Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful, #1)

Jun 24, 2012 Merary rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boarding-schools, fantastic-fantasy, paranormal, zombies-want-my-brain-grrrh, mystery-and-or-murder, abusive-relationships, boring-bland-main-characters, bored-me-to-death, cheating-partners, activate-insta-love, cheesy-cute-romance, i-was-expecting-better, ya

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

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Mar 09, 2013 Ferii rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dead Beautiful is a beautifully written young adult paranormal romance novel. The characters are unique, although there may be a few cliches around,I found it enjoyable and interesting to read. Little mysteries are developed, I was so eager to find out the answers to the unsolved questions, that I created my very own theories. It's not like one of those books where everything is really predictable. I thought the whole plot wasn't too rushed,it ran through at it's own pace. Since it is set in sor...more

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Oct 12, 2011 FashionDayDreamer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vain. Vain. Vain.

Seriously, does character depth not exist in teen books anymore?

For one, I hated how the author kept starting with the word "Startled" and other words, such as:

"Slowly, I..."
"Confused, I..."
"Later, I..."
"Startled, I ..."

Then you have Dante Berlin. He's described as a God. So what the hell is Renee doing with him if she's an "average girl"? The words used to describe him made me want to vomit. Get real, Woon, no one looks like that. She didn't even describe ONE flaw to him (out...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Caitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

www.cjmariee.tumblr.com
It’s rare to come across something different and original. Well, almost original. We have creepy/ weird boarding schools with wealthy students. Dangerous, loner, beautiful boy meets new girl. Dead parents. Yada yada yada. But each aspect is unique in its own way. Classes consist of Philosophy, Crude Sciences, Survival skills etc. The beautiful boy, isn’t cold and stuck up. He’s actually really sweet. Woon gives each thing her own twist which makes things nice. Even the plo...more www.cjmariee.tumblr.com
It’s rare to come across something different and original. Well, almost original. We have creepy/ weird boarding schools with wealthy students. Dangerous, loner, beautiful boy meets new girl. Dead parents. Yada yada yada. But each aspect is unique in its own way. Classes consist of Philosophy, Crude Sciences, Survival skills etc. The beautiful boy, isn’t cold and stuck up. He’s actually really sweet. Woon gives each thing her own twist which makes things nice. Even the plot, mythology (or should I say philosophy?)—the heart of the story is different and interesting.

The best part about the book, it kept you guessing. Out of the five of surprises, three I saw coming. The rest—I was like, WHOA, that’s cool. Lately tons of YA books have been easy to guess, so it was nice to actually be shocked.

There are tons of things I loved about the book, but yet it has it’s downfalls. Woon falls under the slow paced categories. For the first half of the book, it feels like we’re on a rollercoaster that’s climbing and climbing and climbing…a drop would be nice any day now? Now, I can’t blame her. When your character is dealing with deaths, new school, and friends, you have to make your character go through certain things. But she could have done it better.

Another thing that drove me CRAAAZZZZZY at times, was the main character Renee. At times I loved her for her outward attitude. She questioned everyone/thing, skeptic, even humorous at times. But when it came to important things like, “LOOK THIS MAY BE IMPORTANT AND IF YOU CATCH THIS YOU’RE SMART,” she never would catch it. It drove me crazy at times. She’s smart one second and completely oblivious the other. This is something that happens in other YA novels, but it’s the authors fault. They make there characters ignore or refuse to acknowledge something when it’s in there characters nature to notice things.

But honestly, I like it. The romance between Renee and Dante was perfect. Not over done, another can’t live without kind, but still. It was sweet and believable. Dante was a sweet guy and I didn’t find myself snoring when he talked but I didn’t find myself swooning. He would be someone I would befriend, but not chase after.

Liked the book. If there’s a sequel—there’s defiantly room for a sequel (A few unanswered questions could create an amazing part two) then I’ll be sure to pick it up. (less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Erin Sian Wynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: underrated, badass-females, fantasy

I loved this so much. I mean, it sort of reminded me of Twilight, but all the good parts of Twilight, not the bad parts.

The romance was actually believable. And hurrah, no love triangle! I loved Renee. I loved Dante. I loved Eleanor. I loved Nathaniel. I hated Gideon. It was just one great big emotional rollercoaster and I loved it so much. Interesting take on the Undead, beautiful writing and just a great book. I need the next one now!

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Jun 04, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books

Originally posted on my blog: http://fantasysink.blogspot.ca/

Cover:
I'm a bit mixed about the cover. I do the like the green background but I don't like the model and the cover gives you the appearance that it's set in a fantasy world, which it's not.

Writing:
The writing was simple and easy to get into, but nothing special or memorable.

Setting:
Most of the book is set in Gottfried Academy, a prestigious school that has a peculiar curriculum. I enjoyed this setting, really reminded me of Claudia...more

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Feb 25, 2011 fooloveratook rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

My Thoughts: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* Dead Beautiful truly lives up to its name... The story itself is fascinating, ingenious really! I loved learning about Gottfried Academy, the myths, the history behind its founders and the reason for its opening... Basing the story around the Latin language, referring to it as "The Dead Language" and its significance to the story was intriguing in itself... Fitting the pieces together that make up the story was a fantastic process, simply because whi...more My Thoughts: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* Dead Beautiful truly lives up to its name... The story itself is fascinating, ingenious really! I loved learning about Gottfried Academy, the myths, the history behind its founders and the reason for its opening... Basing the story around the Latin language, referring to it as "The Dead Language" and its significance to the story was intriguing in itself... Fitting the pieces together that make up the story was a fantastic process, simply because while you thought you pieced the whole big, seemingly unsolvable mystery behind the plot, new variables and uncovered information popped up, preventing the reader from truly grasping the entirety of the puzzle before the author was ready. Woon's descriptiveness, her imagery evoked wonder and amazement, granting me a clear picture of all that surrounded Renee. But, that was where my fascination ended...

Renee as a heroine didn't bode well with me. There was no connection between her and I. She didn't provoke any feelings of sympathy, happiness, or any real solid or tangible emotion. Instead, she basically annoyed me. She was really all about herself: finding out more about Dante, spending time with Dante, discovering the secrets lurking behind her parents deaths and the correlation to other student's deaths who died similarly. Never once did she show genuine concern about her other friends, the ones back home or the new ones she made at the academy. They were more like her personal walking sound boards, where she could dump her feelings and thoughts on them, but never consciously willing to return the favor. I'll be honest, that alone annoyed the hell out of me. The fact that her parents died right in the early chapters of the story, and that she was the one who located their bodies, didn't make me feel sorry for her, upset, or any other emotions really. Because there simply was no connection. Zip. Nada. I didn't get how she was feeling, being that I couldn't relate to her, and ultimately couldn't form a relationship with while reading as her story unfolded.

And Renee wasn't the only character I felt a sense of disconnect with. Her other friends, Eleanor, Nathaniel, and Annie, didn't scream, Know me! Love me! Hate me! When I meet new characters, I like to feel something for them. Anything. (Apart from annoyance, obviously.) If the bad guy's bad, I want to dislike him/her, get angry at him/her. And vice versa. And like with Renee's friends, I couldn't care less about the bad guys because of that automatic detachment. Worse yet, I didn't care too much about the good guys, so why would it matter if the villains hurt them? I didn't feel attached to any of them, so why be upset if something goes wrong for the good guys? So, while the cast in this book was developed, I wouldn't sat they are enjoyable or necessarily fun to read about.

Even Dante, while ethereally beautiful, sadly, was not everything I had hoped. And I don't think he did anything wrong... But, again, there was this disconnect from me the reader and him. I didn't really learn about him, there wasn't much of a personality to him to fall for. So, I guess that explains why I didn't fall head over heels for him like I was so expecting to! Many times, when I read, there's that magical, instant love that takes place between the two main characters. And while that's fine and dandy, and I believe it exists, I want to see these characters fall for what's inside too. Know each other. Talk to each other. Connect. And even though along the way they might have in the array of conversations they have that the reader isn't privy to, that's just it. I want to be aware of them getting to know each other. That's probably the best part of a romance. It's definitely great to read about the mind-boggling, soul-searing kisses/makeout sessions/hot embraces, but in reality, a full on relationship doesn't last, doesn't survive on that alone... I need a little realism to my romance, so sue me!

The ending was... really bizarre. I must admit I'm at the point of confusion intermingled with dissatisfaction. (SPOILERY!) So, Dante could resist kissing Renee, but she can't? And he wants to die for her, wasting the soul she just went through serious pains to give? Seriously?

I mentioned that Dead Beautiful firmly lives up to its name. Because it did. While the plot and the storyline were fantastic and beautifully written, the other aspects of it that would have made it great were flat, rendering it an okay read.

Favorite Scene:

"'Why do you keep staring at me?' she muttered under her breath.
Her voice was soft and low, and I was surprised by how forthright she was. How could I not stare at her? Even here, the afternoon sun shone through the glass ceiling, illuminating her face in a warm, rosy light, as if she were an otherworldly being, something sent to me by fate. No, she could never know that I had watched her, wanted her, loved her from that very moment" (448).

Thanks for reading!

Also posted at Paranormal Indulgence. (less)

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May 14, 2012 →kelly♥[: rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-book, r-a-s

My Rating: 2.5/5.0

I'm a bit iffy about Dead Beautiful. Let's start at the beginning. I first saw Life Eternal on goodreads, gaped at it's gorgeous cover (I swear I have to stop doing that, it's simply not healthy), and saw that it was the sequel to Dead Beautiful. So I just had to read Dead Beautiful. Dead Beautiful was interesting; it captivated me in some parts and bore me in other parts, but there is honestly nothing much to say about it. However, I stopped reading the book at page 197 beca

...more

My Rating: 2.5/5.0

I'm a bit iffy about Dead Beautiful. Let's start at the beginning. I first saw Life Eternal on goodreads, gaped at it's gorgeous cover (I swear I have to stop doing that, it's simply not healthy), and saw that it was the sequel to Dead Beautiful. So I just had to read Dead Beautiful. Dead Beautiful was interesting; it captivated me in some parts and bore me in other parts, but there is honestly nothing much to say about it. However, I stopped reading the book at page 197 because of the slow pacing, and honestly, the book just didn't keep my attention. I just skimmed the rest of Dead Beautiful, stopping at the important parts and smacking my head in disbelief.

There were so many questions running through my mind as I read: who killed Renee's parents? Is the person who killed Renee's parents also the same person who killed Benjamin Gallow? What is Gideon and Vivian up to? The main question, however, running in my mind throughout the book was what is Dante? A ghost? A zombie? (view spoiler)

And the whole idea of what Dante is (I can't mention it or I'll be giving nearly the whole book away), I've heard of the idea before. I don't know where or when, but I know the whole "death kiss" idea has been used before, leaving me very disappointed since I was hoping Dante was something that I've never read about before. When I got to the part where what Dante is was revealed, I was like oh my god. You made me read/skim this much and waste this much of my time just to find out that Dante is some cliche used before creature?! And the rest is history.

Unlike other books I've read, I also didn't connect with the main character, namely Renee Winters. She seems like a typical sixteen year old teenage girl: curious and nosy when she finds out something she doesn't know, skeptical at things that simply couldn't be real, whiny when she doesn't get things her way, and drawn to good looking guys just because they look good. Simply, I couldn't care less if Renee died; I just didn't connect with her like characters from other books. She was just there.

The romance in Dead Beautiful also left me feeling disappointed. I liked how it started with Renee and Dante first meeting on bad terms, but it just slowly went downhill from there. Renee adores Dante because he's "beautiful" and perfect. Dante is just attracted to Renee the first moment they've met. I didn't even know why they were attracted to each other the first place besides their looks until the last thirty or so pages of the book. (view spoiler)

The ending of Dead Beautiful was also confusing. Everything happened so fast and I'm just like what? That's what happened? Is that supposed to be some sort of cliffhanger? Since I also have Life Eternal in my hands right now, I think I'll just skim it just to see what happened. I have a feeling I won't be interested enough to read it though.

ohdamnbooks: dead beautiful

(less)

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May 22, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, library, love-the-cover, really-liked, review, ya-romance, young-adult, to-own

I was kind of reluctant to read this book, but after finishing page one I knew I would never regret it.

Wow. Just wow. I honestly didn't think I'd like this book, but I love it. It went right into the action on page one, it had a great story line that kept me guessing literally the whole way through, and amazing writing. I was trying to figure out what would happen, what Dante was, but I just couldn't, and I love that. The build-up to the climax was great, and I feel like a professer I know so mu...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, from-publishers, ya-paranormal-romance

"... In love, everyone does things that hurt the other person, so there really is no "Right" and "Wrong". You just have to decide what you're willing to forgive"

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I read this book, with not knowing much about it and reading some mixed reviews before hand but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by it and I ended up really liked it.

Renee Winters was an ordinary girl, that is until her sixteenth birthday where she finds her parents dead in the woods. How d...more "... In love, everyone does things that hurt the other person, so there really is no "Right" and "Wrong". You just have to decide what you're willing to forgive"

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I read this book, with not knowing much about it and reading some mixed reviews before hand but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by it and I ended up really liked it.

Renee Winters was an ordinary girl, that is until her sixteenth birthday where she finds her parents dead in the woods. How did she find them; she was drawn to there bodies and that’s something Renee can’t explain. With no other family to speak of, Renee is taken in by grandfather who sends her to Gottfried Academy, a boarding school in Maine were she finds herself studying the dead language; Latin. While at school, Renee comes across the gorgeous Dante Berlin, who for some reason she feels drawn too. When he offers to tutor her in Latin, she realises there is more to Dante that means the eye and that he may be apart of a deadly secret that is happening at Gottfried Academy.

Wow! For some reason I though this book was about Ghosts! Well, you can believe my shock when I found out it’s not about Ghosts but dead people, I guess there kind of like Zombies but better. From page one you’re thrown into a whirlwind of surprises, suspense, mystery and honestly, this isn’t your average paranormal book. The story has exciting twist and turns and the storyline wasn’t predictable at all.

I found myself engrossed from the beginning, I mean come on, you’re thrown into Renee’s life and you instantly feel bad for her situation, losing her parents the way she did. Renee is such a likeable character, one that is well developed, head strong, determined to uncover the truth and that makes her a kick ass heroine in my books. I hate girls that are whiney but no matter Renee’s situation, she’s never lets it drag her down. And Dante is one hell of a guy, a total babe in my book. He made the undead seriously cool and if I found a guy like him, I wouldn’t want to let him go either. I also loved finding out his backstory and the mystery that involved him at the Gottfried.

The only reason I didn’t rate this book 5 stars was because I felt there was some information where Renee was with her classmates was a bit slower than the rest of the book. The book was 500 pages long and I think it could have been cut down a bit. Nonetheless, as you can tell by my review, I still enjoyed it.

Overall, Yvonne Woon has created an exciting new series and one I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next.(less)

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May 17, 2011 Rhin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, low-fantasy, monsters, paranormal-romance, undead

Wow. That ending. Seriously, it was intense. I wanna read the second book now!

Okay, let's try to make this more understandable.
I liked the main character. Normally I don't like main characters. They are often whiny, ego centrical girls with a tendency to blame others for everything, or for falling in love with no reason and only in a matter of days (if not minutes). They tend to be right all of the time, because the author wants them to be right and they tend to be stupid and irritating most of...more Wow. That ending. Seriously, it was intense. I wanna read the second book now!

Okay, let's try to make this more understandable.
I liked the main character. Normally I don't like main characters. They are often whiny, ego centrical girls with a tendency to blame others for everything, or for falling in love with no reason and only in a matter of days (if not minutes). They tend to be right all of the time, because the author wants them to be right and they tend to be stupid and irritating most of the time.
But not Renée. Sure, at times she was whiny. At times she bitched way too much and jumped to conclusions. At times the answer was dancing samba in front of her and she didn't react to it. But most of the time she was fresh and I understood her actions. She was whiny, but she had every right to be. She had just lost both of her parents, found them murdered, even though everybody keeps on telling her they died of natural causes, and her grandfather who she haven't seen for years is her legal guardian. Her world is falling apart, he wants her to leave her friends, everything she knows. So she was a right to be whiny. And she doesn't keep on being whiny. She is determined and she takes matter into her own hands. She is brave and she doesn't take no for an answer. And she has a realistic reaction to the supernatural thing (which I will not spoil) in the book. All in all, I liked her.

And then there's Dante. The only thing that irritated me about him was how Renée couldn't stop telling him how perfect he was. And how he is indeed rude in the beginning. But otherwise I liked him. He wasn't perfect and some of the things he did I thought to be stupid, but all in all he was an okay love interest.

Put those two together, and you get the romance in this book. It was nice that there actually were other things beside the romance. It made me enjoy it a lot more, than if it had been THE main plot. Of cause it is still a main theme, but it is not the only one. The romance... well, in the beginning I thought it was weird. Renée didn't seem to really like Dante for whom he was, but for... well, being perfect. But slowly I think it evolved into something bigger and much more realistic. I liked the idea behind their romance and I liked how it wasn't stuffy. It was only in the beginning that I felt it was a bit unrealistic, otherwise I found it cute, most of the time.

The other main theme - who killed Renée's parents - came nicely along. Renée discovered things at a natural pace. It wasn't like that in a week she had all the answers, no. She had to dug after them, do things that was strictly forbidden and fight for them. Small hits are dropped everywhere about how it all fits, and the reader was able to guess along with the characters. I found out way before Renée what was going on, but again, sometimes she doesn't see things dancing samba in front of her. But otherwise - a lot of interesting facts are being used, and Woon really plays with names. I looked up most people's names, to see where they came from, including Goodfried, and it was actually really interesting. There were tons of hints, tons of important notes and tons of symbols throughout the whole book. God how I loved that. There were a lot of plot twists, most of them quite predictable, some of them, like the thing with Nathaniel - which, by the way, I still want to know what is - were unpredictable to me, and came as a chock. The end held a nice plot twist, and all in all, I felt that this book delivered more than what I expected. It was slow to begin, though, but as soon as it really began I had a hard time putting it down. It was all just too interesting. (less)

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Dec 01, 2010 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok, what a great and intriguing read. And the twist! I certainly did not see that coming. Beautiful Dead is a great read. Everything in it was perfect.

So as I started to read this book, I was thrown into a whirlwind of surprises. Poor Renee, always going through some many unexpected tragic things. I felt sorry for her, but was glad that she prevailed.

Renee arrived at this new school and her rebellious attitude has me giddy from the start. I immensely enjoyed her smart mouth, know it all attitude...more

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Jun 16, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, mythology, not-bad-at-all, romance, young-adult

Geeez...I don't even know how to describe how I was feeling at the end to this book. It was a mixture of sadness, annoyance and happiness. I felt sad coz it was the end of the book and that I had to wait a while longer for the next, I felt annoyed because the ending left of on a cliffhanger as well as this star crossed lover thing by which was quite little in this novel so that was okay. however, I felt really happy that this book was an amazing page turner and one with lots of mystery. I mean,...more

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Nov 20, 2012 April rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, ya, zombies, paranormal

Renee’s sixteenth birthday should have gone off without a hitch. She’s got great friends and a perfect boyfriend, not to mention a wonderful relationship with her parents. Life, however, doesn’t always go according to plan. Renee, while taking a drive through the country with her best friend, happens upon her parents lying dead in the woods. All of a sudden, her life is turned upside down and she is shipped from sunny California to a boarding school, Gottfried Academy, in gloomy Maine.
Read the r ...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Reading Vacation rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

REVIEW

I like paranormal books as much as the next girl, but Dead Beautiful was a little too creepy for me. The summary (and the title) give a hint of what is going on, but I wasn’t really prepared for just how much death would overwhelm the story.

Renee was a girl who would speak her mind. I liked that about her, even though it sometimes got her into trouble. She had a lot going on in her life and she was thrown into a crazy situation at Gottfried Academy.

What I wasn’t so thrilled about was the r...more

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May 28, 2013 Maddy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

MEINE MEINUNG:

Dieses Buch habe ich schon sehr lange auf meinem SuB und ich hatte es auch schon mal angefangen, aber es war nicht die richtige Zeit um es zu lesen, doch jetzt hatte ich Lust darauf und habe es endlich gegriffen.

Ich werde zum Inhalt nicht viel sagen, denn ich finde der Klappentext reicht hier vollkommen aus, sonst verrät man doch mehr als man möchte.

Ich hatte natürlich im Vorfeld schon ein wenig über das Buch gehört und durchweg nur gutes, deswegen war ich gespannt wie ich es finde...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Alisa (The Reading Obsession) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was going to review Sweet Evil. Then I remembered my friend wanted to try and review it. So, I was like," Sure. I'll find another book." And then I was going to review The Selection. But then, I found this book in my browse through Good Reads. And I was like, "Oh... I remember this book! I read it like a year ago!" So now I'm trying to see if I can remember it enough to write a review about it.

Let's see what I can remember... It was bad. And a copy cat. The overall story was like Twilight. Wit...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Barrett Brassfield rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know what you must be thinking. WTF is a 48 year-old dude reading a novel like Dead Beautiful? Welp it all started in an independent bookshop dontchaknow, my syfy/fantasy YA spurt of recent years that is. Buffalo Street Books is a fabulous bookshop in Ithaca NY and during the Hamilton years I often journeyed there (and the wonderful Moosewood restaurant) and every time I went in the very astute book buyer had many tasty reading treats displayed on the YA syfy/fantasy table. I'd saunter over to...more I know what you must be thinking. WTF is a 48 year-old dude reading a novel like Dead Beautiful? Welp it all started in an independent bookshop dontchaknow, my syfy/fantasy YA spurt of recent years that is. Buffalo Street Books is a fabulous bookshop in Ithaca NY and during the Hamilton years I often journeyed there (and the wonderful Moosewood restaurant) and every time I went in the very astute book buyer had many tasty reading treats displayed on the YA syfy/fantasy table. I'd saunter over to the table, pick up some interesting sounding titles or novels with cool looking jackets and grab a seat in the comfy chair adjacent to the table and have at the first chapter or two of each. Looking back it is amazing how many great reads I found there and managed to support independent bookshops in the process. I actually read Dead Beautiful a couple of years back but have just started the sequel and thought it time to add it to my good reads list.

Dead Beautiful opens in a redwood forest in northern California, very close to where I lived for nine years and this setting is what drew me to the novel. By the time I got to the part where the story shifts to the east coast I was hooked. After suffering through the gawdawful Stephanie Meyer Twilight novels (a friend saved me from finishing the dreadful fourth installment) it is refreshing to find well-written imaginative YA fiction like this novel by Yvonne Woon. The main storyline does involve the undead but not in the way you might think thankfully, and the plot is fairly original. Our story begins in northern Cali with the parents of our protagonist on a hunt in the forest but for what we do not yet know. In fairly short order they end up quite dead with more than a little air of mystery as to how they got that way and the life of their high school aged daughter is turned utterly upside down. Soon the story shifts to New England as Renee goes to live with her grandfather and begins attending a private preparatory school that is much more than just another New England boarding school. The much more is what gives the story its weight and most of the adventure takes place in this somewhat cliched setting although the nature of Woon's plot renders this mostly a mute criticism. Renee comes to understand her parents were murdered by a group of undead (no not vampires!) and her new school is actually home to both the living and the undead. She also comes to learn much of her previously unknown family history from her grandfather who himself has a long history with the school and the undead. I won't say too much about what makes someone in this story undead as this is a key part of the novel but I will say Dead Beautiful was a thoroughly enjoyable novel with several engaging well-rounded characters. Early in, the sequel seems even better. (less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Savannah Ma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dead Beautiful was an amazing book, I don't know what everyone else is talking about but I absolutely loved it!

Yvonne Woon is a great writer, I loved how detailed she was in the book. I felt that the beginning was rather slow, but after you get to a certain point in the book the pace picks up. Probably at around 100 pages perhaps.

It had a very good plot, this book is pretty original to me. Although we pretty much knew that Dante was undead that was okay!

I really liked the characters in the boo...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I never want it to end. A real page turner. Absolutely brilliant. I first got it because I thought it would be a vampire type book. But it was something completely different and exciting. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read the next book. It was agony having to wait another month for the release of 'Life Eternal' but some how I managed it.

I defiantly recommend you read it.

The detail of the characters and events(scenery) paint a perfect picture of what they look like, how they act, move an...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review and others is on my blog: https://simplebooks.blogspot.com

This book was spectacular! I recently took a break from reading books, as you guys might have noticed, and I've just started to begin reading again!

I was a bit creeped out because of this book in the beginning and I still am a bit now, but it's really interesting. I still don't know why there were coins all around the body, but oh well.

Anyways, let's get on with the story! It was very well written, at least to me, and I real...more This review and others is on my blog: https://simplebooks.blogspot.com

This book was spectacular! I recently took a break from reading books, as you guys might have noticed, and I've just started to begin reading again!

I was a bit creeped out because of this book in the beginning and I still am a bit now, but it's really interesting. I still don't know why there were coins all around the body, but oh well.

Anyways, let's get on with the story! It was very well written, at least to me, and I really enjoyed it. There was one point in the story where Renee was thinking about who and what Dante really was and I was silently praying to myself, 'Please don't be a vampire, please please please'. I really am getting annoyed with vampire related books now. I get it, but just because Twilight was such a big deal, doesn't mean your book is too! No offense, but can you tell I don't like Twilight? I'm not going to tell you guys if Dante is a vampire or not. You have to read it to find out.

And on with the characters! When Renee and I first got to learn who Dante was according to Eleanor, I was totally agreeing with what Renee was saying, but when we got the the description of Dante when she saw him, whew, what a hottie. Haha, but really. What a hottie. Dante is really charming and very proper. I don't really know how to explain, but he just is. And every single one of you who reads this book will agree with me, he is a hottie.

The main character, Renee, has a tragic backstory. Her parents die from a heart attack and she has to move across the country to go to this posh boarding school that her grandfather, who she hasn't even seen since she was young, has forced her to go to. And what's worse is that she has to leave her best friend and this guy she might've gotten with. But, don't get all weepy for her because, ahem, Dante.

What I liked about the book was almost everything. I'm hesitant to give it a 5 star because it didn't really blow me away, but I don't want to give it any lower because it really was a good book. Anyways, I loved Dante and Renee together. They're just so cute! And the author is very skilled at not making them too mushy. I didn't really dislike anything about the book!

Overall, I'm really glad I took the time to finish this book! 4.5 stars!(less)

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Oct 22, 2012 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Als die 16-jährige Renée eines Abends ihre Eltern tot im Wald auffindet, merkt sie sofort, dass deren Todesursache - Herzversagen - nicht stimmen kann. Beide haben Mull im Mund und Münzen auf den Augen liegen. Zu ihrer Sicherheit wird Renée von ihrem Großvater auf ein Internat an der Ostsee geschickt - das Gottfried-Institut, welches als eins der beliebtesten Internate gilt.
Trotz einiger merkwürdiger Unterrichtsfächer und bizarrer Mitschüler findet sie sich schnell zurecht. Eleanor und Nathaniel...more Als die 16-jährige Renée eines Abends ihre Eltern tot im Wald auffindet, merkt sie sofort, dass deren Todesursache - Herzversagen - nicht stimmen kann. Beide haben Mull im Mund und Münzen auf den Augen liegen. Zu ihrer Sicherheit wird Renée von ihrem Großvater auf ein Internat an der Ostsee geschickt - das Gottfried-Institut, welches als eins der beliebtesten Internate gilt.
Trotz einiger merkwürdiger Unterrichtsfächer und bizarrer Mitschüler findet sie sich schnell zurecht. Eleanor und Nathaniel werden ihre besten Freunde und Dante wird zu ihrem heimlichen Schwarm.
Leider scheint sie auch hier vom Tod verfolgt, denn wie schon im Schuljahr zuvor, werden auch jetzt wieder Attentate verübt. Als Renée herausfindet, dass auch viele Schüler des Gottfried-Instituts an Herzversagen gestorben sind, begreift sie, dass deren Tod und der Tod ihrer Eltern womöglich in Verbindung stehen ...

"Dead Beautiful - Deine Seele in mir" ist eines der Bücher, die einen positiv überraschen. Anfangs dachte ich noch, dass es sich hierbei um eine ähnliche Geschichte wie in Twilight handelt. Die ist allerdings, wie sich später rausstellt, kaum der Fall. Nach einiger Zeit merkt man als Leser, dass Yvonne Woon mit ihrem Buch eine völlig andere Richtung einschlägt.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr flüssig zu lesen und leicht verständlich. Durch die Ich-Perspektive hat man einen direkten Draht zur Hauptprotagonistin Renée. Mithilfe sehr detailgenauer Beschreibungen schafft es die Autorin, dass der Leser sich alles gut vorstellen kann.

Renée ist in meinen Augen ein sehr nettes, wissensbegieriges Mädchen, das immer ihre Meinung sagt und nicht klein beigibt. Trotzdem ist sie oftmals sehr naiv und leichtgläubig, da sie sehr lange braucht, um Dinge herauszufinden, die dem Leser auf Anhieb klar sind.

Dante ist ein sehr aufmerksamer, hilfsbereiter und rücksichtsvoller junger Mann. Dennoch ist er oftmals sehr geheimnisvoll und gibt nicht gerne etwas über sich preis. Anders als die anderen Schüler wohnt er nicht in dem Internat, sondern im daneben liegenden Ort Attica Falls, wo er in einem Gasthof übernachtet. Renée scheint die einzige Person zu sein, mit der er sich gerne unterhält, denn sonst hat er keine weiteren Freunde.

Dass die Liebesgeschichte nicht zwingend im Vordergrund steht, hat mir hier sehr gut gefallen. Durch die mysteriösen Vorkommnisse wird eine Menge Spannung aufgebaut, die den Leser dazu bewegt, solange zu weiter zu lesen, bis man das Buch schließlich durchgelesen hat. Erst kurz vor Schluss wird einem plötzlich klar, wie alles genau zusammenhängt, auch wenn man die ganze Zeit bestimmte Vermutungen hat.

Das Cover des Taschenbuchs finde ich fast noch ein bisschen schöner als das des Hardcovers. Den Titel allerdings finde ich im Allgemeinen leider etwas zu verräterisch. "Dead Beautiful - Deine Seele in mir" gibt meiner Meinung nach zu viel preis. Hier hätte man vielleicht einen anderen Titel wählen sollen...

Das Ende war richtig herzzerreißend und etwas traurig. Man möchte unbedingt wissen, wie es mit Renée und Dante weitergeht, denn die letzte Seite lässt nichts Gutes vermuten. Allerdings denke ich, dass es trotzdem irgendwie ein Happy End geben wird, denn sonst würde es nicht noch einen zweiten Band geben. Ich lasse mich überraschen!

Fazit: Alles in allem bin ich begeistert von diesem Buch. Dennoch gibt es leider ein paar kleine Schwächen. Leider begreift der Leser schon sehr viel früher als Renée, welches Geheimnis Dante so hartnäckig versucht zu hüten. Auch den Titel finde ich nicht unbedingt passend. Deshalb gibt es von mir leider keine volle Punktzahl. Trotzdem ein gelungener erster Band!(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Fatima Grace is currently reading it · review of another edition

This book is soooo original. (This is sarcasm)

I'm quite disliking it at the moment. Truth be told, the only part that I thought that was well written so far was the prologue. Ridiculous, right?

Dead Beautiful, to me, really feels like some rip-off of Twilight with a touch of Harry Potter (with that touch being that the main character is sent to a boarding school and is now an orphan). New girl from some sunny state moves to gloomy old small town in the middle of a forest; girl meets "dead gorgeou...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Jennavier rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-debut-authors

Dead Beautiful is a paranormal romance about a girl named Renee whose parents are killed mysteriously and is then sucked into a web of secrets about mortality/immortality and the meaning of life all impersoned by super hot/super strong/ probably older then he looks Dante. Wow, that was a sentence.
My take on the book was in three stages:
Beginning of the book- This is slow... Well, at least the heroine has a fun voice. Can this ever pick up?
Middle of Book - Holy cow! These events are really inter...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. I was a little weird out by all the creepy language of the dead and phrases used by the head mistress, but was interested to learn something from this novel. I mean every boarding school has the scary haunted castle old run down church feel. It was like while I was trying to keep up with the story I was making my own theories up and fascinated by the myths and history. Anyway, my only problem, maybe a few problems was that some of the wording and interaction with the...more

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Aug 13, 2012 DefinitelyMaybe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nach dem mysteriösen Tod ihrer Eltern wird Reneé von ihrem neuen Vormund, ihrem Großvater, auf das Gottfried-Institut geschickt. Das Institut hat einige seltsame Fächer auf dem Stundenplan (z.B. Gartenbau) und auch manche Verhaltensregeln werfen Fragen auf. Doch wieso sollte Reneè gerade dort nach dem Tod ihrer Eltern sicher sein und vor allem vor wem/was?! Und wieso redet der scheinbar geheimnisvolle, verschlossene Dante gerade mit ihr?

Das Cover finde ich recht einladend, gerade der Untertitel...more Nach dem mysteriösen Tod ihrer Eltern wird Reneé von ihrem neuen Vormund, ihrem Großvater, auf das Gottfried-Institut geschickt. Das Institut hat einige seltsame Fächer auf dem Stundenplan (z.B. Gartenbau) und auch manche Verhaltensregeln werfen Fragen auf. Doch wieso sollte Reneè gerade dort nach dem Tod ihrer Eltern sicher sein und vor allem vor wem/was?! Und wieso redet der scheinbar geheimnisvolle, verschlossene Dante gerade mit ihr?

Das Cover finde ich recht einladend, gerade der Untertitel "Deine Seele in mir" macht sehr neugierig und die Gestaltung ist hübsch anzusehen. Die Kapitelüberschriften gefallen mir vom Stil her sehr gut und verraten nicht zu viel vom Gesehen, vor allem sind sie besser als dieses ewig platte "Kapitel Eins, Zwei, usw."

Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist meiner Meinung nach leicht und flüssig zu lesen, was den Leseprozess sehr angenehm gestaltet. Zudem sind die Kapitel recht gut aufgeteilt, mal etwas längere aber auch kürzere, welche ihrem Inhalt jedoch gerecht werden.

Die Antworten auf einige im Raum stehende Fragen bekommt man im Verlauf des Buches, jedoch war mir persönlich die ein oder andere Sache etwas zu weit hergeholt bzw. zu übernatürlich, was auch daran liegen kann das diese Art von Story nicht zu meinen Liebsten gehört. Die Spannung baut sich in einem angenehmen Tempo auf und bleibt im Großen und Ganzen bis zum Schluss erhalten.

Die Charaktere in dem Buch waren für mich nur mittelmäßig, sie sind durchaus sympathisch, aber mir ist es dennoch schwer gefallen mich in sie hineinzuversetzen, da sie manchmal nicht ausgereift genug waren, für mich zumindest. Außerdem haben sich die Beziehungen zwischen den Personen recht schnell entwickelt.

Zum Ende hin werden ein paar neue Fragen in den Raum geworfen, welche unbeantwortet bleiben und einen Folgeband vermuten lassen.

Ich würde das Buch jugendlichen Lesern empfehlen die ein wenig übernatürliches in Büchern mögen und nicht "DIE große Liebesgeschichte" erwarten und wollen, denn die war es für mich persönlich nicht.

Fazit: "Dead Beautiful" ist ein gutes Debüt, es geht angenehm voran und lässt sich dementsprechend gut lesen, die Geschichte entwickelt sich nachvollziehbar, hat aber keine nachhallende Wirkung. Jedoch ist es für mich kein "muss" im Bücherregal.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've got to say that I was surprised by how this book turned out. It was a birthday present to me, the product of what happens when a friend takes me into the bookstore and says "Go on and get whatever book you want." The quote on the front intrigued me most, it said something along the lines of "A Harry Potter start with a Twilight finish."

Now, I'm not the biggest Twilight fan in the world. I enjoy my continuity and such, but I do love Harry Potter, and Meyer's series has some redeeming qualiti...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Amelie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-bookshelf

Zur Aufmachung

Also irgendwie war ich nie Fan des deutschen Covers. Aber als ich jetzt zum ersten mal das englische Cover gesehen habe, da fand ich das deutsche plötzlich gar richtig toll. Ich finde allerdings, dass "Deine Seele in mir" ein klein wenig zu viel von der Geschichte verrät...

Zum Buch

Ich könnte jetzt Vergleiche mit Büchern wie Twilight ziehen, aber das ist gar nicht nötig. Das Buch hat zwar einige Parallelen, aber es war einfach ganz anders! Vor allem, was die Atmosphäre angeht und na...more Zur Aufmachung

Also irgendwie war ich nie Fan des deutschen Covers. Aber als ich jetzt zum ersten mal das englische Cover gesehen habe, da fand ich das deutsche plötzlich gar richtig toll. Ich finde allerdings, dass "Deine Seele in mir" ein klein wenig zu viel von der Geschichte verrät...

Zum Buch

Ich könnte jetzt Vergleiche mit Büchern wie Twilight ziehen, aber das ist gar nicht nötig. Das Buch hat zwar einige Parallelen, aber es war einfach ganz anders! Vor allem, was die Atmosphäre angeht und natürlich die Charaktere.
Sowohl Renee als auch Dante waren einfach toll. Man hat sie sehr ins Herz geschlossen und besonders Renee konnte mal einfach super gut verstehen. Und genau das ist es, was dieses Buch zu etwas besonderem und tollem gemacht hat. Die Idee an sich ist leider alles andere als super originell, aber die Handlung war auch nicht vorhersehbar und sie war vor allem spannend. Besonders das Ende fand ich einfach klasse. Leider fand ich es noch viel toller und besser bevor ich gesehen habe, dass es eine Fortsetzung zu diesem ersten Band gibt. Denn das Ende so wie es jetzt gewesen ist, ist mit einer Fortsetzung zwar immer noch gut, aber so wird es auch zum Cliffhanger, was ich schade finde, denn ich fand das Ende sehr philosophisch und eigentlich ganz gut passend. Nachdem ich aber die Kurzbeschreibung des zweiten Teiles gelesen habe, ist das Ende für mich leider nicht mehr ganz so außergewöhnlich.
Philosophisch ist hier übrigens einfach alles. Das Gottfried Institut ist eine so wunderbare Idee der Autorin gewesen! Es ist mysthisch und geheimnisvoll und Yvonne Woon hat hier eine unheimlich tolle Atmosphäre geschaffen, die sich ganz um den Tod und das Leben nach dem Tod dreht. Die Ansichten vieler berühmter Philosophen zum Thema Tod werden hier eingeflochten und auch Latein wird sehr viel integriert. Auch wenn es hier etwas unglaubwürdig war, dass Renee einen lateinischen Satz übersetzen konnte ohne irgendwas über die Sprache gelernt zu haben. Natürlich kann man die einzelnen Vokabeln in einem Wörterbuch nachschlagen, aber da stehen sie ja auch nur in ihrer Grundform und generell lebt Latein von seinen Endungen und diese stehen normalerweise nicht in Wörterbüchern erläutert dabei. Egal, das ist ja nur ein klitzekleines Detail.
Ich fand es toll, dass so viel Latein eingeflochten wurde, weil ich das meiste verstehen konnte. Obwohl ich von den Unterhaltungen der Latein Aufbaukursler auch nicht alles mitbekommen habe. Ich hätte es natürlich nachschlagen können, aber wo blieben dann die Geheimnisse? ;)

Fazit

Schreibstil: 4 Sterne
Charaktere: 5 Sterne
Spannung: 4 Sterne
Emotionale Tiefe: 5 Sterne
Humor: 3 Sterne
Originalität: 3,5 Sterne

Ein Roman mit einer beuzaubernden Atmosphäre, liebenswerten Charakteren und einer sehr romantischen Geschichte über den Tod. Kann ich definitiv weiterempfehlen!

♥♥♥♥(less)

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Jul 15, 2012 Rai rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why is it so hard to find a good book nowadays? I saw this book sitting on display thought it was going to be great. A day later I'm sitting on my bed disappointed. After reading the first couple chapters I found myself slightly annoyed. Renée keeps saying she misses her parents throughout the book, but there is no evidence of a relationship with her parents because the book starts off with them dying. Perhaps Woon was relying on the reader putting themselves in Renée's shoes and figured there w...more Why is it so hard to find a good book nowadays? I saw this book sitting on display thought it was going to be great. A day later I'm sitting on my bed disappointed. After reading the first couple chapters I found myself slightly annoyed. Renée keeps saying she misses her parents throughout the book, but there is no evidence of a relationship with her parents because the book starts off with them dying. Perhaps Woon was relying on the reader putting themselves in Renée's shoes and figured there was no need to show that Renée actually had a connection with her parents before they died. After Renée finds her parents dead she starts to go through what she misses about her parents and things like that, but I can't help but feel that she only started caring about them after they died.

After the funeral she is shipped off to the Gottfried Academy in Maine and meets Dante Berlin. When the first met I thought their romance was going to be real, not fluffy and superficial. Of course I was wrong. Unfortunately, this is where this book starts morphing into Twilight. Renée becomes the new Bella Swan who obsesses about her boyfriend's appearances. She's constantly talking about Dante's body and is staring at him every chance she gets. Not once do I remember her saying anything about his personality. She annoyed me more than a good main character should. It took her forever to figure things out even though the answers were so obvious, she says things like, " I'd rather die than be without you.", she runs away from her problems instead of addressing them, and she pulls one of those stupid moves where the heroine throws herself into danger after being told to stay put. I would think that if a guy you were romantically involved with who had supernatural powers told you to stay put because there was a dangerous situation you would sit your little ass down and not cause any problems because that's what always ends up happening. You run outside and try to act like a bad ass, completely forgetting that your enemy is matched for someone like your supernatural boyfriend, and next thing you know you've made the situation worse because now your protector has to worry about you as well as himself. Renée was just... not my kind of heroine.

Dante was a character I happened to like. Although he was a bit of a jerk in the beginning of the book I felt his anger towards Renée was kind of justified. Woon obviously took the science class scene from Twilight. It was ridiculous how close the scenes were. Dante's an ass for the first few days and then there's a sudden change in him and he actually starts talking to her. Very creative Woon, really. (less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Michelle Rodriguez rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ...Where to start... For one: what the hell was the random attack on the protagonist's parent's about and who did it? we never find out. OK, after her parents are mysteriously murdered, the girl has to move to live with her grandad whom she's never known (because stuff happened which gets explained in the book) she has to leave all she knows - her friends, her school. Angst ensues for a bit. Finally, she starts attending a new, elite school (OMG the headteacher is such a creep. I can't even...)...more ...Where to start... For one: what the hell was the random attack on the protagonist's parent's about and who did it? we never find out. OK, after her parents are mysteriously murdered, the girl has to move to live with her grandad whom she's never known (because stuff happened which gets explained in the book) she has to leave all she knows - her friends, her school. Angst ensues for a bit. Finally, she starts attending a new, elite school (OMG the headteacher is such a creep. I can't even...) and there she finds mysterious deaths and, well, mysteries that she becomes determined she has to solve. She meets a guy. The guy she fancies turns out to have her soul. This makes things a bit awkward in my opinion, they can't do anything because a kiss will kill her yet they can't stay away from each other (surprise surprise) the guy because it's in his nature to be drawn to the girl whose soul he has and her because who doesn't love- no, scratch that- who can resist a broody, sexy, popular, smart (must the list go on?) guy that gets conveniently seated next to you during science and becomes your partner ~~(trust me, I've been there, that shit actually happens)~~. Let me just get to the point: In what world is it not creepy to fall in love with what is basically yourself - the guy has your soul which is why you're so attracted to him, the girl has no actual free-will to 'fall in love' with the guy- I mean, her soul. Now, I'm not trying to slag the book off because it was actually really interesting the whole way through before we found out that the guy had her soul (which I guessed quite early on but thought to myself that surely not-!) I must say trying to figure out the secrets and mysteries before the protagonist did was fun - some part of me thinks that the book would have been better if the romance was toned down but then who knows. Again, the ending is what disappointed me with the story - way too abrupt (yes, I know there's a sequel, but still!) and I just don't understand how their 'love' is going to prevail. I know that I won't be reading the sequel to this book, sadly.(less)

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Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful #1)

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