Bad Girls Don't Die (Bad Girls Don't Die, #1)

by Katie Alender

[nitzan_schwarz]

To Read this review and more come by my blog, Drugs Called Books

Bad Girls Don't Die was a great read I couldn't put down. It was well written, gripping, and you just had to know what would happen next. I was a little reluctant about picking it up as it counts as Horror, but the amazing trailer and the beautiful book cover convinced me to give it a shot. And, anyway, I've been opening myself up for new genres lately - so I thought this might be a good place as any to start.

Let me mention first: I was never scared while reading. Maybe if I read it at night, with one small lamp at the corner (imagine it flickering for added effect), I would've been scared. But then again, books don't usually scare me.

Anyway, this book was a pleasant surprise. Were there creepy moments there? Ummm... duh. It is horror, in the end. But there were also some fluffy stuff, some very deep sayings and some comic moments, making it pretty awesome :] Some stuff bothered me (hence it not being 5 stars), but all in all a really great book.

Alexis is the main character of the story, and most of the time I just loved her. She's very honest in who she is--or rather in the fact she has no idea who that is-- kind of indifferent, bows to no one, has pink hair, and doesn't really care what people think of her... mostly.
But sometimes, she just infuriated me!
Her behavior toward her dad was so maddening, and boarded on mean. I looked disdainfully at the book and nearly choked when I read the part where, [after the accident, she says "I don't even really like my dad, but that didn't mean I want him hurt]. It made me pause and wonder why I like her, at all, with that kind of response, and there were many more examples to pick from aside for that one (I wrote them all down at first, to emphasize my point, then decided to spare you and write as little spoilers as possible.)
I felt the author just tried to make her "cool" and "indifferent" too much in these parts.
Also, it took her a lot of time to realize something really weird was going on.
I mean, after all the unexplained things that happened, when your blue-eyes sister suddenly has green eyes, you have to realize something's off here, and not be swayed later and think; maybe I'm just too tired.

One of the things that I disliked was how sitcom-ish their family was. It was totally exaggerated, and not in a good way for me. Parents don't really tell their kids to email them about important things, nor do they say something 'fatherly' than leave them in crisis for a football game. I mean, it made them feel fake, not-real, made them phony to me. I couldn't relate, and though it was funny - this was again a place I felt the author tried too hard either to make us laugh or make the family look like the Adams family.

What I did like was Alexis's journey. She starts off kind of indifferent, full of assumptions about everyone, from her neighbors to her parents to her school-mates, and she turns into a person that understand there are more to people than what they seem, that looks may deceive, and she becomes caring, more appreciative to her family, her neighbors, her friends. It was lovely to see the change in her.

The supporting characters were all good, though some pretty one dimensional.

Kasey, Alexis's sister, is the one possessed. So really, I can't say we got to know her too much. But she definitely added to the creepiness factor and made the book, as without her there'll be no bad guy.

Magen is the cheerleader Alexis presumes a lot about, but turns out to be a lot more. She becomes an unexpected alley to Alexis (though Alexis is the only person who didn't see it coming. I knew she'd become her strength). I didn't feel like I got to know her too well, but she added to the story and to Alexis's growth.

Carter is the guy Alexis kind of likes. He's cute and interested in her, and he's the love interest, though we don't see that much of him. I get the feeling we'll learn more about this cute-guy-with-a-dark-past in the next books.
Also, I never understood if Alexis explained to him what happened in their house.

The ending was perfect, as far as I was concerned.
It wasn't a Power Rangers kind of ending (which is where after a hideous fight, everyone are miraculously fine and without bruises) but a very realistic one.
Almost everyone got hurt, and even after beating the ghost the effects of her possession stayed; Kasey had to go into a mental hospital, refusing to talk for a while. Alexis was hurt and put her relationship with Carter on hold, giving the both of them seven more months to know each other before taking it to the next step (Yay! A book where they wait! refreshingly refreshing) and the family united over the crisis, bringing everyone together and taking them out of that place in the beginning I complained about.

All in all, a really good book. Four stars. Will have to read the next book as soon as I can!