Review: Once Dead, Twice Shy

Info:
Title: Once Dead, Twice Shy
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Madison Avery #1
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: May 26, 2009

Blurb:

My name is Madison Avery, and I'm here to tell you that there's more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I'm there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison's prom was killer—literally. For some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she's stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

My Thoughts:

Overall, this one was disappointing for me. I hadn't heard anything about this book and just picked it up on a book-buying spree, so I'm not sure what I was expecting. There was nothing terrible about this one, but at the same time, there was nothing that stood out in a good way. The entire thing was underwhelming.

Madison Avery is dead. But in reality, that doesn't mean much to the reader, just that she can't remove her amulet. I had no connection at all with Madison. She was meant to be spunky and care-free, despite being dead, but none of it rang true for me. I found the supporting characters to be just as lack-luster. Josh, the potential love interest, could have had the whole tortured-popular-jock-with-a-sensitive-side thing going, but it didn't happen for me. Also, I thought it was totally unrealistic how quickly he bought into Madison's story. I would have been having multiple major freak outs! Barnabas, a light reaper, could have been so swoon-worthy, but he also fell flat for me. No spark; nothing to make me care one way or the other.

The plot also felt a bit convenient. The way the author arranged to have Madison and Josh be on their own for so long, it just felt too easy somehow. I know it was meant to be twisty at the end, but I think my lack of interest in the characters made the twists less impressive.

Another thing that drove me crazy was the really bizarre euphemisms Harrison used to avoid putting swearing in the book. Seriously? Puppy presents on the rug? What 17-year-old says that? Maybe my high school was just ghetto, but I remember there being tons of swearing in the halls etc. But no puppy presents. I would have found it much less distracting if Madison could have just said crap or something normal.

I went into Once Dead, Twice Shy with no expectations, but I was disappointed none-the-less. The characters were lacking, a plot that should have been exciting somehow didn't excite me and  I really just wanted to get it over with to start my next read.

On the Cover:

The cover was probably the best part of this book for me. Although, the model should have had purple hair, as Madison was always mentioning her's.

Rating: 2 Hearts

Source: Purchased.

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