Jonas (Beautiful Dead, #1)

Aug 06, 2011 Rebecca rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, fantasy, romance, young-adult, weird-or-annoying, reviewed

This book irked me for many reasons... (Listed in the order that they annoyed me as I read it)

Firstly, the names! How many people do you know with names like Phoenix, Arizona, Darina and HUNTER (esp as he would have been named aaages ago... not exactly a realistic name)? Now, does practically everyone you know have kinda kooky names like that? Probably not! It's fine to have odd names for your SIMs or whatever, but not in books!!!!

Secondly, all the Twilight copying..... I mean, obviously it got...more This book irked me for many reasons... (Listed in the order that they annoyed me as I read it)

Firstly, the names! How many people do you know with names like Phoenix, Arizona, Darina and HUNTER (esp as he would have been named aaages ago... not exactly a realistic name)? Now, does practically everyone you know have kinda kooky names like that? Probably not! It's fine to have odd names for your SIMs or whatever, but not in books!!!!

Secondly, all the Twilight copying..... I mean, obviously it got published because the publishers thought twee little Twilighters would love another paranormal romance that makes no logical sense, but PLEASE. The main similarities that I can remember and that got to me areeeeee
(1) The Beautiful Dead all look like they did before they died but even more beautiful, ahhh, with pale white skin etc etc, blurg x.x OH, and they all have special powers now, surprise surprise!
(2) They live in a big family group out of town and cannot let people know they exist, because even though they are really powerful, humans just can't be beaten
(3) The reinvention of a traditional supernatural creature; in Twilight it's Vampires, here it's zombies... I mean, hello? zombies are NOTHING like the BD... give them another name or something but don't just do the Twilight reinvention thing!
(4) All the other stupid little similarities.... calls her mom by her first name, she's thought of as a bit different, her best friend hits on her when she isn't interested in that way.... and on and on and on

Thirdly... the plot is actually ridiculous! (view spoiler)

However.... I *did* finish the book. Partly because I was stuck with nothing to do for an evening, and partly because it was so bad I just had to check it didn't redeem itself... but still, that's how it got the second star.// later edit: no, it really was so shit it's going down to one. eugh.

WILL NOT BE READING THE REST OF THIS PATHETIC SERIES(less)

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Cheyenne Um, I don't find their names to bad. I know a lot of people with odd names some worse then the ones in this book some better. To be honest I like the...more
Jun 16, 2012 01:42am

Rebecca Ok, I didn't say those names were all totally unbelievable, it was the coincidence of all the characters having less usual names- see esp what I said...more
updated Jun 16, 2012 02:02am

May 06, 2010 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Title: Beautiful Dead

Author: Eden Maguire

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

This book made me completely and utterly stumped as to how to rate it. I had seen it in stores, and loved the premise and cover, but never picked it up. When I got offered an ARC from teensreadtoo, I jumped on the chance. And I still can't figure it out. On one hand, it wasn't amazing, and has first-novel-in-series syndrome, on the other...it was fun and slightly dark and cool to read.

Eden Maguire introduces us to our protagoni...more

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May 24, 2009 Espo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: just-books, youth

I think I really, really, really wanted to like this book when I picked it up. The premise looked good. The cover looked good, dark and mysterious. But it just didn't quite cut it. I've been fumbling with the idea of giving this three stars or more, or less, but I think it's three. I did enjoy it - not as much as I wanted to - and some parts of it irked me off unbelievably. But it gave me suspense when I needed it, some of the romance orientated stuff finally cut out of being corny and sounded b...more I think I really, really, really wanted to like this book when I picked it up. The premise looked good. The cover looked good, dark and mysterious. But it just didn't quite cut it. I've been fumbling with the idea of giving this three stars or more, or less, but I think it's three. I did enjoy it - not as much as I wanted to - and some parts of it irked me off unbelievably. But it gave me suspense when I needed it, some of the romance orientated stuff finally cut out of being corny and sounded believable, and the overuse of the word 'totally' finally dulled down near the end.

The story begins with Darina, living in a small town out in the US someplace (it never specifies). She's partially grieving due to the loss of her boyfriend, Phoenix, and whilst trailing around a barn in the middle of nowhere she sees him - along with four other teenagers who have also died - seemingly alive, breathing, no longer dead. Stunned, she runs away, but like a person possessed, she returns the next day andgets rebuked, but manages to come back again and thus learns they are the Beautiful Dead, souls with unfinished business, to a degree - in the sense they don't know who their killers are, and why they were killed. Darina should have her memory zapped straight away - but pleads that she remember, since she doesn't want to forget finding Phoenix again. Hunter, the leader of the Beautiful Dead, eventually agrees on the terms that she help solve the deaths of the other teens that went to her school, starting with Jonas, then Arizona, then Summer, and finally Phoenix. As this is the first book, it deals with Jonas and his death.

Sounds a fairly good premise; unfortunately it's not as good as it could be.

The characters seemed, to me, undescribed and not fleshed out. No descriptions of what they looked like - so even with knowing the scenery, the people just ended up being blobs in my mind. Some of them seemed to be clones of other characters from other places. It didn't help the author threw in more characters than she could realistically handle in a story so they were just sideliners even if they were supposedly good friends with Darina. Darina and Phoenix's relationship seemed to be trying too hard to be the new Edward and Bella but not even coming close. With Darina, it always felt like I wasn't on the same page with her even as she told the story. A lot of the time it wasn't harmonious - it was only occasionally in some sequences that everything seemed in synch. They also seemed to lack the vocabulary of saying anything other than 'totally', which after having an entire conversation and this appeared in every other sentence, it began to tick me off, but that was just a minor concern. It did seem to dull down near the end. The Beautiful Dead also seemed to be infested with powers from mind reading (remind you of something...?) to mind erasing to... well, whatever you can think of. Godly-fying them didn't cut it, really. They should have flaws.

Also, maybe I'm overlooking this - but Darina was only dating Phoenix for two months. Would she grieve that badly? Would she cling onto him that badly? If it was six, then, maybe. Two doesn't seem quite long enough. But it's something I can overlook.

Despite the flaws, it wasn't always too bad. Overall, I did enjoy it and some parts did make me laugh and smile, which is why it wound up getting three. But disregarding that, it would be getting two. I liked the relationships it tried to build up - some just seemed thrust on you, but as the book progressed it made more sense; the mystery is also tried to give off, and the sudden jumps all over the place with what would happen next kept you on your toes, and some of the characters were likeable when they should be, and dislikeable when they shouldn't, which is important.

A disappointment in the sense I went into it with perhaps slightly too much of a high expectation, but it was an easy read. In retrospect, it could have been a lot worse.(less)

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May 11, 2013 Lucinda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beautifully hypnotic and deliciously addictive, I was totally blown-away by this darkly tempting paranormal read.

Wonderfully mysterious and filled with spinechilling suspense, I was completely entranced by this incredibly exciting tale like nothing I have encountered before. Although targeted towards the younger, Young Adult reader I found myself compelled to read on until I had reached the end; dazzled by the intriguing plot. This spiritual story is delicately interwoven, containing significan...more Beautifully hypnotic and deliciously addictive, I was totally blown-away by this darkly tempting paranormal read.

Wonderfully mysterious and filled with spinechilling suspense, I was completely entranced by this incredibly exciting tale like nothing I have encountered before. Although targeted towards the younger, Young Adult reader I found myself compelled to read on until I had reached the end; dazzled by the intriguing plot. This spiritual story is delicately interwoven, containing significant poignancy and deep meaning within. You can’t help but be inwardly touched by Jonas’ fate nor Darina’s feelings throughout this emotionally charged tale, with an altogether acute outlook on loss and death. Traumatic to the core and nail-bitingly tense, this is a story in which you can easily loose yourself as you connect to each individual character.

Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.

Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Jonas, Arizona, Summer, Phoenix. All dead within a year. Jonas Jonson is the first to die, in a motorcycle accident. But there are many unanswered questions, and the three deaths that follow are equally mysterious. Grief-stricken Darina can’t escape her heartache or visions of her dead boyfriend, Phoenix, and the others who died. And all the while, the sound of beating wings echoes inside her head…Are the visions real? Or do the Beautiful Dead only exist in Darina’s traumatized imagination?

This magical supernatural tale is beautiful and enchanting, containing vivid creativity and imagination that is uniquely distinctive. It focuses on those beings who don’t go to Heaven or Hell but who linger like a shade upon the Earth, or Ghost, intent on finding closure to their life and a restful peace. Although simplistic in style and content this is a substantial story of multi-layered meaning, which addresses those issues relating to the passing-on of someone in a sincere and understanding way. This teenage book explores Angels, the paranormal and Ghosts as well as covering loss and love in such a delicate, sensitive way as to delight its readers and meet its target readership. I would highly recommend for 11-16 year olds.

www.beautifuldead.com
(less)

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May 04, 2013 Ma rated it 4 of 5 stars

J’ai complètement craqué sur la couverture ! En voyant ce livre je me suis dit : “il me le faut”. J’ai donc commencé ma lecture sans plus attendre.

Dans cette histoire nous suivons Darina, une jeune fille, qui peine à faire le deuil de son petit ami Phoenix qui à été tué à l’arme blanche lors d’une grosse bagarre dans la ville. En un an Darina à vu quatres élèves de son lycée disparaître. Mais, un jour, alors qu’elle se promène tranquillement, elle aperçoit Phoenix et les autres au baut milieu d’...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Pearl rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not your normal brand of happy, light, fluffy Young Adult fiction. There is definitely something dark and sinister about this book and the series as a whole and it deals with some pretty deep issues.

Like the life after death debate and the ideas of restless spirits and grief and trauma.

There are some very touching and emotional moments in this book and you really do learn to feel for all the characters, even if at this stage, we don't really know them all that well.

This novel weaves a ne...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Davina is 17, and has recently lost the love of her life Phoenix in a fight which ending in him being stabbed and bleeding to death. She's struggling to come to terms with it, but Phoenix is not the first teen to have died in her year. Over the past 12 months Jonas has died in a bike crash, Arizona has drowned, and Summer has been shot.

Walking in the woods one day Davina comes across a barn, and inside are four people she recognises - Phoenix, Jonas, Arizona, and Summer. All are pale and beautif...more Davina is 17, and has recently lost the love of her life Phoenix in a fight which ending in him being stabbed and bleeding to death. She's struggling to come to terms with it, but Phoenix is not the first teen to have died in her year. Over the past 12 months Jonas has died in a bike crash, Arizona has drowned, and Summer has been shot.

Walking in the woods one day Davina comes across a barn, and inside are four people she recognises - Phoenix, Jonas, Arizona, and Summer. All are pale and beautiful, and they are welcoming Phoenix as the newest member of the 'beautiful dead'. The sound of wings and haunting skull faces drives her away however, but she then begins to see Phoenix everywhere she goes, and begins to think that she is really crazy.

Desperate to know what's really going on, Davina goes back to the place where she saw her friends to investigate, and this time actually meets and talks to Phoenix. He explains that he is now one of the 'Beautiful dead', a zombie, bought back to this side to discover the real cause of his death, and to seek justice. Unfortunately he only has 12 months in which to do this though, and although he has some special powers (hypnotism, the ability to become invisible, time travel, and mind control), he is on the earth under the guardianship of Hunter - a guide who is there to help them in their quest.

Hunter tells Davina that noone can know about the beautiful dead, but she offers to help them find out what happened to them in return for not having her memory wiped, and being able to spend more time with phoenix. Hunter eventually agrees to this, but time is short - Jonas has only 10 days until he must leave, and they still have no idea what actually happened to him.

Knowing that this is the only way she is going to be able to spend time with Phoenix, Davina puts all her efforts into uncovering the truth about Jonas' accident, talking to his girlfriend Zoey who was with him at the time but has amnesia. But the question is, will Davina find out the truth in time? Or will Jonas be stuck in limbo for eternity?

This book was a fairly good little read but is obviously intended for a young-adult market. At 23 this was a little simplistic for me, and I felt the story could have been more indepth than it was. The one massive flaw in the whole thing though is that the beautiful dead can supposedly time-travel, I may be being a bit picky here, but if they can time travel why don't they just go back to when the death occured and watch what happens? Stupidly simplistic, but why beat around the bush if they can just go back to the event itself?

Overall - a nice idea, a couple of flaws, and definately intended for a teenage market. (less)

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Dec 18, 2011 Charlotte Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I was little I was taught, that when we died we either went to Heaven or to Hell. As I got older I started to believe more in Heaven but less in Hell. I believe and still do believe, that we make our own Hell. However, what if these are not the only two realms that we can too. Many books and many people talk about the limbo realm, where you go when things are not quite right. People often describe them as ghosts, those who still have to work out what happened to them and why. I suppose man...more When I was little I was taught, that when we died we either went to Heaven or to Hell. As I got older I started to believe more in Heaven but less in Hell. I believe and still do believe, that we make our own Hell. However, what if these are not the only two realms that we can too. Many books and many people talk about the limbo realm, where you go when things are not quite right. People often describe them as ghosts, those who still have to work out what happened to them and why. I suppose many of us would be scared and confused if our loved ones turned up infront of us when they had been dead. I know it would confuse me a lot and I would wonder if I was dreaming. This in many ways is what the book focuses on. It focuses on those who have been given a second chance to figure out what has occured to them, how their death came about and what the point of them being stuck in limbo is all about. After all some people die when they were not meant to and now have to seek out the truth and revenege.

The book was written in a very simplistic manner, but it seemed to have a lot of imagination and creativity to it that was very well expressed and had a lot of character and edge to it. I loved the whole teenage drama scene of death and love combining with one another, yet felt that her seeing her dead loved one was not quite received with the reaction that most people would give. For example, if it were me then I would be screaming that I was truly and utterly going crazy and would be trying to run away from myself. Whereas in the book she acts all happy dappy and romantic with them. I suppose though this could be the true reaction of some people had they been in her situation.

I did like the difference of the story though I was not sure as to why they seemed to have these wing tattoos. Was this a possible sign of what they could gain if they did seek out the truth and sought out there revenege? The character though who struck me most was hunter, for I certainly felt that there was more than meets the eyes with him and I am hoping that as the series develops we will start to learn more about him. He just seems to have this bad boy tought guy act on, and I think there are many other layers beneath him and I have a feeling that not all of them are good. There has to be a reason afterall as to why he stays there in the realm of living, when others dont get a chance or choice to after twelve months. something just doesnt seem to add up there unless I read it wrong?

I do feel though this was a refreshing and aventurous read with a whole new idea in its words. It is possible that it has been done before, but it was the imaginative detail that really grasped me attention and kept me holding onto the book. I have most definently now gone and reserved the next two books in the series merely so I can find out more. For me the book just stirred up a lot of questions and I think a whole series of plots and mysteries are about to unfold.(less)

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Oct 05, 2011 Kirsti rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think the 'It was OK' star rating fits this book best. To start with, it was extremely difficult to connect with most of the characters because they all had weird names. It felt like a cheesy sitcom or soapie- absolutely no one had an ordinary name and it was really irritating. The 'romance' between Phoenix (blergh! what a name!) and Darina was actually kind of stupid. 2 months of dating and they were in love forever? I'm not bagging on teen love, really I'm not, and that's because I did find...more

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May 23, 2011 Lilith-lacrimosa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tengo muchísimos libros pendientes, deberia terminar de leer El Diosero, Colección Marquez de Sade, La divina comedia y Hex Hall, que deje' pendientes por las semanas tan ocupadas que tuve este mayo, pero hoy que fui al mercado y vi su seccion de libros tuve que aprovechar que tenían el 20% de descuento y me hice de este libro que le tenía ganas desde hace rato. En lo que esperaba en el banco me puse a leerlo y me encanché tanto que no pude soltarlo.

El libro me ha encantado, me atrapó desde el...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Myhotstylist rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book 1 in a 4 part series. 3.5 stars

Darina is your average rebellious teenager. However the book starts off with her in a massive state of depression over the death of her boyfriend, Phoenix.

While wondering around in the woods, she hears a door banging in the distance and stumbles upon an old abandoned house with a barn, and finds none other than her beloved Phoenix, along with a few other people, (3 of them being other students whom had died from her school earlier in the year.)

Longing to be w...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, books-i-own, mundie-moms-reviews

I'm torn between 2.5 and 3 stars.

Both the cover and the premise of the book really pulled me in. They both caught my attention and make for a dark, mysterious read. I really, really wanted to get lost in this book and really like it, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to.

Darina is a strong character who's dealing with the grief of the death of her boyfriend of two months. She's having a hard time coping with not only his death, but that of of three other school...more I'm torn between 2.5 and 3 stars.

Both the cover and the premise of the book really pulled me in. They both caught my attention and make for a dark, mysterious read. I really, really wanted to get lost in this book and really like it, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to.

Darina is a strong character who's dealing with the grief of the death of her boyfriend of two months. She's having a hard time coping with not only his death, but that of of three other school mates in less than a year, when she escapes to an old run down barn outside of town. There she not only sees Phoenix, but Jonas, Summer and Arizona, among other people she doesn't know, who are all dead. She soon learns they are a group of souls unable to rest, who have been brought back by a trapped soul named Hunter, who has given them 12 months to right the wrong of their deaths. They are called the Beautiful Dead. They must protect their existence from others. Darina is the only one outside of their group who holds their secret. In order to keep from losing Phoenix again, she helps Jonas right his wrongful death and protects the secret of the Beautiful Dead, which isn't easy. Jonas's dad knows something is going on, as do some of Darina's friends.

Darina herself comes form a broken home and is a very resilient character as she's coping with her home life, the loss of a boyfriend. Darina is trying to help her best friend Zoey, who not only lost her boy friend Jonas in a terrible accident, but completely stole the life she once knew from her. In order for Darina to help Jonas, she has to help her best friend Zoey remember what happened when she and Jonas crashed. What they find out not only unveils the secret one of their friends has been hiding, but it puts Darina's is danger. Darina is the only one who can help both Jonas and Zoey.

The story itself does a great job at showing how family and friends cope with the loss of losing a loved one. Darina's and Phoenix story is about love and friendship wrapped into a story with characters who are all learning to cope with losing someone close to them. Some things were a little far fetched, like the fact we never learn why Darina is the only one who help The Beautiful Dead. There's a lot of characters involved in the story that I'm sure we'll get to know more about in the next three books, as Darina has vowed to help Summer, Arizona and Phoenix.

While I didn't get into Beautiful Dead as much as I wanted to, I will definitely read the next book in the series.(less)

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Nov 22, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: zombies-no-vampires

I hate when I forget to blog about a book. I know I read this for Voya. So, on Barnes and Noble, here's the review "Darina is grieving—not only was her boyfriend Phoenix just killed in a knife fight, but three other high school students have also died in the past year. While wandering around a deserted house, Darina hears wings fluttering and catches a glimpse of Phoenix fixing a fencepost. Seeing is believing, right? Darina constantly returns to the deserted farmhouse and is rewarded with seein...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Mariné Ponce rated it 2 of 5 stars

uff al fin se ha acabado, pensé que nunca llegaría al final.
...Llevo una racha últimamente...

60% de culpa: La Traducción
What a pity de book... ¿Por qué hacen esas cosas? Es realmente deprimente que una traducción aniquile (véase también matar, destruir, masacrar) un libro de esa manera. Con lo que se gastaron en la portada podrían haberse estirado un poquito más con los traductores (y sé de muy buena fuente que hay muchos en paro). Ya sé que la crisis nos afecta a todos, pero...

Al leerlo me cost...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

A short quick read this book kept me entertained. Despite an underlying tone of sadness there was still a general feeling of hope throughout. Particularly in the romantic areas involving both Darina and Jonas.

I have to say that what made this book the most for me was how the undead were portrayed. These zombies weren’t shuffling, mindless, flesh dripping brain eaters. They were angelic and human and supernatural in nature. Not to be feared in the traditional sense they were, however, quite power...more

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May 19, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, british-author

This book surprised me - from the cover & reading the description I found myself expecting Angels or something similar - I wasn't expecting zombies!! However, these zombies were so far from the typical kind you see in horror movies that I don't think the name really suits them (even though that is what they call themselves in the book). I think I'd have prefered it if they'd stuck to calling themselves the living-dead but don't let the whole zombie thing put you off reading the book as I end...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Cynthia (A Blog about Nothing) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ever since I saw the cover of this book I had been wanting to read it, I thought the cover was really eye catching and beautiful with it's bright pink color and the big bold letters, plus the wings caught my attention. Unfortunately I made the mistake to judge a book by it's cover and I think I learned my lesson after reading Beautiful Dead.

The story begins with Darina a girl that lost her boyfriend to a knife wound in the back while he was in a gang fight. Soon after his death she finds him and...more

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Mar 21, 2010 McKenzie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

Elterton High is odd, and strange things are happening. Four students have died within the last year, Phoenix being the most recent. Phoenix was Darina's boyfriend, and now she's going crazy. She's having headaches and is always hearing wings beating. Then she stumbles upon an old barn where she sees Phoenix and the other dead students gathered together - their spirits that is. They call themselves the Beautiful Dead. What is going on and how can Darina help them?

I'll keep this review short and...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quick & Dirty: A good first entry to what promises to be an interesting paranormal series.

Opening Sentence: The first thing I heard was a door banging in the wind.

The Review:

First Jonas, then Summer, followed by Arizona, and now Phoenix is the fourth student from Ellerton High to die within a year. Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend is caught in the grip of grief’s talons and having a hard time dealing with his death. Then Phoenix appears with the sound of beating wings and tells her about the Bea...more Quick & Dirty: A good first entry to what promises to be an interesting paranormal series.

Opening Sentence: The first thing I heard was a door banging in the wind.

The Review:

First Jonas, then Summer, followed by Arizona, and now Phoenix is the fourth student from Ellerton High to die within a year. Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend is caught in the grip of grief’s talons and having a hard time dealing with his death. Then Phoenix appears with the sound of beating wings and tells her about the Beautiful Dead. They are unable to complete their transition into the afterlife because of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They will be held in limbo until justice has been exacted. Darina will help each of them find the answers they seek and bring closure to their restless existence.

Ms. Maguire gives readers the story of Jonas – the first student to die. Beautiful Dead starts out a bit slow, but settles into an enjoyable and engaging read. While Darina is a likable character, I felt that she was a bit formulaic, making certain aspects of the story predictable. I like the premise of the Beautiful Dead and Ms. Maguire has a unique spin on “zombies”. I can’t give too many details because it would be a major spoiler. Darina and Phoenix’s relationship is portrayed as all encompassing, but I think the reader misses many elements of what their relationship was like before he died. Establishing a stronger setup to explain the connection between the two would have been wonderful. In addition, some secondary characters were lacking a bit in character development and depth.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book. Twists and turns will keep the reader guessing and invested in the outcome of this story. Ms. Maguire’s descriptions are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the Beautiful Dead is intriguing. This mixture of the paranormal and the romantic delivers a tale of dark secrets, loss, and redemption. So go ahead and walk alongside Darina on her quest to put the Beautiful Dead to rest.

Notable Scene:

Now my heart was beating fast and loud, the wind from the wings tearing at me. I was breathless, filled with dread, almost defeated. Why are you doing this to me? I asked, crouching in the shelter of a tall rock.

I sensed movement overhead and looked up into one of those skull-faces with black holes where eyes should be, domed head and death-grin, swooping down, coming right at me, one and then another and another until my hands rose in panic and I was screaming just like the time before.

FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks provided me with a copy of Beautiful Dead ~ Jonas. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.(less)

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Feb 27, 2010 Iffath rated it 5 of 5 stars

Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Four teenagers are dead within a year. All are apparently, ‘tragic accidents’. After being stabbed, Phoenix is the last, following the unexpected deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona.
Darina, Phoenix’s broken-hearted girlfriend, is in denial. How is it possible that they are still here? They’re dead..aren’t they? The sounds of beating wings surround her.
But then one day, she discovers they are all still here..but as the Beautiful Dead. Phoenix is ba...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs-i-own, books-i-own, 2010-100-book-challenge, mundie-moms-review

I'm torn between 2.5 and 3 stars.

Both the cover and the premise of the book really pulled me in. They both caught my attention and make for a dark, mysterious read. I really, really wanted to get lost in this book and really like it, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to.

Darina is a strong character who's dealing with the grief of the death of her boyfriend of two months. She's having a hard time coping with not only his death, but that of of three other school m...more I'm torn between 2.5 and 3 stars.

Both the cover and the premise of the book really pulled me in. They both caught my attention and make for a dark, mysterious read. I really, really wanted to get lost in this book and really like it, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to.

Darina is a strong character who's dealing with the grief of the death of her boyfriend of two months. She's having a hard time coping with not only his death, but that of of three other school mates in less than a year, when she escapes to an old run down barn outside of town. There she not only sees Phoenix, but Jonas, Summer and Arizona, among other people she doesn't know, who are all dead. She soon learns they are a group of souls unable to rest, who have been brought back by a trapped soul named Hunter, who has given them 12 months to right the wrong of their deaths. They are called the Beautiful Dead. They must protect their existence from others. Darina is the only one outside of their group who holds their secret. In order to keep from losing Phoenix again, she helps Jonas right his wrongful death and protects the secret of the Beautiful Dead, which isn't easy. Jonas's dad knows something is going on, as do some of Darina's friends.

Darina herself comes form a broken home and is a very resilient character as she's coping with her home life, the loss of a boyfriend. Darina is trying to help her best friend Zoey, who not only lost her boy friend Jonas in a terrible accident, but completely stole the life she once knew from her. In order for Darina to help Jonas, she has to help her best friend Zoey remember what happened when she and Jonas crashed. What they find out not only unveils the secret one of their friends has been hiding, but it puts Darina's is danger. Darina is the only one who can help both Jonas and Zoey.

The story itself does a great job at showing how family and friends cope with the loss of losing a loved one. Darina's and Phoenix story is about love and friendship wrapped into a story with characters who are all learning to cope with losing someone close to them. Some things were a little far fetched, like the fact we never learn why Darina is the only one who help The Beautiful Dead. There's a lot of characters involved in the story that I'm sure we'll get to know more about in the next three books, as Darina has vowed to help Summer, Arizona and Phoenix.

While I didn't get into Beautiful Dead as much as I wanted to, I will definitely read the next book in the series.(less)

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Feb 16, 2010 Ellz Readz rated it 4 of 5 stars

My thoughts... BLINK. This book was very easy to read and I literally devoured it. When I first saw the cover, I thought "looks very cool". Then I read I heard the word zombies and thought, UGG, but forged ahead anyway. Let me just say that I am so glad I did.

The plot of the story was very unique. Darina found her recently deceased boyfriend alive and well, surrounded by his undead classmates. No vampires, zombies, but not it the theatrical sense. The book held something for everyone, mystery,...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

publication date: March 2010

This is the first in a series of four Beautiful Dead books by UK author Eden Maguire. Each book will focus on one of the Beautiful Dead (Jonas, Phoenix, Arizona and Summer), whose mystery will be solved with the help of Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend.

I liked this book. It had one element, which while it seems really small, made an impact on me. Each of the dead classmates was given wing tattoos in the spot that killed them. This was unique as I haven’t seen that in othe...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Kristen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fantasy, romance-y, youngadult, own-it

I have to be very honest about this book. I didn't like it. The beginning confused the snot out of me. In the opening scene, Darina is in the middle of nowhere looking at an old decrepit house. No clue why she's there, but her boyfriend Pheonix just died two days ago and low and behold he is there, with 3 other dead kids and a guy described as "An older guy, with grey hair". And to be honest, the descriptions of characters does not progress - at all. One of the girls is described as "fair-haired...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Fuglsang rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who don't mind awesome being wasted

I don't do lying. If something is good, I promise I'm going to tell y'all. I acknowledged that Hush, Hush had tolerable prose and did sexual tension well. In this case I'll admit the idea is bloody brilliant. If this story had been handled differently... ye gaaads! It would have been incredibly awesome. It could've been potent and deep and relevant. A perfect book combining crime, romance and the paranormal. A brilliant tale of love and loss and moving on and… gawrsh, I get all tingly just think...more I don't do lying. If something is good, I promise I'm going to tell y'all. I acknowledged that Hush, Hush had tolerable prose and did sexual tension well. In this case I'll admit the idea is bloody brilliant. If this story had been handled differently... ye gaaads! It would have been incredibly awesome. It could've been potent and deep and relevant. A perfect book combining crime, romance and the paranormal. A brilliant tale of love and loss and moving on and… gawrsh, I get all tingly just thinking about it.

So… why is it not good? Sit tight for the next 1,5 pages and you’ll find out! Here we go.
Let’s look at writing first and I’ll tell you I’m not impressed. This woman does not know what ‘show – don’t tell’ means. I guess she believes it’s the slogan of a football team or something, ‘cause she sure as hell doesn’t f**king use it in her writing. It’s all “I was very sad because my boyfriend died” and “he loved med very much” and that’s great and all, but you really got to show me. Because Maguire just tells the reader what’s going on inside the characters’ heads (even characters whose thoughts she couldn’t possibly know ‘CAUSE SHE HAS A FIRST PERSON NARRATOR, why would you do that?) I don’t feel anything for them. At all. And this is supposed to be about love and mourning and loss and if I don’t feel anything reading a book about dead teenagers, you’re a Very Bad Writer™. I guess it IS a very special kind of achievement. Making someone not care about the death of four teenagers… that’s, wow, that’s really impressive. But sad.

Another thing is just a weird choice of words in two places or something. I’ll give you a sentence and you tell me what you’re thinking:
“He took my head in his hands.”
Are you disturbed? ‘Cause I am. I know what she means, see, but I also have this image of zombie Joe tearing of Boring Sue’s head and subsequently using it as a bowling ball. Just saying, that if you write a book about zombies, you might want to think about your wording just a bit. Not that that sentence would work in any book but when it’s actually about zombies, that’s friggin’ hilarious.

Maybe it’d be easier to sympathis with the tragedy if Ellerton wasn’t the City of People with No Personalities. The characters are so bland, so boring, so stereotyped and trite. There isn’t a single character that stands out to the reader. Their looks are described but at the last period of a description you forget what you’ve just read. The main character is a no one, literally only described by being in love with her boyfriend and there’s some shit about her not liking to give hugs… which is never shown in any way (okay, so it’s told something like: “I don’t usually like to hug people, but now I made an exception” that’s like me saying: “I never eat raw onions, but now I’m eating a sandwich with onions because that last sentence was just stupid filler and an attempt at characterisation which failed BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW WHAT CHARACTERISATION IS AND MY BRAIN IS AN OTTER”). Her stupid boyfriend is described by being extremely hot (it’s not like I’ve heard that one befo- OH WAIT) and very nice. Guess they are a perfect match, though, ‘cause they’re both boring as a cardboard box with a face painted on it.
Speaking about the main character… is it a trend to have a TERRIBLEEEH stepfather of TERRIBLEEHNESS who’s terrible for no friggin’ reason? Her stepfather is so horrible… not because he beats her, not because he screws her mother’s sister and forces Darina (I actually forgot her name for a second there, fancy that) to shower with a hairless cat as a sort of weird fetish thing, but because he’s boring… really now? He’s boring and thus you can’t get along with him? He actually stands up for you when someone’s almost physically abused you? But he did it all wrong and stuff anyway? WHAT THE FRICK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I’m not saying some stepfathers aren’t sent from hell, but this guy isn’t. You’re just being difficult to be difficult. You were used to a father who cheated on your mother and this guy is obviously too boring to cheat on her? You should be happy, you little skank. Not moaning that he’s just so boring. IF YOUR BOYFRIEND WASN’T A ZOMBIE HE’D BE MORE BORING THAN YOUR STEPFATHER.

Oh, I guess that kind of leads up to the plot, right? I already said that this idea is brilliant. I absolutely love the premise, because I do like crime stories and I do like crime stories with supernatural elements and I do like crime stories with supernatural elements with romance. I like zombies, too, and I could’ve even lived with the Stephenie Meyeresque reinvention of zombies if this book had just been f**king good. It’s not. It’s so… so… FAIL. And one thing is the fact that a book like Marked (Twilight is so last year – bashing Marked is the new black) is friggin’ horrible, but it doesn’t have any potential like this does. This could’ve been so good and she just wasted it on a blatant Twilight knock off. That f**king hurts, Maguire, it hurts.
‘Cause I’m telling you: if you want to handle subjects like death and loss, you BETTER be talented enough. You BETTER not turn the whole thing into a romantic plot tumour. You BETTER deal with the subject in a way that’s emotional and respectful and intelligent and thoughtful. This is not to be taken lightly. This is not just stupid f**king vampires. This… this… this is so insulting. There are some subjects you shouldn’t tackle without either having experienced it first hand or doing so much research, your eyes pop out and scream “No more! No more! We get it! You understand loss now, just GIMME A BREAAAK!” That’s stuff like death and mourning, drug abuse, rape, child or domestic abuse, serious illness, and serious crime. That is your responsibility as a writer. If you write for serious, you do the f**king research or terrible people like me have a good reason to bitch slap you.
Turning it into a love story between a bland girl and a BUUUTIFULZ zombie is so insulting. Screw vampire stories – they’re harmless, maybe because their deaths usually aren’t so recent as the zombies’ deaths. I can live with vampires and angels and even werewolves but this is just disturbing on so many levels. I know I said instant awesome = add zombies, but I wasn’t talking about a love story, and I wasn’t talking about books dealing with subjects as serious as this.

There are lots of things I won’t elaborate on: the stupid names (Phoenix? How can I take that seriously?), the ugliness of making out with a dead boy, how two dimensional the bad guy is, how boring the ‘mystery’ is… there are so many aspects of this that makes it terrible. And it’s so much sadder than many of those bad young adult books because this had actual potential and a plot that – on the cover at least – was awesome enough to become a classic.

*Deep breath* Dang.
(less)

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Mar 10, 2011 Sun (the one that glows in the dark, of course) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: could-ve-been-better

It was nice but it could have been better. When the book started, the writer immediately launch into explaining the mysterious deaths of four teenagers in the town, which was still the hot topic among the people in the town.
It was straightforward, easy to read but it could have been better if the writer spends some time with writing about the deeper matters like the relationship between Phoenix and Darina. I would love to know how she come to fall so deep in love with Phoenix but no, the writer...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Kristine rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am trying to think of one redeemable thing about this book and I find myself coming up short. At some point in the third chapter I decided to take notes on the things I disliked about the book, but there were so many that it was taking too long for me to read the book and I just wanted to be done with it. There are so many things wrong with this book; the characters were un-relatable, the situations were unbelievable, the setting was just stupid. Just about every sentence I came across somethi...more I am trying to think of one redeemable thing about this book and I find myself coming up short. At some point in the third chapter I decided to take notes on the things I disliked about the book, but there were so many that it was taking too long for me to read the book and I just wanted to be done with it. There are so many things wrong with this book; the characters were un-relatable, the situations were unbelievable, the setting was just stupid. Just about every sentence I came across something that made me dislike the book more.

*spoilers*

Darina is your typical moody emo teen, who knows why, because apparently she is hot stuff and everyone wants her. We readers would not know because the author never bothers with actual descriptions of the characters. All she tells us is that every single character in the book is unearthly beautiful. Oh, except Darina's best guy pal, Logan, who wants to be more than friends but he looks like a total geek, so why would she ever date him.

Darina is the most self-centered, egotistical, total bitch of a character. I had a hard time believing any of the other characters wanted to actually be her friend. She is rude, sarcastic, and downright mean, especially to Logan and she is even worse to her mother. The story is told from her POV (except when the author forgets) and from the way Darina tells it, everything that happens in the story is about her.

Another issue I had was all of the extreme names: Darina, Jonas, Phoenix, Arizona, Summer, Hunter. Darina makes a big deal about how small of a town they live in; how likely is it that so many parents in a small town are going to choose such different names. She couldn’t name just one character Jennifer or Paul?

But it’s not just the characters with weird names; ever last rock was a landmark. There was Government Bridge, Angel Rock, Foxton Ridge, Turkeyshoot Ridge. Having names for all these landmarks wouldn’t bother me so much if the author had made any geographical references about how they were located in relation to each other or what they look like. I only had a vague picture as to what the town looked like because she gave me not one little detail about the setting.

Throughout the course of the book the author uses strange phrases as if they’re something you would hear in a normal conversation, and then there is Darina using terms like “pussyfooted”… MORE THAN ONCE! She also refers to her "smokey mascara eyes" which bothered me, possibly because that is the only clue we get as to how she looks. On top of this the author was trying to insert weird advice into the book like always carry a full can of gas in the back of your car because you never know when you might run out. How about watch your gas gauge so you know when you might run out.

Maybe I'm being nit-picky, but all of this stuff starts to add up and it really doesn't even scratch the surface of things I disliked. In the end it all equals one really terrible book. Needless to say, I will not be reading the other three books.(less)

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May 31, 2012 Rochelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Actual rating 2.5 out of 5.

Darina's boyfriend, phoenix, has just died and she is grieving. She goes for a drive and hears a door slamming in the middle of nowhere. She goes to investigate and sees Phoenix and three teens that have died during the year - Jonas, Arizona and Summer.
It turns out they are 'zombies' that call them selves the beautiful dead. And they are back to try and solve the mysteries surrounding their death.
Hunter is their leader and he wants to wipe Darina's mind because no one...more Actual rating 2.5 out of 5.

Darina's boyfriend, phoenix, has just died and she is grieving. She goes for a drive and hears a door slamming in the middle of nowhere. She goes to investigate and sees Phoenix and three teens that have died during the year - Jonas, Arizona and Summer.
It turns out they are 'zombies' that call them selves the beautiful dead. And they are back to try and solve the mysteries surrounding their death.
Hunter is their leader and he wants to wipe Darina's mind because no one is suppose to know they exsist.
Darina strikes a deal - she will help solve the mysteries if she can keep her memory. Hunter agrees. She has to help Jonas first because his time is almost up.

This book was ok, and i had to stuggle to get through it. I only started liking it right toward the end - which was very dramatic and unexpected. My biggest struggle was with the use of the word zombie. They are nothing like your typical zombie - they are beautiful, pale and cold and have super powers. Eden Maguire should of dropped the zombie line and just called them beautiful dead or whatever.

Darina was abit annoying when she was around phoenix. I didn't buy their love, there was something missing. we were told they loved each other but i didn't feel it.
And her best friend Logan was annoying. He was trying to crack on to her days after her boyfriend died. It was unbelievable!
It was pretty easy to guess who was involved in Jonas's death, too.
The one character i did love was Brandon, phoenix's brother. He kept coming to Darina's rescue because he promised his brother he would before he died. I'm hoping something develops between them in the future books.
I liked Zoey, too, Jonas's girlfriend. She is left in a wheelchair after Jonas crashed the bike they were riding, that's how Jonas died. She can't remember anything that happened during the crash.
Younger teens might like this book. Zombie lovers won't. The mystery side was better than the romance and the best thing about this book was Brandon.(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Nikki Finn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Zvláštní kniha. Když jsem ji četla, nemohla jsem se odtrhnout. Když jsem se odtrhla, nemohla jsem se donutit do čtení. Asi takto bych charakterizovala celkový dojem, který na mě první díl série Krásní mrtví udělala.
Nejoblíbenější postavou byl pro mne Phoenix. Naopak se mi nejméně zamlouvala Arizona (té je věnován druhý díl) a i hlavní hrdinka - jejíž jméno mi neutkvělo v paměti i přesto, že jsem kniha před deseti minutami dočetla. Vadilo mi na ní, jak je nehorázně bojovná a houževnatá, a v druh...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Annie McElfresh rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved the spin on 'zombies' in this novel and how they can't move on into the afterlife until they find closure. All of the Beautiful Dead have weird circumstances surrounding their death, and Darina gets roped into helping the dead kids from her school move on.

While it is written that Darina and Phoenix had a tight relationship, I never really got a good feel of how they were before Phoenix died. The opening of the novel just kind of throws you in and sometimes it feels like your missing par...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: YA: Dead Teens Are A Ghost Gang In Barn & Motorcycle Wreck.... [s]	10	29	Apr 15, 2013 06:20am
What's The Name o...: Teens who have died [s]	5	50	Sep 11, 2012 02:37am
TeenReads: Beautiful Dead #1 Jonas by Eden Maguire Book Review	1	5	Sep 02, 2011 10:50am
The Beatiful Dead Series	5	15	Aug 31, 2011 06:49am

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Jonas (Beautiful Dead #1)

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