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Dead High #1
My So-Called Death
Just because you don't have a pulse doesn't mean you can't be perky.
One second, sophomore Karen Vera's on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she's lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she's a genetically undead zombie.
Soon, Karen is sent off to DEAD High, a boarding school for the "death-challenged," and her non-life is suddenly an epic disaster. She's stuck with a greasy-haired, wannabe-Goth roommate who hates her guts. She's chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot (um, ew?). Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a dark ritual . . . and it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen's non-beating heart flutter!
As more brains are stolen—including her best friend's—Karen tracks down the brain snatcher to save her fellow students from certain zombie death.
One second, sophomore Karen Vera's on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she's lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she's a genetically undead zombie.
Soon, Karen is sent off to DEAD High, a boarding school for the "death-challenged," and her non-life is suddenly an epic disaster. She's stuck with a greasy-haired, wannabe-Goth roommate who hates her guts. She's chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot (um, ew?). Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a dark ritual . . . and it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen's non-beating heart flutter!
As more brains are stolen—including her best friend's—Karen tracks down the brain snatcher to save her fellow students from certain zombie death.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2010
About the author
Stacey Jay
24 books1,747 followersStacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.
Learn more at http://staceyjay.com.
Learn more at http://staceyjay.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 23, 2017
Remember years back when hot Zombies were the rage, and you didn't call them Zombies but Death Challenged or Death Impaired. This is one of the series that was popular back then, and yes, I bought it and only just got around to finally reading Book #1. I had previously read Book #0.5. In My So-Called Death, Karen is getting used to her life as a Zombie after an accident in cheerleading caused her to fall to her death and come back as a Zombie. She is now attending a Zombie high school. The thing though is that someone is killing the Zombies and if she isn't careful she could be next on the list as her newfound friends are being found with their brains harvested. Can Karen get through her first year of Dead High and stay alive well undead alive and find out who the killer Zombie Brain Harvester is? Find out in this fun YA read and perfect for those supernatural/paranormal fans out there that think Vampires are for the weak and want some Hot Zombies. As Adam Seltzer said I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It or Daniel Waters said It's time for Generation Dead.
September 30, 2015
Karen Vera is a popular 14 year old girl whose life is cut short when she falls off the top of her cheerleader pyramid. She soon learns that she is death challenged. Her only way to have a normal life is to go to DEAD school. Stacey Jay's book takes a tragedy and turns it into a very funny story. The book seems like a mashup of John Huges films, (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles) George Romero films (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead), and JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Jay makes the story very twisted and disgusting. She is very generous with the gore and it shows her dark sense of humor. The book paints a clear picture of high school life, including everything from making new friends, making enemies and first love. All this is done from the perspective of a zombie teenager. The world has been saturated with zombies for quite awhile. With grim zombie apocalypse stories like "The Walking Dead" rating #1 on television it is refreshing to take in a light hearted zombie tale. I read the book in 2 sittings and chuckled my way through it. It is a page turner that keeps you wanting to find out more. There are a couple of negative aspects of the book. The story tends to be a bit cliche over and over again. For the most part this can be forgiven because the book does not take itself very seriously. The mystery story line is very predictable, but Stacey Jay manages to add little twists that allow the reader to forgive the imperfections.
January 4, 2015
This was a fun read for me. It reminded me a bit of
(probably due to the boarding school setting and the humor) mixed with
(due to the mystery aspect and the younger target audience). I'm sad there aren't any more books in the series (at least not yet), so I guess I need to try Ms. Jay's other zombie series (Megan Berry):
.
(probably due to the boarding school setting and the humor) mixed with
(due to the mystery aspect and the younger target audience). I'm sad there aren't any more books in the series (at least not yet), so I guess I need to try Ms. Jay's other zombie series (Megan Berry):
.
December 18, 2019
Loved the mysterious journey of teenagers after their death as dead or undead zombies and their mysterious fight against the one who killing the DEADS
Read
March 6, 2012Carrie Ackerson
Humor
Karen Vera is the smallest, most pink-wearing cheerleader at Peachtree High. Naturally she’s the one on the top of a human pyramid when the stunt goes wrong and she…DOESN’T die. Karen is “death challenged!” She becomes a zombie, and must go to DEAD High instead, a zombie boarding school. It isn’t so bad, once she gets used to eating (animal) brains. But suddenly somebody is harvesting zombie brains. Karen and gorgeous zombie-hunk Gavin need to save their classmates!
Expect terrible zombie humor a la perky cheerleader. The plot seems part Harry Potter and part Buffy with a touch of Scooby Doo, but is fun nonetheless. Good light reading!
Humor
Karen Vera is the smallest, most pink-wearing cheerleader at Peachtree High. Naturally she’s the one on the top of a human pyramid when the stunt goes wrong and she…DOESN’T die. Karen is “death challenged!” She becomes a zombie, and must go to DEAD High instead, a zombie boarding school. It isn’t so bad, once she gets used to eating (animal) brains. But suddenly somebody is harvesting zombie brains. Karen and gorgeous zombie-hunk Gavin need to save their classmates!
Expect terrible zombie humor a la perky cheerleader. The plot seems part Harry Potter and part Buffy with a touch of Scooby Doo, but is fun nonetheless. Good light reading!
April 1, 2012
Ok, this book...is wonderful. It is light, hilarious, fun, ridiculous, far-fetched (but well thought out at the same time), and awesome. I read the synopsis of this book by Stacy Jay when I was going on a "new book spree" and decided to give it a whirl. I read it in a day and it was exactly what I wanted, fun! I highly recommend this book to anyone with a dry and sick sense of humor like myself, the rest of the fans of Karen Vera, and Stacy Jay.
October 9, 2015
This is so oddly lighthearted and fun for a zombie book. Eating brains, black magic, and a zombie killer on the loose somehow seem as fluffy as cotton candy with Karen Vera in the POV seat. In fact, I wouldn't have minded a little more weight, but I still very much enjoyed this and will be reading more Stacey Jay. :) 3.5 stars
May 4, 2011
After dying in a cheerleading accident, high school freshman Karen turns into a zombie and enrolls at a boarding school for the undead where she uncovers a murder mystery.
(Im a spoiler(and 'spoiler' is just an understatement)!!..Beware)
Characters:
Karen Vera: lives in georgia,died by cheerleader accdient,freshman, waked up as a zombie,5'1,golden blond hair,brown eyes,14 yr old,not a normal person..a genetic anomaly,doesnt have a pulse anymore,skin will rot if doesnt take proper precautions,lower body temp than humans,has to attend Dead High,best friend was piper when she was alive,had the principal of Dead High fake her death to every human except her family,shortest girls at Dead High,paled-face,got knocked on head when discovering dead body in bathroom,sneaks in to samedi's office with trish to find evidence,followed gavin to the pool without him knowing and found a dead body(which was trish's),almost died,went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,flys in the air on a maggot's back to uy time for gavin to do the spell,kisses gavin at the end.
Mr.Vera: professor of midieval literature,hates football,has 4 kids,agreed to let karen go to Dead High.
Mrs.Vera: has 4 kids,has to agree to let karen go to Dead High,a believer starting from the day karen was undead,37,human.
Kyle Vera: karen's one year old brother.
Keith Vera: karen's one year old brother.
Kimmy Vera: karen's one year old sister.
Kevin Jenkins: the one to look up karen's skirt during the pyramid causing the cheerleaders to do so and thats where the cheerleader accident starts.
Duke Pearson: karen's crush when she was alive.
Theresa Samedi: principal of Dead High(borading school),super pale skin, short spikey black hair,black-brown eyes,the one to explain all the things that hapened to karen,tasted karen's blood to see if karen is the one stealing brains(if she was eating human brains rather than animals her blood would of tasted funny),was in the snake door doind a spell with a group of people,wants to put a suspension spell on gavin and karen(its black magic to freeze a person in time against will)but failed,isnt her first time suspending someone,crossed the line for black magic,not the theif.
Mr.Cork: English and Zombie poet teacher,near six feet tall,bulgy eyes,skinny,gray eyes,got be-skinned by mrs.cork,innocent.
Mrs.Cork/Amisi: was mr.cork the whole time,saved gavin and karen from further running when they were running from samedi,seen too much also and samedi is after him including gavin and karen,was the one who hit karen on the head in the bathroom,was the one by the bleachers,trapped gavin and karen in a hallway with maggots,can read minds b/c hes eaten parts of the 3 brains that gave him more power,stole mr.cork's skin to use it as undercover(stole as in took it off which leads to killing),the brain theft,brown eyes,stole brains to work a spell to get her woman body back,samedi's sister,one of the first undeads',dies.
Miss.Newhouse: chemistry professor.
Mr.Eden: the new English and Zombie poet teacher,cute for his age.
Clarice: karen's dorm-mate in Dead High,hates cheerleaders,greasy shoulder-length black hair,gray eyes,undead,fifteen,freshman, braces,one of the two that pratices magic,death challenged,family died in a car wreck,does her best to make everyone at Dead High hate clarice(which worked),went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,has trish's necklace,hexing karen all this time(as in using black magic that made the whole school hate karen),her bodied dissapeared b/c of all they seen(which means samedi did something to get rid of her for seeing too much),having her own room when she comes back.
Darby: clarice's friend,one of the two that pratices magic,only one that puts up with clarice,deprogrammed,enormous,damp dirty blond hair,went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,has trish's necklace,her bodied dissapeared b/c of all they seen(which means samedi did something to get rid of her for seeing too much).
Mandy Dee: pretty,bright red hair,pale face,freakles,undead,goes to Dead High,resident assistant(RA),nice.
Trish: goes to Dead High,brown straight bangs,friendly,loving, undead,deprogrammed,dark brown eyes,5'10,tallest girl in Dead High,thinks gavins cute,on toilet duty,fourteen,sneaks in to samedi's office with claire to find evidence,spent time in juvenille detention when twelve,got her cranium harvested(third victim),first roomate died undersketchy circumstances,saved,taking clarice's place as karen's roomy.
Gavin McDougal: karen's only crush at Dead High,black hair hangs in eyes,bright blue eyes,dimples,paled-face,goes to Dead High,undead,junior(smartest one),swims,Deprogrammed,works in front of the caf. handing out menus,liked by both DC's and Dp's,was seen in samedi's office walking out with a folder that said 'rare and forbidden spells',5'8,sixteen,almost died,pratices spells,dissed karen after being in samedi's office for some reason(Reason:make people think clarice isnt involved in the investigate with him),went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,had a protection spell on him the whole time so didnt get affected by clarice's black magic,works a spell in the hallway to escape,chewed on the brains so he can take the energy source away from mrs.cork,kisses karen at the end.
Kendra Duncan: got her cranium harvested at Dead High/someone stole her brain and shes dead-dead unless someone can find it,undead,friendly,sophomore who worked the raw line,Deprogrammed,first victim,saved.
Penelope Sweetney: someone harvested her cranium,second victim,new freshman,deprogrammed,saved.
Dr.Conner: doctor at Dead High,woman,samedi's great great grandmother,undead.
Renee: hall monitor,found karen unconcious,got brainwashed after saying she saw a person in a white robe jump out the window.
Facts:
-Black magically raised zombies are zombies that are mindless,scary,red-glowing-eyed freaks,wants to chow on human flesh and nothing else.Some of them can have their soul back if their dead if their corpse is raised within a year of their death.
-Zombies can live hundreds of years.
-Real food wreaks undead's digestion.
-Undeads all haver to eat brains for the rest of their life to prevent skin-rot and keep their body working.
-Deprogrammed students are humans whos bodies are raised by voo-doo priest.
-Uniform for Dead High: black choir robe-ish.
-cranium harvesting:means brain has been removed.
-Death challenged girls cant reproduce.
-Only the deprogrammed have to do work study..as in bathroom duty,etc.To pay back for having the principal take them in.
-In Dead High its weird for a Deadly challenged to be friends with the Deprogrammed.
-Zombies can put illusions on themselves so the humans dont reconize them.
-Maggots: Zombies/Undead's worst enemie,loves to feed on undead's flesh.Used by doctors to treat humans since they only feed on dead flesh and leave the healthy alone.
(Im a spoiler(and 'spoiler' is just an understatement)!!..Beware)
Characters:
Karen Vera: lives in georgia,died by cheerleader accdient,freshman, waked up as a zombie,5'1,golden blond hair,brown eyes,14 yr old,not a normal person..a genetic anomaly,doesnt have a pulse anymore,skin will rot if doesnt take proper precautions,lower body temp than humans,has to attend Dead High,best friend was piper when she was alive,had the principal of Dead High fake her death to every human except her family,shortest girls at Dead High,paled-face,got knocked on head when discovering dead body in bathroom,sneaks in to samedi's office with trish to find evidence,followed gavin to the pool without him knowing and found a dead body(which was trish's),almost died,went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,flys in the air on a maggot's back to uy time for gavin to do the spell,kisses gavin at the end.
Mr.Vera: professor of midieval literature,hates football,has 4 kids,agreed to let karen go to Dead High.
Mrs.Vera: has 4 kids,has to agree to let karen go to Dead High,a believer starting from the day karen was undead,37,human.
Kyle Vera: karen's one year old brother.
Keith Vera: karen's one year old brother.
Kimmy Vera: karen's one year old sister.
Kevin Jenkins: the one to look up karen's skirt during the pyramid causing the cheerleaders to do so and thats where the cheerleader accident starts.
Duke Pearson: karen's crush when she was alive.
Theresa Samedi: principal of Dead High(borading school),super pale skin, short spikey black hair,black-brown eyes,the one to explain all the things that hapened to karen,tasted karen's blood to see if karen is the one stealing brains(if she was eating human brains rather than animals her blood would of tasted funny),was in the snake door doind a spell with a group of people,wants to put a suspension spell on gavin and karen(its black magic to freeze a person in time against will)but failed,isnt her first time suspending someone,crossed the line for black magic,not the theif.
Mr.Cork: English and Zombie poet teacher,near six feet tall,bulgy eyes,skinny,gray eyes,got be-skinned by mrs.cork,innocent.
Mrs.Cork/Amisi: was mr.cork the whole time,saved gavin and karen from further running when they were running from samedi,seen too much also and samedi is after him including gavin and karen,was the one who hit karen on the head in the bathroom,was the one by the bleachers,trapped gavin and karen in a hallway with maggots,can read minds b/c hes eaten parts of the 3 brains that gave him more power,stole mr.cork's skin to use it as undercover(stole as in took it off which leads to killing),the brain theft,brown eyes,stole brains to work a spell to get her woman body back,samedi's sister,one of the first undeads',dies.
Miss.Newhouse: chemistry professor.
Mr.Eden: the new English and Zombie poet teacher,cute for his age.
Clarice: karen's dorm-mate in Dead High,hates cheerleaders,greasy shoulder-length black hair,gray eyes,undead,fifteen,freshman, braces,one of the two that pratices magic,death challenged,family died in a car wreck,does her best to make everyone at Dead High hate clarice(which worked),went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,has trish's necklace,hexing karen all this time(as in using black magic that made the whole school hate karen),her bodied dissapeared b/c of all they seen(which means samedi did something to get rid of her for seeing too much),having her own room when she comes back.
Darby: clarice's friend,one of the two that pratices magic,only one that puts up with clarice,deprogrammed,enormous,damp dirty blond hair,went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,has trish's necklace,her bodied dissapeared b/c of all they seen(which means samedi did something to get rid of her for seeing too much).
Mandy Dee: pretty,bright red hair,pale face,freakles,undead,goes to Dead High,resident assistant(RA),nice.
Trish: goes to Dead High,brown straight bangs,friendly,loving, undead,deprogrammed,dark brown eyes,5'10,tallest girl in Dead High,thinks gavins cute,on toilet duty,fourteen,sneaks in to samedi's office with claire to find evidence,spent time in juvenille detention when twelve,got her cranium harvested(third victim),first roomate died undersketchy circumstances,saved,taking clarice's place as karen's roomy.
Gavin McDougal: karen's only crush at Dead High,black hair hangs in eyes,bright blue eyes,dimples,paled-face,goes to Dead High,undead,junior(smartest one),swims,Deprogrammed,works in front of the caf. handing out menus,liked by both DC's and Dp's,was seen in samedi's office walking out with a folder that said 'rare and forbidden spells',5'8,sixteen,almost died,pratices spells,dissed karen after being in samedi's office for some reason(Reason:make people think clarice isnt involved in the investigate with him),went in the snake door while samedi was doing a spell to find the missing brains with her coven and got caught,had a protection spell on him the whole time so didnt get affected by clarice's black magic,works a spell in the hallway to escape,chewed on the brains so he can take the energy source away from mrs.cork,kisses karen at the end.
Kendra Duncan: got her cranium harvested at Dead High/someone stole her brain and shes dead-dead unless someone can find it,undead,friendly,sophomore who worked the raw line,Deprogrammed,first victim,saved.
Penelope Sweetney: someone harvested her cranium,second victim,new freshman,deprogrammed,saved.
Dr.Conner: doctor at Dead High,woman,samedi's great great grandmother,undead.
Renee: hall monitor,found karen unconcious,got brainwashed after saying she saw a person in a white robe jump out the window.
Facts:
-Black magically raised zombies are zombies that are mindless,scary,red-glowing-eyed freaks,wants to chow on human flesh and nothing else.Some of them can have their soul back if their dead if their corpse is raised within a year of their death.
-Zombies can live hundreds of years.
-Real food wreaks undead's digestion.
-Undeads all haver to eat brains for the rest of their life to prevent skin-rot and keep their body working.
-Deprogrammed students are humans whos bodies are raised by voo-doo priest.
-Uniform for Dead High: black choir robe-ish.
-cranium harvesting:means brain has been removed.
-Death challenged girls cant reproduce.
-Only the deprogrammed have to do work study..as in bathroom duty,etc.To pay back for having the principal take them in.
-In Dead High its weird for a Deadly challenged to be friends with the Deprogrammed.
-Zombies can put illusions on themselves so the humans dont reconize them.
-Maggots: Zombies/Undead's worst enemie,loves to feed on undead's flesh.Used by doctors to treat humans since they only feed on dead flesh and leave the healthy alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2017
Karen didn't know she had a genetic mutation that would keep her alive when she fell off the top of the cheerleading pyramid in front of the whole school. Now she's headed to a boarding school for the Un-Dead. As soon as she arrives bad things start happening. Some students at DEAD aren't mutants like her - they were raised from the dead by a magician and rescued. Those students are now in jeopardy, including Karen's new friend Trish. Girls are found with their brains removed. Karen and Trish decide they must find the killer and soon, but Karen is distracted by her number-one suspect, Gavin. Then Trish is attacked and Karen and Gavin are almost killed as well. They may be getting closer to the killer, but will they be the next victims?
An interesting romance - all the elements are here. There's a lot of description of what it's like to be a zombie and eat brains. Karen and Gavin develop a romance and Karen's roommate is a good suspect. The real killer - that's a bit of a twist. Not fabulous but not horrible either.
An interesting romance - all the elements are here. There's a lot of description of what it's like to be a zombie and eat brains. Karen and Gavin develop a romance and Karen's roommate is a good suspect. The real killer - that's a bit of a twist. Not fabulous but not horrible either.
September 8, 2017
I really enjoyed Stacey Jay's "You're So Undead to Me," which was funny and had a great teen voice. The same elements in this novel grate on the nerves, especially in the first part of the book. The only character who is fleshed out (ha ha) to full-person status is the narrator/protagonist, and in lieu of actual character development we get caricatures and an occasional stereotype instead. (For example, if you were hoping the ex-cheerleader protagonist would ultimately find out that her mini-Snape of a roommate is not so bad after all, then just know now you're going to be disappointed.) The Gavin-Karen interactions are iffy sometimes and needed work to make them meaningful and Gavin more of an actual presence.
Did Not Finish
January 26, 2022 Quirky lighthearted zombie book is a step I was willing to make away from my comfort zone, especially for an author I've enjoyed in the past. Not up for protagonists with magic 'rooted in death and darkness' though, especially as it seems to be taken as lightly as the rest of the premise.
March 31, 2010
Plot Sketch: Karen Vera is a cheerleader. She rocks at the top of the pyramid, and everyone wants to be her. Well, at least they did until she fell from the top of said pyramid and cracked her head open and her brains fell out. She died. They had a funeral, but Karen was still around. She's a zombie. Not the kind of zombie that got themselves dead and then got reanimated via black magic, those are the lower class Deprogrammed. Nope, she's Death Challenged, which is pretty much the bourgeoisie of zombiedom. Now she's attending a brand new school just for zombies, away from her parents and toddler triplet siblings, and trying to learn the ways of zombie life. She's eating brains, making friends, and learning how to care for her undead skin. She's clashing with her goth-ish roommate, Clarice, and crushing on the OMG steamy lunch-line guy, Gavin. Everything is very "new girl in school," until, someone turns up with their brain missing. Zombies without brains are dead. Karen, with the help of some friends, sets out on a course to find out who the brain snatcher is and solve the mystery before it's too late for the brainless deprogrammed girl to be reanimated, again.
Verdict: This fast-paced high school zombie story is delightful. The plot is twisty and doesn't dawdle. It's engaging and intriguing. The writing is clever and concise, but also addresses important themes such as self-esteem, trust, and interaction with authority figures. There is very minimal strong language, I think it's one instance, and it's addressed as strong language in the book. The characters are appropriately developed for a novel of this length, and Jay does a good job of developing them through their thoughts and actions as the plot moves along rather than spending time describing the character and what they might do in any given situation as we often find in young adult literature. Her ability to do this is what allows the story to move so quickly. I mean, don't miss a paragraph because if you do, you'll be lost. No skimming or skipping ahead either. She'll catch you if you do and you'll have to rewind yourself. I think she did a great job with the imagery and world building and she accomplished it in the same manner as she did the character development, as the story progressed. I never once wondered what someone looked like or where the characters were as that information was provided to me at precisely the right moment again and again. Jay's creativity and mastery of her craft are evident in this work, and if you love a book that moves along, or love zombies, or just love to laugh, you'll love this. I also want to note for those of you who do not love zombies that you are reading a review by someone who frequently has zombie nightmares. This will not give you nightmares, promise. It'll make you laugh, squee, and giggle, but it will not haunt you. I hope to read more about Karen Vera. Pick it up and see for yourself!
The Kirkus review compared this story to Harry Potter in a negative light... the Muggle-born vs. Wizard-born was paralleled to the Deprogrammed vs. Death Challenged in this work. I want to go on record as saying that I see no similarity to Harry Potter in My So-Called Death unless you totally stretch it and say that every book set in a school with a mystery is Harry Potter. If My So-Called Death is derivative of Harry Potter, than Harry Potter is derivative of the Civil Rights Movement of the American 50s and 60s. Lame comparison, Kirkus.
More at http://www.iheartmonster.com/2010/03/...
Verdict: This fast-paced high school zombie story is delightful. The plot is twisty and doesn't dawdle. It's engaging and intriguing. The writing is clever and concise, but also addresses important themes such as self-esteem, trust, and interaction with authority figures. There is very minimal strong language, I think it's one instance, and it's addressed as strong language in the book. The characters are appropriately developed for a novel of this length, and Jay does a good job of developing them through their thoughts and actions as the plot moves along rather than spending time describing the character and what they might do in any given situation as we often find in young adult literature. Her ability to do this is what allows the story to move so quickly. I mean, don't miss a paragraph because if you do, you'll be lost. No skimming or skipping ahead either. She'll catch you if you do and you'll have to rewind yourself. I think she did a great job with the imagery and world building and she accomplished it in the same manner as she did the character development, as the story progressed. I never once wondered what someone looked like or where the characters were as that information was provided to me at precisely the right moment again and again. Jay's creativity and mastery of her craft are evident in this work, and if you love a book that moves along, or love zombies, or just love to laugh, you'll love this. I also want to note for those of you who do not love zombies that you are reading a review by someone who frequently has zombie nightmares. This will not give you nightmares, promise. It'll make you laugh, squee, and giggle, but it will not haunt you. I hope to read more about Karen Vera. Pick it up and see for yourself!
The Kirkus review compared this story to Harry Potter in a negative light... the Muggle-born vs. Wizard-born was paralleled to the Deprogrammed vs. Death Challenged in this work. I want to go on record as saying that I see no similarity to Harry Potter in My So-Called Death unless you totally stretch it and say that every book set in a school with a mystery is Harry Potter. If My So-Called Death is derivative of Harry Potter, than Harry Potter is derivative of the Civil Rights Movement of the American 50s and 60s. Lame comparison, Kirkus.
More at http://www.iheartmonster.com/2010/03/...
August 31, 2013
Karen Vera is a perky, blonde, pink adoring cheerleader. She couldn't be higher on the social totem pole at school and she's only a sophomore. The rest of high school should be a breeze until during a football game, she falls from the top of a human pyramid and lands on her head. Normally, this would be the end, but she is genetically undead zombie thanks to an ancestor or two. After scooping her brains back into her skull and feeding her animal brains, Dr. Samedi, the principal of DEAD (Death Challenged Education of Adolescents and the Deprogrammed) High, tells her she has to disappear from her old life and live among other dead people. Of course this is the worst thing to ever happen to Karen. Her new roommate is a wanna-be goth who absolutely despises everything pink; the uniforms are black, shapeless, and hideous; and Karen is no longer top of the social pecking order. To make matters worse, short after her arrival, someone starts stealing people's brains and leaving their bodies for others to find. Karen is on the case to solve the mystery, but will she solve it before her own brain is taken?
I enjoyed Stacey Jay's previous zombie novels, so of course I had to check out this stand alone. The hidden world of zombies was well written and interesting. DEAD High is kind of like the Hogwarts of the undead. There are weird classes like Zombie Internet Technology and Secrets of Morticians: Foundation and Beyond. The school takes in two types of zombies: the dead challenged who simply die and wake up again and the deprogrammed who are magical zombies risen as servants and then awakened to be themselves. The school is free to attend, but the death challenged spend years after their time there is community service and the deprogrammed do work study while in the school. The undead can also do magic, which is largely unexplored in the novel beyond a few instances.
Flaws abound in this book. The majority of the characters were flat, stock characters. The principal is sinister and creepy with a dark secret. Gavin is the hot athlete that Karen constantly drools over even when she thinks he's the killer. Clarice is the dark goth girl who dabbles in magic. They all fell pretty flat and didn't have any depth to them beyond the stereotype. Even Karen proved to be fairly flat with her obsession with popularity and cute boys. She lost interest as a narrator and a protagonist especially when going on long mental tangents about things I didn't really care about. Since Karen is in high school, I would expect the novel to be for highschoolers, but it ended up being obviously written for much younger audience. It's simplistic and lost its charm over the course of the book.
My So-Called Death is a cute novel for a younger audience. It didn't have the depth and subtley I usually expect from Stacey Jay, but it was still enjoyable. I wanted to know more about the world the death challenged lived in rather than Karen's personal dramas. The mystery was ok and had a few twists and turns at the end.
I enjoyed Stacey Jay's previous zombie novels, so of course I had to check out this stand alone. The hidden world of zombies was well written and interesting. DEAD High is kind of like the Hogwarts of the undead. There are weird classes like Zombie Internet Technology and Secrets of Morticians: Foundation and Beyond. The school takes in two types of zombies: the dead challenged who simply die and wake up again and the deprogrammed who are magical zombies risen as servants and then awakened to be themselves. The school is free to attend, but the death challenged spend years after their time there is community service and the deprogrammed do work study while in the school. The undead can also do magic, which is largely unexplored in the novel beyond a few instances.
Flaws abound in this book. The majority of the characters were flat, stock characters. The principal is sinister and creepy with a dark secret. Gavin is the hot athlete that Karen constantly drools over even when she thinks he's the killer. Clarice is the dark goth girl who dabbles in magic. They all fell pretty flat and didn't have any depth to them beyond the stereotype. Even Karen proved to be fairly flat with her obsession with popularity and cute boys. She lost interest as a narrator and a protagonist especially when going on long mental tangents about things I didn't really care about. Since Karen is in high school, I would expect the novel to be for highschoolers, but it ended up being obviously written for much younger audience. It's simplistic and lost its charm over the course of the book.
My So-Called Death is a cute novel for a younger audience. It didn't have the depth and subtley I usually expect from Stacey Jay, but it was still enjoyable. I wanted to know more about the world the death challenged lived in rather than Karen's personal dramas. The mystery was ok and had a few twists and turns at the end.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
U-G-L-Y, Karen totally has an alibi... SHE'S UNDEAD, WHAT WHAT? SHE'S UNDEAD!
Just a freshman, Karen Vera was on top of the world. Karen was part of the fearless JV squad at Peachtree High and the girl that everyone envied. Unfortunately, her life went splat as she was knocked off her high pyramid and fell into a world that forces her to trade in her pom-poms for some animal brains.
Turns out Karen is "Death Challenged." So, once her pretty little head met the pavement, which would lead some to a painful death, Karen was still alive, sort of, and whisked away by her parents, oddly enough like it was normal protocol. A visit by Theresa Samedi, the principal of the institute of the Death Challenged Education of Adolescents and the Deprogrammed, quickly informs Karen of her current zombie status. Before she knows it, Karen is enrolled in DEAD High to protect her from being hunted and rotting away.
Karen was quick to discover that her new life at a new school would not be the same. Although she soon found a new BFF, Trish, and was able to interact with the McSteamy of the school, Gavin McDougal, things weren't all that peachy.
First, she meets her roommate, Clarice, who wants nothing to do with a roomie, especially one who's a cheerleader. Then she discovers that swimming and running are the only sports offered, since zombie bodies are way too delicate for any type of contact sports. This ultimately means that cheerleading is out of the question! To make matters worse, a death, yes, a real death, occurred at the school. The friendly Kendra had her brains harvested, which means that DEAD High isn't so safe after all.
Going from ordinary zombie to zombie sleuth, Karen takes it upon herself to figure out who the killer is, while also trying to survive this new lifestyle and maybe even snag herself some arm candy along the way.
With various snippets and quotes taken from different sources starting off each chapter, MY SO-CALLED DEATH is a delectable read that allows you to indulge in a world of zombies that author Stacey Jay seems to have perfected. Hilariously funny, MY SO-CALLED DEATH will make readers want to become undead themselves so that they can join forces with Karen and kick some butt. Fans of Stacey Jay's previous novels will not be disappointed with this one!
U-G-L-Y, Karen totally has an alibi... SHE'S UNDEAD, WHAT WHAT? SHE'S UNDEAD!
Just a freshman, Karen Vera was on top of the world. Karen was part of the fearless JV squad at Peachtree High and the girl that everyone envied. Unfortunately, her life went splat as she was knocked off her high pyramid and fell into a world that forces her to trade in her pom-poms for some animal brains.
Turns out Karen is "Death Challenged." So, once her pretty little head met the pavement, which would lead some to a painful death, Karen was still alive, sort of, and whisked away by her parents, oddly enough like it was normal protocol. A visit by Theresa Samedi, the principal of the institute of the Death Challenged Education of Adolescents and the Deprogrammed, quickly informs Karen of her current zombie status. Before she knows it, Karen is enrolled in DEAD High to protect her from being hunted and rotting away.
Karen was quick to discover that her new life at a new school would not be the same. Although she soon found a new BFF, Trish, and was able to interact with the McSteamy of the school, Gavin McDougal, things weren't all that peachy.
First, she meets her roommate, Clarice, who wants nothing to do with a roomie, especially one who's a cheerleader. Then she discovers that swimming and running are the only sports offered, since zombie bodies are way too delicate for any type of contact sports. This ultimately means that cheerleading is out of the question! To make matters worse, a death, yes, a real death, occurred at the school. The friendly Kendra had her brains harvested, which means that DEAD High isn't so safe after all.
Going from ordinary zombie to zombie sleuth, Karen takes it upon herself to figure out who the killer is, while also trying to survive this new lifestyle and maybe even snag herself some arm candy along the way.
With various snippets and quotes taken from different sources starting off each chapter, MY SO-CALLED DEATH is a delectable read that allows you to indulge in a world of zombies that author Stacey Jay seems to have perfected. Hilariously funny, MY SO-CALLED DEATH will make readers want to become undead themselves so that they can join forces with Karen and kick some butt. Fans of Stacey Jay's previous novels will not be disappointed with this one!
August 7, 2010
When Karen Vera falls from the top of the pyramid she expected to die since anyone knows that having their skull cracked open and their brains spilled out can only mean death. But Karen’s family line has a history of well, not dying…completely. Apparently Karen has a special gene that when she “dies” she doesn’t die, but rather turns into a zombie—Death Challenged. After having her parents rush her home, the principal of DEAD High visits and invites Karen to their boarding school to continue her education because frankly everyone at the football game expected Karen to die.
DEAD High isn’t perfect by a long shot for Karen. She’s forced into these long drabs of fabric as the official that only highlights how tiny Karen’s physique is: a measly 5’1. But she’ll take it as long as she can hang out with Gavin again. Though that faithful encounter may just get Karen’s brain nibbled on.
Quite frankly I found My So Called Death to be a rollicking fun, hilarious read. The entire novel doesn’t take itself too serious (though there are some paragraphs where Stacey Jay tries to incorporate some women’s right/fight against racism/prejudice), which was very relaxing despite the giant maggot fights. Jay also writes some of the most disgusting raw lunch menus ever—raw cow brains served with some raw pork stuffed in its own intestines—but then again it just made me like this novel even more.
Some downsides: don’t expect some amazing character developments or anything “wow! that just frazzled my dazzle!” I am also still confused on the Deprogrammeds—those who are reanimated by black magic. And while in most fun, rollicking reads things can get predictable, My So Called Death kept a few surprises in store.
If you’re interested in what happens when an ex-cheerleader turns into a zombie, look no further. If you’re interested in reading about an ex-cheerleader battling a giant maggot, look no further.
DEAD High isn’t perfect by a long shot for Karen. She’s forced into these long drabs of fabric as the official that only highlights how tiny Karen’s physique is: a measly 5’1. But she’ll take it as long as she can hang out with Gavin again. Though that faithful encounter may just get Karen’s brain nibbled on.
Quite frankly I found My So Called Death to be a rollicking fun, hilarious read. The entire novel doesn’t take itself too serious (though there are some paragraphs where Stacey Jay tries to incorporate some women’s right/fight against racism/prejudice), which was very relaxing despite the giant maggot fights. Jay also writes some of the most disgusting raw lunch menus ever—raw cow brains served with some raw pork stuffed in its own intestines—but then again it just made me like this novel even more.
Some downsides: don’t expect some amazing character developments or anything “wow! that just frazzled my dazzle!” I am also still confused on the Deprogrammeds—those who are reanimated by black magic. And while in most fun, rollicking reads things can get predictable, My So Called Death kept a few surprises in store.
If you’re interested in what happens when an ex-cheerleader turns into a zombie, look no further. If you’re interested in reading about an ex-cheerleader battling a giant maggot, look no further.
November 30, 2015
Karen tragically died from a major fall from the top of the cheer leading pyramid and even more tragically discovered that she is a genetic zombie and now has to live out the rest of her days slurping down animal brains and fearing maggot infestations. She's even transferred to DEAD high, where supposedly she'll learn how to cope with her new, long lasting, but secret, un-life. But high school, even undead high schools, are cruel and to make bad things worse a full day into Karen's new life a body of a student is found, with her brain harvested by an unknown bad guy that just happens to be lurking around the school. Now perky, driven Karen is taking it upon herself to ferret out the killer before something really, really bad happens.
My So-Called Death weaves back and forth over the line between strong characterization and too much. As amusing as Karen's ultra modern and perky inner monologue is, it, and the lack of strong characters outside of the lead, her BFF and her boyfriend, is bound to annoy some readers who never saw the spirit behind similar tales, like the movies Clueless and Legally Blonde. However it's a perky-fun-gruesome mystery, horror-lite in terms of gore, violence and general darkness. But it's not without creepy, and almost-serious scenes, sort of like the dread one would feel at seeing a bedazzled pirate flag on an approaching ship. As for its value to collections, there's definitely an audience for Jay's kind of creepy-gross-not-quite-dark humor, at the very least adults could enjoy it for all the in jokes about iconic 80s and 90s culture.
Contains: fried brain bites and giant maggots
My So-Called Death weaves back and forth over the line between strong characterization and too much. As amusing as Karen's ultra modern and perky inner monologue is, it, and the lack of strong characters outside of the lead, her BFF and her boyfriend, is bound to annoy some readers who never saw the spirit behind similar tales, like the movies Clueless and Legally Blonde. However it's a perky-fun-gruesome mystery, horror-lite in terms of gore, violence and general darkness. But it's not without creepy, and almost-serious scenes, sort of like the dread one would feel at seeing a bedazzled pirate flag on an approaching ship. As for its value to collections, there's definitely an audience for Jay's kind of creepy-gross-not-quite-dark humor, at the very least adults could enjoy it for all the in jokes about iconic 80s and 90s culture.
Contains: fried brain bites and giant maggots
October 11, 2010
When Karen Vera is dropped on her head from a cheerleading pyramid, she discovers a family secret:, she, like other members of her family, are "death-challenged" (aka zombies). Which means a little split skull and a splattered brain is not going to keep her from completing high school; it just means that it won't be public school, it'll be at eath challenged Education for Adolescents and the Deprogrammed (DEAD) High.
Karen takes to DEAD High: she isn't as popular at this school, her roommate hates her, she has one new friend, and cheerleading is out for the death-challenged, but she meets a complete hottie, Gavin, who seems to like her in return. The only complication: someone is stealing the brains of Deprogrammed (once servant zombies, now merely undead) freshmen, and Karen decides to investigate the brain stealing with her enthusiastic new BFF Trish, though she keeps muddling Gavin's parallel investigation.
My So-Called Death uses all of the magical school stereotypes: icky roommates, a weird teaching faculty and sinister, but sympathetic, principal and a school with strange, but ultimately useful classes, like Secrets of Successful Morticians, and the perils of raw or hot cafeteria food, undead style. The mystery of the brain stealing takes up most of the book, and Karen is an intrepid if bungling sleuth. She is also a bit of a mental chatterbox and with a little less extraneous exposition, readers would have still understood she has a habit of letting her brain, literally and figuratively, get away from her. My So-Called Death is light-hearted zombie fun, minimal brain snacking and might appeal to readers looking for magical school fiction.
Karen takes to DEAD High: she isn't as popular at this school, her roommate hates her, she has one new friend, and cheerleading is out for the death-challenged, but she meets a complete hottie, Gavin, who seems to like her in return. The only complication: someone is stealing the brains of Deprogrammed (once servant zombies, now merely undead) freshmen, and Karen decides to investigate the brain stealing with her enthusiastic new BFF Trish, though she keeps muddling Gavin's parallel investigation.
My So-Called Death uses all of the magical school stereotypes: icky roommates, a weird teaching faculty and sinister, but sympathetic, principal and a school with strange, but ultimately useful classes, like Secrets of Successful Morticians, and the perils of raw or hot cafeteria food, undead style. The mystery of the brain stealing takes up most of the book, and Karen is an intrepid if bungling sleuth. She is also a bit of a mental chatterbox and with a little less extraneous exposition, readers would have still understood she has a habit of letting her brain, literally and figuratively, get away from her. My So-Called Death is light-hearted zombie fun, minimal brain snacking and might appeal to readers looking for magical school fiction.
February 14, 2016
Our main girl was a cheerleader, but during one of the games the pyramid on which she stood was shaken up and she fell down, cracked her head open and voila zombie!
After that there is a whirl of action, but in short, she is a zombie and needs to come to Dead High, a special boarding school for zombies (be them because of natural causes or because they have been brought back against their will). She meets many people, including her lovely roommate who hates her because she is a cheerleader and wears mainly pink. But she also meets a girl named Trish, who is a deprogrammed. She meets a hot hunky zombie boy named Gavin, and well other then that her life at school pretty much sucks. No more cheerleading, the subjects in the school are a bit strange.
Then brains from Deprogrammed starts disappearing... well disappearing they just get harvested out of the girls brains. Poor girls!
Karen decides to go on an investigation! She will find out who did it.
This book was really fun to read, I sometimes felt sorry for Karen, she was so perky and she was so loved in her other school, and now, nobody cares about her, everybody pretty much avoids her and on top of that brains get stolen.
Karen was a really cute, perky character, no matter what the situation she dove onto it and latched herself to the mystery.
The mystery itself was awesome, in particular the last battle that comes at the end of the book.
I loved Gavin and Karen's relationship and kept cheering for them to get together and be more than just friends. And ofcourse I was hoping for the kiss!
Recommended to: Zombie lovers, people who like the boarding school setting, romance lovers, mystery lovers!
After that there is a whirl of action, but in short, she is a zombie and needs to come to Dead High, a special boarding school for zombies (be them because of natural causes or because they have been brought back against their will). She meets many people, including her lovely roommate who hates her because she is a cheerleader and wears mainly pink. But she also meets a girl named Trish, who is a deprogrammed. She meets a hot hunky zombie boy named Gavin, and well other then that her life at school pretty much sucks. No more cheerleading, the subjects in the school are a bit strange.
Then brains from Deprogrammed starts disappearing... well disappearing they just get harvested out of the girls brains. Poor girls!
Karen decides to go on an investigation! She will find out who did it.
This book was really fun to read, I sometimes felt sorry for Karen, she was so perky and she was so loved in her other school, and now, nobody cares about her, everybody pretty much avoids her and on top of that brains get stolen.
Karen was a really cute, perky character, no matter what the situation she dove onto it and latched herself to the mystery.
The mystery itself was awesome, in particular the last battle that comes at the end of the book.
I loved Gavin and Karen's relationship and kept cheering for them to get together and be more than just friends. And ofcourse I was hoping for the kiss!
Recommended to: Zombie lovers, people who like the boarding school setting, romance lovers, mystery lovers!
October 7, 2014
When I heard that My So-Called Death by Stacey Jay was being re-released, it was a no-brainer (ha!) that I was going to have to read it. Stacey has written some of my favorite YA books, and, although this one is aimed at the younger end of the YA age group, it is still completely engaging.
Karen Vera, the heroine of this story, is a pert and sassy cheerleader, who, to put it politely, is Death-challenged, which means that she has a genetic mutation that prevents her from dying. But, when your entire school sees you tumble from the top of a cheer formation to your death, what is there to do but roll with the changes? Karen is whisked off to DEAD High School, so that she may better learn what it means to live as a member of the dead.
I have to admit that zombies are not usually on my list of paranormal creatures that I want to read about. All that blood and death and brain-eating, you know. But the characters in this book are not your typical zombies. Stacey has taken the stereotype and completely changed it, writing a story that is campy and fun, and, given the subject matter, pretty darned enjoyable. I found myself laughing out loud at the intros to each chapter. Entries from books like, 'Total Health for the Death-Challenged, 5th Edition' and 'Zombie Poets Through the Ages, 2nd Edition' were witty and entertaining. The mystery that pairs Karen and her boy zombie crush Gavin ties everything together nicely, making this a story that YA readers will very much enjoy, and, coupled with the snarky banter and typical teen angst, makes for a fast and enjoyable read.
Karen Vera, the heroine of this story, is a pert and sassy cheerleader, who, to put it politely, is Death-challenged, which means that she has a genetic mutation that prevents her from dying. But, when your entire school sees you tumble from the top of a cheer formation to your death, what is there to do but roll with the changes? Karen is whisked off to DEAD High School, so that she may better learn what it means to live as a member of the dead.
I have to admit that zombies are not usually on my list of paranormal creatures that I want to read about. All that blood and death and brain-eating, you know. But the characters in this book are not your typical zombies. Stacey has taken the stereotype and completely changed it, writing a story that is campy and fun, and, given the subject matter, pretty darned enjoyable. I found myself laughing out loud at the intros to each chapter. Entries from books like, 'Total Health for the Death-Challenged, 5th Edition' and 'Zombie Poets Through the Ages, 2nd Edition' were witty and entertaining. The mystery that pairs Karen and her boy zombie crush Gavin ties everything together nicely, making this a story that YA readers will very much enjoy, and, coupled with the snarky banter and typical teen angst, makes for a fast and enjoyable read.
March 5, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. It's a fun, page-turning, mystery with romance, humor and of course, brain eating zombies. Totally the good kind. Well, mostly. In MY SO-CALLED DEATH, Stacey Jay makes you laugh, cringe and swoon all at the same time.
Life was pretty sweet for Karen Vera. She was a popular cheerleader with so much going for her. At least until she literally fell from the top of the pyramid and had her brains splattered for all to see. That kind of sucked. Lucky for her, she was some sort of genetic freak and something as simple as death didn't phase her. Yeah, Karen found out that she had become a brain munching member of the undead, aka, a zombie. Great. So much for her social life.
Because of Karen's newly non-breathing status, she now has no choice but to leave her parents and her friends behind to attend DEAD High. She has to start all over with new classes, new rules, new friends and of course, new enemies. Wow, life was tough but death is tougher. Especially when there is also someone stalking the halls harvesting the brains of her classmates. Karen has found herself right in the middle of this mystery and it seems like the only one who can help her is Gavin, her super hot crush. It's too bad she saw him near a crime scene with blood all over his shoes, making him the number one suspect. Ugh! How can someone so cute be the bad guy? Karen will have to trust her instincts and be very careful if she wants to keep her own head intact.
Life was pretty sweet for Karen Vera. She was a popular cheerleader with so much going for her. At least until she literally fell from the top of the pyramid and had her brains splattered for all to see. That kind of sucked. Lucky for her, she was some sort of genetic freak and something as simple as death didn't phase her. Yeah, Karen found out that she had become a brain munching member of the undead, aka, a zombie. Great. So much for her social life.
Because of Karen's newly non-breathing status, she now has no choice but to leave her parents and her friends behind to attend DEAD High. She has to start all over with new classes, new rules, new friends and of course, new enemies. Wow, life was tough but death is tougher. Especially when there is also someone stalking the halls harvesting the brains of her classmates. Karen has found herself right in the middle of this mystery and it seems like the only one who can help her is Gavin, her super hot crush. It's too bad she saw him near a crime scene with blood all over his shoes, making him the number one suspect. Ugh! How can someone so cute be the bad guy? Karen will have to trust her instincts and be very careful if she wants to keep her own head intact.
January 6, 2013
My So-Called Death by Stacy Jay Follows perky cheerleader Karen. When Karen falls to her death after being dropped off the top of a cheerleading formation she doesn't stay dead, she wakes back up. Karen soon finds herself enrolled at the DEAD school for zombie kids. Unfortunately as soon as she arrives she finds that this school isn't as easy to navigate as the one she left. Her roommate is creepy, everyone seems to dislike her and her classmates are having their brains stolen.
This is a cute zombie novel that kids will love. Karen is a spunky zombie girl who is unafraid to be herself even when it's unpopular. The mythology is crafted in an entertaining way and the mystery has a nice resolution and kept me guessing till the end. I sped through the book reading it in one sitting.
Appropriateness: This book has no adult content. While Karen is in high school her attitude is that of someone younger making this a book that will appeal to a middle grade audience. The romance isn't a main factor in the book and the mystery is more creepy than scary or excessively violent. I recommend this book to readers 10-14.
This is a cute zombie novel that kids will love. Karen is a spunky zombie girl who is unafraid to be herself even when it's unpopular. The mythology is crafted in an entertaining way and the mystery has a nice resolution and kept me guessing till the end. I sped through the book reading it in one sitting.
Appropriateness: This book has no adult content. While Karen is in high school her attitude is that of someone younger making this a book that will appeal to a middle grade audience. The romance isn't a main factor in the book and the mystery is more creepy than scary or excessively violent. I recommend this book to readers 10-14.
August 30, 2010
Karen Vera has been transported from her fabulous position atop a cheerleader pyramid to DEAD High. She'd known there were risks to being a "flyer," but she didn't imagine that she'd die -- let alone become "genetically undead." Now Karen has to deal with things like her weirdo roommate who mostly cries and performs goth-y rituals under a blanket. And then there's the snacking on animal brains to prevent rot. And, oh yeah, someone in school has been harvesting her fellow student's brains and way too many signs are pointing to crushworthy Gavin. This hilarious mystery will have you hooked from page one, with its fabulously imagined world in which the teenage undead can play, complete with plenty of zombie puns. I'm really hoping that Stacey Jay will continue Karen Vera's story as a series, even if I'm not inclined hang out at the DEAD High campus any time in the near future.
September 1, 2010
This was one of the most enjoyable YA/zombie books I think I have ever read.
Meet Karen Vera, freshman cheerleader at PHS, suddenly now death-challenged after falling off the top of her cheer pyramid and newest student at DEAD high.
Someone is harvesting zombie brains at her new school and she is determied to find the culprit. Between her newest shady BFF, her emotional new roomate with horribly bad breath, her crush on the cutest boy in achool and having to eat brains for lunch every day, Karen endured quite an adventure during her first 2 weeks at school.
I really liked this book, its a great spin off to the Undead books Stacey Jay has already written. The ending had an unexpected twist, however it was not left open to a sequel. I do hope, however that there will be more to come.
Meet Karen Vera, freshman cheerleader at PHS, suddenly now death-challenged after falling off the top of her cheer pyramid and newest student at DEAD high.
Someone is harvesting zombie brains at her new school and she is determied to find the culprit. Between her newest shady BFF, her emotional new roomate with horribly bad breath, her crush on the cutest boy in achool and having to eat brains for lunch every day, Karen endured quite an adventure during her first 2 weeks at school.
I really liked this book, its a great spin off to the Undead books Stacey Jay has already written. The ending had an unexpected twist, however it was not left open to a sequel. I do hope, however that there will be more to come.
October 7, 2014
I was provided a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't know if the author meant to do it but I spent a good portion of the novel giggling. This book is light hearted and fun, there's not a lot of the normal teenage angst you find in some books. The main character is fun and self confessed vain. The book takes on a navy drew type feel with a definite zombie twist but so much fun to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't know if the author meant to do it but I spent a good portion of the novel giggling. This book is light hearted and fun, there's not a lot of the normal teenage angst you find in some books. The main character is fun and self confessed vain. The book takes on a navy drew type feel with a definite zombie twist but so much fun to read.
November 23, 2013
The Good: My So Called Death is a great blend of horror and comedy. Jay's humor shines in this novel, coupling well with an interesting mystery, a little romance and a fun high school after death angle. A quirky, funny read that's great for teens and adults.
The Bad: Karen is just so damned perky. Like WAY over the top perky.
The Bad: Karen is just so damned perky. Like WAY over the top perky.
August 27, 2012
This book absolutely cracked me up. I started laughing at the cover before I even started the story - the font being the same as those old horror movie posters was a nice touch.
This was just a very cute and fun story, and I laughed at Karen's inner monologue the entire time. There wasn't much substance to this at all but I loved it all the same.
This was just a very cute and fun story, and I laughed at Karen's inner monologue the entire time. There wasn't much substance to this at all but I loved it all the same.
November 24, 2012
This was a very cute book. I enjoyed reading this because it was not to deep and light. Stacey's humor really came through in this book. The way she was able to channel her inner teen was perfect. I brought me back to high school when things were way more co fusing than they had to be.
An excellent read for any teenager today.
An excellent read for any teenager today.
November 23, 2015
I loved this take on zombies and a zombie school. Karen Vera is such a fun and witty character, I loved how easy it was just to love her. If you're looking for a book with death, zombies, brains, magic, friends, enemies, and a cute boy to boot then this is the book for you. Such a fun and cute read full of a little bit of love, mystery, and adventure :)
October 8, 2014
as a 34 yo mother of a teen i was very much able to enjoy this book. It was true to the age of the students. They didn't act older then they were. The plot is funny. It takes a genre i hate (zombies) and made it worth reading. Waiting to see what was going to happen next. I had trouble putting it down. I'll definitely be having my teen read this, i think she will really enjoy it.
February 19, 2011
The main character's like a zombified Veronica Mars. But Karen being a cheerleader and a bit of a drama queen kinda put me off, so her long rants about oogling "McDreamy" and being a dead cheerleader were somewhat frustrating to read. Nonetheless, interesting plot and twists.
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