Began reading: 8.5.2017
Completed reading: 13.5.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs - an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who's finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit, then institutionalised.
Alexis is thrilled when her sister joins a club; new friends are just what Kasey needs. It's strange, though, to see how fast the girls in The Sunshine Club go from dorky and antisocial to gorgeous and popular. Soon Alexis learns that the girls have pledged an oath to a seemingly benevolent spirit named Aralt. Worried that Kasey's in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend Megan decide to investigate by joining the club themselves. At first, their connection with Aralt seems harmless. Alexis trades in her pink hair and punky clothes for a mainstream look, and quickly finds herself reveling in her newfound elegance and success.
Instead of fighting off the supernatural, Alexis can hardly remember why she joined in the first place. Surely it wasn't to destroy Aralt...why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?
From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender is a young adult novel that contains paranormal, horror and fantasy elements. I was so excited to get into this novel, so I rushed to the local library the day after finishing the previous book, and prayed that no one had taken the copies. I was satisfied with this book, but I’m not sure if I liked it more than the last. Let me explain why, after I describe the plot…
Following Kasey’s demonic possession and subsequent rehabilitation, she and her sister Alexis thought that they would be clear of spirits and ghosts from that moment on. But, when Kasey joins the unpredictable zoo that is Surrey High, she social standing is pitiful, as are those of other young students. Deciding to band together, they create the Sunshine Club – a place for girls to feel accepted and beautiful. Worried about what Kasey is getting involved in, Alexis decides to become a member of group, alongside Megan. They make a pact, one that seems harmless (even beneficial), which quickly spirals out of control. This time, it’s Kasey who must save Alexis and the other girls before they become obsessed and offer one of their own as a sacrifice to the spirit. With everyone suspecting Kasey of rejecting the club, will she be successful in taking down the evil before it’s too late?
As I expected, the book was well-written in regards to pace and structure; however, I did come across a few errors. The one that bothered me the most was that one moment, Alexis had a stain on the skirt she was wearing and the next, she was wearing jeans with the same stain (pp. 176-177). Moving on, Alender used various literary techniques to help convey what the characters were going through, but she mostly used similes. The way they were written was rather in-depth, and I just liked the way she wrote them. There were also a couple of great quotes, including:
‘[…] the real power of photography isn’t finding a new way to look at stuff, but like… showing other people how I see things’ (p. 162).
‘Describe your work in one word,’ she said.
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself: ‘Mine’ (p. 163).
If someone was holding out a lottery ticket to you, you’d take it, wouldn’t you? Not taking it would make you a fool, wouldn’t it? (p. 405).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I get scared easily so I avoid everything related to horror. I was glad that this book was even less scary than the first. I was expecting Alender to ramp up the scare factor in this book, but I still liked it for how it was. It appeared to be a typical kind of supernatural plot – groups taking oaths and using Ouija boards, but it was good because there were other plot lines to add diversity to the story. I’ll explain some of the other sub-plots a little later.
A range of characters is important, as it allows readers to relate to someone. I was glad to see that Alender had included a variety of new characters to include aforementioned sub-plots, as well as an assortment of reactions to particular situations. Each character should have an individual ‘voice’ or personality which would set them apart from the others. I didn’t have much of a chance to see this as I read because Kasey and Alexis were the main focus of the book. Despite this, I thought a variety of characters was a fantastic move for Alender!
Now, in terms of plot lines, I enjoyed the use of the book as a centre plot and have other issues stem from it. For example, Carter’s behaviour (or lack thereof) added an interesting aspect to the story. I was wondering if Alexis and the other girls would take advantage of his pliability. Alexis’s involvement in the photography contest was a nice distraction from the dark themes that were slowly taking over her life. There were also a few betrayals thrown in, one even coming from someone I least expected. In my opinion, the author did an excellent job of weaving interesting plot lines into the main one. I mean, that last sub-plot I listed was one that shocked me the most.
The conclusion of any book is important for answering questions and leaving the reader with a satisfied feeling. This book’s final chapters provided closure, but it didn’t give enough of it – I’m still left with questions about some of the characters. If I’m in the middle of a series and I’m left with unanswered questions, I tend to continue reading and hope that the next book would answer them for me. Of course, I don’t mind doing that, but it does irritate me nonetheless. Why? I like closure from every book, so the next book can start fresh with new mysteries and questions to answer. So this is one let-down that I came across with this novel.
Another disappointment which featured in the previous book was the redundant feeling of a character. Allow me to elaborate: I believe that each character in a book should have a specific role; if they appear and have no significant impact, then I’m left feeling frustrated. In the last book, it was Megan. She played a more important part in this story, but Adrienne seemed more useless than I expected. When her character was introduced in the beginning, I thought that she might be behind all the horror that was to come. After reading the book, she seemed to disappear a little after the middle of the book. She didn’t even appear when Alexis fought the evil. I was let down, to say the least.
My favourite character was Alexis because she was protective, courageous, fierce and smart. She remained loyal to her family’s safety, even after realising that she was possessed. Kasey is a notable character.
I liked Megan’s character in the last book, and I was super excited to learn more about her in this one. As the book progressed, I began to like her even more; but the end obviously made me lose all respect for her. I couldn’t believe that she was capable of being so evil. As for Carter, I thought that he had potential after the last book but now I have mixed feelings about him. I understand that he had been turned into a blank shell, but I was hoping that he would improve after the evil had been defeated. He seems to have the potential to forgive Alexis, and I hope that he does!
Recommendation time! If you like Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe, the Ruined series by Paula Morris, The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington, and Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Annabelle, the Paranormal Activity series, All Cheerleaders Die, and the 2010 version of Mother’s Day.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the Bad Girls Don’t Die series, including: As Dead As It Gets.
My review for Bad Girls Don’t Die can be found by clicking on the title.
Happy reading!
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