caitlin_bparsley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
The second book in the Dead Beautiful series. And again a wonderful book. :)
I first read the first book, and didn't know about the existence of the second book, so as soon as I read the first book, I was disappointed at the ending. It left so much open and so much questions that still need to be answered. I searched on Goodreads and *squeal* found out there is a second book, and a third book coming up (in a year though, soooo long :(.)
Watch out, might contain spoilers.
Anyways, in this book, we still have the Undead, still the love problems, but a different setting. This time we are in Canada, Montreal. Gottfried Academy is now closed to normal students, only Undead are allowed and our lead girl goes to a special Monitor school. First she is like, no. Then she finds out Dante might be there, and she is very eager to go.
She meets new friends, makes an enemy (sheesh Clementine is really a bitch, and so jealous when someone is better then her or is just chatting in a friendly way with her boyfriend). I really disliked Clementine.
Our lead girl finds out she can speak Latin, and also some other languages while she doesn't know what she said. She also experiences very vivid dreams and she meets up with Dante (in secret, since he is undead, and well.. Montreal is a monitor city, so if they find him it is over for him).
The book was really good, I loved the search for the Nine Sisters, Noah was nice, but I really disliked him at some points. He really doesn't understand no, or the fact our lead girl has a boyfriend.
Also really sad to see how Dante's and Renee relationship went, so much confusion, so much pain. If only they could be together without all the problems.
And now we have to wait for a year!! I don't think I can wait that long though.
I first read the first book, and didn't know about the existence of the second book, so as soon as I read the first book, I was disappointed at the ending. It left so much open and so much questions that still need to be answered. I searched on Goodreads and *squeal* found out there is a second book, and a third book coming up (in a year though, soooo long :(.)
Watch out, might contain spoilers.
Anyways, in this book, we still have the Undead, still the love problems, but a different setting. This time we are in Canada, Montreal. Gottfried Academy is now closed to normal students, only Undead are allowed and our lead girl goes to a special Monitor school. First she is like, no. Then she finds out Dante might be there, and she is very eager to go.
She meets new friends, makes an enemy (sheesh Clementine is really a bitch, and so jealous when someone is better then her or is just chatting in a friendly way with her boyfriend). I really disliked Clementine.
Our lead girl finds out she can speak Latin, and also some other languages while she doesn't know what she said. She also experiences very vivid dreams and she meets up with Dante (in secret, since he is undead, and well.. Montreal is a monitor city, so if they find him it is over for him).
The book was really good, I loved the search for the Nine Sisters, Noah was nice, but I really disliked him at some points. He really doesn't understand no, or the fact our lead girl has a boyfriend.
Also really sad to see how Dante's and Renee relationship went, so much confusion, so much pain. If only they could be together without all the problems.
And now we have to wait for a year!! I don't think I can wait that long though.
bexsbookshelves1's review
5.0
This review and more can be found at:
Reading Under the Covers
I was an absolute fan of the first book in this series and I can’t say I am disappointed in this book, well maybe a small bit.
Where the hell was Dante during this book?
Yeah I get it, he’s being “hunted” but I am incredibly disappointed!!!
He was barely in this book and when he was I was desperately wanting more. I didn’t like how he was keeping secrets from Renée. Yes I get it for her own safety but clearly no one seemed to be looking for him.
We follow Renée as she starts yet another school but this time training to be a Monitor. I liked these part of the books. I love learning more and more about Monitors, what it means and what it takes to be a monitor. It was interesting and was interesting to learn that you can be a “type” of Monitor.
You give us new characters and leave us with yet another cliff hanger. What the hell? Is Noah okay?
It was a good sequel but it just left me with more and more questions that I just need answering.
I feel like this book was very fast paced and it just felt like a filler but by no means does that mean it wasn’t good. It was, maybe just maybe it might have been even better then the first one.
Reading Under the Covers
I was an absolute fan of the first book in this series and I can’t say I am disappointed in this book, well maybe a small bit.
Where the hell was Dante during this book?
Yeah I get it, he’s being “hunted” but I am incredibly disappointed!!!
He was barely in this book and when he was I was desperately wanting more. I didn’t like how he was keeping secrets from Renée. Yes I get it for her own safety but clearly no one seemed to be looking for him.
We follow Renée as she starts yet another school but this time training to be a Monitor. I liked these part of the books. I love learning more and more about Monitors, what it means and what it takes to be a monitor. It was interesting and was interesting to learn that you can be a “type” of Monitor.
You give us new characters and leave us with yet another cliff hanger. What the hell? Is Noah okay?
It was a good sequel but it just left me with more and more questions that I just need answering.
I feel like this book was very fast paced and it just felt like a filler but by no means does that mean it wasn’t good. It was, maybe just maybe it might have been even better then the first one.
cupcakegirly's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This is book 2 in the Dead Beautiful series and while I'm still not a fan of the Undead/Zombie world, I have to say I did enjoy the action and adventure in this one.
At the end of book 1, Renee and Dante (take second w/your thoughts...Dante...) have become "soul mates" but in order to keep her safe, he leaves her which is of course, how you prove to someone that you want to spend forever with them, right? In his defense, he IS trying to keep her safe while he looks for a way for them to be together.
There's a new school, with new friends and rivals as well as a new mystery to solve that could result in Renee and Dante finally being able to be together. There's also a new guy, Noah, to complicate things for Renee and put her relationship with Dante to the test. Not only is Noah a Monitor (and a cute one too) he's interested in helping her solve the mystery of the strange visions she's been having. (He likes girls who like action and adventure. If I wasn't married, I'm pretty sure I'd be a candidate for Noah's dream girl.) Did I mention that Noah happens to be the boyfriend of Renee's latest rival, Clementine? Yeah, that makes things kinda interesting too. This sends them on an adventure that will not only challenge their skills as Monitors but will make them question all they've believed to be true about the history of the Undead right up to the heart racing end.
Let's not forget about Dante (as.if.) while we don't get to see him as much as we did in book 1, he's still around. Whenever he does show up, he tells Renee that he's been doing things to help "them" and she needs to trust him. He's constantly leaving her secret love messages (in Latin no less!) that only she can read but when her visions begin to take a dark turn, she starts to doubt him, their relationship and their love. (While reading these parts, I wanted to shake her and say, "Helleew Renee! Seriously?! This is Dante we're talking about! Dante!" This is hard to do with fictitious characters, and I'm prett-y sure my neighbors would think I'd gone off the deep end considering I was on my deck at the time.)
The ending had my heart pounding and I was happily discontent. Why? Because I realized there will be another book that I have to now wait for and I'm not the most patient person. I need to know what happens NOW! NOW! NOW! See? Not patient.
At the end of book 1, Renee and Dante (take second w/your thoughts...Dante...) have become "soul mates" but in order to keep her safe, he leaves her which is of course, how you prove to someone that you want to spend forever with them, right? In his defense, he IS trying to keep her safe while he looks for a way for them to be together.
There's a new school, with new friends and rivals as well as a new mystery to solve that could result in Renee and Dante finally being able to be together. There's also a new guy, Noah, to complicate things for Renee and put her relationship with Dante to the test. Not only is Noah a Monitor (and a cute one too) he's interested in helping her solve the mystery of the strange visions she's been having. (He likes girls who like action and adventure. If I wasn't married, I'm pretty sure I'd be a candidate for Noah's dream girl.) Did I mention that Noah happens to be the boyfriend of Renee's latest rival, Clementine? Yeah, that makes things kinda interesting too. This sends them on an adventure that will not only challenge their skills as Monitors but will make them question all they've believed to be true about the history of the Undead right up to the heart racing end.
Let's not forget about Dante (as.if.) while we don't get to see him as much as we did in book 1, he's still around. Whenever he does show up, he tells Renee that he's been doing things to help "them" and she needs to trust him. He's constantly leaving her secret love messages (in Latin no less!) that only she can read but when her visions begin to take a dark turn, she starts to doubt him, their relationship and their love. (While reading these parts, I wanted to shake her and say, "Helleew Renee! Seriously?! This is Dante we're talking about! Dante!" This is hard to do with fictitious characters, and I'm prett-y sure my neighbors would think I'd gone off the deep end considering I was on my deck at the time.)
The ending had my heart pounding and I was happily discontent. Why? Because I realized there will be another book that I have to now wait for and I'm not the most patient person. I need to know what happens NOW! NOW! NOW! See? Not patient.
eleos01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dlpeterson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
maestrocp's review
3.0
UNBELIEVABLE
Woon has gave a whole new definition to "Kiss of death" and "soul mates" in Dead Beautiful and in Life Eternal she turns the concept of eternal love on it's head. There are extreme lengths that one will go to for the one they love, extreme lengths for the undead to feel, to live again. It's a deadly secret that Renee's parents were tracking down before they were hunted down and left for dead in the woods. The same secret that killed her favourite teacher and her best friends mother. They're coming for Renee and this time Dante can't be there always to save her.
Relocated to a new school for Monitors Renee is the talk of the town as the girl who survived the kiss of death--they suspect now she's an immortal being, but the truth is, they don't know the truth about Dante--they can't or else their first instinct will be to bury him. I enjoyed this sequel because we got some time away from Dante. Renee got to grow on her own, create a new cast of friends and start her individual journey and the space also gave her time to contemplate a life without Dante, for a moment she truly considered it. Not in a cliched heart wrenching way, but with a clear perspective that honestly asked the question, "what if?" I enjoyed the scene change greatly. Canadian Soil! in YA! extremely refreshing!! One does get tired of Maine, don't you think?
If you enjoyed Dead Beautiful this sequel will not disappoint. I cannot wait to see how this tale wraps up!!!
Woon has gave a whole new definition to "Kiss of death" and "soul mates" in Dead Beautiful and in Life Eternal she turns the concept of eternal love on it's head. There are extreme lengths that one will go to for the one they love, extreme lengths for the undead to feel, to live again. It's a deadly secret that Renee's parents were tracking down before they were hunted down and left for dead in the woods. The same secret that killed her favourite teacher and her best friends mother. They're coming for Renee and this time Dante can't be there always to save her.
Relocated to a new school for Monitors Renee is the talk of the town as the girl who survived the kiss of death--they suspect now she's an immortal being, but the truth is, they don't know the truth about Dante--they can't or else their first instinct will be to bury him. I enjoyed this sequel because we got some time away from Dante. Renee got to grow on her own, create a new cast of friends and start her individual journey and the space also gave her time to contemplate a life without Dante, for a moment she truly considered it. Not in a cliched heart wrenching way, but with a clear perspective that honestly asked the question, "what if?" I enjoyed the scene change greatly. Canadian Soil! in YA! extremely refreshing!! One does get tired of Maine, don't you think?
If you enjoyed Dead Beautiful this sequel will not disappoint. I cannot wait to see how this tale wraps up!!!
lazygal's review
4.0
Any book that takes place (mostly) in Montreal is going to get 2-stars from me, and this earned a solid 1.5 more (which I'm bumping up to a 4) by 1. being the second in a series yet accessible to those who haven't read the first book and 2. by being a little more interesting than a mere Twilight-esque love triangle.
Renée is recovering from her soul-swapping adventure with Dante and her parents' deaths when she starts having some strange dreams. They feel real, and to her shock and horror, one actually does become real... but it can't be because she was no where near the scene-of-the-death at the time. Then she learns that Gottfried Academy is going to be solely for the Undead, while all the Monitors there will now be at St. Clement, in Montreal. So there's no reunion for her and Eleanor (what with Eleanor being Undead, etc.). Somehow Renée ends up being the top Monitor in the school, much to her new enemy Clementine's anger. There's a hot Monitor guy, Noah, who comes close to making her forget Dante, and Anya, a Russian-Canadian friend who helps her figure out what's happening with the dreams.
No plot spoilers here, but suffice it to say that the love triangle wasn't as annoying as other recent ones have been, and despite the paranormal elements Renée feels like a real teen. The questions of who the Ninth Sister is and how the whole Monitor/Undead tension will play out is left unresolved - yes, there's a cliffhanger ending. There's a part of me that thinks the resolution to that cliffhanger may end up being obvious, and I really hope the author does something different. We'll see.
ARC provided by publisher
Renée is recovering from her soul-swapping adventure with Dante and her parents' deaths when she starts having some strange dreams. They feel real, and to her shock and horror, one actually does become real... but it can't be because she was no where near the scene-of-the-death at the time. Then she learns that Gottfried Academy is going to be solely for the Undead, while all the Monitors there will now be at St. Clement, in Montreal. So there's no reunion for her and Eleanor (what with Eleanor being Undead, etc.). Somehow Renée ends up being the top Monitor in the school, much to her new enemy Clementine's anger. There's a hot Monitor guy, Noah, who comes close to making her forget Dante, and Anya, a Russian-Canadian friend who helps her figure out what's happening with the dreams.
No plot spoilers here, but suffice it to say that the love triangle wasn't as annoying as other recent ones have been, and despite the paranormal elements Renée feels like a real teen. The questions of who the Ninth Sister is and how the whole Monitor/Undead tension will play out is left unresolved - yes, there's a cliffhanger ending. There's a part of me that thinks the resolution to that cliffhanger may end up being obvious, and I really hope the author does something different. We'll see.
ARC provided by publisher