Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Goodreads Blurb

Ten years ago, Lorelei’s parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on. High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school’s designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity. What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can’t have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones’s first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

So the first thing I thought when I read the blurb was "Oooh contemporary! Sounds cool!" and then, immediately after I read the firrst chapter "...IT'S A PARNAORMAL! THAT'S SO COOL" and it was! Because admit it, the blurb does sound contemporary, doesn't it? But trust me, this is definitely the opposite. 

Now, for some reason, I've been having issues with characters. Especially the main character. But Lorelei (first of all, very cool name no? I want that name!), but Lorelei was definitely an awesome character! She was just so snarky and quirky, and I had so much fun seeing the story through her eyes! She knew when things were serious, did her best to try and keep peace, and never let any team but hers win. She was stubborn, but didn't ignore warnings and go off on her on like those stupid heroines (there are so many of them...)

The characters all seemed a bit real. Not 100% like they-could-be-real-OMG-no-way but more of an I-would-do-that-too sort of way. Because honestly, I wouldn't kick two big angry supernaturally-strong guys in the shins when they're fighting. on the other hand, I would run out if...well, I can't spoil that, can I?

Ok, the cover and blurb are totally misleading here. While it looks like there was a love triangle between Lorelei, Jared, and Cameron, there really isn't. Cameron just hates Jared. For reasons know to me, and unkown to you. There was a love triangle and just a smidge of insta-love, but the love triangle makes the story more endearing since you see it from the POV of a person not involved. The insta-love between Jared and Lore was more...insta-lust honestly. And speaking of, the make out sessions were...well, let's jsut say they weren't exactly YA lol, but since this is an adult author turning into YA author as well, that can definitely be forgiven! 

The paranormal aspects were the best parts for sure.Like I said, at first I had thought that it was contemporary so when Lore had a vision I was just sitting there, gaping at the book. Even more surprising? Her friends knew about her skill and I loved that! Usually, the main character has to hide all these secrets from her best friends, but this is me going "If they're so your best friends..." Anyways, just to clear the air, this is an ANGEL book, ok? No werewolves, no vamps, ANGELS. And this was definitely a twist. Why? Because they also mention time traveling, or at least, something like it and that was definitely intriguing! I immediately wanted to know more! 

Randomly, I found it funny that Jared didn't want Cameron to tell Lore what he was. When it was so completely obvious.but maybe that's just for the readers!

This is definitely one you should pick up, especially if you've loved Darynda Jones' adult series, the Charley Davidson series, I think it's called. Angel fans will love this and contemporary fans will too! Death and the Girl Next Door was a laugh-out-loud YA book that was just the right amount of funny and danger. For people who love action and those plot-to-plot type of books, this is definitely one for you! But i'd recommend everyone to buy or at least pick it up. If the first 5 chapters don't suck you in, I'm not quite sure what will. 

Pages: 304

Series: Darklight #1

Genre: Paranormal/Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Rating: 4.5 ---> 5 stars