Dead Beautiful : Review

Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful #1)

by Yvonne Woon

Blurb 

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.

After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”

It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.

Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.

Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

My Review

Renee has a normal life just like any other teen. She has the eye of the guy she likes on her and they are just beginning to talk. She has great friends and a loving family. On her sixteenth birthday that all changes. She finds her parents dead in a forest. They say they both had heart attacks but she notice strange things about their bodies. Now she is moving in with her estranged grandfather and about to start a new school. At Gottfried Academy she sees this school is a little different than others. She makes some friends and even manages to catch the eye of Dante. As they begin a somewhat friendship she notice more and more strange stuff at the school and more about things about her self. This isn't a normal school and as she is about to find out she isn't normal her self. Every secret she learns just opens up more questions. Dante isn't everything he seems as well but as they fall in love she won't give him up.

I really enjoyed this tory as it is dark and mysterious. The academy and her grandfather's place seem gloomy to me. Renee does good adjusting to the changes in her life. She and Dante grow close even when he tries to keep his distance. He is always cold and is part of a different group than she is. He always seems to know what she is thinking. He seems sweet and he tries his best to protect her and while he does keep secrets from her he has to. Renee isn't one to let things go and keeps digging till she gets the answers she needs. The book has a lot going on with surprises and turns. I love Renee and Dante together as well as getting to know others in this book. The ending I didn't see coming. If you want a darker YA paranormal that is a joy to read try this one.

4 out of 5 Stars