it would be about witches and zombies, and, well it was, but. Not ... really? I don't know exactly how to explain it, but I'm going to try.
It was more about a murder mystery than anything, honestly. The witchcraft came second to that, and then the zombie factor third. This wouldn't really have bothered me, had Mila not been such an annoying narrative. Like, I get it. She's a high schooler, she's against the adults, blah blah blah. Call me old, but I found the significance of her defiance not only annoying, but just plain bratty. Yes, her best friend died and, yeah, the adults are overbearing and should probably step back a bit, but she didn't have to be a jerk.
Actually, she was pretty much a jerk to everyone except a specific character, which, looking back, ruined some of the story elements for me. Sometimes it made sense, but a lot of the time it just seemed like she was doing it to simply do it, which rubbed me the wrong way.
Other things to note: I didn't find the twist surprising, like, at all. Which is depressing, because I had been expecting to, well, not expect it. And yet, I did. In addition, the actual ending to the book was what really knocked me down to what would have been a three star rating (because I did love the interactions between Mila and the zombie girls) to a two, and almost to a flat out one star. I was pretty baffled by how nonchalant it all was, and I couldn't get over it as I read through the final chapter.
Needless to say, I really wasn't a fan.
It was totally bad, though. I really did enjoy the interactions between Mila and the three zombie girls (her best friend and then two other girls who had died), and, had the book been more about that side of things, I probably would have been able to look past the faults a little bit more. But it wasn't, and I didn't, and, really, this just wasn't the book for me.
Can't win them all!
It was more about a murder mystery than anything, honestly. The witchcraft came second to that, and then the zombie factor third. This wouldn't really have bothered me, had Mila not been such an annoying narrative. Like, I get it. She's a high schooler, she's against the adults, blah blah blah. Call me old, but I found the significance of her defiance not only annoying, but just plain bratty. Yes, her best friend died and, yeah, the adults are overbearing and should probably step back a bit, but she didn't have to be a jerk.
Actually, she was pretty much a jerk to everyone except a specific character, which, looking back, ruined some of the story elements for me. Sometimes it made sense, but a lot of the time it just seemed like she was doing it to simply do it, which rubbed me the wrong way.
Other things to note: I didn't find the twist surprising, like, at all. Which is depressing, because I had been expecting to, well, not expect it. And yet, I did. In addition, the actual ending to the book was what really knocked me down to what would have been a three star rating (because I did love the interactions between Mila and the zombie girls) to a two, and almost to a flat out one star. I was pretty baffled by how nonchalant it all was, and I couldn't get over it as I read through the final chapter.
Needless to say, I really wasn't a fan.
It was totally bad, though. I really did enjoy the interactions between Mila and the three zombie girls (her best friend and then two other girls who had died), and, had the book been more about that side of things, I probably would have been able to look past the faults a little bit more. But it wasn't, and I didn't, and, really, this just wasn't the book for me.
Can't win them all!
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.75*
With a diverse cast of characters, witchcraft, murder, zombies and mystery, Undead Girl Gang was an incredibly fun and unique read. I do feel it lacked suspense in parts and a few areas of the plot fell a little short but with that being said, this was undoubtedly entertaining and enjoyable. It was intersectional in addressing bigotry towards topics such as racism and fatphobia, whilst at the same time, following a literal group of undead girls solving their murders. I mean, that’s pretty fab?! Overall, this is a book one I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a lighthearted and original YA read with murder, friendships and witchcraft.
With a diverse cast of characters, witchcraft, murder, zombies and mystery, Undead Girl Gang was an incredibly fun and unique read. I do feel it lacked suspense in parts and a few areas of the plot fell a little short but with that being said, this was undoubtedly entertaining and enjoyable. It was intersectional in addressing bigotry towards topics such as racism and fatphobia, whilst at the same time, following a literal group of undead girls solving their murders. I mean, that’s pretty fab?! Overall, this is a book one I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a lighthearted and original YA read with murder, friendships and witchcraft.
jamiee_f's review against another edition
5.0
SO GOOD! I really enjoyed this. The characters were diverse and fun, and it was an enjoyable and compelling read.
monkay66's review against another edition
5.0
My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough! Such a good read, I started and finished it in a day & a half because I got so invested. Highly reccomend!
ladym23's review against another edition
3.0
3.9 stars
The Craft + Mean Girls = this book, I can see this as a Netflix movie.
The Craft + Mean Girls = this book, I can see this as a Netflix movie.