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ARC Book Review: The Dead and the Buried – Kim Harrington


thedeadandtheburiedThe Dead and the Buried
Author: Kim Harrington
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror, Thriller
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Point

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she’s just moved into with her family. She doesn’t even mind being the new girl at the high school: It’s a fresh start, and there’s that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes…But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade’s little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade’s jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn’t.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who’s seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade’s school — until her untimely death last year. It’s up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

 
First Sentence: Colby had a secret.

My Review:

I don’t know why many people haven’t read and reviewed The Dead and the Buried yet (according to goodreads) because they are missing out on a book that’s really fun, fluffy, and chick-lit (I don’t think chick-lit can end with a “-ly” – do you?), despite its horror and thriller genre. I was interested in reading The Dead and the Buried ever since I saw its cover back when it was going to be released in January. Even though I traded for an ARC of The Dead and the Buried at the beginning of the year, I haven’t had the time to read it until now.

The Dead and the Buried has the perfect combination of fun and seriousness, and yes, it also has an added dose of the not-so original popularity plot. I had sworn off reading those kind of books as I’ve mentioned in my review of Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer, which was also another book that had strong popularity elements to it, but unlike Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer, the popularity element in The Dead and the Buried was fun. It wasn’t serious (well, at least I didn’t take it seriously), it wasn’t the primary focus of the book, and it was overall just a cute fluffy addition to The Dead and the Buried.

I’m not stupid. I know half of them only worship me because they fear me.
With popularity comes power and I could crash any of them with a simple text blast. (ARC 3)

The main character of The Dead and the Buried, Jade, was so darn easy to connect with. We are both kind of overprotective older sisters when it comes to our younger siblings, we both become really emotional when we’re in confrontations (hey, we both can’t help it!), and we both don’t have our life mapped out unlike other people (side-eyes all the lucky people who do). The only difference between Jade and I is that I easily believe in the paranormal since I’ve read enough books about it to believe in it while Jade needs concrete evidence to believe that hey, those things can really happen.

The Dead and the Bured is a lot like Rebecca. (For those of you who don’t know what Rebecca is, it’s a book that was turned into a movie about a unnamed narrator that marries this guy whose (now ex) wife Rebecca had died. The unnamed narrator has to live under Rebecca’s shadow since everyone compares her to how Rebecca was and found the new wife lacking.) Well, The Dead and the Buried is a lot like the movie at least since I’ve never read the book before. In fact, The Dead and the Buried mentions Rebecca and the similarity of Jade’s situation to the narrator of Rebecca a couple of times (okay, two times, but still), making me think that Kim Harrington was well aware of this parallel between her book and the movie Rebecca.

“I just can’t get get away from it,” I said with a sigh. “The adoration of Kayla Sloane.”
“Adoration?” Alexa laughed derisively. “Half the kids probably hated her, the other half feared her.” (ARC 108)

Despite The Dead and the Buried‘s fluffiness, which I liked, I felt like it was a little too fluffy for a book with the horror and thriller genre, which is the main reason why I’m giving The Dead and the Buried a rating of 2.5 stars and not any higher. I just have very high standards when I read a horror or thriller book. When I read a horror or thriller book, I expect that the elements of horror and thriller will stand out above all others in the book, but this didn’t happen in The Dead and the Buried. In fact, The Dead and the Buried isn’t the least bit scary. I know I don’t get scared easily, but I doubt people who get easily scared would be scared or even feel scared from reading this book either.

Probably only two seconds had passed but everything was in slow motion. It was like my mind knew – this is the last moment of my life. Slow it down, make it last. (ARC 290)

Overall, despite it’s cute fluffiness, The Dead and the Buried didn’t live up to my expectations as a horror and thriller book. Don’t get me wrong, The Dead and the Buried is still a good book, but I just felt like it just doesn’t live up to its awesome premise.

twopointfive

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 12-22-13 · 10 Comments
Categories: 2013 book, book review Tagged: 2.5 star

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Speak Your Mind

  1. P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex says

    12-22-13 at 4:46 PM

    The fluffiness doesn’t really call to me. The popularity plot also scares me away. The premise does seem interesting though, but like you, I really want the horror or thriller in a horror/thriller book. Thanks for the review!
    P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex recently posted…The Weekly Progress: HolidaysMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      1-01-14 at 5:18 PM

      Definitely – I want a horror and thriller book to be exactly that: a horror and thriller book. The elements of contemporary and popularity just doesn’t match that genre.
      Kelly recently posted…New Year Blogging Resolutions & Goals + A Cover Guessing Game + GiveawayMy Profile

      Reply
  2. Gayatri says

    12-23-13 at 5:54 AM

    The blurb sounds interesting but if I pick up a horror/thriller I expect it to deliver in that area. If I ain’t getting the heebies-jeebies from reading it I probably wouldn’t bother reading the whole story. So I might let this one pass. Thanks for reviewing it !
    Gayatri recently posted…Stacking the Shelves { 7 }My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      1-01-14 at 5:24 PM

      You definitely won’t be getting the heebies-jeebies from reading this one Gayatri. You’ll probably find the story cute like I did.
      Kelly recently posted…New Year Blogging Resolutions & Goals + A Cover Guessing Game + GiveawayMy Profile

      Reply
  3. Cali W. says

    12-23-13 at 3:25 PM

    Good review. This book did remind me of the words cute and fluffy. <3

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      1-01-14 at 5:26 PM

      Thanks Cali! :D
      Ha ha, yeah, I like The Dead and the Buried’s cute and fluffy parts. Too bad it doesn’t fit my expectations of a horror and thriller book though. ):
      Kelly recently posted…New Year Blogging Resolutions & Goals + A Cover Guessing Game + GiveawayMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Pili says

    12-23-13 at 6:52 PM

    Fluffiness in a thriller & horror book feels like a contradiction to me, and I’m not sure if it’d work for me at all! Thank you for your great review!
    Pili recently posted…Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Angelbound by Christina Bauer!!My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      1-01-14 at 5:29 PM

      Exactly! It’s a contradiction to me too – right t from the very first page, I was like whaat? Is this book also a contemporary too, but then, how is it also a horror and thriller book?
      Kelly recently posted…New Year Blogging Resolutions & Goals + A Cover Guessing Game + GiveawayMy Profile

      Reply
  5. Ashleigh Swerdfeger says

    12-25-13 at 1:01 AM

    I am intrigued by the character, although it is sure to be fluffy and for the horror genre. But hey, if it was written well, all the above would be fine and a unique read!
    Ashleigh Swerdfeger recently posted…Samsung Galaxy Tab- Blogger Ops 3 10.1 – 16GB – White + one year insuranceMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      1-01-14 at 5:32 PM

      The Dead and the Buried is definitely well written, but the main problem is that it is too fluffy for me to place it in the horror genre, even if it has ghosts in the book. :l
      And you’ll love Jade Ashleigh; Jade is so awesome! :D
      Kelly recently posted…New Year Blogging Resolutions & Goals + A Cover Guessing Game + GiveawayMy Profile

      Reply

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