Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder. Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.
Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul. Hardcover , pages. Attaca Falls, Maine United States. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Dead Beautiful , please sign up. This question contains spoilers… view spoiler [wait what happened?
I loved the book and its so frustrating that I didnt get the end. Vasilis Gialantzis This answer contains spoilers… view spoiler [ I was a little bit confused about the ending too based on the facts stated in ''The Seven Meditation'', because Renee should have died after she …more I was a little bit confused about the ending too based on the facts stated in ''The Seven Meditation'', because Renee should have died after she kissed Dante according to it, but if you think about what her grandfather and the headmistress said What was going to occur after they kissed wasn't sure.
For example, her grandfather stated that the main parts of ''The Seven Meditation'' were in fact true but the rest were based on myth and assumption. I hope my reply was helpful! Why do all the reviewers describing the main male character describe him as hot?
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They can't see him See all 7 questions about Dead Beautiful…. Lists with This Book. Jun 28, DayDreamer rated it did not like it. Seriously, does character depth not exist in teen books anymore? For one, I hated how the author kept starting with the word "Startled" and other words, such as: He's described as a God. So what the hell is Renee doing with him if she's an "average girl"?
The words used to describe him made me want to vomit. Get real, Woon, no one looks like that. She didn't even describe ONE flaw to him out Vain. She didn't even describe ONE flaw to him outside or inside , and it made me laugh that Renee said something like, "And I liked him for all his flaws - it made him that much more real.
I stared at the page for a few seconds, blinking, thinking, "What flaws? Has a page been ripped out of my book? So I sat there pondering on who the hell she was talking about, because it wasn't Renee Winters or Dante Berlin, in which she did say how they had flaws. She described them unrealistically. You can be sexy and hot and damn right gorgeous, but with no flaws?
Sorry, but that's stupid. The words used to describe everything made me want to punch Renee. She obsessed over Berlin and even said that if he was gone, that was the end of her life. Yeah, great message to give to teens. Even though I hate typing this, it was a Twilight wannabe. Renee's dialogue tags were annoying. Most of the time she was blurting something. What's wrong with good old said? Hasn't she ever heard of said-bookism? And another thing, it was overwritten.
Not so much the last half of the book, but the first half was riddled with passive voice. Things that could have been reworded into less words that still conveys the same message. There were parts when I was just rewording it in my head, because all I needed to read was something so simple, yet she dragged it out and used too many words to say what she really means. Sometimes less is more. This book was another unrealistic teen book. Sorry, but no real teen does and says half the things Renee does. Renee had NO flaws whatsoever, and I even recall her saying something like, "Why wouldn't anyone like me?
You don't need to piss someone off for someone to dislike you. Ever heard of people who just naturally don't get along? I dislike someone people for no real reason and they do me. It's called having nothing in common. It's called personality clashes. You don't have to be a dickhead to someone in order to get them to hate you. What a ignorant thing for her to say. Why wouldn't anyone not like her? I was so close to throwing the book at the wall. And it was a mission to finish this book, because I usually do, good or bad. Why are so many of these books getting published? The mysterious, lonely, brooding, sexy guy who falls for the average teen who has nothing going for her other than her pretty looks.
Actually, none of them had anything going for them. It pains me to know that young teens out there are eating this horse poop up. Unlike Renee, you can make mistakes.
She didn't make one single one throughout the book, but that's because she's a Mary Sue. They never even talked that much about each other's likes, dislikes and other stuff that you talk about with a partner. Granted, they did, but hardly enough to say that they fell for anything other than looks. It makes me sick. There are other things that I could gladly chat about all day, but I think I'll go and read a real book and chat about something I love.
Avoid this book all you can. Me and the rest of the people who buy it are only fuelling the fire for these disgusting, unrealistic, Mary Sue-filled books to be published in the first place. There the main characters had flaws. Katniss had people hate her for her. View all 23 comments. Jun 16, Merary rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here. When the title of the book a very cheesy one at that! Jessica Quits the Squad. Guess what happened at the end of the book? That wasn't my only problem. Oh, ho ho no. I really hate to say this, but, I found a lot of Twilight similarities in this one. The whole "paranormal n When the title of the book a very cheesy one at that! The whole "paranormal novels imitating Twilight " sounded absurd to me at first, but Dead Beautiful actually confirms it. I'll show you some examples from both books separately: You didn't even look.
And after confirming that it was, in fact, a milkweed butterfly, I turned to him, frustrated. A creature from the inferno. I kept my distance because I didn't want to put you in danger. Dante played with a lock of my hair. Couldn't find the actual book quotes, instead, I used the movie quotes. Even though it's pretty much the same. In some cases, the number of pages is included: Do you mind if I uh, look?
Bella Swan always reminds you how velvety is Edward Cullen's voice in pretty much the majority of the book! OK, well let's say for argument's sake that I'm not smart Would you tell me the truth? I'd rather hear your theories. I have considered radioactive spiders and kryptonite. That's all superhero stuff, right? What if I'm not the hero? I'm not scared of you. How old are you? How long have you been seventeen? Maybe there were more examples, but these were only ones I could come off with. Perhaps I'm exaggerating this. Tell me what you think. When I noticed the plot, I noticed this very common words in pretty much most YA paranormal romance novels: Why do they feel suddenly inexplicably drawn to the hero?
Why do the authors feel the need to activate "Insta-love" to the main characters? Whatever happened to romantic development? I will never know. Another thing that bothered me: And by the way, the so called book mentioned in this book, The Seventh Meditation , is actually a reference to Descartes actual book Meditations on First Philosophy which is actually made up of of six meditations. Correct me if I'm wrong , she doesn't think logically and she's just plain stupid.
And also quite desperate when it comes to love. She pretends to not know the answers to a Latin test so she could spend more time studying with Dante. She is too stupid to realize that she has a boyfriend that cares about her back at her old hometown, and, here she is, lusting after Dante.
According to her, she has never been in love until Dante came into her life. What happened to Wes, your supposed boyfriend? She thinks her and Dante are dating, even though that wasn't discussed between them at that point. Already wondering if Dante loves her even though they met only for a few weeks.
Thinks small "flaws" like blemishes, scars, and big ears will drive Dante away. Check this quote from her: I was a nice, considerate person. Why would anyone dislike me? Even if you are "nice" as you put it, not everybody is going to like you especially myself at this moment. Get used to it, bitch. Like Clea Raymond on the Elixir series, she questions every single thing. Her favorites are questions that begin with "Why?
I could go on and on, really. But enough is enough. She's not the only idiot in the story. Pretty much everyone is stupid!! When questioned, they only answer with "I don't know". They don't think and reflect at least once. Now, let's talk about the "important" part of the story: First off, I felt the romance a little bit rushed and with no passion. And no, kissing without touching their lips do not count! They had no chemistry and their love was mainly superficial. She thinks he is perfect.
Oddly enough, she said this about him: I realized that everything that was wrong with him was right. His solitude, his callous reticence, his unpredictability--it only drew me closer--his flaws making all the more real. And besides, the flaws you mentioned aren't exactly flaws! Solitude means that prefers to be alone.
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Callous basically means insensitive and cruel. Reticence is about someone that doesn't speak freely. So, he expresses his cruelty by not speaking freely? And unpredictability is about someone who is, you know, unpredictable. Can you explain how are these flaws again? Not everything is paradise for them, though. Kind of like a zombie feeding on souls.
But it was his fault, I reassured myself. He did provoke me. If he hadn't been dead, and if he hadn't kept it from me, we never would have been in this situation. Another thing that bothered me about them was that they were way too co-dependent of each other. In less than 2 pages. My stomach felt hollow as I imagined my life without Dante. And I'd rather face death than live without you. And this time I knew it was true. I never felt that.
All I felt was desperation and clinginess. I don't remember them and I don't care. Gosh, too much telling instead of showing! And some sentences were constructed awkwardly. It wasn't mediocre, though. Now that all the bad was divided, I'm going to tell you the good parts. Things finally get interesting after the end of Chapter 10 like about page You know that gut feeling when something exciting is about to occur in a book? I definitely felt that. I have a confession. Even though Yvonne Woon isn't very good at keeping things unpredictable, she is very good at foreshadowing and symbolism.
Naming the Siamese cats Remus and Romulus. Latin class was the key all along. My favorite character was Headmistress Van Laark. She was very smart and cool. Dante's actual age is 33 years old. He has been seventeen for sixteen years. Is this book recommendable? If you like zombies, cheesy romance, big books, and an original take on the genre, then yes. If not, well you know the drill.
View all 7 comments. Jul 20, Shaunna McLaren rated it it was amazing Shelves: Dead Beautiful is also a rather big book at just over pages, and yet not once did I skip a page; not once did I get bored. Woon writes in such a style, introduces such compelling ideas and builds suspense in a way that leaves you desperate to find out more — so much so, that I found myself desperate to finish my shift at work so that I could get home and finish reading it!
As in the majority of YA paranormal romances, Dante is the strange, mysterious character; the one who is instantly attractive to those around him, yet seems to keep his distance from the rest of the school. Also similar to many other novels, Renee has an initial bad encounter with him, and ends up sitting beside him in one of her classes. However, what sets the relationship between Renee and Dante apart from many other relationships in other YA novels is the believability. I completely loved both of these characters, as well as being desperate to find out what made Dante so different and to know how it would affect his relationship with Renee.
What did make Dante different was an idea that was really rather fresh, and it was presented in an interesting way, so that we slowly piece things together at the same time Renee does. This made finding out a great deal more exciting, and made the latter part of the novel quite thrilling. All in all, I completely loved this book. This book is definitely a must-have for any fans of the genre, and Yvonne Woon is definitely someone to keep your eyes on! Feb 12, Wendy Darling rated it did not like it Shelves: A predictable plot, with characters dead in life and in spirit.
Really brings nothing new or interesting to the genre. View all 6 comments. Nov 05, Ben Alderson rated it it was amazing. Feb 22, Sophia Sardothien rated it it was ok. Ehh this book is fine, the world building is great but the plot hmm not so much. Dead Beautiful is a beautifully written young adult paranormal romance novel. The characters are unique, although there may be a few cliches around, I found it enjoyable and interesting to read. There were so many mini mysteries throughout the whole book, and it leads you to form your own theories and answers about what's going on because you just get so curious.
I love that feeling though. It's not like one of those books where everything is really predictable. The plot wasn't rushed ,it ran th Dead Beautiful is a beautifully written young adult paranormal romance novel. The plot wasn't rushed ,it ran through at it's own pace, which I liked. Since it is set in sort of a dark horror film setting, I did find some of the issues in this novel quite gruesome and creepy but I think that just helps to build a exciting atmosphere. I loved the little romance involved although sometimes it annoyed me because of the way things turned out between different characters, though it was good It wasn't too cheesy and the whole relationship was constructed slowly , which I liked because I gained a proper undertanding of each character.
This isn't one of those books with a love triangle theme set on to it, I'm not quite so fond of that theme in these genres but I was actually very pleased with this novel. There's a sequel too, I cannot wait to read it!! Nov 26, Sarah Mac rated it liked it Shelves: Look, a YA paranormal romance! Shall I poke it with sticks? I've got no issue with judicious use of recycled tropes, at least in theory -- that's what genre fiction is, after all.
But this book could've been so much better. As far as Twilight imitators go, Dead Beautiful isn't awful. It successfully conveys a mysterious, macabre atmosphere.
It has some rather dark underpinning Look, a YA paranormal romance! It has some rather dark underpinnings fitting when undead are involved. I thought the philosophy behind the 'zombie culture' was pretty nifty -- the incorporation of Latin, the bizarre academy classes, etc. But while other reviews are quick to roll out Powerpoint presentations on the Twilight parallels, there's very little mention of Harry Potter. From the school grounds to the teaching staff to the student names to the quirky villains to Renee's friends Important story-crafting safety tip: And speaking of distractions, there's the romance.
Unfortunately, Renee was a fail. I loathe whiny heroines. Alas, YA is replete with this type -- and Renee is no exception. Eventually I wanted her to fall in a hole, or at least STFU for ten minutes so another person could narrate. Renee did, in fact, fall in a hole Methinks I won't bother reading the sequels. View all 11 comments. Oct 12, Librariann rated it really liked it Shelves: Let me count the ways: This book is more thoughtful and intellectually mature Latin class! It isn't nearly as romantic.
But of the many, many copycats that have come out since the Meyer phenomenon began, this is my favorite. Plenty of unanswered questions are left, and the ending hangs cliffily. Sure, it's a twist on the same story, but it is executed fairly well and teens looking for a supernatural romance will appreciate it. Sep 30, Caitlin rated it liked it. Dangerous, loner, beautiful boy meets new girl. But each aspect is unique in its own way. Classes consist of Philosophy, Crude Sciences, Survival skills etc. Woon gives each thing her own twist which makes things nice.
Even the plo www. Even the plot, mythology or should I say philosophy? The best part about the book, it kept you guessing. Out of the five of surprises, three I saw coming. Lately tons of YA books have been easy to guess, so it was nice to actually be shocked.
Woon falls under the slow paced categories. When your character is dealing with deaths, new school, and friends, you have to make your character go through certain things. But she could have done it better. At times I loved her for her outward attitude. It drove me crazy at times.
But honestly, I like it. The romance between Renee and Dante was perfect. It was sweet and believable. He would be someone I would befriend, but not chase after. Jan 06, Ruby rated it did not like it Shelves: Originally posted on http: Then I read the description and I thought, Score! Romance, snobby private schools and me. It s a menage-a-trois made in heaven. It started out okay. The narrator, Renee, was likable enough. But the book s description pretty much gives away the plot.
I Originally posted on http: In fact, it pretty much tells the first third of the book. She has a best friend, loving parents and a possible boyfriend.
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All of this changes when her parents die. It was more like she had broken up with them than that they had died. She sulks and shouts and nobody understands her. Some of this I get. On the top of my list of Obnoxious Things Renee Does is that she purposely does poorly in Latin so that the Cute Boy of the story Dante will have to continue tutoring her. That still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But risking your GPA crosses a line into no self-respect.
What about the other characters? Well, they fade into the background. To be fair, Grandpa does make a reappearance later in the novel for some important exposition. You only pull it out if you have no other options. With Annie, Wes and Grandpa out of the way, that leaves the field free for some new characters: Eleanor and Renee become good friends and joint conspiracy theorists. Nathaniel is merely a prop and never becomes much more than the geeky boy who serves as a nonthreatening male friend who is also a naysayer. Dante has some suspiciously familiar character traits. That was before the two touched and Dante has an over-the-top negative reaction and stops speaking to Renee for several days.
Or seen the movie. There are also plenty of hints. View all 3 comments. Dec 02, Mizuki rated it it was ok Shelves: It's a 'not so bad but it could have been better' 2. There're explanations, but I don't think they're done well Stil It's a 'not so bad but it could have been better' 2. There're explanations, but I don't think they're done well Still, Comparing with the disastrous Dearly Departed , Dead Beautiful is sort of okay-ish.
View all 16 comments. She has a best friend named Annie and a hot boyfriend named Wes. She's just about to start her sophomore year and made it on the varsity lacrosse team. A strict and determined man, Mr. I've had this book sitting on my shelf for over a year now. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to it, I was missing out on a fantastic paranormal read! Dead Beautiful has all the exciting elements I like in my reads. Mystery, suspense, forbidden love, likable interesting characters with a boarding school setting. The school has a old gothic feel to it that is heavy with odd traditions and views that line up with the teachers and subject quite fittingly.
These teachers are extremely disciplinary friendly, the subjects have an edge of darkness around them and felt so advanced and intellectual that I even had a hard time pronouncing some of them and the rules were ridiculous and unfair. I'd never be able to survive in a school like that.
The Twilight ending was more about the revelations that we learn at the end of the book, which again, I wholeheartedly agree. The writing is just fantastic. You could feel Yvonne Woon's determination to have everything set in specific motion. The pace was slow moving but it didn't feel dragged out or dull. The story dwells on death which gives this a very morbid flavor for pretty much the entire novel, it also has a very serious tone not leaving any room for any real humor or even light moments.
But for some reason it didn't bother me as much as it should have since I was completely absorbed and invested with what was going on, or at least trying to figure out what was going on. From the title of the book I figured that this pointed to some kind of paranormal, but I never would have guessed which one. I really have to hand it to Woon, she really put a lot of thought and energy into this particlar lore and I was impressed with how she handled it. I really enjoyed all these characters and was thankful that this didn't have any 'mean girls' which I expected since this has, well, a boarding school setting.
But it wasn't like that for this book. I really enjoyed Eleanor and Nathaniel. They added to the experience instead of just filling in the gaps. I din't care for Mr. Wintes in the beginning, but I don't think we were meant to till we understood him more later in the book. I love that she always speaks her mind and that she's always trying to figure things out. She can never just let the little things go and I found her passion and determination endearing.
Intelligent, devastatingly gorgeous, alluring and unpredictable. Their relationship did indeed have that forbidden spell around them, but with a twist. A really really good freaken twist that I never saw coming! Bottom line, I had a great time with this book. It's one of those reads where I felt okay taking my time with and absorbing the facts as they come. It's intelligent, solid, fascinating and chill-worthy. I can't wait to find out what happens next in; Life Eternal! This review and more can be found at; Mar 16, Booknut rated it really liked it Shelves: This was my first and final thoughts on this book.
I mean, don't get me wrong I was in fangirlish awe for most of it - the middle bit was good, the murders and missing students was the highlight and Dante what a hot name!
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But the beginning and the end made me want to break out into Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell". She is an awesome heroine, though a tad odd. She's perfectly ok with the fact that her best friend is crushing on the This was my first and final thoughts on this book. She's perfectly ok with the fact that her best friend is crushing on the guy she's dating Was she dating him?
It was a little unclear and doesn't seem to mind the fact that her friend knows more about him and what he's doing than she does. Thank God, for a heroine that doesn't fall into the guy's arms and say "I'm never going to part with you no matter what! I was all like "Bravo!
Congratulations on being so smart! Dustin is such a cutie. I love butler figures and this guy rocks - him and his random salmon-coloured chowder with weird cheesy globs. Her granddad is a ok, I guess though he can be a little "Luke I am your father", "This is your destiny" a times. Dante was a raging inferno lol!!!! D and Minnie was a sweetheart view spoiler [ I felt so sorry for her!! Imagine if everyone avoided you and thought you were crazy when you tried to speak the truth!
Don't get me wrong - I adored this book, but the end!! But obviously neither of them seems to give a rat's fart about the important things in life Because being with eachother is more important. Sep 17, Savannah Books With Bite rated it it was amazing. Ok, what a great and intriguing read. I certainly did not see that coming. Beautiful Dead is a great read. Everything in it was perfect.
So as I started to read this book, I was thrown into a whirlwind of surprises. Poor Renee, always going through some many unexpected tragic things. I felt sorry for her, but was glad that she prevailed. Renee arrived at this new school and her rebellious attitude has me giddy from the start. I immensely enjoyed her smart mouth, know it all attitude Ok, what a great and intriguing read.
I immensely enjoyed her smart mouth, know it all attitude. It brought so much more drama and excitement to the book. And who doesn't enjoy a rebellious teen. Now the love interest in the story was one so unique and detailed to beautifully. I love how Ms. I'm still thinking about it I have read all of Francis's novels--many probably 10 times. This novel is one of my favorites. Francis has both great talent and curiosity which combine in many novels to provide not just a great mystery with deft plot twists and strong characterizations for even minor characters, but the curiosity he has for so many different professions allows him to weave new worlds into that of racing.
I have gotten a taste for the artist's life, the glassblower's, the balloonist, a herbalist's and banker's, a toy inventor, and in this effortless-to-read combination of architecture and racing and Rogane, Francis has gifted us with another superb tail. The wistful longing Lee has for one of the minor characters who reminds him of his wife at the beginning of their romance is just as true as the engineering knowledge he offers the reader along the way.
The children which don't often appear in Francis's work are as individual as any of the more important characters and Lee's love and concern for his sons add a depth to his character that other books' main characters don't share because they aren't usually parents Francis is sorely missed but at least his novels live on I love every one of Dick Francis's novels. Some have seemed more interesting to me than others, but they all have what so few authors can match.
The protagonists are always interesting, highly intelligent, kind, and interested in doing what's right. This particular protagonist is a father of six boys and a tangential member of a highly dysfunctional family. The way he solves problems and works with various family members, while trying to find answers to tough questions, truly shows Francis's skill as a story teller.
As long as I can find his books, I'll read them with exquisite pleasure. Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. I own almost all the Dick Francis books.
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I wish there was a Dick Francis collection that was available. I am in the process of trying to fill out my collection in "used" book stores to acquire the ones that are "out of print. I love the strong quiet men who always have great values and persevere against evil.
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Of all of his books, however, I think this is my favorite. I love the fact that the hero is a serious, constructive and committed father. His interactions with his children are fabulous! One person found this helpful. Just read this again after a long hiatus. I wanted to remember what it was that the father had that the son lacks. It may be something as basic as the wrong editor!
Dick Francis was a master storyteller with impeccable research I believe the latter was thanks to his wife, Mary-who was also his editor: The cast of characters is marvelous: Each is fleshed out and unique; and each one playing an integral part in the story. I have read all of his books, but this one has always been my favorite and I have reread it numerous times. Though always about horse racing, this one concentrated on family, loving, caring, overbearing, evil and manipulative. It was two sides to a coin showing what a loving and caring father was like versus the infected diseased over wealthy family.
I miss his books very much as there will never be another Dick Francis. One of his best. The protagonist is a builder who resurrects decrepit buildings, and also the inheritor of a few shares in a racetrack. When the racetrack finds itself in trouble, the managers reach out to our hero to get involved and try to save it and their jobs. The most fun part of the book is that the hero has six sons and they all come with him on his mission to try to save the racetrack. The plot is complex, the other characters, although a little stereotyped, are interesting, and the interaction among the protagonist and his sons is endearing.
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