I picked up Robyn Peterman's Fashionably Dead for free on Amazon. It's still free, so if you like paranormal romance, definitely pick it up to see if the rest of the series interests you. I should probably write my reviews of books individually, but when I binge like this, it is sort of hard for me to separate out my feelings and thoughts on individual books. So I am going to throw these reviews all up at the same time. I can't guarantee there won't be spoilers for previous books in subsequent reviews, so be sure to stop reading at appropriate points if you don't want to be spoiled.
Fashionably Dead
Astrid is having a miserable week, month, life, etc. Her grandmother who raised her has recently died, her mother who is horrible continues to be horrible, and her best friend is pushing her to quit smoking resulting in an ill-conceived decision to try hypnotism. The hypnotism works just a little too well, because you can't exactly smoke if you can't breathe, and Vampyres definitely don't need to breath. So now Astrid is thrown into an entire paranormal world she had no clue exists, one with Vampyres, guardian angels, fairies, and a too hot bad guy that makes her now still heart race. And oh yeah, and she's the prophesied one. But at least she can still be a Prada whore, undead doesn't mean unfashionable after all.
I see a lot of people who are comparing this to Chicagoland Vampires, but since I haven't read those (and I am not sure I want to) I can't speak to that comparison. What I can absolutely say it is like, is Maryjanice Davidson's Undead series.
-snarky, mostly pretends to be vapid heroine? Check
-fashion obsessed? Check
-horrible parent? Check
-prophesied heroine who doesn't want the power? Check
-bad boy hero? Check
-plethora of family or friends who are more than they appear? Double Check
Don't get me wrong, this book is a ton of fun, and after some of the shenanigans of the past few Undead/Betsy books it was fascinating and almost too funny and fun to get back into the ground floor on so much delightful craziness. It's nothing new, but Peterman did it with such joy that you can't help but enjoy the people and the ride. This book ends with all kinds of twists and a hell of a cliffhanger, but since the next book is already out, that really isn't a huge problem to me.
4 stars and I couldn't wait to get into the next book.
Fashionably Dead Down Under
Stop here if you don't want to be spoiled on the previous book. Really, just stop.
So, poor Astrid, who thought things could finally settle down with her hotter than Hades fiancée, the prophesied baby on the way, horrible family members dead, and all the loving family she never had, winds up in Hell. Turns out that very little of what they thought they knew in previous events was actually true (don't worry, Peterman didn't ret-con, it absolutely makes sense to the story). Her father, evil as he was, wasn't actually a ruler, her mother wasn't at all who she thought she was, and she has plenty more family with all sorts of supernatural connections. Frankly, she's a one woman melting pot of paranormal goodness. But as much as the family wants to meet her, really they have a job for her to do, and all Hell is about to break loose.
Paranormal zaniness doesn't just abound, it bitch-slaps you right through the story. I didn't get the same punch form this story as I did the first, it was just a little too spread out. But I enjoyed seeing Astrid fully realize her powers and enjoyed how Astrid and Ethan's relationship developed. Some of the other characters were also really fun and I'd love to get their stories in the future.
3.5 stars and totally on board with the next book.
Hell on Heels
Again, let me warn you that you will be spoiled on previous books if you continue reading.
Dixie is a demon, and she's Astrid's cousin to be precise. Despite the fact that we learned that demons aren't the sum of all evil in the previous books, they aren't exactly good or nice either. Except for Dixie, she's a sweetie. She falls in love, does her stint on earth, saves the world and her family and discovers her destiny. This one had a bit of a different flavor to me, and it was more new adult romance with granted a ton of paranormal craziness, but still it was a new adult. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my favorite entry into the series, which is sad because Dixie was one of my favorite characters in the last book.
3 stars and a relatively strong closer to the series, particularly if new adult romance is your thing.
Overall this is a fun weekend read that you can absolutely gorge on.
No comments:
Post a Comment