Smash Reviews Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

My name is Madison Avery, and I’m here to tell you that there’s more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I’m there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

I’m a major fan of Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series. In fact, I think she is one of the top Urban Fantasy writers out there. I was very much looking forward to her new YA series about a dead girl whose afterlife turns utterly complicated. I think I might be a tad spoiled due to my love for KH’s other books, that I was left a bit unsatisfied with the first book in this series. You really jumped right into Madison’s afterlife without really finding out a ton about the world she now lives in. And once you learn more, it doesn’t really seem very interesting at the moment, in my opinion. I hope the plot and the world gets flushed out more later on. I read that there is a short story in the Prom Nights from Hell anthology that gives the background on Madison, so it might make sense to read it first.

I don’t feel very attached to Madison, at this point. I do like her, but I don’t feel like she’s a very significant person in her own series…yet. She is spunky though, and doesn’t sit around, waiting for afterlife to just take care of itself. She is a fighter (albeit a very scared one!), curious and a problem solver. Oh, and she has purple tips on her hair, which is uber cute. I also loved the “when I hit ctrl + alt + del” line.” That is definitely something a young person would say today.

I must say I do love Grace. She is definitely the equal to Jenks’ character in The Hollows. While not as snarky as Jenks, Grace provides some comic relief and I grew to really like her. Again though, no real connection to anyone else. I think Nakita and Barnabus’ relationship is going to prove to be entertaining though.

Conclusion: 3/5 stars. I liked it, but it wasn’t a book that had me sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation, or daydreaming about it. I will continue the series because of my love for KH. I just hope things pick up, make more sense, become more substantial, etc. I do like the themes of fate / free will, light / dark, fallen angels, etc. I’m still a bit confused as to who is good and who is evil, but that is some of the fun of the book.

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• Tags: Angel Mythology, Kim Harrison, Madison Avery•