Life Eternal (Dead Beautiful, #2)

Feb 19, 2012 mrsj rated it 5 of 5 stars

Aargh!!!!!!!
A Cliffhanger!!!!!!!
It ended with a cliffhanger!

If you can't remember book 1 (Dead Beautiful), please read it before you start this.

This book started off weak.
It was spooky at first, soon turned to boring but the story picked up soon enough and it engaged us into the suspense, mystery and romance.
It left me with goosebumps throughout till the very end.
This is indeed a very beautiful story.

"Just one kiss will take your breath away.." - Dead Beautiful

Renée Winters is a Monitor* and s...more

17 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Khanh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies-undead, ya, boarding-school, mythology, high-school, kick-ass-heroine

I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the first book in the series enough, but felt it was simplistic overall. Everything in the first book felt...lacking in complexity; things were smooth, almost too smooth. She had pretty much one love interest, spent time daydreaming about Dante, her ONE TWOO WUV, she had good friends, and the Monitors were fairly antagonistic but by mean...more I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the first book in the series enough, but felt it was simplistic overall. Everything in the first book felt...lacking in complexity; things were smooth, almost too smooth. She had pretty much one love interest, spent time daydreaming about Dante, her ONE TWOO WUV, she had good friends, and the Monitors were fairly antagonistic but by means was her life difficult.

It's not that I like things challenging for my main characters. I want to like my main characters; I don't want the queen bitch in the school making life a miserable, living hell for them every minute of every second of every day, but I'd like my protagonist to face a little bit of a challenge. It gives them character, it builds up their personality, their strength, and in this book, we see Renée grow a backbone. She stops swooning over the perfect Dante, she realizes that it's ok to be attracted to someone else, she feels guilt, she learns to defend herself against attacks from the odious Clementine.

Renée even learns to question Dante. She does not blindly accept that because she loves him, that he can do no wrong, that he may be someone different than whom she had believed him to be. She is not so blind to love that she does not see his faults or question his actions when things doesn't feel right. In the first book, she is blindly infatuated with Dante, in this one, she learns that love doesn't mean you need to blindly trust someone. Good for her.

I felt the mystery was well done here, too. The new Canadian setting is interesting, as was the flashbacks that gave us more insight into the background of the Monitors and the history of the schools. I wish that there were more details about the classes at the new school, and I wish that things weren't left on a cliffhanger at the end of the book. (It would also have been nice to get a nice confrontation with Clementine, too, but if wishes were horses, I'd have a ranch).(less)

like · see review

Apr 10, 2013 Levian rated it 4 of 5 stars

second book into the Dead Beautiful (2010-2012) series, the book continued following the journey of Renée. she held on dear to her secret, where she had died and was brought back to life by the kiss of Dante, her soul mate who happened to be an Undead. the experience changed her, where half of her soul resided within Dante. when Gottfried Academy was transformed into the school of the Undead, she was sent to Lycee St. Clement, the school for Monitors, where she will be trained to kill and bury t...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alles hat sich verändert seit dem Renee für Dante gestorben ist. Sie hat ihm ihre Seele gegeben, damit er weiter leben kann. Doch für Dante gibt es kein Leben ohne Renee, sodass er ihr ihre gemeinsame Seele wieder gegeben hat. Doch nichts ist mehr so wie es einmal war. Dante ist seit Monaten auf der Flucht und Renee ist nur noch ein Schatten ihrer selbst.
Sie hat keinen Appetit mehr, kann fast nichts mehr riechen und schmecken und schlafen kann sie auch nicht mehr wirklich. Und die Sehnsucht nac...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Esther Shaindel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2...

To start at the end - Yvonne is the master of cliffhanger endings! She did it at the end of Dead Beautiful, and it's even more cliffhanger-y in Life Eternal! The last chapter is a buildup of action upon action, suspense and mystery, with terror and danger climbing and magnifying, until you're holding your breath and waiting to see what happens, and then something happens - and then it's the last sentence. And you turn the...more Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2...

To start at the end - Yvonne is the master of cliffhanger endings! She did it at the end of Dead Beautiful, and it's even more cliffhanger-y in Life Eternal! The last chapter is a buildup of action upon action, suspense and mystery, with terror and danger climbing and magnifying, until you're holding your breath and waiting to see what happens, and then something happens - and then it's the last sentence. And you turn the page. And that's it. And now wait for the third book! But who died? And who's the good guy? And did they get it? And what does it mean? We'll have to wait and see.

As for the rest of the book - it's amazing as well. The one thing that bothered me was that Renee trusted her new friends too quickly and shared sensitive information with them too readily, but that was pretty much necessary to get the plot moving. Her new friends are quirky and fun, even with all the darkness going on, and I love the way each one helps her with different parts of her investigation. It definitely doesn't get boring!

The mystery is woven really intricately, and unfolds slowly as the story progresses. Both mysteries, I should say - the mystery of the Nine Sisters and the mystery of Dante. Renee's confusion about Dante feels raw and real, and her sense of betrayal screams out from the page. And she follows the clues that the ninth sister left, and finally figures out what it all means, the way a girl who is confused but determined would. But the mystery itself - there are layers upon layers that Yvonne reveals through little snippets, like teacher's asides in the classroom, chance meetings, Renee's making connection between things... Things that were set up in Dead Beautiful come back in Life Eternal as part of the mystery - including Eleanor, Renee's parents, and Miss LaBarge. It all ties together, slowly, steadily.

I love Renee's relationships with her friends. Her relationship with Dante is not as beautiful as it was in Dead Beautiful, it's more painful and confusing, but her friends give her that lighthearted side instead. Anya and Noah are both very different from each other, which gives Renee different views of the situation, as I mentioned. It also brings out different parts of her personality that we didn't see in Dead Beautiful either. As a potential romantic interest, Noah is great. He's a little suspect at first, and I didn't like him right away, but I warmed up to him eventually and even though I'm still rooting for Dante, I felt glad that Renee had comfort from Noah.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Marie-Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Die Ereignisse des letzten Sommers haben Renées Leben komplett verändert. Ihre alte Schule musste geschlossen werden, ihre große Liebe Dante ist untergetaucht. Seit seinem Kuss schläft sie kaum, ihre Sinne sind abgestumpft und sie sieht reifer und schöner aus - trägt sie einen Teil seiner unsterblichen Seele in sich? An ihrer neuen Schule, dem St. Clemént, wird Renée mit Argwohn betrachtet - außer von einem Jungen namens Noah. Mit ihm kommt sie dem Geheimnis der Untoten Stück für Stück näher und...more Die Ereignisse des letzten Sommers haben Renées Leben komplett verändert. Ihre alte Schule musste geschlossen werden, ihre große Liebe Dante ist untergetaucht. Seit seinem Kuss schläft sie kaum, ihre Sinne sind abgestumpft und sie sieht reifer und schöner aus - trägt sie einen Teil seiner unsterblichen Seele in sich? An ihrer neuen Schule, dem St. Clemént, wird Renée mit Argwohn betrachtet - außer von einem Jungen namens Noah. Mit ihm kommt sie dem Geheimnis der Untoten Stück für Stück näher und begibt sich dabei selbst in tödliche Gefahr …

Der zweite Band der "Dead Beautiful"- Trilogie erfüllt keinesfalls das übliche Klischee eines mittleren Bandes.
Die Handlung wartet mit vielen neuen Facetten und Ideen auf, ohne dabei den Charme des ersten Teils zu vergessen.
Viele Geheimnisse und Rätsel machen "Unendliche Sehnsucht" zu einem niemals vorhersehbaren Lesevergnügen, das zwar in seiner Art anders ist als "Deine Seele in mir", aber dafür umso spannender.
Während der Fokus des ersten Teils auf der romantischen Beziehung zwischen Renée und Dante lag, wird nun das Thema der Untoten weiter vertieft.
Die Atmosphäre ist in "Unendliche Sehnsucht" stets düster, aber auch ein wenig unheimlich gehalten. Kombiniert mit einer konstant hoch angelegten Spannungskurve wird dieses Buch zu einem tollen Schmöker und macht viel Lust auf den finalen Band, da auch der Cliffhanger am Ende die Spannung schürt.

Etliche neue Charaktere werden in "Unendliche Sehnsucht" eingeführt. Vorallem die neuen Freunde Renées sind mit viel Liebe zum Detail skizziert werden und in ihrer Unterschiedlichkeit umso sympathischer. Ihre Charaktere werden nie komplett herausgearbeitet, sondern offenbaren sich nach und nach und bieten somit noch einige Rätsel und Geheimnisse mehr.
Die Liebe zwischen Dante und Renée tritt ein Stück weit in den Hintergrund, dafür sind die gemeinsamen Szenen umso intensiver, aber auch dramatischer, denn Dantes Tod soll verhindert werden.

Der Sprachstil der Autorin ist einerseits flüssig und intensiv zu lesen, andererseits schreibt sie sehr bildhaft und mit Liebe zum Detail. Diese unterschiedlichen Facetten bilden eine wundervolle Erzählstruktur heraus, die viel Freude am Lesen beschert.

Das Cover passt optisch perfekt zu seinem Vorgänger. Es wirkt sehr verträumt und verspielt. Man hätte das Düstere der Handlung noch stärker herausarbeiten können, um das Cover noch eindrucksvoller und nachdrücklicher zu gestaltet. Ansonsten ist es definitiv ein Hingucker, den man sich gerne ins Regal stellt.
(less)

like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Charlotte Marshall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: yvonne-woon

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ok so I've literally just finished reading the second installement of the Dead Beautiful books... my opinion? I was extremely sad to put it down... I didn't even know if they would continue the story so after the last page I was like... HUH! NOOOOO! I demanded more in my head!
Yvonne Woon rocks! Her descriptions again left me in awe... EVERYTHING in this book screamed out epic to me. I found myself being drawn into her world yet again. The story continues to spin in my head. Renee and Dante are...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2012 Danielle Thomas added it

Ok not a great book to read super late at night, in a silent house, when you have a strange amount in common with the main character, and the entire time you are expecting some undead to crawl out of your closet and suck your soul out of your mouth. All things said read this book in the DAYLIGHT with alive humans around. At least that is what I reccommend because in doing that first part I may just not sleep all that well tonight. But to the actual review part. This book like the first started o...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2012 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

KEY POINTS: Romance, Love Triangle, Mystery, Detective, Suspense

IN SHORT: This book was a great read; it combined a great 3D mystery with in depth characters and heart stopping action.

Life eternal is the second book in the beautiful dead series by Yvonne Woon, In this instalment we are thrown straight into where we were left off with the main character Renee still unsure where she fits in her world and is unmoveable in her affections for Dante, although at the beginning the action is set at slo...more
KEY POINTS: Romance, Love Triangle, Mystery, Detective, Suspense

IN SHORT: This book was a great read; it combined a great 3D mystery with in depth characters and heart stopping action.

Life eternal is the second book in the beautiful dead series by Yvonne Woon, In this instalment we are thrown straight into where we were left off with the main character Renee still unsure where she fits in her world and is unmoveable in her affections for Dante, although at the beginning the action is set at slow burn I feel this helps build the characters depth and helps the audience get a better feel of Renee and her personality, along with helping to understand and feel the interactions with some of the more minor characters such as her granddad.

As we move through the book a subtle but page turning mystery starts to take wing that allows the audience to discover the clues right along with the main character Renee, we also get a deeper view of her and Dante relationship where the audience are turned to root for the couple as the author explores the issues within the pairing.

At this point in the book we are introduced into some past characters and new characters which will play key roles later on, one particularly interesting character is Noah, although I liked this character very much I was never quite sure what his agenda was, whether he was truly just an enthusiastic friend was up for fun or if he truly loved Renee and was a big rival for Dante, this created excitement and an audience involvement as the reader will inevitable choose to root for certain parings. The reader is also left feeling worried and curious about weather this character will appear in the third book due to his role in the twist in the last chapter.

There is also the classic girl rival in the character clementine who tries to beat Renee in Academics, status and Affection for Noah. Even though I found her abrasive at first as the author delved into the past of this new character I found myself actually like her more and hoping we might see her again in the third book.

The end of this book left me breathless as the action and the mystery build up to it final stages, at this point the reader has followed ever clue along with characters and are desperate to find out the treasure that is buried underneath that will either save the characters or kill them. Here the author creates one last twist that the audience will not expect leaving them breathless and wanting more.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 22, 2012 Lyn Ching rated it 4 of 5 stars

FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BOOK BLOG AT www.readingtsinoy.blogspot.com
THANKS AND HAPPY READING!!!

LIFE ETERNAL
by Yvonne Woon
Due Out: January 24, 2012

WARNING: Spoiler Alert.

This is the sequel of the book DEAD BEAUTIFUL. The biggest premise of the series is that children (up to age 21) who die and are not buried nor burned will reanimate after 10 days. they will retain memories from their former life and still be functional yet are quite different. their senses will be dull and they...more FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BOOK BLOG AT www.readingtsinoy.blogspot.com
THANKS AND HAPPY READING!!!

LIFE ETERNAL
by Yvonne Woon
Due Out: January 24, 2012

WARNING: Spoiler Alert.

This is the sequel of the book DEAD BEAUTIFUL. The biggest premise of the series is that children (up to age 21) who die and are not buried nor burned will reanimate after 10 days. they will retain memories from their former life and still be functional yet are quite different. their senses will be dull and they will be emotionally detached, apart from having very cold skin. The Undead can only live up to 21 years after reanimation unless they can find their lost soul, which is virtually impossible. And one kiss from them will mean a stolen soul and death.

Renee Winters’ parents died after being kissed by the undead. She gets shipped off by her grandfather to Gottfried Academy where she meets mysterious and gorgeous Dante Berlin. She falls deeply in love with him only to find out that he is an Undead. While she on the other hand is a Monitor, a person who can sense the dead and is tasked to kill them if necessary. Circumstances happen and she willingly kisses Dante to give him her soul and die herself. But at the end of Dead Beautiful, Dante sacrifices his new life to give Renee back hers.

Life Eternal starts with Renee not quite herself anymore. She died and lived again because of Dante, but in the process literally lost a big part of her soul to him, and as such they have become one entity, only fully alive when with each other. She knows that the only chance they have at life together is if Dante finds eternal life. Another problem is that Dante is on the run from Monitors who are hunting him down as they are convinced that he killed the former headmaster at Gottfried Academy. But rumors abound about the Nine Sisters who are believed to have discovered the secret to living forever. So Renee searches for clues that may lead to eternal life….or death.

I love the character of Dante. He is strong and loyal. And even though at a certain point in the book Renee starts wavering on her trust in him, he never lost his faith in her. Renee on the other hand is confused. Certain events, and deaths in the book point towards Dante and since he chooses to remain silent about his activities while on the run and his whereabouts, Renee has reasons for her questions. There’s also Noah, another Monitor who is a really good and supportive friend to Renee. But he wants more than what she can give….. because in the end, there is always Dante.

This is a good read. although it’s quite lengthy, I didn’t really notice time pass as every chapter drew me in more. the pace is just right and as expected, the ending left me hanging. It left me frustrated about Noah (the ice! The ice!) and hopeful about Dante and Renee. It also left me with questions, the biggest being: will one truly have to die for the other to survive? Let’s ponder this one ladies until the next book comes out. Till then, read these with a tissue or two…. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Taylor Burnett rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished this book about 2 minutes ago and let me just say I loved it! I had doubts about it in the beginning because it started a little slow but soon enough I couldn't put it down. Let me start off by saying I love the cover of this book; I know the girl who is one the cover and she is amazingly beautiful and I think that she captured the look of Renee on the cover with the canary, its just wonderful. Now, the story. I didn't think Yvonne could top the first book of the series--Dead Bea...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: death-and-dying, fantasy-scifi, french-connection, latest-reads, paranormal, reviewer-book, woman-writer, ya-novel

Pages: 408

Genre: YA Fiction/Paranormal/Suspense

Author's website: http://www.yvonnewoon.com/

Cover Rating:

Beautiful cover, but I'm not sure I know from the cover images exactly what the book is about. I can see it is coming from a cold and snow-encrusted region, the canary in a cage is an interesting image, and the stony arch denotes an entry into an aged place. Otherwise, the girl is just pretty and we aren't sure how she relates to the title. Love the font used and the proper placement of title...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 27, 2011 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars

No, no, no! The book couldn't have ended there! What a frustrating way to end the book, because now I have to wait for the actual book (not the ARC) before the next one even comes out!

The book didn't start as well as I had wanted it to. I remember reading the first book LOVING it all the way through. Renee was really mopey and pathetic, and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading it. Yes, she's without her love, but I really wanted to shake her and tell her to stop feeling sorry for herself. I wa...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Tammi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Renée is back living with her grandfather after school is over. The events that happened at the end of the school year have bought her a summer of therapy. Now, she is having nightmares that are unusual for a monitor (one who can sense the undead.) She doesn’t tell anyone about the nightmares because she thinks that they are unreal and insignificant, until a member of the faculty of her school dies which is congruent with the dream she had. Gottfried Academy is closed to students and only remain...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I definitely feel much the same about Life Eternal as I did Dead Beautiful. It's fun and quick to read, but also kind of ridiculous and melodramatic. However, overall, I think I did like this one a bit better.

First off, Renée is still weird. She just never reacts to things the way a normal person would. Maybe she's just not normal, but pretty much every time I read about how she responded to something, I'm like what the heck! For example, in the first chapter, you learn that her grandfather has...more I definitely feel much the same about Life Eternal as I did Dead Beautiful. It's fun and quick to read, but also kind of ridiculous and melodramatic. However, overall, I think I did like this one a bit better.

First off, Renée is still weird. She just never reacts to things the way a normal person would. Maybe she's just not normal, but pretty much every time I read about how she responded to something, I'm like what the heck! For example, in the first chapter, you learn that her grandfather has been reading all her mail. And that she's okay with that, because she knows she can't stop him. If it were me, I would have the fight every time, because tampering with the mail's not cool, or I would come up with some other way to get my mail so it didn't have to go through psychogramps. Then again maybe the real reason she's okay with it is because she snoops through his stuff too.

One of the strangest things about this book is the fact that as much as Gottfried Academy controlled the students' every move Lycée St. Clément doesn't seem to care at all. Renée runs all around Montreal searching for Dante and never gets in trouble for just disappearing from campus. More than once, she falls asleep somewhere that's not her room and comes back in the morning...and no one notices. Partly because apparently at this super sweet boarding school everyone gets their own room, with bathrooms shared by only two people. At Gottfried, there was a communal bathroom in the girls' building and one in the boys'. Weird!

What I liked most about this book was that the disgusting soul mate thing was significantly reduced. It becomes apparent that even though she thought they were perfect for one another, because they share the same soul and everything, that it's possible she doesn't know him as well as she thought. There's an acknowledgment here that this is a high school relationship and that they really have not spent enough time together or talked about their pasts enough to have a healthy, trusting relationship.

Add to this a new possible love interest in Noah, a Monitor boy, and you've got the makings for Renée needing to reevaluate her life choices. I also love the questions raised in this love triangle. Should love be easy? Renée doesn't think so at first, but comes to question whether the difficulty of maintaining a relationship is a sign of its worth. I love that Woon brought this up, because with so many of the YA romances, especially in the paranormal genre, teens could get the idea that true love is beset by many difficulties, and that if it's too easy it can't be real.

The dramatic ending left a little bit to be desired, although it definitely achieved the dramatic. It just seems like people were not as prepared as they should have been, resulting in some unnecessary and awful things happening.

Anyway, despite the many things I could rant about in this series, it is really fun to read, and I know I'll be excited when book three comes out. I just can't help it. Recommended to people who like the Cassandra Clare books; I always have a similar response to those.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 05, 2012 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it 5 of 5 stars

Life Eternal Review on K-Books

So, I finished this book like literally five minutes ago so you will have to excuse me if this review is a little all over the place but I can barely think straight right now let alone write down my feelings towards this book.
If I had to describe this book in a one word it would be WOW! This book completely blew me away.

Renee is desperate to find a way for her and her soul-mate Dante to be together, but as she starts to unravel the mystery that may save them both sh...more Life Eternal Review on K-Books

So, I finished this book like literally five minutes ago so you will have to excuse me if this review is a little all over the place but I can barely think straight right now let alone write down my feelings towards this book.
If I had to describe this book in a one word it would be WOW! This book completely blew me away.

Renee is desperate to find a way for her and her soul-mate Dante to be together, but as she starts to unravel the mystery that may save them both she puts her life in danger. Will she be able to survive long enough to find out a way for them to be together?

I really loved the first book in this series Dead Beautiful. I think it was a fantastic start to a series and I couldn't really fathom how Yvonne was going to beat the first book. But boy did she do it. I didn't think I would like this book more than the first one but I did. It is a million times better than the first book and I seriously could not put it down. I devoured this book in one day and I am left reeling needing the third instalment now.
The one thing I thought I wouldn't like about this book is that there isn't very much of Dante in this book as they got separated at the end of the first. I love Dante, he is such a fantastic character and I was really sad to find that there wasn't very much of him in this book. However, I see that it is all for the better. I love Renee, and I love what she goes through throughout this book. How she doubts her feelings and whether she is doing the right thing and I think this is just something that she needed to go through.

Noah, ::sigh::. Usually when a second male romantic interest comes into the second book in a series I get a little annoyed, however that didn't happen in this book. I loved Noah. He is so sweet and as much as I love Dante the more I read this book the more I started to love Noah and by the end couldn't really decide who I wanted Renee to be with. Well until Dante came back into it and then I completely switched back to Team Dante.

This book is one of the best zombie books I have ever read. I'm not actually sure if they are classed as zombie books but to me it is. It's a glamourous zombie, called the Undead. This is probably my favourite zombie series of all time and I love so many zombie books. It's just fantastic and Yvonne blows you away with her writing and sucks you into the story so much I was unaware of anything else going on around me. All I could focus on was the story.
One this Yvonne is an expert at is torturing her readers. I cannot believe how she ended this book. I was turning the page going Noooooo, it can't end there I need more. I am so excited for the next book in this series, which will also be the final one and I am very excited to see how it all ends.

This is just one of those books that you will be left thinking about days after finishing it. I loved every moment of it and I'm actually really sad that I read it so quickly. This series is a must-read for everyone.
Phenomenal!(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Kristin Lundgren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, ya-fantasy, ya-teen

This is the sequel to Dead Beautiful, and I didn't think I'd read Dead beautiful, although tiny bits and pieces seemed familiar as I read it. So I went on Goodreads, where all these reviews are done, and found that yes, I had read it, back in May of last year. So less than a year ago and I had forgotten nearly the entire book - that's what my memory is like. Though as I read this one, through vague references to the past one, pieces came back, but I think I would have benefited from a reread, or...more This is the sequel to Dead Beautiful, and I didn't think I'd read Dead beautiful, although tiny bits and pieces seemed familiar as I read it. So I went on Goodreads, where all these reviews are done, and found that yes, I had read it, back in May of last year. So less than a year ago and I had forgotten nearly the entire book - that's what my memory is like. Though as I read this one, through vague references to the past one, pieces came back, but I think I would have benefited from a reread, or a long synopsis of the first. That said, this is a great book, and could even stand on it's own in many ways, since obviously I enjoyed and didn't recall the first very much. It starts out with Renee in summer break from Gottfried Academy, a school for the Undead, and the Monitors, of which Renee is one, and her boyfriend an Undead. Her family history is steeped in monitor lore, and although he brought her back to life last year by kissing her (a kiss from the undead can kill you, but if he happens to be the one soulmate n the world from you, apparently he can also bring you back to life, well, almost). She has changed, in subtle ways. The story surrounds her new school in Montreal, new friends, and a search from the past for a secret so big that many would kill for it, including the young Undead, that might be a way for her and Dante to be together. You see, once a person dies, under the age of 21 as I recall, they are reborn, mostly the same, but age, slowly and they can live for only 21 years after their first awakening. Dante has been an Undead now for 17 years. They cannot kiss, since that would kill her, and he can't be seen by anyone at her school, or any in the town, since the Monitors are everywhere, and Montreal was originally built as a Monitor stronghold. Monitors wish to watch the Undead, to determine their motives, and if bad, to bury them with rituals, so that they stay in peace. But there are many who think Dante killed someone, and so he would be killed on sight. It is an interesting premise, not quite zombie, not quite ghost. Just undead - cold, but they can touch, see, hear, etc. It's an interesting twist, and the city of Montreal is beautifully described. All in all, a fun book, esp. if you like doomed love.(less)

like · see review

May 08, 2013 Svenja rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nach den Vorfällen am Gottfried-Institut, wird die Schule geschlossen, sie kehrt zum Ursprung zurück und wird ein Aufenthalt rein für die Untoten.
Für Renée bedeutet das, dass sie erneut auf eine andere Schule muss um ihre Ausbildung als Wächter fortzuführen.
Und auch für sie und Dante steht derzeit nichts unter einem guten Stern, er wird für die Vorfälle am Gottfrieds mitverantwortlich gemacht und soll somit begraben werden. Dante muss untertauchen und somit bedeutet das eine Trennung der beiden...more

like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Olivia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dead Beautiful is one of my favourite books. It was interesting, quirky and well-thought out. I've never read anything quite like it before, considering, essentially, it's a book about child zombieism. Zombism? Basically, zombies. You get my gist. Anyway, I'm sure someone somewhere has probably written books very similar to Dead Beautiful, but this was the first I read of the genre. I absolutely loved it.

I wasn't expecting a sequel. I thought it had been left in a good enough place as it was. Re...more Dead Beautiful is one of my favourite books. It was interesting, quirky and well-thought out. I've never read anything quite like it before, considering, essentially, it's a book about child zombieism. Zombism? Basically, zombies. You get my gist. Anyway, I'm sure someone somewhere has probably written books very similar to Dead Beautiful, but this was the first I read of the genre. I absolutely loved it.

I wasn't expecting a sequel. I thought it had been left in a good enough place as it was. Renée was somewhat alive, Dante was somewhat alive. I honestly thought that the author had decided to leave the rest to our imagination. I was okay with this, despite a tugging in my chest that something was slightly off, something was missing... So imagine my surprise when I found Life Eternal on one of my quick bi-weekly visits to Waterstones! I usually make a point of browsing in Waterstones, making a list of interesting-looking books and then buying them on Amazon when I get home. However, I'd loved Dead Beautiful so much that I couldn't bring myself to wait for the delivery so I just bought it then and there.

I enjoyed the first few pages. I thought they were seriously spooky and immediately set up a good plot line. However, after page seven or eight, it got very boring very quickly. A lot of it is just Renée seeing dead people everywhere and then speculating that said dead people are actually still alive and it was all just an elaborate scheme that she hadn't been a part of. I stuck with it though; As I've said, I enjoyed Dead Beautiful immensely, and I couldn't bring myself to stop reading this.

I'm glad I plundered on! Just over halfway through the book, things finally got exciting, and Ms. Woon finally lived up to my expectations. We saw character development with Anya, who you just can't help but love in spite of her quirks, we saw a budding romance between Renée and Noah, which created a typical-yet-needed love triangle, and finally, we saw death. This may sound morbid, but I love a good death or two in a book. Crying over a fictional character just brings to light how realistic and well-written a book can actually be. I do wish he'd had some final words though. Like, thoughtful ones.

One point I feel must be made here, though. A very serious point. Something that I hate. I can't stand. It makes me one to tear my hair out.

THE BOOK FINISHED WITH A CLIFFHANGER.

No! No, no, no, no, no! NO. This is a published book, not the twenty-fifth instalment in an online fan-fiction series! No! OH, YVONNE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? It's my personal opinion that a real, solid good book does not end with a cliffhanger. I was very disappointed with that. And that is why I've given it a four star rating. Not the slow beginning or the missing-final-words or even Renée's apathetic view on life, no, not any of those factors. I could have lived with those. But the cliffhanger? Oh, no. No. Deep sigh. No.

Overall, I do feel as though Dead Beautiful and Life Eternal are really two seperate books. The first is a quirky love story, the second is a thrilling adventure. Dante, one of the supposed main characters, very rarely makes an appearance in this book. Except, of course, right at the end in that damned cliff-hanger! Despite enjoying Life Eternal, I can't help but wish I'd been right about Dead Beautiful not having a sequel after all.(less)

like · see review

Aug 30, 2011 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s

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?...more 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.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It seems that Life Eternal (the sequel to Dead Beautiful) is just as beautiful as the first book. Sucker’s for adventure will love this.
Renee’s dreams are visions, but what of? Future? Present? Only time will tell, and now she feels hollow and empty unless she is close to Dante. After the events of Gottfried Academy, it seems that drastic action must be taken upon Annette LaBarge’s death. She travels to montreal, the city of monitor’s where she is seeing dead people, or undead – perhaps immorta...more

like · see review

May 04, 2012 Alice Liu rated it 5 of 5 stars

I liked this book even more than "Dead Beautiful." It has more layers and more complexity as Renee is sent to a new school with two secrets: One, she is in touch with her Undead boyfriend Dante who is (falsely) believed to be a murderer; and two, she seems to only have part of her soul, having forfeited the other part to Dante. Life is duller and flatter when she is without her soul complement. "Life Eternal" features new players, old friends, and constant losses. Dante and Renee's grandfather b...more

like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Afrida rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: extremely-great-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Apr 21, 2013 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Off-Topic: I always thought this author's last name was Wood until I looked it up. Google asked me if I was looking for Woon, not Wood. Whoops! Epic Fail!

description

Ahh! Very nice cover. Very beautiful. I love the blue, very much indeed. (It is me or the cover kind of corresponds to the main character's last name--winters?)

In this sequel to Dead Beautiful, Rene Winters needs to find the secret that has been found by the Nine Sisters. To save Dante and herself, the secret may be the key to finding true hap...more

like · see review

Mar 09, 2012 Catie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I want to start out by saying that the cover of this book is absolutely beautiful. The minute that I saw this cover I wanted to start reading as soon as possible. It also helps a lot that I absolutely loved Dead Beautiful the first book in this series.

This is a very interesting book. Yvonne Woon has a lot of skills as a very talented writer. It takes a great writer to be able to write about a character in such a way that you want to continue to read and not stop. Yvonne Woon has a gift of being...more

like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Marikka rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, young-adult

3.5 stars, if honest.

I am trying to decide what to write about this book. It was a fast read, and creepy as all hell at the end, but I think it left less of a mark than the first book. There was no Descartes and very little Latin. There was a modest amount of French and I might have learned a fair amount about Montreal, but there was some spark that I was missing. I don't know, I'm mixed up about it.

First, it's possible that Renee became sillier with death and just can't think straight. Or maybe...more

like · see review

Oct 06, 2011 Cleffairy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed at: Over A Cuppa Tea
Review date: 6 Oct 2011
Review link:http://cleffairy.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/life-eternal/

Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon is a darkly romantic YA fiction. The story is refreshing and original and I like how the author portrayed the emotions of the characters. It can get a tad creepy at times in my opinion, but it’s bearable, considering that this is also a paranormal fiction.

I can’t wait for the next instalment of this series and I hope for more stories from the author....more

like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Katelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was good and in my opinion it lived up to the standards of the first book. I love Renee as a character and how you can really relate to her. She isnt someone who you know isnt real at all and can never relate too. You can also relate to her and Dantes relationship and how it does get rocky (him being undead and her a hunter of the undead it was bound to happen).I didnt like Clemintine or Noah though. They were characters I could of lived without reading. Noah I was sure was going to turn out...more

like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Definitely better than the first one. It's starts off a month or so after the ending of the first book. Renée is depressed and sad over Dante and what happened. Gottfried is now only open to Undead students and Renée has to go to the sister school, St. Clément, in Montreal. She finds friends Anya and Noah. She gets really interested in the secret of Les Neuf Soeurs. Strange visions lead her to clues about their secret, but it's adding tension to Dante and Renée's relationship. The secret also le...more

like · see review

Aug 31, 2012 C.penn rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers of Fallen, Twilight, Dearly Departed

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....more

like · see review

title link	preview: Life Eternal
avg rating	preview: Life Eternal Goodreads rating: 4.19 (1534 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10551253-life-eternal?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309280186l/10551253.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10551253-life-eternal?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon[/url]

Life Eternal (Dead Beautiful #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (5)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Yvonne Woon

Books by Yvonne Woon

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Life Eternal

Quotes from Life Eternal