Beautiful Dead series by Eden Maguire review w/spoilers

[Gravy]

Darina loved Phoenix. Darina still loves Phoenix. Especially when she finds him at an abandoned farm outside of town.

Phoenix died, the victim of a gang fight, Darina's name the last thing to cross his lips.
But he's not the only one to have died...
Three other students at Ellerton High have died suspicious deaths in the past year.
Jonas, Summer, and Arizona have all been taken before their time.

Darina is lost in a haze of grief unable to cope with his death.
She loses herself on long drives, to hide from her mother and stepfather, neither of which is willing to understand.
Soon she finds herself at an old farmhouse, long abandoned, but she's not the only one there.
The Beautiful Dead are there. Self proclaimed "zombies" they're back to find justice before it's too late and they're stuck in purgatory forever.
Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and Phoenix.
The Beautiful Dead.
Darina has Phoenix back, but only at the mercy of the leader of their group, and only if she helps to solve the mystery of their deaths.
They have only one year from the day they were killed to exact revenge.
Through the books Darina has to struggle between truth and lies, with her family and friends, for if she gets too close to revealing the secret of the beautiful dead then Hunter, the leader, will turn their power against her.

I can't say that this is the best series ever. It could be predictable, the characters at times came off a little flat, and Darina could be whiny and self indulgent.
However, I was intrigued by the premise and I wasn't let down.
This is a paranormal ya mystery. Every book has it's own secrets that need discovered to find the answer.
I was often drawn to Hunter as a character and enjoyed his flashback storyline through the series.
He came off as hard and unyielding but I loved the payoff we got from him in the end.
As much as I didn't like some things in this series...I couldn't wait to read each one. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
As I was reading the final book I still didn't know what to think. Phoenix couldn't remember after all, what had happened that night, when he was supposed to be with Darina.
I can't say that everyone will love these books. I can say that I enjoyed them. They are an odd mix of mystery and romance not to forget "zombies".
I always thought this series would make an incredible movie. It seemed very visual to me.
I hope at least someone will give these books a try.

[Courtney Whittamore]

Thanks so much for the review! I have seen this series around before but never really picked it up as there as there has been so many more books I have had a stronger desire to read. I appreciate your candor in this review, specifically where in summation, you say that the series could be labeled as average. I will put this series on hold for awhile and if the mood strikes me to give it a try, then I will. Again, thanks for the helpful review!