Book Review: Body and Soul by Stacey Kade

#3 in the Ghost and the Goth series
Received: Library
Pages 316
Released: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

This is a review for the third book in the series, but there are NO spoilers!

It's been a really, really long time since I read Queen of the Dead (book 2 in the series), and a really, really, really long time since I read the eponymous first book in the series. Like, it's been years.

Why did I wait so long? I don't know. It certainly wasn't any fault of the series, because I seriously love the hate-turned-love forbidden spectral romance and the ghost busting mysteries in this series.

But, you know how it is, the massive TBR, shifting book priorities, time just kind of slipped by and before I knew it four years had gone by since I last ventured into Alona and Will's world.

When I saw Body and Soul was available through my local library, I groaned, felt guilty, and then figured enough already I needed to get my butt in gear and finally finish off this series.

But, I have a terrible memory and I'm a different reader now than I was four years ago. I was super worried I had waited too long and I just wouldn't enjoy this book like I would have four years ago.

Thankfully, Stacey Kade wrote a finale that packed just as much punch, romance, heart, and humor as the first two books. The first sentence sucked me right back into the story and it was as if no time at all had gone by. I immediately remembered what had happened and I was just as invested in these characters and their story as I was four years ago. Stacey Kade, I'm impressed.

Sleepover party invite x2

Will and Alona are both BFF material characters, but each for very different reasons. Alona can get it done and I can't help but admire her Cordelia-Chase-like panache. Will is a classic misunderstood loner guy with a heart of gold. He's such a nice guy in all the ways that phrase is actually a good thing, but he also has this totally cool, aloof veneer that will make high school girls everywhere swoon.

Add them together, and what do you get? Chemistry. Also, a romance based on a friendship in which they each help one another grow in multiple ways. This is the real meat of the story. Yeah, the romance is swoony, and yeah the action and mysteries are fun, but the character growth is where it's at. Their depth and development make them feel like real people and I think that's a big part of why it was so easy to slip back into their world.

But how does it end??

(still, no spoilers) 

It's always sad to come to the end of a good series (maybe this is why I put off reading the final book for so long?). Without going into any details, rest assured, Stacey Kade delivers a worthy ending.

I laughed, I cried, I clutched my chest in happiness. All the important emotions were evoked and I thoroughly embarrassed myself in new and exciting public places as I responded with lots of verbal outbursts. All signs of a good book. 

Bottom line

I feel like this is an under the radar series because I just don't see much buzz about it on the internet (and, honestly, shame on me too because of that whole four year hiatus thing). I wish that wasn't the case though because this series has so much to offer.

Fans of Anna Dressed in Blood should for sure check out the Ghost and the Goth series. It's very similar in tone and feel, but it doesn't feel like a knock off. It's fresh, fun, and different enough to hold its own in a sea of YA paranormal books. Although, it's no gory or scary like Anna, so it's like Anna for wimps—perfect for me!

What are you waiting for? And best of all, the entire series is published now, so no more waiting! 


Tweet