Queen of the Dead (The Ghost and the Goth #2) - Reviewed

Queen of the Dead (The Ghost and the Goth #2)
Author: Stacey Kade
Expected Release Date: June 7th 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 288
Target Age: Young Adult
Source: Received by Hyperion through NetGalley
Summary from Goodreads:
After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea. 

My Thoughts:

I was so excited to read Queen of the Dead after the major book love I had for The Ghost and The Goth, and while I wasn't disappointed in any way I didn't love it quite as much as the first book. It's definitely worth reading, and I think it will tie the first and third book together really well. I think I was thrown just the tiniest bit by how much darker this book felt. 

We learn a lot about Will and Alona separately this time, and get a glimpse of how they are feeling about their particular situations. I was constantly surprised and sometimes shocked by this story. I really enjoyed being thrown into the story without being able to predict the outcome as if I had written the story myself. Stacey Kade really does an amazing job of writing a unique story line with great characters. 

Reader's Beware: 

Queen of the Dead definitely has a darker feel to it than book 1(which is not a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting it) and the ending is quite a cliffhanger. There is no way you will read this book and not wish that you had book 3 in your hands.