I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome Eden Maguire author of Beautiful Dead to Galleysmith today.  Book One of this wonderful series (and y’all know I’m a girl who likes a good series!) is touring the blogosphere right now. Focusing on one of four recently departed teenagers we get to learn all about Jonas and his experience in the before and after life.  If you haven’t already, check out my review of Beautiful Dead.  Please join me in welcoming Eden.

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‘This is an exciting moment – the publication in the U.S. of the first in my four books series, The Beautiful Dead. It comes after an eighteen month gestation period when I presented an outline to my publisher, had the project accepted (a four book deal is a big decision for a publisher!), then began to write. Meanwhile, my agent negotiated details of the contract, designers worked on the cover and marketing people began to promote the books. Finally, after I’ve submitted the manuscript and my editor and I have worked together on small changes, it’s ready for you to read!

If I had to describe Beautiful Dead – Jonas in a few words, I would say ‘highly charged, intense and mysterious’.  I’ve always been fascinated by a love that is strong enough to defy and overcome even death, which is why, when I first read Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights as a teen, the story of Catherine and Heathcliff grabbed me and has held me ever since.

And it’s the intensity of paranormal romance that makes it such a good read for Young Adults. Teens know all about raw, intense passion. You’re not jaded or cynical – you want to believe!

So, back to the early stages of writing Jonas – my first idea was to create a group of paranormal characters who were not vampires or angels, but zombies – the living dead. I wanted Jonas etc to come back from beyond the grave with supernatural powers. They can time travel, they have superhuman strength and the ability to wipe a victim’s mind clear of all memory. The reason they’re back is not for revenge or for any nasty flesh-eating, grave-robbing purpose, but to clear up a mystery surrounding their deaths. But they’ll need human help in the form of Darina.

Darina talks as a first-person narrator and is the character you identify with – and she’s pretty close to myself as a sixteen year old – sensitive, a little angry and rebellious, insecure, but determined and brave. Oh, and she loves, loves, loves Phoenix – who dies in a fight and then comes back to haunt her.

And here’s the thing – Darina has to help Jonas discover the truth about his death in Book 1, then she has to help Arizona and Summer in Books 2 and 3, then her beloved Phoenix in Book 4. So there’s a slow, relentless build to the final, agonised moment when she finds out what really happened to the guy she loves.

You can see that all four books had to be plotted right from the start. But that doesn’t mean I don’t change and develop things as I go along – especially when a character comes alive on the page and begins taking the plot in unexpected directions.

One thing I had in my head early on was the angel-wing tattoo. All the Beautiful Dead carry this death mark on the exact place on their bodies where they received a fatal gunshot or knife wound. It kind of encapsulates what the books are about – a tragic early death, grief and longing, a magical ability to come back and set things right.

So I’ve sat alone at my desk for a year and a half (isolation is probably the down-side of being a writer, but the power to invent a whole fantasy world with its own mythology and to people it with characters from out of your own brain and imagination is the biggest thrill) and now I’m handing The Beautiful Dead over to you.

I hope from the bottom of my heart that you like reading it as much as I loved writing it.

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Eden, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your thoughts on these wonderful books.  I’m looking forward to reading all about Arizona next.

Welcome to a new month in the Harry Potter Reading Challenge!

We’re one more closer to successful completion.  Congratulations!

Below you’ll find this month’s Mr. Linky. When you post a review, discussion, or anything at all having to do with the HPRC make sure you submit it so all the challengers can visit and partake of your awesomeness.

Title: Crazy Beautiful
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Provided by Author
Parental Warning: violence

“Entering the bus now is perfection.  And it’s not just the clothes and accessories, which make her look as though she just walked out of the pages of the coolest back-to-school catalog in the world.  It’s not that in a world that mostly always looks like black and white to me she’s like this shocking blaze of color.  It’s not any of that.  It’s that with that cloud of long black curls, she’s like some sort of dark angel.  And it’s that when my eyes meet hers, eyes that are the color of a serene ocean, she gives me a quick smile, a nervous smile.”

Summary:
Lucius has made one large overwhelmingly tragic misstep in his life.  A misstep that has disabled him and caused great torment in his life and the lives of those he loves.  Aurora having endured a tragedy of her own endures the loss of a loved one.   In a moment of silent connection the two become bound by their respective traumatic pasts to start building a tentative friendship.

Both now living in the same new town and going to the same new school they’re experience traditional high school experiences from different ends of the spectrum.  He being an outcast because of his disability and she being the cute new girl instantly catapulted into the poplar group.  Each feeling a magnetic pull towards the other both are hesitant to make any real connection.

Many would think this is because of the high school caste system but in reality it has more to do with each of their inner demons than anything else.

Opinion:
I adored this book.  A unique love story that provides the reader not only the expected romance but also teaches a good many lessons about acceptance and individuality.

I also enjoy when a book allows me to not only see emotion but  feel them.   In this way Lucius jumped off the page for me much more than Aurora.  We felt her loss to be sure, but I felt it more so through her interactions with her father.  Lucius, on the other hand, was all feelings and turmoil.  In every interaction he had with people large and small in his life and even in his own internal dialogue you could feel the torment, conflict, longing and love.  Genuinely regretful of the circumstances that led him to his disability he continually struggled with how to adjust to the reality of it’s consequences.

One of the greatest strengths Baratz-Logsted wrote into the book was portraying the story in alternating point of view.  The recounting of events from both Lucius and Aurora gives the reader a well rounded perspective.  I believe it also gives us the ability to root for the two of them to find a way to be together despite the obstacles of popularity, disability and emotional turmoil.  It was extremely well done.

I have to admit I had read the back of this book in the bookstore multiple times and was extremely skeptical of a love story where the popular girl falls for the boy with such a visible and pronounced disability.  But in the end watching these teenagers attempting to overcome that adversity is what made the story for me.  I appreciated the struggle as they worked to get together, that the author didn’t make it easy peasy, and I liked that nothing about the journey was cliched.

Definitely take the time to read this book, it’s so very worth it.

Title: Candle Man: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance
Author: Glenn Dakin
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Publisher: Egmont USA
Source: Provided by Publicist
Parental Warning: dangerous situations

“Theo ignored the rain and peered around, his heart racing.  He hadn’t been out of the house for a year.  He hadn’t see another person — outside of his household — for three hundred and sixty-five days.  Theo’s predictable routine meant he always saw the same three: Mr. Nicely the butler, Clarice the maid, and Dr. Emmanuel Saint, his guardian.  No one else was allowed to enter his circle of misery.  Just in case.”

Summary:
Theo has lived his entire life shut away from the world that surrounds him.  He’s told it’s for his own good, for his health, but slowly he comes to realize that this may not be entirely true.  Living locked away in Empire Hall by his guardian Dr. Saint the only interaction he has is with Saint’s lackey Mr. Nicely and the chambermaid Clarice.  Convinced by all parties that he wouldn’t survive a day if he were to leave the premises and that learning of the world outside his room would only make him long for it more Theo lives in true and complete isolation.

That is until one day intruders invade his home and the first nefarious goings on start to trickle glimmers of information through formerly impenetrable walls.  Theo is quickly presented with a series of further clues until one day he is set free to live in the wild.  Fearful of his surroundings he latches on to a young girl Chloe and her compatriots as he is pushed to discover and navigate the previously unknown maze his life truly was.

Investigating his past Theo encounters mystical creatures, learns about the notorious Candle Man and ultimately expands his wings in an effort to take his place as the true and rightful leader of The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance.

Opinion:
Candle Man is a great adventure book for young boys and girls alike.  Though there are a bevy of characters to wade through and a few are a bit more cliched (at least for the adult reader) than others it is a fun and thrilling ride from beginning to end.

In speaking of the characters on in particular, the main foe of the story, Dr. Saint reminded me of the cartoon character Dick Dastardly.  I half expected him to twirl the ends of a mustache (which he doesn’t have by the way) and cackle “mwuahahahah!”.  He was, however the right amount of evil for this type of book.  His cohort in crime Mr. Nicely was just the right combination of clueless and frightened in order to be appropriately manipulated by his master.  Clarice, on the other hand was a surprise.  One that I’ll refrain from sharing with you so it doesn’t spoil the story.

The combination of mystical creatures, folklore and Theo’s history as well as the use of advanced technology for the time gave this book a very steampunk vibe.  I think it will certainly open the eyes of any child who reads it to that particular category of books.  There was a definite dark, murky and foggy feeling to the book though it was not depressing.  It certainly lent itself well to the air of mystery.  For that reason, even though it got slightly predictable (again for the adult reader), the twists and turns were enjoyable and certainly well structured for the target audience.  There was definitely plenty of action to be had.

Having a strong boy and equally strong girl as main characters will make this a book that both genders can enjoy.  I do, however, think boys will enjoy it more.  The first in a series, Candle Man was an enjoyable read, one that I think middle-graders will want to read through until the final chapter of the final story.

Title: Beautiful Dead: Book 1 – Jonas
Author: Eden Maguire
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Provided by Publisher
Parental Warning: violence, sexuality

“It was the last clear thought I had before the pounding of wings grew louder still   and filled my head.  Hunter stared and the wings beat, like a force field battering me back the way I’d come.  A smothering sensation came over me, and then a panic.  The invisible wings were all around, forcing me to fight with my fists at thin air.  I punched but there was no enemy.  Breathless, turning this way and that, I yelled for Jonas to hep me.”

Summary:
PhoenixRohr was the love of Darina’s life.  When he suddenly dies at the hands of violence she is immediately catapulted into a life of devastation.  Lost in her grief, Darina wanders into a most surprising situation.  As it turns out Phoenix isn’t as dead as one might think.  In fact, he’s undead.

Known as the Beautiful Dead, Phoenix and three other recently deceased classmates — Jonas, Summer, and Arizona — must find closure to unspecified events that leave them hanging in a sort of limbo between true death and life.  Sent back from beyond to their small town the foursome are protected by an overlord by the name of Hunter.  When Darina stumbles upon the group performing some sort of ritual Hunter does everything in his power to scare her away. After she continues to return, proving him unsuccessful in that endeavor, he is convinced by the group to allow her to remain aware of their presence and to help each of them seek the truth that holds them back from moving to the after life.

Opinion:
A short quick read this book kept me entertained.  Despite an underlying tone of sadness there was still a general feeling of hope throughout. Particularly in the romantic areas involving both Darina and Jonas.

I have to say that what made this book the most for me was how the undead were portrayed.  These zombies weren’t shuffling, mindless, flesh dripping brain eaters.  They were angelic and human and supernatural in nature.  Not to be feared in the traditional sense they were, however, quite powerful.  Able to exert mind control and invade the personal space of of our thoughts and emotions.

The love story between Phoenix and Darina is as tragic as one would expect but the love they shared in his after life was equally endearing.  At times I could feel the longing between them jump off the page.  The same hold true for Jonas and the young girl he let behind.  Both bursting with love for each other but unable to act on it.  It was heartbreaking yet inspiring at the same time.

I found the story of Darina been the human connection that allowed the Beautiful Dead to properly investigate the circumstances surrounding the reasons for remaining in limbo to be an interesting take on the zombie story.  It made complete sense and it tied her to the group realistically.  Sadly, this made the ending somewhat predictable (mainly because we know there are more books to come).  Thankfully, for me, the story is much more about the journey to get to that end than what the actual ending was.

It was a journey that I enjoyed.  It was emotional and loving while still somewhat thrilling and in some cases surprising.  It’s certainly a journey I’m interested enough in taking again in book two.

[This review is part of a blog tour arranged by Sourcebooks Fire where you can view a list of the participating blogs]