Search - Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery, Bk 1)

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Madison's dead. Well, sort of.

See, there was this dark reaper who scythed her, for reasons she still hasn't figured out, and technically she should be long gone. But when he came back to destroy her soul as well as her body, she was able to steal an amulet from him that's allowed her to keep walking around and breathing (even though she doesn't really need to), and appearing alive to anyone who doesn't know any better.

Unfortunately, the owner of that amulet wants it back - badly. And the light reaper assigned to help Madison adjust to her new pseudo-life may not be able to protect her from him.

As Madison struggles to hold onto her life and to save those she cares about who end up targeted as well, she discovers there's a whole lot about this life and death thing she doesn't know, and uncovering those secrets may be the only way she can hope to survive.

ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY is a fast-paced and engaging read from start to finish. Madison makes an enjoyable narrator, stubborn and sarcastic but with a lot of heart, and enough smarts to get her through some very sticky situations. Harrison has created a fascinating and unique world of reapers and other afterlife figures, though at times readers may find all the information a little hard to follow.

With plenty of suspense and humor and a little romance, this book will appeal to paranormal fans of all ages.

This is a book that I am glad that I got out of the library because if I had to wait all the weeks on the wait list I would have been very disappointed. I am not saying that the storyline is not interesting because it is the book is just lacking something. I could never could get fully into the story and although I finished it I will not pick up the sequel.

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 controle 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.

I am a huge fan of Kim Harrison's The Hollows series as well as her fantasy stuff written under the name Dawn Cook. I enjoyed this book and found it to be a very quick, light hearted read. Madison is a quirky kid who reminds me a bit of a young, not yet so disillusioned Rachel Morgan. The plot was a bit simplistic in the beginning, mirroring the protagonist's naivety, but deepens towards the end as Madison becomes more aware of how the world actually works. This book is heavy on the philosophy of light vs. dark but Harrison manages to redeem it in the end of the book by showing that both sides are not quite as cut and dry as Madison naively believes. I enjoyed Harrison's take on the new Angel trend. Her plot and world are definitely unique in that she mixes the idea of Angels with ghosts and reapers for something completely new. Although I enjoyed this book I do have a few small complaints. Harrison's characterization is repetitive to her Hollows series, yet at the same time it is not as in-depth. The characters come off as a bit two dimensional compared to her other works. While I enjoyed this book and closed it with a smile on my face I am not dying to read the second. I will, partly because I have really enjoyed Harrison's/Cook's other works but also because I'd like to give the series a second chance. I think that Harrison has created a unique world here and I'd really like to see where she wants to take it.

As a side not: the synopsis of this book paints it as a ghost-story. And while it does have ghost elements, it's really more of an Angel story involving the conflict of light and dark (notice I didn't say good and evil). So fans expecting a ghost-girl or vampire story might be disappointed. However, if you think you would be interested in an Angel book then I would suggest giving it a shot.