At a Glance

Category/Genre(s):

Young Adult Horror

Age Range:

14+

Plot Summary:

“Meet teenage Wiccan Mila Flores, who truly could not care less what you think about her Doc Martens, her attitude, or her weight because she knows that, no matter what, her BFF Riley is right by her side. So when Riley and Fairmont Academy mean girls June Phelan-Park and Dayton Nesseth die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone’s explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.” (source)

Quick Bullets:

• Death Becomes Her meets The Craft meets Mean Girls
• Funny and fast paced
• Fresh twist on zombies (which is so hard to do)
• I liked the snarky narration
• Great balance of horror and humor

Full Review

This book has been on my radar for a while and I am happy that I finally picked it up. I didn’t know much about it other than flap copy, so I was delighted to discover how funny this book was. It still sits in the horror genre, but Lily Anderson do a fantastic job of balancing the horror with humor. The main character’s snarky voice helps a lot.

There are so many zombie books out there that it was also a nice surprise to find that Anderson brings a bit of freshness to the trope. While the book isn’t really about zombies, the girls are technically the walking dead. Imagine a bunch of peppy-instagram-obsessed teenagers risen from the dead that are keenly aware (and mortified) of their disgusting rotting bodies. Again, humor plays a large role in making this work. It reminded me a lot of the movie Death Becomes Her.

I also like how Anderson tackles some important issues like racism and religious freedom. The book never comes off as didactic or preachy. The main character’s sarcastic, tackle-problems-head-on attitude is empowering and awesome. Overall excellent read.

Final Verdict

If you are looking for a fast-paced, fun, beach read this summer and you like a good balance of horror and humor, pick up a copy of Dead Girl Gang.