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Dead Beautiful #2
Life Eternal
Renée Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can never reveal the she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin.
Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.
Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can’t shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.
Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short.
Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.
Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can’t shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.
Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2012
About the author
Yvonne Woon
11 books1,077 followersYvonne Woon grew up in Massachusetts. She is the author of My Flawless Life (Katherine Tegen Books), a 2024 Edgar Award finalist and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; If You, Then Me (Katherine Tegen Books); and the Dead Beautiful series (Hyperion). She is a 2022 National Endowment of the Arts Fellow in Prose. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, which she mostly uses to concoct plots. She lives in Richmond, VA, with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
February 20, 2012
Aargh!!!!!!!
A Cliffhanger!!!!!!!
It ended with a cliffhanger!
If you can't remember book 1 (Dead Beautiful), please read it before you start this.
This book started off weak.
It was spooky at first, soon turned to boring but the story picked up soon enough and it engaged us into the suspense, mystery and romance.
It left me with goosebumps throughout till the very end.
This is indeed a very beautiful story.
"Just one kiss will take your breath away.." - Dead Beautiful
Renée Winters is a Monitor* and she has changed.
Everyone is speculating her as the "immortal".
In Dead Beautiful, she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead* soul mate, Dante Berlin. No one knows the secret except them.
*Monitor - a person who can sense the Undead and put them to "rest".
*Undead - a person who'd died before the age of twenty-one without a burial or cremation, and had thus reanimated. (In other words, zombified). Doom to wander the earth in search of the person his soul had been reincarnated into, and take it back through a kiss before their bodies decay.
What sucks? They are soul-mates and the star-crossed lovers are finding ways to be together again before Dante run out of time.
After the death of a teacher at Gottfried Academy. Renée is sent to Montreal to attend a school for the Monitors.
If being apart from Dante isn't enough, she is now sent away from Dante with no means of telling him so.
Sent to a foreign place, separated from family and friends, Renée has to start afresh and try to find a solution to being with Dante.
Renée is now caught in dreams/visions triggered by some subjects or places.
It seems to be a solution for her situation.
A mystery about Les Neuf Soeurs, or the Nine Sisters.
About IMMORTALITY.
There weren't much scenes of Dante with Renée but it never fails to give us a heart stopping/fluttering feeling even if it is just a secret message left by Dante to Renée.
Dante has a mission of his own. Trying to find the solution as well.
All Dante want is to be with Renée, keep her safe and her to trust him.
In the new school, Renée met Anya and Noah.
A very unique friendship between Anya and Renée.
And an uneasy, confusing yet sweet friendship with Noah.
Together, they tried to help Renée to uncover the mystery.
Mystery, confusion, loneliness, doubts, feeling of betrayal, love.
This book really does weird things to me.
It pulled me in, creeped me out, left me breathless and broke my heart.
"I don't believe you." I breathed.
Dante blinked, his chest collapsing as if there were nothing left inside him."
THAT stopped my heart. I thought it had collapsed too.
The ending killed me.
This is just simply amazing.
I am really looking forward to book 3 and I hope to read about Noah and Anya again.
Please. I really like Noah and I don't mean it to break up Dante and Renée.
No. It is purely platonic.
A Cliffhanger!!!!!!!
It ended with a cliffhanger!
If you can't remember book 1 (Dead Beautiful), please read it before you start this.
This book started off weak.
It was spooky at first, soon turned to boring but the story picked up soon enough and it engaged us into the suspense, mystery and romance.
It left me with goosebumps throughout till the very end.
This is indeed a very beautiful story.
"Just one kiss will take your breath away.." - Dead Beautiful
Renée Winters is a Monitor* and she has changed.
Everyone is speculating her as the "immortal".
In Dead Beautiful, she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead* soul mate, Dante Berlin. No one knows the secret except them.
*Monitor - a person who can sense the Undead and put them to "rest".
*Undead - a person who'd died before the age of twenty-one without a burial or cremation, and had thus reanimated. (In other words, zombified). Doom to wander the earth in search of the person his soul had been reincarnated into, and take it back through a kiss before their bodies decay.
What sucks? They are soul-mates and the star-crossed lovers are finding ways to be together again before Dante run out of time.
After the death of a teacher at Gottfried Academy. Renée is sent to Montreal to attend a school for the Monitors.
If being apart from Dante isn't enough, she is now sent away from Dante with no means of telling him so.
Sent to a foreign place, separated from family and friends, Renée has to start afresh and try to find a solution to being with Dante.
Renée is now caught in dreams/visions triggered by some subjects or places.
It seems to be a solution for her situation.
A mystery about Les Neuf Soeurs, or the Nine Sisters.
About IMMORTALITY.
There weren't much scenes of Dante with Renée but it never fails to give us a heart stopping/fluttering feeling even if it is just a secret message left by Dante to Renée.
Dante has a mission of his own. Trying to find the solution as well.
All Dante want is to be with Renée, keep her safe and her to trust him.
In the new school, Renée met Anya and Noah.
A very unique friendship between Anya and Renée.
And an uneasy, confusing yet sweet friendship with Noah.
Together, they tried to help Renée to uncover the mystery.
Mystery, confusion, loneliness, doubts, feeling of betrayal, love.
This book really does weird things to me.
It pulled me in, creeped me out, left me breathless and broke my heart.
"I don't believe you." I breathed.
Dante blinked, his chest collapsing as if there were nothing left inside him."
THAT stopped my heart. I thought it had collapsed too.
The ending killed me.
This is just simply amazing.
I am really looking forward to book 3 and I hope to read about Noah and Anya again.
Please. I really like Noah and I don't mean it to break up Dante and Renée.
No. It is purely platonic.
April 22, 2013
I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the first book in the series enough, but felt it was simplistic overall. Everything in the first book felt...lacking in complexity; things were smooth, almost too smooth. She had pretty much one love interest, spent time daydreaming about Dante, her ONE TWOO WUV, she had good friends, and the Monitors were fairly antagonistic but by means was her life difficult.
It's not that I like things challenging for my main characters. I want to like my main characters; I don't want the queen bitch in the school making life a miserable, living hell for them every minute of every second of every day, but I'd like my protagonist to face a little bit of a challenge. It gives them character, it builds up their personality, their strength, and in this book, we see Renée grow a backbone. She stops swooning over the perfect Dante, she realizes that it's ok to be attracted to someone else, she feels guilt, she learns to defend herself against attacks from the odious Clementine.
Renée even learns to question Dante. She does not blindly accept that because she loves him, that he can do no wrong, that he may be someone different than whom she had believed him to be. She is not so blind to love that she does not see his faults or question his actions when things doesn't feel right. In the first book, she is blindly infatuated with Dante, in this one, she learns that love doesn't mean you need to blindly trust someone. Good for her.
I felt the mystery was well done here, too. The new Canadian setting is interesting, as was the flashbacks that gave us more insight into the background of the Monitors and the history of the schools. I wish that there were more details about the classes at the new school, and I wish that things weren't left on a cliffhanger at the end of the book. (It would also have been nice to get a nice confrontation with Clementine, too, but if wishes were horses, I'd have a ranch).
This book was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the first book in the series enough, but felt it was simplistic overall. Everything in the first book felt...lacking in complexity; things were smooth, almost too smooth. She had pretty much one love interest, spent time daydreaming about Dante, her ONE TWOO WUV, she had good friends, and the Monitors were fairly antagonistic but by means was her life difficult.
It's not that I like things challenging for my main characters. I want to like my main characters; I don't want the queen bitch in the school making life a miserable, living hell for them every minute of every second of every day, but I'd like my protagonist to face a little bit of a challenge. It gives them character, it builds up their personality, their strength, and in this book, we see Renée grow a backbone. She stops swooning over the perfect Dante, she realizes that it's ok to be attracted to someone else, she feels guilt, she learns to defend herself against attacks from the odious Clementine.
Renée even learns to question Dante. She does not blindly accept that because she loves him, that he can do no wrong, that he may be someone different than whom she had believed him to be. She is not so blind to love that she does not see his faults or question his actions when things doesn't feel right. In the first book, she is blindly infatuated with Dante, in this one, she learns that love doesn't mean you need to blindly trust someone. Good for her.
I felt the mystery was well done here, too. The new Canadian setting is interesting, as was the flashbacks that gave us more insight into the background of the Monitors and the history of the schools. I wish that there were more details about the classes at the new school, and I wish that things weren't left on a cliffhanger at the end of the book. (It would also have been nice to get a nice confrontation with Clementine, too, but if wishes were horses, I'd have a ranch).
Read
May 19, 2012Ok not a great book to read super late at night, in a silent house, when you have a strange amount in common with the main character, and the entire time you are expecting some undead to crawl out of your closet and suck your soul out of your mouth. All things said read this book in the DAYLIGHT with alive humans around. At least that is what I reccommend because in doing that first part I may just not sleep all that well tonight. But to the actual review part. This book like the first started out slow but once more information started to flow and you were able to start piecing parts of the mystery yourself, I personally could not put this down. I love this book because it combines historical myths with present-day settings but not in an overdone way as a lot of myths these days have just been exploited to death. I like to see an author keep with what is mainstream but make it in her own way. I loved Life Eternal because Renée does not react in the classical way a heroine usually does by tripping her way stupidly through a novel somehow not getting herself killed along the way. No this author gives Renée some brains and the emotions of what a person would actually be experiencing if their life were to play out like Renée's does. Life Eternal may be spooky as all get out but it is a great modern book, with heart-pounding cliffhanger ending that will make you want to go find this author and beg her to write the third book. Which she better or I'll do it myself because a story like this cannot simply end this way.
June 26, 2012
Ok so I've literally just finished reading the second installement of the Dead Beautiful books... my opinion? I was extremely sad to put it down... I didn't even know if they would continue the story so after the last page I was like... HUH! NOOOOO! I demanded more in my head!
Yvonne Woon rocks! Her descriptions again left me in awe... EVERYTHING in this book screamed out epic to me. I found myself being drawn into her world yet again. The story continues to spin in my head. Renee and Dante are awesome characters and I REALLY want a movie! Come on!! I often thought to myself that one of the new characters would have an evil side. I turned the page slowly, my eyes worried with how disheartened I would feel. I especially liked Noah's character but thought he would have something to hide, I am so glad he was a genuinely nice guy. I felt so sorry for Renee... she came across so many hurdles but never gave up!
I just want to say to all the cynical people out there, it's a made up story, get over it! I haven't in all my life read a book that stayed with me as long as these have, except the Twilight novels. Who else found flaws with the characters? I did... Renee had flaws... her temperament for one. I honestly don't care what bad reviews this gets, I found it incredible and can't wait for the third novel, the conclusion to their hard work! It's something to look forward to. I would recommend this series to those who love this sort of thing... I adore it! And it will continue to live in my heart forever!
Yvonne Woon rocks! Her descriptions again left me in awe... EVERYTHING in this book screamed out epic to me. I found myself being drawn into her world yet again. The story continues to spin in my head. Renee and Dante are awesome characters and I REALLY want a movie! Come on!! I often thought to myself that one of the new characters would have an evil side. I turned the page slowly, my eyes worried with how disheartened I would feel. I especially liked Noah's character but thought he would have something to hide, I am so glad he was a genuinely nice guy. I felt so sorry for Renee... she came across so many hurdles but never gave up!
I just want to say to all the cynical people out there, it's a made up story, get over it! I haven't in all my life read a book that stayed with me as long as these have, except the Twilight novels. Who else found flaws with the characters? I did... Renee had flaws... her temperament for one. I honestly don't care what bad reviews this gets, I found it incredible and can't wait for the third novel, the conclusion to their hard work! It's something to look forward to. I would recommend this series to those who love this sort of thing... I adore it! And it will continue to live in my heart forever!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
February 22, 2011SEEEEEEQQQQUUUUUEELLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved Dead Beautiful!!!! It was one of my favorites from last year! I CANNOT WAIT!!!
July 31, 2020
Last year Renee's life turned upside down.
First her parents were killed and she was the one to find them. Then her estranged grandfather came back into her life and moved her all across country to a boarding school she never even heard of. There's where she found out that there are undead children roaming the earth, trying to find their lost souls that now belong to another person and the only ones that can kill them, are montiors. Monitors of which Renee is one of.
And when she thought that her life couldn't become more twisted, she found out that her boyfriend is one of the Undead and that his soul is inside her now.
After all that, she sacrificed herself to save Dante's life only for him to transfere their soul back to her, with the result that now both of them are alife but neither of them is really human and they're both connected in a strange way.
So when Renee finds out that there is a secret that will help Dante become immortal forever, she is determined to find it at all costs.
The second books begins with a few months passing since the last book has left off. It doesn't pick of straight away and it takes it's time to explain some of the events that followed after Berlin gave Renee her soul back, mainly that the Academy thought that Dante killed the Head Mistress and Gideon and now is in hiding.
Renee herself only states that there are a few changes in her appearance and that she has trouble sleeping.
Later we find out that miss LaBarge has been killed and that the Academy will be closed now to all students except the Undead, so Renee will have to attened another Boarding School in Canada that is just for monitors. There's where she finds out about the nine sisters and their secret of eternal life.
I felt a disconnection from this book with the first one. The characters that were important to Renee in the first book, got left behind and swapped with new ones and it was if they never even existed to begin with. The main characteristics of the first book were there but the characters were completely different.
This just didn't really feel like a continuation of the story from the first book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2013
http://themoonlitbookshelf.blogspot.d...
Renée's and Dante's love story continues with this stunning sequel to Dead Beautiful (click here to read my review)!
Summary:
Renée Winters is not the same girl that she was a year ago. A lot has happened since then - she lost her parents and she found out that she is a Monitor whose job is to bury the harmful Undead. But she has also found unexpected and dangerous love - a love that brought her death and life.
Renée died last May, but she was brought back to life by her Undead soul mate, Dante. Now Dante is on the run and the Gottfried Academy has closed its gates to everyone except for the Undead. Renée, along with other Monitors, has to attend a new school, Lycée St. Clément, in Montreal.
There, she feels like an outsider and without Dante, her life is pretty lonely. But when she learns about the Nine Sisters, she begins to have hope again. The Nine Sisters seem to have found a way to live forever, at least, according to legend. Renée desperately wants to find out more about these Sisters and with the help of her strange visions she is hot on the scent. But she must take heed, because there are others out there who are looking for the secret to immortality as well, and they will murder anyone just to achieve their goal.
Will Renée be able to learn the secret to eternal life, a secret that could be the answer to all of her problems? Unless Renée finds answers soon, her time with Dante will come to an end, because he only has a few more years to live until he is dead for good.
My thoughts:
Life Eternal is an exciting sequel and definitely worth reading because it will surprise you and sweep you off your feet. While reading this book I didn't know what will come next and it kept me guessing until the end. Yvonne Woon has again managed to create a fantastic read full of mysteries and intrigue. I felt like I was there, along with Renée, searching for the secret that could save Dante. And I really wanted her to find a way to be with him because I really like him as a character. But I could also relate to Renée when she started doubting Dante because it was very clear that her boyfriend was hiding something.
I liked that the sequel took place in Montreal because the reader learns interesting things about this city, including its importance regarding Monitors. I also liked the fact that we get to know new characters, like for example Renée's new friend, Anya, a Monitor at her new school. And then there's Noah, a boy that seems very interested in Renée. Together, they try to find out more about the Nine Sisters and Noah likes to be part of this thrilling and dangerous adventure, but he doesn't really know that for Renée, it means more than that. As Dante becomes more and more secretive and she begins to doubt him, Renée feels more and more drawn to Noah.
If you're not a fan of love triangles, then you won't probably like this sequel, but I didn't really mind much. As I said before, I could understand Renée since she didn't know if she could trust Dante anymore and she began to feel drawn to Noah because he could offer her 'normality' (at least if you overlook the fact that they're both Monitors who bury the dangerous Undead). I liked Noah and I loved reading about the two of them trying to find out the secret to eternal life.
Conclusion:
All in all, Life Eternal was a fascinating sequel full of suspense, gothic elements and creepy scenes. If you liked Dead Beautiful then you definitely have to read this one!
Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
Renée's and Dante's love story continues with this stunning sequel to Dead Beautiful (click here to read my review)!
Summary:
Renée Winters is not the same girl that she was a year ago. A lot has happened since then - she lost her parents and she found out that she is a Monitor whose job is to bury the harmful Undead. But she has also found unexpected and dangerous love - a love that brought her death and life.
Renée died last May, but she was brought back to life by her Undead soul mate, Dante. Now Dante is on the run and the Gottfried Academy has closed its gates to everyone except for the Undead. Renée, along with other Monitors, has to attend a new school, Lycée St. Clément, in Montreal.
There, she feels like an outsider and without Dante, her life is pretty lonely. But when she learns about the Nine Sisters, she begins to have hope again. The Nine Sisters seem to have found a way to live forever, at least, according to legend. Renée desperately wants to find out more about these Sisters and with the help of her strange visions she is hot on the scent. But she must take heed, because there are others out there who are looking for the secret to immortality as well, and they will murder anyone just to achieve their goal.
Will Renée be able to learn the secret to eternal life, a secret that could be the answer to all of her problems? Unless Renée finds answers soon, her time with Dante will come to an end, because he only has a few more years to live until he is dead for good.
My thoughts:
Life Eternal is an exciting sequel and definitely worth reading because it will surprise you and sweep you off your feet. While reading this book I didn't know what will come next and it kept me guessing until the end. Yvonne Woon has again managed to create a fantastic read full of mysteries and intrigue. I felt like I was there, along with Renée, searching for the secret that could save Dante. And I really wanted her to find a way to be with him because I really like him as a character. But I could also relate to Renée when she started doubting Dante because it was very clear that her boyfriend was hiding something.
I liked that the sequel took place in Montreal because the reader learns interesting things about this city, including its importance regarding Monitors. I also liked the fact that we get to know new characters, like for example Renée's new friend, Anya, a Monitor at her new school. And then there's Noah, a boy that seems very interested in Renée. Together, they try to find out more about the Nine Sisters and Noah likes to be part of this thrilling and dangerous adventure, but he doesn't really know that for Renée, it means more than that. As Dante becomes more and more secretive and she begins to doubt him, Renée feels more and more drawn to Noah.
If you're not a fan of love triangles, then you won't probably like this sequel, but I didn't really mind much. As I said before, I could understand Renée since she didn't know if she could trust Dante anymore and she began to feel drawn to Noah because he could offer her 'normality' (at least if you overlook the fact that they're both Monitors who bury the dangerous Undead). I liked Noah and I loved reading about the two of them trying to find out the secret to eternal life.
Conclusion:
All in all, Life Eternal was a fascinating sequel full of suspense, gothic elements and creepy scenes. If you liked Dead Beautiful then you definitely have to read this one!
Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
October 25, 2011
I was so excited to get a copy of Life Eternal from NetGalley to review, just after I finished Dead Beautiful as well, talk about perfect timing!
I was really excited to read this one as it's not out till February next year in the US and it doesn't have a UK release date yet!
Life Eternal pretty much picks up right where we left Renee in Dead Beautiful, after all the tragic events that happened at Gotfried, the school is now closed to everyone except the Undead.
Renee is shipped off to Lycée St Clement's in Montreal, which is a school solely for Monitors. Although ever since Dante gave Renee her soul back, something just hasn't been feeling right to Renee. She still has no appetite, no sense of smell and she looks much older almost overnight.
At Lycée St Clement's Renee faces some new problems, not only does she have to face a new school full of people who think she is immortal and somehow survived death, but she also has to find away to sneak in some Dante time. Which is almost impossible with a town full of Monitors! She is also having some strange visions, that seemed to be triggered by her new surroundings.
And as if that wasn't enough to deal with, Renee is still searching for a way of helping Dante prolong what is left of his life.
While searching she comes across the legend of the nine sisters, who apparently found a way to cheat death and vowed to take the secret to their graves with them.
Eight of the sisters were all murdered, presumably by the Undead. The ninth sister was never named in any documents or ever found. It is this sister Renee decides to try to track down.
Firstly, let me just say I loved all the French bits in this book. I really used to love French, but it took a bit of a back seat to Spanish while I was a university. So reading all the French names and streets in this book really started to bring everything back to me!
I loved the fact that this book was set in an entirely different place from Gotfried. To me Dead Beautiful taught me all about the Undead, and Life Eternal taught me all about the Monitors.
The story itself is full of twists and turns that kept me gripped to the edge of my seat! I had no clue what was going to happen in this book, every page just seemed full of more and more mystery. I actually read this book in one day, I was completely hooked on it from page one!
There are a few new characters in this book, some of them I grew to love as I got to the end of the book.
I really liked Noah, he seemed like a really nice boy and if Dante wasn't in the picture I could really picture him and Renee together.
The legend of the nine sisters was well planned out, looking back, as the story unfolds you can see that the reader is given a small hint here and there. At the time you are too wrapped up in the Renee and Dante story that you don't even realise it's a clue until you reach the end of the book!
The plot itself is amazing, although very different to that in Dead Beautiful I think that it works well with this new setting.
Ugh the ending. All I can say is I hope the actual book has an ending, because this ARC didn't.
I had to go back and read the last few paragraphs three times before I realised there is actually no ending. The book just stops! I really don't even understand what happened in the last paragraph, it just stopped! Big disappointment to me, but at least I'm pretty sure now that there will be a third book, Yvonne Woon can't just leave it like that. Although I'll probably have to wait till 2013 for it :(
I was really excited to read this one as it's not out till February next year in the US and it doesn't have a UK release date yet!
Life Eternal pretty much picks up right where we left Renee in Dead Beautiful, after all the tragic events that happened at Gotfried, the school is now closed to everyone except the Undead.
Renee is shipped off to Lycée St Clement's in Montreal, which is a school solely for Monitors. Although ever since Dante gave Renee her soul back, something just hasn't been feeling right to Renee. She still has no appetite, no sense of smell and she looks much older almost overnight.
At Lycée St Clement's Renee faces some new problems, not only does she have to face a new school full of people who think she is immortal and somehow survived death, but she also has to find away to sneak in some Dante time. Which is almost impossible with a town full of Monitors! She is also having some strange visions, that seemed to be triggered by her new surroundings.
And as if that wasn't enough to deal with, Renee is still searching for a way of helping Dante prolong what is left of his life.
While searching she comes across the legend of the nine sisters, who apparently found a way to cheat death and vowed to take the secret to their graves with them.
Eight of the sisters were all murdered, presumably by the Undead. The ninth sister was never named in any documents or ever found. It is this sister Renee decides to try to track down.
Firstly, let me just say I loved all the French bits in this book. I really used to love French, but it took a bit of a back seat to Spanish while I was a university. So reading all the French names and streets in this book really started to bring everything back to me!
I loved the fact that this book was set in an entirely different place from Gotfried. To me Dead Beautiful taught me all about the Undead, and Life Eternal taught me all about the Monitors.
The story itself is full of twists and turns that kept me gripped to the edge of my seat! I had no clue what was going to happen in this book, every page just seemed full of more and more mystery. I actually read this book in one day, I was completely hooked on it from page one!
There are a few new characters in this book, some of them I grew to love as I got to the end of the book.
I really liked Noah, he seemed like a really nice boy and if Dante wasn't in the picture I could really picture him and Renee together.
The legend of the nine sisters was well planned out, looking back, as the story unfolds you can see that the reader is given a small hint here and there. At the time you are too wrapped up in the Renee and Dante story that you don't even realise it's a clue until you reach the end of the book!
The plot itself is amazing, although very different to that in Dead Beautiful I think that it works well with this new setting.
Ugh the ending. All I can say is I hope the actual book has an ending, because this ARC didn't.
I had to go back and read the last few paragraphs three times before I realised there is actually no ending. The book just stops! I really don't even understand what happened in the last paragraph, it just stopped! Big disappointment to me, but at least I'm pretty sure now that there will be a third book, Yvonne Woon can't just leave it like that. Although I'll probably have to wait till 2013 for it :(
April 28, 2012
KEY POINTS: Romance, Love Triangle, Mystery, Detective, Suspense
IN SHORT: This book was a great read; it combined a great 3D mystery with in depth characters and heart stopping action.
Life eternal is the second book in the beautiful dead series by Yvonne Woon, In this instalment we are thrown straight into where we were left off with the main character Renee still unsure where she fits in her world and is unmoveable in her affections for Dante, although at the beginning the action is set at slow burn I feel this helps build the characters depth and helps the audience get a better feel of Renee and her personality, along with helping to understand and feel the interactions with some of the more minor characters such as her granddad.
As we move through the book a subtle but page turning mystery starts to take wing that allows the audience to discover the clues right along with the main character Renee, we also get a deeper view of her and Dante relationship where the audience are turned to root for the couple as the author explores the issues within the pairing.
At this point in the book we are introduced into some past characters and new characters which will play key roles later on, one particularly interesting character is Noah, although I liked this character very much I was never quite sure what his agenda was, whether he was truly just an enthusiastic friend was up for fun or if he truly loved Renee and was a big rival for Dante, this created excitement and an audience involvement as the reader will inevitable choose to root for certain parings. The reader is also left feeling worried and curious about weather this character will appear in the third book due to his role in the twist in the last chapter.
There is also the classic girl rival in the character clementine who tries to beat Renee in Academics, status and Affection for Noah. Even though I found her abrasive at first as the author delved into the past of this new character I found myself actually like her more and hoping we might see her again in the third book.
The end of this book left me breathless as the action and the mystery build up to it final stages, at this point the reader has followed ever clue along with characters and are desperate to find out the treasure that is buried underneath that will either save the characters or kill them. Here the author creates one last twist that the audience will not expect leaving them breathless and wanting more.
August 4, 2016
I read Dead Beautiful few years ago, and i remember how much i enjoyed reading it. Second book in the series Life Eternal did not disappoint me either. Story is well written, its neither stretched nor plain, kind where you don't wish for 2 more chapters or less.
Renée and Dante are one of my fav couples. They love each other unconditionally but also see each others flaws. They have their unique supernatural dating problems but also every day couple issues.
Reason i gave this book 4 star and not 5 is that when a writer is introducing new characters (which were completely missing in the first one) they rush things a little bit, number of coincidences increases. Two people come face to face again and again when least expected. These encounters gives reader a reality check, that what they are reading is a Fiction after all. I for one don't like these reminders. Chemistry of Noah and Renee was difficult to connect with, their story grows but you don't connect with their emotions.
Overall, it was a good read for me. If you enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and Raven Boys then i hope you will enjoy this one as well.
Renée and Dante are one of my fav couples. They love each other unconditionally but also see each others flaws. They have their unique supernatural dating problems but also every day couple issues.
Reason i gave this book 4 star and not 5 is that when a writer is introducing new characters (which were completely missing in the first one) they rush things a little bit, number of coincidences increases. Two people come face to face again and again when least expected. These encounters gives reader a reality check, that what they are reading is a Fiction after all. I for one don't like these reminders. Chemistry of Noah and Renee was difficult to connect with, their story grows but you don't connect with their emotions.
Overall, it was a good read for me. If you enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and Raven Boys then i hope you will enjoy this one as well.
September 2, 2019
i liked it... but i thought the first book was better!!
August 21, 2011
Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars
How far would you go for love? To save a soul? To be with your soul mate for eternity? Life Eternal is the 2nd book in the Dead Beautiful series. I will admit at the beginning I wasn’t totally convinced and partly due to lingering thoughts of another book recently read. Once I was able to open up completely to the story, I found myself fascinated. What took me so long! I love when a story has mystery and unexpected twists. There were moments in the book where I realized I had blurry wet eyes. It really has the properties to sweep you up and pull you in and that’s exactly what Life Eternal has done to me.
Favorite Quote:
“Who is he?” Noah said. “What’s so great about him?” I felt his eyes on me, pleading me to tell him something. But what could I say? I didn’t know where love came from or why it attached itself to some people and not others. Despite everything had happened with Dante, I couldn’t bring myself to leave him behind. “Do you believe in soul mates?” I whispered. “You mean a human who has the soul of an Undead?” “No. The idea of a soul mate. That there’s only one person that’s really right for you in this world.” I could hear Noah breathing as he thought. “No.” “Why?” “Because it gives us no choice. It means that some cosmic force has already chosen the person I’m supposed to love. But that’s not how it works. I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose.”
Blurb:
Renée Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin.
Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.
Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can’t shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.
Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short.
My heart went out to Renee. She’s lost so much and too many people she loves. When her grandfather sends her to Montreal, Canada to attend Lycee St. Clement, Gottfried’s sister school, I just really felt her loneliness and the longing to be with Dante. Now she’s having these weird visions or dreams and she can’t quite make out the reason for them or why she is having them. I became suspicious of all the characters in this book because I never knew who had an agenda or what their motives were.
Renee is like a virus among the students there. They think she is a freak and say she is immortal, but she does develop new friendships eventually, and they prove to be helpful, useful and a little more. Of course there has to be the snotty little bitch that everyone just despises and hates in the story as well. Clementine holds nothing back and makes life difficult for Renee.
There is so much information in this book. Even if you haven’t read the 1st book, Dead Beautiful; the author does a fabulous job of filling in bits and pieces of the story so you don’t feel lost and out of sorts. There were a few spots that I got caught up on with a slight confusion but it quickly became clear and I just kept reading on. Beware of the ending! It’s fabulous but leaves you gasping. Now I’m in for the long haul! I will definitely be reading the next book.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was haunting, slightly dark and convincing. A definite recommendation as far as I’m concerned.
Song Choice:
Lady Antebellum- Just A Kiss
A special “Thank You” to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.
How far would you go for love? To save a soul? To be with your soul mate for eternity? Life Eternal is the 2nd book in the Dead Beautiful series. I will admit at the beginning I wasn’t totally convinced and partly due to lingering thoughts of another book recently read. Once I was able to open up completely to the story, I found myself fascinated. What took me so long! I love when a story has mystery and unexpected twists. There were moments in the book where I realized I had blurry wet eyes. It really has the properties to sweep you up and pull you in and that’s exactly what Life Eternal has done to me.
Favorite Quote:
“Who is he?” Noah said. “What’s so great about him?” I felt his eyes on me, pleading me to tell him something. But what could I say? I didn’t know where love came from or why it attached itself to some people and not others. Despite everything had happened with Dante, I couldn’t bring myself to leave him behind. “Do you believe in soul mates?” I whispered. “You mean a human who has the soul of an Undead?” “No. The idea of a soul mate. That there’s only one person that’s really right for you in this world.” I could hear Noah breathing as he thought. “No.” “Why?” “Because it gives us no choice. It means that some cosmic force has already chosen the person I’m supposed to love. But that’s not how it works. I don’t want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose.”
Blurb:
Renée Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin.
Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.
Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can’t shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.
Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short.
My heart went out to Renee. She’s lost so much and too many people she loves. When her grandfather sends her to Montreal, Canada to attend Lycee St. Clement, Gottfried’s sister school, I just really felt her loneliness and the longing to be with Dante. Now she’s having these weird visions or dreams and she can’t quite make out the reason for them or why she is having them. I became suspicious of all the characters in this book because I never knew who had an agenda or what their motives were.
Renee is like a virus among the students there. They think she is a freak and say she is immortal, but she does develop new friendships eventually, and they prove to be helpful, useful and a little more. Of course there has to be the snotty little bitch that everyone just despises and hates in the story as well. Clementine holds nothing back and makes life difficult for Renee.
There is so much information in this book. Even if you haven’t read the 1st book, Dead Beautiful; the author does a fabulous job of filling in bits and pieces of the story so you don’t feel lost and out of sorts. There were a few spots that I got caught up on with a slight confusion but it quickly became clear and I just kept reading on. Beware of the ending! It’s fabulous but leaves you gasping. Now I’m in for the long haul! I will definitely be reading the next book.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was haunting, slightly dark and convincing. A definite recommendation as far as I’m concerned.
Song Choice:
Lady Antebellum- Just A Kiss
A special “Thank You” to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.
January 5, 2012
Life Eternal Review on K-Books
So, I finished this book like literally five minutes ago so you will have to excuse me if this review is a little all over the place but I can barely think straight right now let alone write down my feelings towards this book.
If I had to describe this book in a one word it would be WOW! This book completely blew me away.
Renee is desperate to find a way for her and her soul-mate Dante to be together, but as she starts to unravel the mystery that may save them both she puts her life in danger. Will she be able to survive long enough to find out a way for them to be together?
I really loved the first book in this series Dead Beautiful. I think it was a fantastic start to a series and I couldn't really fathom how Yvonne was going to beat the first book. But boy did she do it. I didn't think I would like this book more than the first one but I did. It is a million times better than the first book and I seriously could not put it down. I devoured this book in one day and I am left reeling needing the third instalment now.
The one thing I thought I wouldn't like about this book is that there isn't very much of Dante in this book as they got separated at the end of the first. I love Dante, he is such a fantastic character and I was really sad to find that there wasn't very much of him in this book. However, I see that it is all for the better. I love Renee, and I love what she goes through throughout this book. How she doubts her feelings and whether she is doing the right thing and I think this is just something that she needed to go through.
Noah, ::sigh::. Usually when a second male romantic interest comes into the second book in a series I get a little annoyed, however that didn't happen in this book. I loved Noah. He is so sweet and as much as I love Dante the more I read this book the more I started to love Noah and by the end couldn't really decide who I wanted Renee to be with. Well until Dante came back into it and then I completely switched back to Team Dante.
This book is one of the best zombie books I have ever read. I'm not actually sure if they are classed as zombie books but to me it is. It's a glamourous zombie, called the Undead. This is probably my favourite zombie series of all time and I love so many zombie books. It's just fantastic and Yvonne blows you away with her writing and sucks you into the story so much I was unaware of anything else going on around me. All I could focus on was the story.
One this Yvonne is an expert at is torturing her readers. I cannot believe how she ended this book. I was turning the page going Noooooo, it can't end there I need more. I am so excited for the next book in this series, which will also be the final one and I am very excited to see how it all ends.
This is just one of those books that you will be left thinking about days after finishing it. I loved every moment of it and I'm actually really sad that I read it so quickly. This series is a must-read for everyone.
Phenomenal!
So, I finished this book like literally five minutes ago so you will have to excuse me if this review is a little all over the place but I can barely think straight right now let alone write down my feelings towards this book.
If I had to describe this book in a one word it would be WOW! This book completely blew me away.
Renee is desperate to find a way for her and her soul-mate Dante to be together, but as she starts to unravel the mystery that may save them both she puts her life in danger. Will she be able to survive long enough to find out a way for them to be together?
I really loved the first book in this series Dead Beautiful. I think it was a fantastic start to a series and I couldn't really fathom how Yvonne was going to beat the first book. But boy did she do it. I didn't think I would like this book more than the first one but I did. It is a million times better than the first book and I seriously could not put it down. I devoured this book in one day and I am left reeling needing the third instalment now.
The one thing I thought I wouldn't like about this book is that there isn't very much of Dante in this book as they got separated at the end of the first. I love Dante, he is such a fantastic character and I was really sad to find that there wasn't very much of him in this book. However, I see that it is all for the better. I love Renee, and I love what she goes through throughout this book. How she doubts her feelings and whether she is doing the right thing and I think this is just something that she needed to go through.
Noah, ::sigh::. Usually when a second male romantic interest comes into the second book in a series I get a little annoyed, however that didn't happen in this book. I loved Noah. He is so sweet and as much as I love Dante the more I read this book the more I started to love Noah and by the end couldn't really decide who I wanted Renee to be with. Well until Dante came back into it and then I completely switched back to Team Dante.
This book is one of the best zombie books I have ever read. I'm not actually sure if they are classed as zombie books but to me it is. It's a glamourous zombie, called the Undead. This is probably my favourite zombie series of all time and I love so many zombie books. It's just fantastic and Yvonne blows you away with her writing and sucks you into the story so much I was unaware of anything else going on around me. All I could focus on was the story.
One this Yvonne is an expert at is torturing her readers. I cannot believe how she ended this book. I was turning the page going Noooooo, it can't end there I need more. I am so excited for the next book in this series, which will also be the final one and I am very excited to see how it all ends.
This is just one of those books that you will be left thinking about days after finishing it. I loved every moment of it and I'm actually really sad that I read it so quickly. This series is a must-read for everyone.
Phenomenal!
September 8, 2016
Are you kidding me?! A cliffhanger?! Really?!
I'm done. My heart stopped beating when I turned the last page. I will become an Undead now.
Warning: Spoiler Alert
If you want to read a spooky, mysterious and somehow dark book full of suspense and yet beautiful and romantic: Go for it.
"Life Eternal" is even better than the first book, I am serious.
Like the first book, it starts dark and gloomy with a vision of Renée. One of her teachers from the Gottfried Academy is killed. Renée is all alone. Her Undead boyfriend Dante is busy with his own problems he does not want to tell Renée about.
Soon, she is send to a school for Monitors where Renée seems to be the most talented girl feeling nearly all the dead souls. She makes new friends but also new enemies while she tries to find a solution for Dante and herself and at the same time meet Dante in the town without put both of them in danger.
With her visions she gets closer and closer to the solution of the problem and she is more and more suspicious about Dante...
The plot is still very original. The idea of the Monitors, who can put the Undead to "rest", and the Undead, zombified young adults who died before the age of 21 and have not much time to find their souls and bring them back, is amazing. Moreover, the author entangles the whole story more and more. The smallest things play a big role now, even a detail cannot be missed anymore. It is like a big puzzle and you slowly discover more and more pieces of it but do not know in what order to put them.
The characters are all round, starting with the old Undead friend of Renée up to Renée herself. Everything the characters do makes sense, they are likeable and have an authenthical development during the first and second book. The new characters Noah and Anya seem very special for me, but nevertheless you simply have to like them and their originalities.
The story is written very fluent and detailed. You see the town, the characters and the surroundings all around you, like if you are inside the story. The style captures you until you are one of the mysterious characters in this even more mysterious world so if you are searching for something less fanatic and typical like another "Twilight" you should pick the "Dead Beautiful" series.
It is orinigal, with paranormal elements. Is is full of suspence and it is a book for a rainy or snowy (or just a calm) evening that you will not be able to put away and after finishing it you do not feel empty inside. You feel like you learned something and understood something for and about life.
I love this book. I simply love it.
I'm done. My heart stopped beating when I turned the last page. I will become an Undead now.
Warning: Spoiler Alert
If you want to read a spooky, mysterious and somehow dark book full of suspense and yet beautiful and romantic: Go for it.
"Life Eternal" is even better than the first book, I am serious.
Like the first book, it starts dark and gloomy with a vision of Renée. One of her teachers from the Gottfried Academy is killed. Renée is all alone. Her Undead boyfriend Dante is busy with his own problems he does not want to tell Renée about.
Soon, she is send to a school for Monitors where Renée seems to be the most talented girl feeling nearly all the dead souls. She makes new friends but also new enemies while she tries to find a solution for Dante and herself and at the same time meet Dante in the town without put both of them in danger.
With her visions she gets closer and closer to the solution of the problem and she is more and more suspicious about Dante...
The plot is still very original. The idea of the Monitors, who can put the Undead to "rest", and the Undead, zombified young adults who died before the age of 21 and have not much time to find their souls and bring them back, is amazing. Moreover, the author entangles the whole story more and more. The smallest things play a big role now, even a detail cannot be missed anymore. It is like a big puzzle and you slowly discover more and more pieces of it but do not know in what order to put them.
The characters are all round, starting with the old Undead friend of Renée up to Renée herself. Everything the characters do makes sense, they are likeable and have an authenthical development during the first and second book. The new characters Noah and Anya seem very special for me, but nevertheless you simply have to like them and their originalities.
The story is written very fluent and detailed. You see the town, the characters and the surroundings all around you, like if you are inside the story. The style captures you until you are one of the mysterious characters in this even more mysterious world so if you are searching for something less fanatic and typical like another "Twilight" you should pick the "Dead Beautiful" series.
It is orinigal, with paranormal elements. Is is full of suspence and it is a book for a rainy or snowy (or just a calm) evening that you will not be able to put away and after finishing it you do not feel empty inside. You feel like you learned something and understood something for and about life.
I love this book. I simply love it.
September 16, 2012
Full review on Reader's Dialogue: http://readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2...
To start at the end - Yvonne is the master of cliffhanger endings! She did it at the end of Dead Beautiful, and it's even more cliffhanger-y in Life Eternal! The last chapter is a buildup of action upon action, suspense and mystery, with terror and danger climbing and magnifying, until you're holding your breath and waiting to see what happens, and then something happens - and then it's the last sentence. And you turn the page. And that's it. And now wait for the third book! But who died? And who's the good guy? And did they get it? And what does it mean? We'll have to wait and see.
As for the rest of the book - it's amazing as well. The one thing that bothered me was that Renee trusted her new friends too quickly and shared sensitive information with them too readily, but that was pretty much necessary to get the plot moving. Her new friends are quirky and fun, even with all the darkness going on, and I love the way each one helps her with different parts of her investigation. It definitely doesn't get boring!
The mystery is woven really intricately, and unfolds slowly as the story progresses. Both mysteries, I should say - the mystery of the Nine Sisters and the mystery of Dante. Renee's confusion about Dante feels raw and real, and her sense of betrayal screams out from the page. And she follows the clues that the ninth sister left, and finally figures out what it all means, the way a girl who is confused but determined would. But the mystery itself - there are layers upon layers that Yvonne reveals through little snippets, like teacher's asides in the classroom, chance meetings, Renee's making connection between things... Things that were set up in Dead Beautiful come back in Life Eternal as part of the mystery - including Eleanor, Renee's parents, and Miss LaBarge. It all ties together, slowly, steadily.
I love Renee's relationships with her friends. Her relationship with Dante is not as beautiful as it was in Dead Beautiful, it's more painful and confusing, but her friends give her that lighthearted side instead. Anya and Noah are both very different from each other, which gives Renee different views of the situation, as I mentioned. It also brings out different parts of her personality that we didn't see in Dead Beautiful either. As a potential romantic interest, Noah is great. He's a little suspect at first, and I didn't like him right away, but I warmed up to him eventually and even though I'm still rooting for Dante, I felt glad that Renee had comfort from Noah.
To start at the end - Yvonne is the master of cliffhanger endings! She did it at the end of Dead Beautiful, and it's even more cliffhanger-y in Life Eternal! The last chapter is a buildup of action upon action, suspense and mystery, with terror and danger climbing and magnifying, until you're holding your breath and waiting to see what happens, and then something happens - and then it's the last sentence. And you turn the page. And that's it. And now wait for the third book! But who died? And who's the good guy? And did they get it? And what does it mean? We'll have to wait and see.
As for the rest of the book - it's amazing as well. The one thing that bothered me was that Renee trusted her new friends too quickly and shared sensitive information with them too readily, but that was pretty much necessary to get the plot moving. Her new friends are quirky and fun, even with all the darkness going on, and I love the way each one helps her with different parts of her investigation. It definitely doesn't get boring!
The mystery is woven really intricately, and unfolds slowly as the story progresses. Both mysteries, I should say - the mystery of the Nine Sisters and the mystery of Dante. Renee's confusion about Dante feels raw and real, and her sense of betrayal screams out from the page. And she follows the clues that the ninth sister left, and finally figures out what it all means, the way a girl who is confused but determined would. But the mystery itself - there are layers upon layers that Yvonne reveals through little snippets, like teacher's asides in the classroom, chance meetings, Renee's making connection between things... Things that were set up in Dead Beautiful come back in Life Eternal as part of the mystery - including Eleanor, Renee's parents, and Miss LaBarge. It all ties together, slowly, steadily.
I love Renee's relationships with her friends. Her relationship with Dante is not as beautiful as it was in Dead Beautiful, it's more painful and confusing, but her friends give her that lighthearted side instead. Anya and Noah are both very different from each other, which gives Renee different views of the situation, as I mentioned. It also brings out different parts of her personality that we didn't see in Dead Beautiful either. As a potential romantic interest, Noah is great. He's a little suspect at first, and I didn't like him right away, but I warmed up to him eventually and even though I'm still rooting for Dante, I felt glad that Renee had comfort from Noah.
September 9, 2019
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"I don't want to be with someone who completes my soul. I want to someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose."
Life Eternal is the second installment in the Dead Beautiful trilogy and never once did the book disappoint me. It starts off almost right after where the first book ends, except that there are a certain complications this time. So for anyone who hasn't read Dead Beautiful, spoilers ahead.
The first complication is that Dante is gone. Or well, he is running for his life because the Monitors believe he killed the headmistress. (Crazy how no one is believing Renee regarding that, right?) And the second complication is that Miss LaBarge is dead. Yes, the same Miss LaBarge who was Renee's mom's best friend. It's sad how that turned out. What's even more strange is that Renee dreamt about it. How did that happen? Anyhow, in lieu of the fact that the headmistress is gone, Miss LaBarge is gone, Eleanor turned into an Undead, Renee died and came back and several other Undeads are creating havoc, Gottfried decided to close its gates for the Monitors. Everyone has to go to a different school. That is where she meets her new best friends.
It's fun how despite the hard circumstances, Renee tends to make friends she can trust. In the beginning, it doesn't feel like it. It's as if Woon is purposely making us doubt everyone. But it's fun to know that some of them are really good. Because if they weren't and if Renee was telling the wrong people about the Nine Sisters, it would have created havoc!
Once again, I loved the premise of Woon's book. It saddened me that Dante was missing, especially because I seem to love him. He and Eleanor and probably the only Undeads that I like. Oh, and Nathaniel too! Anyhow, I was quite interested in seeing Noah falling in love with her. For a moment, even I wanted her to go with him. And had it not been for her lack of senses, I probably would have. But she died. She feels like an Undead. Or at least, kind of. She needs to be able to get her senses back.
But I think the worst part of it all was the ending. It was a cliffhanger, similar to the previous one and kept me engaged. What happened with all three of them—Noah, Renee and Dante—it was horrible. I hope the second book brings some colours back to life else I might have to do something horrible myself!
"I don't want to be with someone who completes my soul. I want to someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose."
Life Eternal is the second installment in the Dead Beautiful trilogy and never once did the book disappoint me. It starts off almost right after where the first book ends, except that there are a certain complications this time. So for anyone who hasn't read Dead Beautiful, spoilers ahead.
The first complication is that Dante is gone. Or well, he is running for his life because the Monitors believe he killed the headmistress. (Crazy how no one is believing Renee regarding that, right?) And the second complication is that Miss LaBarge is dead. Yes, the same Miss LaBarge who was Renee's mom's best friend. It's sad how that turned out. What's even more strange is that Renee dreamt about it. How did that happen? Anyhow, in lieu of the fact that the headmistress is gone, Miss LaBarge is gone, Eleanor turned into an Undead, Renee died and came back and several other Undeads are creating havoc, Gottfried decided to close its gates for the Monitors. Everyone has to go to a different school. That is where she meets her new best friends.
It's fun how despite the hard circumstances, Renee tends to make friends she can trust. In the beginning, it doesn't feel like it. It's as if Woon is purposely making us doubt everyone. But it's fun to know that some of them are really good. Because if they weren't and if Renee was telling the wrong people about the Nine Sisters, it would have created havoc!
Once again, I loved the premise of Woon's book. It saddened me that Dante was missing, especially because I seem to love him. He and Eleanor and probably the only Undeads that I like. Oh, and Nathaniel too! Anyhow, I was quite interested in seeing Noah falling in love with her. For a moment, even I wanted her to go with him. And had it not been for her lack of senses, I probably would have. But she died. She feels like an Undead. Or at least, kind of. She needs to be able to get her senses back.
But I think the worst part of it all was the ending. It was a cliffhanger, similar to the previous one and kept me engaged. What happened with all three of them—Noah, Renee and Dante—it was horrible. I hope the second book brings some colours back to life else I might have to do something horrible myself!
June 8, 2012
One of my surprise favourite books of last year was 'Dead Beautiful' by Yvonne Woon and ever since I read it I've been eagerly anticipating the sequel. No surprises then for guessing that I curled up with this book as soon as it arrived and didn't move for the rest of the night.
Renee is now a monitor capable of sensing the Undead but has been changed forever by the kiss she received from Dante which gave her back her soul. When Gottfried Academy is closed to all by the Undead, she's transferred to Lycee St. Clement in Montreal. Separated from Dante and from her old life, she becomes determined to unravel the secret of the Nine Sisters which she believes may hold the key to her and Dante's future.
Having read the first book in the trilogy quite a long time ago, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't remember all the important plot points. Luckily there's a handy recap near the beginning and I very quickly picked up all the threads of the story and was soon engrossed in Renee's journey.
I enjoyed the change in setting from the confines of the Academy to a whole new school with lots of new faces. There's some interesting characters including Anya, who becomes a friend of Renee and has a secret talent, along with Clementine, who is immensely jealous of Renee's talents and not to forget the very cute Noah who she becomes close to.
Although the introduction of Noah made me initially groan slightly at yet another love triangle, he really did grow on me quickly and I found myself liking him more and more. As there aren't many Dante/Renee moments in this book, Woon choosing to focus the plot on the quest to find the secret of eternal life, I was pleased to see a friendship forming between Renee and Noah, even if he quite obviously seemed to want more than to be just friends.
The ending had me screaming in frustration and I can't believe I'll probably have to wait yet another year for the concluding part. I don't think I can hold out that long!
This book will definitely appeal to fans of paranormal romance and to those that enjoyed the first in the series. Life, death and love collide to create a fascinating and brilliant story from the talented Yvonne Woon. I can't wait to see how it is all going to end.
Renee is now a monitor capable of sensing the Undead but has been changed forever by the kiss she received from Dante which gave her back her soul. When Gottfried Academy is closed to all by the Undead, she's transferred to Lycee St. Clement in Montreal. Separated from Dante and from her old life, she becomes determined to unravel the secret of the Nine Sisters which she believes may hold the key to her and Dante's future.
Having read the first book in the trilogy quite a long time ago, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't remember all the important plot points. Luckily there's a handy recap near the beginning and I very quickly picked up all the threads of the story and was soon engrossed in Renee's journey.
I enjoyed the change in setting from the confines of the Academy to a whole new school with lots of new faces. There's some interesting characters including Anya, who becomes a friend of Renee and has a secret talent, along with Clementine, who is immensely jealous of Renee's talents and not to forget the very cute Noah who she becomes close to.
Although the introduction of Noah made me initially groan slightly at yet another love triangle, he really did grow on me quickly and I found myself liking him more and more. As there aren't many Dante/Renee moments in this book, Woon choosing to focus the plot on the quest to find the secret of eternal life, I was pleased to see a friendship forming between Renee and Noah, even if he quite obviously seemed to want more than to be just friends.
The ending had me screaming in frustration and I can't believe I'll probably have to wait yet another year for the concluding part. I don't think I can hold out that long!
This book will definitely appeal to fans of paranormal romance and to those that enjoyed the first in the series. Life, death and love collide to create a fascinating and brilliant story from the talented Yvonne Woon. I can't wait to see how it is all going to end.
September 8, 2011
While I was reluctant to start Dead Beautiful - I really liked it in the end! The only thing that was horrible was the cliffhanger, so when I got the chance to read Life Eternal I was eager to see hoe the story of Dante and René goes on!
After the happenings in Dead Beautiful her old schools closes and she has to attend to a new school in Montreal that is only for Monitors and not for the Undead. New school, new friends , new mysteries!
While I liked the chance of scenery, I truly missed the absence of the Undead and especially of Dante. Like in her previous school, she makes new friends and also new enemies.
Dante and René are searching for a way to cheat death and to be together - forever. This seems to be impossible, yet both would never give up hope to finally be together with their one and only true soul mate. Also, Dante cannot visit Montreal to see René because the city is full of Monitors and they are both afraid Dante would get caught...
What I really liked was the mystery elements - the search for immortal life, the secrets behind the the death of Renés parents and the mystery of the 9 sisters. There were riddles to follow, secrets to uncover and some twist I didn't expect.
What I didn't like was that the story has so many loose ends that weren't pulled together at the end and I feel like I was left hanging in the air I bit too much. There were many small story lines that weren't brought to an end that leaves me confused about their significance for the story, or the lack thereof. Maybe they are all to build up for the next book, but I cannot close the book and be satisfied.
I loved the heating romance and love between Dante and René in Dead Beautiful, I found it very strong and intense I I loved it... In Life Eternal the relation between them changed so much and I missed the loving connection between them so much. Dante's actions and decisions were cryptic, but at the same time I couldn't follow René as well...
Altogether I feel like the books builds up for the next one and while I enjoyed the secrets and mysteries a lot I feel like there are too many loose ends right now.
After the happenings in Dead Beautiful her old schools closes and she has to attend to a new school in Montreal that is only for Monitors and not for the Undead. New school, new friends , new mysteries!
While I liked the chance of scenery, I truly missed the absence of the Undead and especially of Dante. Like in her previous school, she makes new friends and also new enemies.
Dante and René are searching for a way to cheat death and to be together - forever. This seems to be impossible, yet both would never give up hope to finally be together with their one and only true soul mate. Also, Dante cannot visit Montreal to see René because the city is full of Monitors and they are both afraid Dante would get caught...
What I really liked was the mystery elements - the search for immortal life, the secrets behind the the death of Renés parents and the mystery of the 9 sisters. There were riddles to follow, secrets to uncover and some twist I didn't expect.
What I didn't like was that the story has so many loose ends that weren't pulled together at the end and I feel like I was left hanging in the air I bit too much. There were many small story lines that weren't brought to an end that leaves me confused about their significance for the story, or the lack thereof. Maybe they are all to build up for the next book, but I cannot close the book and be satisfied.
I loved the heating romance and love between Dante and René in Dead Beautiful, I found it very strong and intense I I loved it... In Life Eternal the relation between them changed so much and I missed the loving connection between them so much. Dante's actions and decisions were cryptic, but at the same time I couldn't follow René as well...
Altogether I feel like the books builds up for the next one and while I enjoyed the secrets and mysteries a lot I feel like there are too many loose ends right now.
August 26, 2013
THIS BOOK GOT ME HOOKED FROM BEGINNING TO END!
I never realised how much I loved mystery books until now, and it is awesome! Renee was still awesome as before in the first book and maybe even a little bit better, as this book was amazingly even better. The book is too riddiculously long for me to note everything that happens so here is a gist.
From the beginning. Renee gets visions or rather premonitions through out the book, which only later finds out she was actually seeing through Dante's eyes on what he has been up to. Due to Gottfried shutting down she has been transferred to the sister school which was St. Clements in Montreal where she befriends Anya and Noah. After an Monitoring exam, Renee becomes Top Rank at her new school already and of course the bitch Clementine who just happened to be Noah's girlfriend and daughter to headmaster absolutely hates her guts. Moving on, during a class Renee hears about the Ile de Soeurs (The Nine Sisters) a group of young women who have found the Life Eternal, basically immortality.However there are a group of men/boys called Liberum, run my nine guys that are trying to find what the sisters have been trying to hide. Renee thinks of this as a solution to her's and Dante's little problem, it turns out Dante has already thought of it a while ago like ages and ages before even Renee's parents died, but doesn't tell her until she gets a vision at the end that tells her this as well as Dante has been looking out for her the WHOLE time leaving her messages in Latin. They find the riddles and figure out where the Life Eternal was hidden and just about when we find out what they are going to do it ends in a CLIFFHANGER. YES A CLIFFHANGER.
As I said there is TOO many things going on with this book I couldn't write down on all what had happened, I don't even think what I said above made any sense lol just too much going on my mind about this book! I couldn't put it down, even during dinner I was reading it, I even brought it out running with me! It was just tooo darn good. I can't wait till next year for it to come out!:D
I never realised how much I loved mystery books until now, and it is awesome! Renee was still awesome as before in the first book and maybe even a little bit better, as this book was amazingly even better. The book is too riddiculously long for me to note everything that happens so here is a gist.
From the beginning. Renee gets visions or rather premonitions through out the book, which only later finds out she was actually seeing through Dante's eyes on what he has been up to. Due to Gottfried shutting down she has been transferred to the sister school which was St. Clements in Montreal where she befriends Anya and Noah. After an Monitoring exam, Renee becomes Top Rank at her new school already and of course the bitch Clementine who just happened to be Noah's girlfriend and daughter to headmaster absolutely hates her guts. Moving on, during a class Renee hears about the Ile de Soeurs (The Nine Sisters) a group of young women who have found the Life Eternal, basically immortality.However there are a group of men/boys called Liberum, run my nine guys that are trying to find what the sisters have been trying to hide. Renee thinks of this as a solution to her's and Dante's little problem, it turns out Dante has already thought of it a while ago like ages and ages before even Renee's parents died, but doesn't tell her until she gets a vision at the end that tells her this as well as Dante has been looking out for her the WHOLE time leaving her messages in Latin. They find the riddles and figure out where the Life Eternal was hidden and just about when we find out what they are going to do it ends in a CLIFFHANGER. YES A CLIFFHANGER.
As I said there is TOO many things going on with this book I couldn't write down on all what had happened, I don't even think what I said above made any sense lol just too much going on my mind about this book! I couldn't put it down, even during dinner I was reading it, I even brought it out running with me! It was just tooo darn good. I can't wait till next year for it to come out!:D
August 28, 2011
No, no, no! The book couldn't have ended there! What a frustrating way to end the book, because now I have to wait for the actual book (not the ARC) before the next one even comes out!
The book didn't start as well as I had wanted it to. I remember reading the first book LOVING it all the way through. Renee was really mopey and pathetic, and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading it. Yes, she's without her love, but I really wanted to shake her and tell her to stop feeling sorry for herself. I was really worried that it would be one of those books the the first was an amazing book and the author would try so hard to make a sequel that it would have been better if they had left it with just the first book.
But maybe a third of the way through, I realized why she was such a depressing character, and I understood it more, although I still didn't like it that she was. I think if the sad part ended a lot earlier, you don't risk your readers losing interest. But once it starting moving along, it wasn't hard to stay hooked as the characters started unraveling the mystery.
I LOVED the last half or so of the book. Renee started becoming the character we all knew and loved, and it does make the story more interesting that there's a new hottie involved. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more of the best friend (Eleanor or Anya) and I would have liked to see more of Anya since she develops into an important character in the book. Maybe the author was trying to keep her mysterious.
Please please please tell the actual book will have a different ending than the ARC. I actually had to read the last chapter again because everything happened so fast, and it ended so abruptly. I was like "Wait, that's it?!?!' But then again, you did leave a real cliff hanger for us, huh?
The book didn't start as well as I had wanted it to. I remember reading the first book LOVING it all the way through. Renee was really mopey and pathetic, and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading it. Yes, she's without her love, but I really wanted to shake her and tell her to stop feeling sorry for herself. I was really worried that it would be one of those books the the first was an amazing book and the author would try so hard to make a sequel that it would have been better if they had left it with just the first book.
But maybe a third of the way through, I realized why she was such a depressing character, and I understood it more, although I still didn't like it that she was. I think if the sad part ended a lot earlier, you don't risk your readers losing interest. But once it starting moving along, it wasn't hard to stay hooked as the characters started unraveling the mystery.
I LOVED the last half or so of the book. Renee started becoming the character we all knew and loved, and it does make the story more interesting that there's a new hottie involved. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more of the best friend (Eleanor or Anya) and I would have liked to see more of Anya since she develops into an important character in the book. Maybe the author was trying to keep her mysterious.
Please please please tell the actual book will have a different ending than the ARC. I actually had to read the last chapter again because everything happened so fast, and it ended so abruptly. I was like "Wait, that's it?!?!' But then again, you did leave a real cliff hanger for us, huh?
March 29, 2023
for me this entire series is just like selena's song
"I wanna hold you when I'm not supposed to
When I'm lying close to someone else
You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out of it
If I could do it all again
I know I'd go back to you"
I mean I know a lot of people didn't really like it and I could explain why i do but what's the use, right? to each its their own.
"I wanna hold you when I'm not supposed to
When I'm lying close to someone else
You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out of it
If I could do it all again
I know I'd go back to you"
I mean I know a lot of people didn't really like it and I could explain why i do but what's the use, right? to each its their own.
January 27, 2012
Argh!!! Cruellest cliffhanger!
October 20, 2016
WHOEVER WROTE THAT ENDING IS RUDE.
September 7, 2015
P. S. The extra star is for the concept; which, of course, here is ruined potential.
May 21, 2020
Actual rating:4.7/5 stars!
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OMG! I ldk what's going on around the world any more, 'cause this world is just where I live in recently😥
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First and for most, this is the second book of Dead Beautiful trilogy, and it's sooooo freaking emotional. It has made me feel sad, captivated, excited, shocked and basically all sorts of emotions. This book includes lots of pain, in my opinion as well😫
.
I admit that I felt that the first book was more entertaining, especially at the beginnging of me reading the second book. But, that did not last as I was gripped and bummed suddenly.
.
Renee becomes a monitor here, she goes to one of the other two schools mentioned previously, but this time it is only for Monitors. Dante, though, becomes a target for different parties, as they thought he was the one who killed the school's headmistress in book one😣 he spends his entire time escaping and suffering and seeking for hope..and omg I can't even bear that!
.
Renne doubts him as he does not tell her a good excuse for not showing up for a long time. But, I mean come on, he does it always for her😢
.
Also, I appreciate that this book focuses more on monitors , as I hated them before, but now I know their role and POV and the reasons that make them act this way. We encounted new characters who befriend Renee,too. I did not trust them for some reason at the beginning and for along time, but eventually I understood them and appreciate having them. Noah and Rayne, i guess.
.
I believe the last book is going to give us a fine line for all characters involved in the first two books. We rarely do know things about some main characters who appear in the first book, like her undead friend and her monitor brother. Also, Nathon! Not sure of his name though. He was the nerdy boy!
.
I'm super intrigued now, especially with that ending I've got in this book😔
.
OMG! I ldk what's going on around the world any more, 'cause this world is just where I live in recently😥
.
First and for most, this is the second book of Dead Beautiful trilogy, and it's sooooo freaking emotional. It has made me feel sad, captivated, excited, shocked and basically all sorts of emotions. This book includes lots of pain, in my opinion as well😫
.
I admit that I felt that the first book was more entertaining, especially at the beginnging of me reading the second book. But, that did not last as I was gripped and bummed suddenly.
.
Renee becomes a monitor here, she goes to one of the other two schools mentioned previously, but this time it is only for Monitors. Dante, though, becomes a target for different parties, as they thought he was the one who killed the school's headmistress in book one😣 he spends his entire time escaping and suffering and seeking for hope..and omg I can't even bear that!
.
Renne doubts him as he does not tell her a good excuse for not showing up for a long time. But, I mean come on, he does it always for her😢
.
Also, I appreciate that this book focuses more on monitors , as I hated them before, but now I know their role and POV and the reasons that make them act this way. We encounted new characters who befriend Renee,too. I did not trust them for some reason at the beginning and for along time, but eventually I understood them and appreciate having them. Noah and Rayne, i guess.
.
I believe the last book is going to give us a fine line for all characters involved in the first two books. We rarely do know things about some main characters who appear in the first book, like her undead friend and her monitor brother. Also, Nathon! Not sure of his name though. He was the nerdy boy!
.
I'm super intrigued now, especially with that ending I've got in this book😔
August 14, 2022
"I don't want to be with someone who completes my soul; I want someone who will open it. I want to be able to choose."
Where do I start? This sequel delivered just as much as the first book. I had a particular attachment to Dead Beautiful, and I never really thought that feeling would translate to the sequel...I was wrong. Let me tell you, my jaw dropped to the floor when I realized that the setting of this book was in Montreal...my own city, the city I grew up in, the city that holds such a special and unique place in my heart. I was overwhelmed with joy, reading about streets and neighbourhoods that I regularly walk around. It made this book so much more magical for me.
Yvonne Woon, you have yet to disappoint me. Nothing about this book was boring or repetitive, the writing was excellent and the pace was perfect. I loved seeing Renée grow as a character, and see her not be blind in love. I'm also a sucker for love triangles, and boy, did this book deliver on that aspect! The new love interest is so cunning, loveable and engaging.
I will admit that I was a little confused at the ending, and I normally hate cliffhangers, but Woon executed this one beautifully.
I'd write a novel of a review, but I'll leave it at that. I'm starting the third and final book tomorrow. Sad to know I'm so close to finishing this trilogy, but this is clearly a comfort series for me.
Yvonne, you have etched my heart and soul with this trilogy.
Where do I start? This sequel delivered just as much as the first book. I had a particular attachment to Dead Beautiful, and I never really thought that feeling would translate to the sequel...I was wrong. Let me tell you, my jaw dropped to the floor when I realized that the setting of this book was in Montreal...my own city, the city I grew up in, the city that holds such a special and unique place in my heart. I was overwhelmed with joy, reading about streets and neighbourhoods that I regularly walk around. It made this book so much more magical for me.
Yvonne Woon, you have yet to disappoint me. Nothing about this book was boring or repetitive, the writing was excellent and the pace was perfect. I loved seeing Renée grow as a character, and see her not be blind in love. I'm also a sucker for love triangles, and boy, did this book deliver on that aspect! The new love interest is so cunning, loveable and engaging.
I will admit that I was a little confused at the ending, and I normally hate cliffhangers, but Woon executed this one beautifully.
I'd write a novel of a review, but I'll leave it at that. I'm starting the third and final book tomorrow. Sad to know I'm so close to finishing this trilogy, but this is clearly a comfort series for me.
Yvonne, you have etched my heart and soul with this trilogy.
September 12, 2019
This review and more can be found at:
Reading Under the Covers
I was an absolute fan of the first book in this series and I can’t say I am disappointed in this book, well maybe a small bit.
Where the hell was Dante during this book?
Yeah I get it, he’s being “hunted” but I am incredibly disappointed!!!
He was barely in this book and when he was I was desperately wanting more. I didn’t like how he was keeping secrets from Renée. Yes I get it for her own safety but clearly no one seemed to be looking for him.
We follow Renée as she starts yet another school but this time training to be a Monitor. I liked these part of the books. I love learning more and more about Monitors, what it means and what it takes to be a monitor. It was interesting and was interesting to learn that you can be a “type” of Monitor.
You give us new characters and leave us with yet another cliff hanger. What the hell? Is Noah okay?
It was a good sequel but it just left me with more and more questions that I just need answering.
I feel like this book was very fast paced and it just felt like a filler but by no means does that mean it wasn’t good. It was, maybe just maybe it might have been even better then the first one.
Reading Under the Covers
I was an absolute fan of the first book in this series and I can’t say I am disappointed in this book, well maybe a small bit.
Where the hell was Dante during this book?
Yeah I get it, he’s being “hunted” but I am incredibly disappointed!!!
He was barely in this book and when he was I was desperately wanting more. I didn’t like how he was keeping secrets from Renée. Yes I get it for her own safety but clearly no one seemed to be looking for him.
We follow Renée as she starts yet another school but this time training to be a Monitor. I liked these part of the books. I love learning more and more about Monitors, what it means and what it takes to be a monitor. It was interesting and was interesting to learn that you can be a “type” of Monitor.
You give us new characters and leave us with yet another cliff hanger. What the hell? Is Noah okay?
It was a good sequel but it just left me with more and more questions that I just need answering.
I feel like this book was very fast paced and it just felt like a filler but by no means does that mean it wasn’t good. It was, maybe just maybe it might have been even better then the first one.
Want to read
November 16, 2017Seventeen year old Renee Winters must transfer to a Montreal school exclusively for those training to kill the Undead, while unraveling a long buried secret that may be the key to saving Dante Berlin, her Undead soulmate.
What a gorgeous cover!
What a gorgeous cover!
April 24, 2020
Amazing and exciting book .
February 18, 2012
4.5/5 stars!
I was so happy to see that “Dead Beautiful” was getting a sequel – even though it felt like a standalone, I had the feeling that there was a lot more room for more of Renee and Dante’s story to be told. What’s better is that this volume feels like Woon has grown leaps and bounds within her abilities for worldbuilding and character construction as well as arc execution (though those were never a problem in the first book, all of the aforementioned technical details in this book feel so much more solid and real). Frankly, “Life Eternal” is better than the first book, and it definitely deserves the read if you’re into alternate ideas of what defines both “love” and the “undead”.
Spoiler alert that gave me nightmares – undead children. Just putting that out there. If the thought of zombie children trying to steal your soul is enough to put you off reading, you may want to skip this volume. I won’t spoil you any further on how zombie children are connected to this book’s world – you definitely have to read it for yourself (and my hat’s off to Woon here – you did something really risky here, and I love it!). However, I urge you heavily to read it anyway, because it really is better than the first. The pace is slow at first but really ramps up once Renee gets to her new school in Montreal, where we learn more about not only what really happened with Dante at the end of the first book, but her summer in between the ending of the last book and the beginning of this one. Just as in the first book, Woon really knows how to pace her story and where to place her Big Reveals, so much and so often that I literally had to stay up one night and finish this volume of the “Dead Beautiful” series just so I could actually sleep. It’s even more addictive than the first book.
One (small) problem I did have was the pseudo-love triangle with Noah, but I see why Woon did it, so I can forgive her for it. In order to create more conflict with Dante, the Liberium, and the Undead in general (not to mention with Clementine), Noah had to be used to create a pseudo-love triangle with the very lonely Renee. In terms of character development, Renee’s personal “who/what am I?” arc really went off without a hitch, and it was so nice to see that with so many YA books who try to pull of smoothly transitioned self-identity arcs but fail miserably at it. It was also nice to see more of her uncertainty here, too, along with being bullied – or, maybe I should put it as not instantly popular at her new school compared to her old one. Renee grew leaps and bounds and all because of the pressure Woon put on her here. Woon isn’t afraid to torture her characters (literally and figuratively) and I love it when authors aren’t afraid to do that.
As for Dante, we don’t get much character development with him here, but since this is more of a role reversal compared to the first book of with the priority of finding out who/what Renee has become compared to who/what Dante is, I found this to be acceptable. This was fine, though that ending (I won’t spoil it, but whoa) really left me hanging and frankly, breathing heavily and creepily for the next book in this series. It was a masterfully done cliffhanger, and though I’m not really for one with cliffhangers in YA fiction at the moment (only a few have been done right), this one really knocked my socks off.
What also really grew in this book was Woon’s worldbuilding skills. I felt like this book really solidified the world of the Undead/Monitors/Plebeians and made it a very real alternate reality. Even though we don’t find out much about St. Clement as a main location for Renee in this book, the back history of the school that’s been knit into both Gottfried Academy and the Ile de Seours (a real place in Montreal, btw) really made things feel solid. Renee’s quest for self-identity also knit back in very neatly into this further-developed world and all around just kind of made things complete. I can’t describe it in any other words than that. Read it and you’ll know what I mean.
If this is the second of three books, then there’s definitely no middle book syndrome here. I’m hoping this isn’t a trilogy but hopefully a tetrology/quartet, but hey, I’ll take what I can get. Definitely going on my best of 2012 so far list for messing with my own ideas about what zombies are, and one of the best “middle” books (if it is indeed that) out this year so far (and there are A LOT of them coming out). “Life Eternal” is out February 24th 2012 in North America (check with your local bookseller if you live elsewhere) and is seriously one of those series that begs for a read. Be sure to go and check it out – if not for me, won’t you think of the zombie children?
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
I was so happy to see that “Dead Beautiful” was getting a sequel – even though it felt like a standalone, I had the feeling that there was a lot more room for more of Renee and Dante’s story to be told. What’s better is that this volume feels like Woon has grown leaps and bounds within her abilities for worldbuilding and character construction as well as arc execution (though those were never a problem in the first book, all of the aforementioned technical details in this book feel so much more solid and real). Frankly, “Life Eternal” is better than the first book, and it definitely deserves the read if you’re into alternate ideas of what defines both “love” and the “undead”.
Spoiler alert that gave me nightmares – undead children. Just putting that out there. If the thought of zombie children trying to steal your soul is enough to put you off reading, you may want to skip this volume. I won’t spoil you any further on how zombie children are connected to this book’s world – you definitely have to read it for yourself (and my hat’s off to Woon here – you did something really risky here, and I love it!). However, I urge you heavily to read it anyway, because it really is better than the first. The pace is slow at first but really ramps up once Renee gets to her new school in Montreal, where we learn more about not only what really happened with Dante at the end of the first book, but her summer in between the ending of the last book and the beginning of this one. Just as in the first book, Woon really knows how to pace her story and where to place her Big Reveals, so much and so often that I literally had to stay up one night and finish this volume of the “Dead Beautiful” series just so I could actually sleep. It’s even more addictive than the first book.
One (small) problem I did have was the pseudo-love triangle with Noah, but I see why Woon did it, so I can forgive her for it. In order to create more conflict with Dante, the Liberium, and the Undead in general (not to mention with Clementine), Noah had to be used to create a pseudo-love triangle with the very lonely Renee. In terms of character development, Renee’s personal “who/what am I?” arc really went off without a hitch, and it was so nice to see that with so many YA books who try to pull of smoothly transitioned self-identity arcs but fail miserably at it. It was also nice to see more of her uncertainty here, too, along with being bullied – or, maybe I should put it as not instantly popular at her new school compared to her old one. Renee grew leaps and bounds and all because of the pressure Woon put on her here. Woon isn’t afraid to torture her characters (literally and figuratively) and I love it when authors aren’t afraid to do that.
As for Dante, we don’t get much character development with him here, but since this is more of a role reversal compared to the first book of with the priority of finding out who/what Renee has become compared to who/what Dante is, I found this to be acceptable. This was fine, though that ending (I won’t spoil it, but whoa) really left me hanging and frankly, breathing heavily and creepily for the next book in this series. It was a masterfully done cliffhanger, and though I’m not really for one with cliffhangers in YA fiction at the moment (only a few have been done right), this one really knocked my socks off.
What also really grew in this book was Woon’s worldbuilding skills. I felt like this book really solidified the world of the Undead/Monitors/Plebeians and made it a very real alternate reality. Even though we don’t find out much about St. Clement as a main location for Renee in this book, the back history of the school that’s been knit into both Gottfried Academy and the Ile de Seours (a real place in Montreal, btw) really made things feel solid. Renee’s quest for self-identity also knit back in very neatly into this further-developed world and all around just kind of made things complete. I can’t describe it in any other words than that. Read it and you’ll know what I mean.
If this is the second of three books, then there’s definitely no middle book syndrome here. I’m hoping this isn’t a trilogy but hopefully a tetrology/quartet, but hey, I’ll take what I can get. Definitely going on my best of 2012 so far list for messing with my own ideas about what zombies are, and one of the best “middle” books (if it is indeed that) out this year so far (and there are A LOT of them coming out). “Life Eternal” is out February 24th 2012 in North America (check with your local bookseller if you live elsewhere) and is seriously one of those series that begs for a read. Be sure to go and check it out – if not for me, won’t you think of the zombie children?
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
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