Title: The Dead and BuriedPublisher: Scholastic Point
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Pages: 304, Hardcover
Rating: 3.5 stars
Summary from Goodreads:
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?
I thought this book was fun. Jade’s new home is being haunted by the ghost of Kayla Sloane, the old Queen B of her high school. If Kayla was ruthless when she was alive, it’s nothing compared to what she’s willing to do now to get the truth. Kayla wants answers and she’s using Jade to get them. But Jade soon discovers that a lot of people had cause to want Kayla Sloane dead.
Did Kayla’s best guy friend finally get tired of being in the friend-zone after pining for her always? Did the loner smart girl take out her only competition for valedictorian because Kayla didn't deserve it? Did one of Kayla's closes minions want the spotlight? Or what about the countless others that Kalya bullied, manipulated, took advantage of, overshadowed, etc? Even though I had a feeling about the killer early on, I didn’t understand the motive and that kept me interested in the story. I kept second guessing myself because so many people fit the bill. I enjoyed trying to puzzle out the mystery.
To get answers, Jade inserts herself into the life that Kayla used to lead, but she doesn’t know who to trust or what to believe. She befriended the quirky smart girl and doesn’t think she’s capable of murder but her unusual show of emotion concerns Jade. She also finds herself drawn to Donovan, who, ironically, is the person that the rest of the school thinks killed Kayla. He was the last one to see her alive and a witness saw him leave her house right around the time of the murder. Jade also thinks he might be hiding something from her. But Jade follows her heart and employs the powers of sleuthing to eventaully solve the murder. I thought the clues were well laid out and everything came together nicely at the end. It wasn't the best mystery I ever read but I thought it was pretty decently executed.
Even though this book involved ghosts, it wasn’t that creepy. I was more creeped out by the old neighbor who seems to always be watching than Kayla's ghost. And I thought Kayla was an awesome antagonist. I actually wish we saw more of her as Queen B but we have to settle for pages from her diary to get glimpses of her ruthless, cunning behavior. Something about mean girls I find so entertaining. I also liked Jade as the main character. She was level-headed and smart, and even though she wasn’t as exciting as Kayla, she had enough personality to capture my attention.
Overall, I liked this book; there just wasn’t anything particularly amazing about it to warrant a higher rating. It was a good story with a puzzling mystery, one fantastically bitchy ghost (that we didn't see enough of), a bit of romance, and some good ol' high school drama.
Did Kayla’s best guy friend finally get tired of being in the friend-zone after pining for her always? Did the loner smart girl take out her only competition for valedictorian because Kayla didn't deserve it? Did one of Kayla's closes minions want the spotlight? Or what about the countless others that Kalya bullied, manipulated, took advantage of, overshadowed, etc? Even though I had a feeling about the killer early on, I didn’t understand the motive and that kept me interested in the story. I kept second guessing myself because so many people fit the bill. I enjoyed trying to puzzle out the mystery.
To get answers, Jade inserts herself into the life that Kayla used to lead, but she doesn’t know who to trust or what to believe. She befriended the quirky smart girl and doesn’t think she’s capable of murder but her unusual show of emotion concerns Jade. She also finds herself drawn to Donovan, who, ironically, is the person that the rest of the school thinks killed Kayla. He was the last one to see her alive and a witness saw him leave her house right around the time of the murder. Jade also thinks he might be hiding something from her. But Jade follows her heart and employs the powers of sleuthing to eventaully solve the murder. I thought the clues were well laid out and everything came together nicely at the end. It wasn't the best mystery I ever read but I thought it was pretty decently executed.
Even though this book involved ghosts, it wasn’t that creepy. I was more creeped out by the old neighbor who seems to always be watching than Kayla's ghost. And I thought Kayla was an awesome antagonist. I actually wish we saw more of her as Queen B but we have to settle for pages from her diary to get glimpses of her ruthless, cunning behavior. Something about mean girls I find so entertaining. I also liked Jade as the main character. She was level-headed and smart, and even though she wasn’t as exciting as Kayla, she had enough personality to capture my attention.
Overall, I liked this book; there just wasn’t anything particularly amazing about it to warrant a higher rating. It was a good story with a puzzling mystery, one fantastically bitchy ghost (that we didn't see enough of), a bit of romance, and some good ol' high school drama.
I LOVED this book! I loved the mystery, guessing who could've done it...at the last second I guessed correct, though, unfortunately (I like being surprised). But the persosn's motive behind it?? I did NOT guess on that, lol.
ReplyDeleteThere was one part I thought was creepy (I'll try not to include spoilers)... when Kayla messed with Jade's little brother...Oh my gods! I guess it freaked me out because I have twin brothers who are his same age, and well, I couldn't help but picturing my little twinsies in his place. Scary!
Great review! :)
I agree that was totally creepy and I don't even have little brothers to relate it too! I did like this book. I'd maybe even put it at 4 stars. It was engaging!
DeleteSounds like a great read. Loved the review. I am adding it to my TBR :) Thanks.
ReplyDelete