Review: Dead is a State of Mind

Dead is a State of Mind

By: Marlene Perez

Publisher: Graphia, January 2009

5 out of 5 stars

Summary from Marlene Perez's website:

There’s a gorgeous new guy at Nightshade High: Duke Sherrad, a fortune-teller claiming to have descended from Gypsies. Even though she’s psychic herself, Daisy is skeptical of Duke’s powers. But when a teacher who was the subject of one of his predictions ends up dead, she begins to wonder if Duke is the real deal after all.
Maybe if Daisy can track down the teacher’s killer, she can find out the truth. The only trouble is, all signs point to the murderer being of the furry persuasion. Is Daisy any match for a werewolf? Maybe she is . . . in more ways than she bargained for!

My Thoughts:

This is yet another little gem from Marlene Perez. Daisy Giordano is back with a new set of problems. Being a teenager is hard enough, but Daisy also has to deal with her growing supernatural powers. She can read people's minds and move objects just by thinking about it. I have to admit I wish I had that power when it was time to cook dinner! Daisy is happy about her gifts since it helps her fit in with her talented mother and older sisters, but is having gifts always a good thing?

In this installment, each of the Giordano girls gets some happiness. Rose is still dating the local undertaker's son; Daisy and Ryan have fully moved from the awkward friends to lovers stage into full romantic bliss. Poor Poppy who has been having a bit of a date drought is revived when she meets the handsome and mysterious Gage. Prom fever is in the air and a killing spree is running through Nightshade. Can Daisy use her skills to find the killer before it's too late?

This book pulled me in from page one and I devoured it in a span of two days. I just had to know what was going to happen with the Giordano ladies. Love and the supernatural abounds in this one. It has a little something for everyone. I highly recommend it – you'll be hooked on the residents of Nightshade in no time. The next installment in the series is sitting on my nightstand so keep your eyes peeled for a review in the near future.

Andrea's Waiting on Wednesday

This week I am waiting on The Espressologist by Kristina Springer. The book will be released on October 27th - so the wait for this one is almost over. This is bringing together my two of my favorite things: books and coffee. What could be better?

Here is a brief synopsis from Amazon:
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right? With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

Here are some of the early reviews:

“Frothy, not too sweet and full of strong character and delicious flavor. Jane is a barista at a coffee shop and makes the connection between people’s drink styles and their love interests. In the style of Jane Austen’s Emma, Jane can make matches for everyone but herself. This is a wonderful romantic book with a new twist on the matchmaking theme.” –KIWI magazine

“A breezy and fun vibe . . . best enjoyed over the holidays with a hot drink.” —Booklist

“Springer has created a lovable, naive young woman in Jane, and even those who don’t drink java will enjoy the frothy story.” —School Library Journal

“Candid.” —Kirkus Reviews

"The Espressologist is a well rounded, easy going, fun book."—A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

We're chatting with Lisa McMann!!

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We will be doing give aways to those who participate. Two lucky winner will win a copy of WAKE and FADE.

Waiting On Wednesday- GONE by Lisa McMann

If you liked WAKE and FADE, then you're sure to like GONE. We can not wait till Feb. when GONE will be released. We're dying to know what happens with Janie and Cabel.

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. His cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She's unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie's neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

Janie is dying.
She has no fight left in her.
It's over.

http://lisamcmann.com/html/gone.html

We're CHATTING with Lisa McMann TONIGHT!!! Our chat will start at 8 pm EST/7 CST. Here's where we'll be chatting at-http://www.chatzy.com/692720700928 We look forward to seeing everyone tonight.