You'd think that when you die, that would at least get you out of school, right? No such luck for Kaylee: the newly undead girl has trouble staying visible, remembering to breathe or make her heart beat, and not teleporting all over the place accidentally. And she still has to deal with Maths
homework. How is that fair? Being dead is sure harder than she anticipated! And her new job - reclaiming…mehrYou'd think that when you die, that would at least get you out of school, right? No such luck for Kaylee: the newly undead girl has trouble staying visible, remembering to breathe or make her heart beat, and not teleporting all over the place accidentally. And she still has to deal with Maths homework. How is that fair? Being dead is sure harder than she anticipated! And her new job - reclaiming souls that were stolen - proves harder and more hazardous than you'd think, as well. Especially since she's apparently the only agent left! At least she has Tod at her side, who's no stranger to the difficulty of adapting to the afterlife.
But it doesn't take long for things to go pear-shaped: a serial thief takes one innocent soul after the other, but that's only the tip of the monstrous iceberg: Avari has found a way to cross over into the real world... And soon, the death toll rises and Kaylee must face a terrible threat to anybody she cares about.
Pros:
Despite everything she's done, Sabine is growing on me more and more. She has a warped perspective on life, but that's understandable, given who and what she is, and what a hard life she had growing up. In her own weird way, she's starting to be a good friend for Kaylee.
I'm ridiculously happy that Tod and Kaylee got together - I was rooting for them from the start! They always seemed a much better match to me, and with everything that they've been through, they are now simply perfect for one another. They keep each other grounded in their humanity, for one thing. Their romance is sugary sweet at times, but there's also enough danger and conflict to keep things balanced.
I really felt for poor Kaylee when she went through the bleak, miserable phase of getting lost in her sleepless nights. I like that things aren't immediately easy for her; it only makes sense that you can't die and immediately be fine with the fact that you won't ever age, you won't ever have children, you won't ever have a real job... She has a right to mourn. And I think the bad choices she makes can be forgiven, as well - nobody is perfect, and she has to deal with a lot of really difficult things.
I also like that we get to see more of Sophie, and that she's starting to be a valuable part of Kaylee's life, even if she still isn't the easiest person to be around. The author really knows how to make you care for the minor characters - and that makes it even more devastating when something happens to them. Be prepared to need a few tissues!
The suspense grows and grows and grows... And things seem more and more hopeless for the good guys! It was enough to make me ruin my fingernails. (I swear, that's a pro!) Things are getting real and gritty, and I like that.
Cons:
The death toll is starting to get ridiculous. With teachers and students dying all over the place, surely somebody would realise that there's something fishy going on? Surely they would close the school and investigate, or do SOMETHING?
Nash is wallowing in his role as the victim in all this, and everything is Kaylee's fault. He has some reason to be angry at her, sure! But there were things way beyond her control, like the fact that she framed him for her murder. What was she supposed to do? It was either write the email, or let Emma and Sophie be raped, tortured and killed. She had no real choice. It seems petty to blame her for everything after she had to deal with her own death.
And the way he's treating Sabine is pretty shitty, as well. He knows that she loves him more than life itself, and he takes all the comfort and love (and sex) she offers and gives her precious little in return, knowing full well that she'll put up with just about anything.
Summary:
All in all, I enjoyed the heck out of this book, and when I read the ending, I was extremely glad that I didn't have to wait for the next book, as it was sitting in my Kindle already!
