Title: Summer (Beautiful Dead #3)
Author: Eden Maguire
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Published: May 6, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 274
Source: Publisher

Six months have passed since the last Ellerton teenager died, but Darina is still traumatized by the stabbing of her own beloved Phoenix. But there's work to be done as Darina must now turn her attention to the shooting of Summer Madison - the beautiful and gifted, singer-song-writer with a heart of gold. It's been nearly a year since the random shooting in a shopping mall caused Summer's meaningless death.

Summer left behind recordings of her wonderful songs and a deep sadness amongst high school friends. Now Darina must act as Summerās agent to track down the psychotic killer in a clear search for justice. With the sound of Summer's music constantly playing inside Darina's head, recalling the wonderful months when she was alive and performing her first gigs, Darina, Phoenix and the Beautiful Dead are determined to catch the crazed killer. And all the while Darina's love for Phoenix continues to beat ...

Summer is dead, and she wants to know why. Brought back from limbo, she’s on the track to solve the mystery surrounding the random shooting that killed her in her prime, but she’s frustrated, and it seems like every time she thinks she’s getting close to figuring out the truth, something else pops up and throws a wrench in it all again. As Summer begins to fade into an everlasting limbo, Darina must discover the truth about Summer’s death at all costs, but it might be more than she was expecting, and without a clear suspect or even a place to start, discovering the truth about Summer’s death might just be too much for the Beautiful Dead this time.

Ok, if you haven’t read the series, Summer is book three in the Beautiful Dead series about the Beautiful Dead, souls chosen to return from limbo, marked with angel wings and given unique powers, to discover what happened to them and why they died. Following the same general premise as the first two books, Jonas and Arizona, Summer starts with a bang – literally picking up with Summer’s sudden death. Eden Maguire has created a rich series with an interesting and fluctuating cast of characters that adds depth to each installment of the Beautiful Dead story.

I read the first two books in the series a good while ago, and I quite enjoyed them, so I was excited to tackle Summer. As with the previous books, I enjoyed the dynamic between Darina and Phoenix, her (un)dead boyfriend, but I have to say that Darina’s voice got to me a bit this time. She was so jealous all the time, and I felt that almost hindered the story of Summer. I wanted to know what happened to Summer, but I felt it was weighted down by Darina’s insecurities. That said, I do love that the plot wasn’t so cut and dried this time. I enjoyed the twists and turns that came with a lack of a suspect in Summer’s shooting, and I thought that really propelled the mystery of Summer forward.

All in all, Summer is a good third installment in the Beautiful Dead series. It definitely kept me guessing despite my issues with Darina this time. I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I’d recommend it to YA fans of the series (you should read books one and two first, or you’ll be lost), as well as those who enjoy fantasy and paranormal novels.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW

Summer (Beautiful Dead #3) by Eden Maguire

(ARC) - (Thank you, Hodder Children's)

Six months have passed since the last Ellerton teenager died, but Darina is still traumatized by the stabbing of her own beloved Phoenix. But there's work to be done as Darina must now turn her attention to the shooting of Summer Madison - the beautiful and gifted, singer-song-writer with a heart of gold. It's been nearly a year since the random shooting in a shopping mall caused Summer's meaningless death. Summer left behind recordings of her wonderful songs and a deep sadness amongst high school friends. 

FOR REVIEW

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

(ARC) - (Thank you, St. Martin's Griffin)

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status. Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted…by magic. When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. 

FOR REVIEW

Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper

(ARC) - (Thank you, Feiwel & Friends)

When Bette finds an angel coin among the money collected in a carwash, she puts it in her pocket and forgets about it. But things start to change, especially once Gabby, a mysterious and kind new neighbor, moves into Bette’s Chicago building. Suddenly, Bette is able to face some big losses—her mother’s recent death; her sister’s departure for college—and move forward. And once the angel coin falls into the hands of three other kids in Bette’s class, their lives change, too. Soon, these two girls and two boys will be connected.

WON

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

(Thank you, Elodie!)

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. 

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I had a great week in books this week...even if someone did drive through the wall of my post office and right through my PO Box. Anyhoo, leave me a link to your mailboxes, and I'll be sure to check them out!