Once Dead, Twice Shy
Once Dead, Twice Shyby Kim Harrison *swooooon*(Harper Teen / May 2009)All that angst I was suffering last week, not knowing which book to read? Well it vanished with a *POOF* when I found out the store near my office had this book in stock. It wasn't even on the shelf yet. They had just received it that morning and when I showed up at lunch the sales clerk was kind enough to go into the stockroom and get it off a cart for me. With a sheepish grin I thanked her and said, "Sorry, but I appreciate this, I'm a pathetic keener for anything by Kim Harrison." Heh. Luckily, book seller girl understood and replied "Oh, I understand. Everyone has their weakness for an author!" Thus, I came home with a surprise purchase from Chapigo as I was going for other books anyhow.If you've read Prom Nights From Hell, (which is a collection of short stories by various fantastic authors such as: Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison and Michele Jaffe) you would have met Madison Avery for the first time. Madison's prom wasn't such a magical evening so much as a nightmare as she is killed by a dark reaper who had his own agenda. Or at least, he tried to kill her, and when the car crash didn't work, he scythed her. Madison stole his amulet and somehow, her spirit becomes solid again, though her body is dead - and missing. In Once Dead, Twice Shy, Madison has been hanging out with Barnabas, a Light Reaper who is trying to train her in the ways of, well, Light Reapers. Only he's having no luck and Madison wonders if she can't figure this stuff out because she's really dead. Also, it turns out that the reaper who killed her the first time is trying to find her to reclaim his amulet and to kill her for GOOD this time.Aside from this book being an exceptionally fun read, it's also very pretty! When I took the dust jacket off when I started reading it (to keep it safe from wear and tear) I was drawn to the lovely black book with the sparkly wing embossed cover. So pretty. I like shiny things.Once I got over oohing and ahhing over the aesthetics of the book I got down to the nitty-gritty and only put the book down once - because I had to take my dog to the vet for blood tests - otherwise? There was nothing else in the world today except that book. I didn't even have the chance to put the cover up in the Currently Reading section of my sidebar! It was read before I got to the blog!I loved Madison and I was amused by Barnabas. I have to admit that I couldn't stand the guardian angel at first, but then she grew on me. I liked her by the end of the story. The book was shorter than I would have liked (especially for the price of the book. Darn Kim Harrison and her power over me to buy her books in hard cover! *shakes fist*) but I enjoyed every second of it. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen and then when things started to get a little less black and white I was immersed in the mystery of Madison and her amulet.I hope there will be more in this series in the future. I'd like to see how Barnabas and Nikita progress in the future. I sort of like their dynamic. I'm happy that Kim Harrison can create a fascinating and entertaining story and world in both adult and young adult literature. I got a nice KH fix while waiting for the next Rachel Morgan story!Oh! And I know someone else mentioned this in their review (The Story Siren?) but I don't think the cover quite matches the story. The girl on the cover seems nothing like Madison - especially since her hair was a focal point. They could have matched that up a little in my opinion.Madison Avery series