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A review by bbrassfield
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
4.0
I know what you must be thinking. WTF is a 48 year-old dude reading a novel like Dead Beautiful? Welp it all started in an independent bookshop dontchaknow, my syfy/fantasy YA spurt of recent years that is. Buffalo Street Books is a fabulous bookshop in Ithaca NY and during the Hamilton years I often journeyed there (and the wonderful Moosewood restaurant) and every time I went in the very astute book buyer had many tasty reading treats displayed on the YA syfy/fantasy table. I'd saunter over to the table, pick up some interesting sounding titles or novels with cool looking jackets and grab a seat in the comfy chair adjacent to the table and have at the first chapter or two of each. Looking back it is amazing how many great reads I found there and managed to support independent bookshops in the process. I actually read Dead Beautiful a couple of years back but have just started the sequel and thought it time to add it to my good reads list.
Dead Beautiful opens in a redwood forest in northern California, very close to where I lived for nine years and this setting is what drew me to the novel. By the time I got to the part where the story shifts to the east coast I was hooked. After suffering through the gawdawful Stephanie Meyer Twilight novels (a friend saved me from finishing the dreadful fourth installment) it is refreshing to find well-written imaginative YA fiction like this novel by Yvonne Woon. The main storyline does involve the undead but not in the way you might think thankfully, and the plot is fairly original. Our story begins in northern Cali with the parents of our protagonist on a hunt in the forest but for what we do not yet know. In fairly short order they end up quite dead with more than a little air of mystery as to how they got that way and the life of their high school aged daughter is turned utterly upside down. Soon the story shifts to New England as Renee goes to live with her grandfather and begins attending a private preparatory school that is much more than just another New England boarding school. The much more is what gives the story its weight and most of the adventure takes place in this somewhat cliched setting although the nature of Woon's plot renders this mostly a mute criticism. Renee comes to understand her parents were murdered by a group of undead (no not vampires!) and her new school is actually home to both the living and the undead. She also comes to learn much of her previously unknown family history from her grandfather who himself has a long history with the school and the undead. I won't say too much about what makes someone in this story undead as this is a key part of the novel but I will say Dead Beautiful was a thoroughly enjoyable novel with several engaging well-rounded characters. Early in, the sequel seems even better.
Dead Beautiful opens in a redwood forest in northern California, very close to where I lived for nine years and this setting is what drew me to the novel. By the time I got to the part where the story shifts to the east coast I was hooked. After suffering through the gawdawful Stephanie Meyer Twilight novels (a friend saved me from finishing the dreadful fourth installment) it is refreshing to find well-written imaginative YA fiction like this novel by Yvonne Woon. The main storyline does involve the undead but not in the way you might think thankfully, and the plot is fairly original. Our story begins in northern Cali with the parents of our protagonist on a hunt in the forest but for what we do not yet know. In fairly short order they end up quite dead with more than a little air of mystery as to how they got that way and the life of their high school aged daughter is turned utterly upside down. Soon the story shifts to New England as Renee goes to live with her grandfather and begins attending a private preparatory school that is much more than just another New England boarding school. The much more is what gives the story its weight and most of the adventure takes place in this somewhat cliched setting although the nature of Woon's plot renders this mostly a mute criticism. Renee comes to understand her parents were murdered by a group of undead (no not vampires!) and her new school is actually home to both the living and the undead. She also comes to learn much of her previously unknown family history from her grandfather who himself has a long history with the school and the undead. I won't say too much about what makes someone in this story undead as this is a key part of the novel but I will say Dead Beautiful was a thoroughly enjoyable novel with several engaging well-rounded characters. Early in, the sequel seems even better.