Dead Beautiful

Gr 7 Up—A Twilight-esque plot is rehashed in this romantic horror story (Hyperion, 2010) by Yvonne Woon. Renee Winters, 16, is sent to the Gottfried Academy in a remote corner of Maine after the brutal murder of her parents. She's drawn to and puzzled by Dante Berlin, the school loner. He never eats or sleeps, is cold to the touch, and seems to be hiding something. Within weeks, Renee has recovered from the loss of her parents and is falling in love with Dante. As the school year progresses, Renee and Dante begin to investigate the "Gottfried curse"—the mysterious deaths and disappearances of classmates. Renee is slow to pick up on the fact that Dante is actually one of the undead, having lost his soul after an airplane accident that left him unburied. Caitlin Davies completely voices the women, but fails to authentically portray the males. Her voicing of Dante sounds like a parody of the husky male hero. The characters and language of this story aren't interesting enough to sustain the very lengthy narration, and listeners will become impatient for the end. Instead, suggest Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010; Simon & Schuster Audio, 2010) to those clamoring for romantic horror.—Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK