Bad Girls Don’t Die
Author: Katie Alender
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 21, 2009
Pages: 352
Series: Bad Girls Don’t Die, Book One
Source: Purchased
About the Book: Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence: dysfunctional like her parents’ marriage; her doll-crazy thirteen-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.
When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction to dangerous. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green; she uses odd, old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her weird behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves, water boils on the unlit stove, and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough for the girls to see their breath.
Alexis wants to believe it’s all in her head, until these seemingly harmless occurrences become life-threatening–to her, to her family, and to her budding relationship with the student council vice president. Alexis knows she’s the only person who can stop Kasey; but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?
My Thoughts: WARNING: Do NOT read this book right before bed! Holy creeptastic storyline Batman! I get the shivers just thinking it! I read this book some time ago but realized I’d never reviewed it. With the recent release of it’s companion From Bad to Cursed (review to come) I thought I’d revisit it.
Confession… I am a HUGE baby when it comes to two things: spicy food and scary stories. It’s pretty bad. In regards to food I can’t even handle “medium” salsa. I’m even more of a baby about scary stories. Since I am such a fraidy cat I tend to not read/watch scary or creepy books/movies. I don’t enjoy them. This book was an exception! The first chapter drew me in (and the covers above my head!)
I really enjoyed Alexis as a narrator. As a budding photographer she views the world in a way that is unique. I loved her descriptions of things. It was interesting to see events/people/places through her eyes. I also liked that she didn’t “fit” one stereotype. Actually, this was true of a number of the characters. I would think that I had them pegged but them the author would reveal more about them and my perceptions would change. I can remember being in high school and feeling like people didn’t really know me at all. They pegged me as someone in middle school and since we all went to the same schools that was who I was throughout high school. It didn’t matter if it was true or not. It just felt really authentic to me.
The only thing that felt a little off to me was the family dynamic. I can’t say too much without spoiling the book. I’ll just say that I was a little confused by some of the interactions between Alexis’ family. It didn’t really detract from the book but I was a little confused by some of the actions.
If you feel like to be creeped out in the best possible way this book is definitely one you should check out!
Random Things I Loved:
*The photography element
*The “Doom Squad”
*The doll collection. PERFECT for making the story creepy. Something about all those eyes… shudder!
*Carter and his adorableness!
*The banter between Alexis and Carter.
*Carter’s description of Alexis’ house
*Pink hair! I LOVE pink hair!
Sidenote: I liked the book so much I forgive the author for the reference to the school librarian just sitting around reading a romance novel! 😉
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