Book Review: As Dead As It Gets, By Katie Alender

Author: Katie Alender

Language: English

Publisher: Hyperion

It's been three months since Alexis helplessly witnessed Lydia Small's violent death, and all she wants is for her life to return to normal. 
But normal people don't see decaying bodies haunting photographs. Normal people don't have to deal with regular intrusions from Lydia's angry ghost, sometimes escalating to terrifying attacks.

At first, it seems that Lydia wants revenge on Alexis alone. But a girl from school disappears one night, and Alexis spots one of Lydia's signature yellow roses lying on the girl's dresser the next day. Soon, it becomes clear that several of Alexis's friends are in danger, and that she's the only person who can save them. But as she tries to intervene, Alexis realizes that her enemy is a much more powerful ghost than she's ever faced before... and that its fate is tied to hers in ways she couldn't possibly imagine.

Not even in her worst nightmares.

So I read this book in less than 3 hours and it is by far my favourite in the trilogy! (CONTAINS SPOLERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK). Also before I start the review can I just say how much I love the book covers for this series? I feel like they are so beautiful and really fit with the theme of the books, they look scary but at the same time so pretty and delicate which I really do appreciate. 

I love how at the beginning it kind of seems as if Alexis is the exact same way she was in the first book, at least the no friends part.

I also really appreciated her new "power". I find it incredibly she can see ghosts now.

Now if we look at her sister Kasey, I have to say she seems like an entirely new person; Popular, outgoing, has a boyfriend etc. the list could go on.

And lets talk about Jared for a second. I really hate him, I hated him as soon as he started to become controlling. I am glad he died. I don't say that often, yes he was going through a traumatic ordeal with his ex-girlfriend's death but I'm glad he died. I mean for crying out loud he drugged Alexis. I also felt like he needed to die, not just because of my hatred for him but the fact that there was no way he was getting over Laina's death, except maybe going to a lot of therapy sessions. As we see in this book there is something after death so we know he goes somewhere. Hopefully he can go and be with Laina wherever she may be and he can become a little more sane. But there is no love lost for his character dying.

Carter definitely improved from the last book, maybe its because he has seen what he had lost when he and Alexis broke up (or he realised how crazy Zoe was). But he definitely proved himself to me in this book.

Elliot, oh how I love Elliot, why did she have to die? Katie why did you do this to me? I really did love her, she was just an amazing character. She was strong, she was kind but only to those who earned her kindness and overall I just thought she was real. She was flawed obviously which was proved when she refused to have a spread for a dead girl in the yearbook until she got what she wanted. Which just added to her character and she became that friend that Alexis needed. 

Lydia, can we just recognise that she did not be what I thought she would be. Yes at the start of the book she was annoying and blamed Alexis for her death constantly but she really grew as a character despite being dead. She became something so much more than the girl we saw in the first two books and I can't help but acknowledge how amazing she became.

Finally Miss Hasan. I hate her, I hate her so much. I realise its her job to make sure Alexis isn't messing with ghosts but pumping the girl with drugs because she thought she was slightly crazy, no, at least get a real doctor to diagnose her as crazy first. 

Overall I gave this book a 5/5 because to me it was the best book. It was also the scariest, whilst I won't be having nightmares from it, it did make me see the series as deserving as its title of a horror.

5/5