The ghost and the goth

Love it! Some reviewers have said this book is fun, but shallow. I disagree a little, its definitely fun, but it also touches on some deep emotional 'stuff', but in a way that is not heavy going in the slightest. It takes a deft touch to bring such teen angst into a story and still leave the reader feeling light and happy. Alona is brilliant, yes she's blunt and prone to negativity, but she is also selfless and caring. She is willing to change her mind, albeit when she has little choice but to spend time with those she felt beneath her before! She is strong, as is Killian, but they are strong in different ways, and they complement each other perfectly. He manages to pull her away from negativity, and she gives him the strength and breathing space to be himself, his true self, not the 'weirdo' he always felt he needed to be to cope.

Issues such as suicide, sexuality, alcoholism, child neglect, bitter divorce, popularity, bullying, mental illness and regrets are all covered in a book that still manages to be a light and enjoyable read. I find that very impressive. Stacey Kade is also impressively unjudgemental, her characters all end up having reasons, whose validity are not questioned, just accepted as reasons, for their behaviour. There are no 'bad guys', no white hats or black hats, just people trying to live their lifes however they can, mistakes and all.

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Talk about a perfect book. Stacey Kade achieves the perfect blend of humor, emotion, character growth, and romance. The plot flows seamlessly along, and the entire book sounds so natural - organic, almost, not as if someone consciously wrote it. It's like it created itself, it's so perfect. Part of that is the voices of the two characters. I love how alternating chapters are narrated by Will and Alona, how we get to see each one's side of it at each step. Their voices are distinct, and the way they change reflects the changes the characters actually go through.

The characters are amazing, the main part of the book. Will and Alona are different, yes, and they each have their own imperfections, but their interactions are so real. And they develop, individually and together as a couple, slowly and naturally. Their character growth fits exactly into the events, and the events fit with their growth, one influencing the other. The side-product of the book is showing how we're all people, no matter which "group" we belong to - but it's not pushed through the story at all, it's simply an effect of what goes on.

I love seeing their relationship and romance bloom. It's subtle, but when they finally do kiss, it makes perfect sense. That's what I mean by organic - the events and development happens gradually, so that you hardly notice it happening, but when something's different, you accept how it fits, because the little stuff led up to it. That's a real skill in writing!

The pacing of the story is so so amazing. Never a dull moment, something is always happening, and by the time I got to the end of the book, I was turning pages faster and faster, waiting with bated breath to see what was going on. I love how the ending tapers off, after most things are resolved, but I was kept wondering how the romance could be resolved, if the whole point of Will helping Alona was so that she could move on - where does that leave him? And I love the way that's taken care of!