Dead Rules

By Randy Russell

Till death

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were in love. They were destined to be together forever.

Do

But Jana's destiny was fatally flawed. And now she's in Dead School, where Mars Dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom, with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile, and irresistibly warm touch.

Us

Michael and Jana were incomplete without each other. There was no room for Mars in Jana's life—or death—story. Jana was sure Michael would rush to her side soon.

Part

But things aren't going according to Jana's plan. So Jana decides to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true—no matter what rules she has to break.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9780062084446

Randy Russell

Randy Russell believes in ghosts. He conducts an annual ghost seminar for the State of North Carolina and can be found most summers sharing true ghost stories at visitor centers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He wrote Dead Rules because he believes ghosts should be allowed to share their stories of encounters with humans. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Book preview

Chapter One

JANA HAD THE JITTERS.

It was her first day at her new school and everyone on the bus looked distinctly peculiar. She felt her face with both hands to be certain she wasn’t dreaming. The inside of her mouth tasted like strawberries. She didn’t remember eating breakfast.

Her hands lingered upon her face. Her fingers felt cool.

It’s the back of your head, the girl sitting next to her said. Not your face.

What’s that?

Your hair’s messed up in back. Did you fall down?

I guess I did, Jana said. She was beginning to remember.

I’m Arva Davis. The girl choked out her name in a harsh whisper.

Jana Webster.

Of Webster and Haynes, Jana wanted to add, but didn’t. Everyone at her new school would soon learn that Jana wasn’t alone in this world.

Oh, I know. We’re roommates. I’m here to help with your orientation, first day and all.

If Arva was trying to be cheerful, it was difficult to tell. She spoke in a strained whisper, like the bad guy in a movie after he’s been shot.

There’s a school guidebook in the library, Arva said. But if you have any questions, you can just ask me.

Jana gazed out the window. The houses on the street seemed to slide by, as if they were moving instead of the bus. It wasn’t a street she had seen before.

Where’s Michael? Jana asked. It was the most important question she had.

Which one?

My boyfriend. Michael Haynes. We’re never apart.

They were famous at her school for being together, for being a couple. Jana felt undressed without him. With Michael, she was the perfectly content Jana, the confident and talented Jana. Without him, she fidgeted.

He’s at your old school, I guess. Are you feeling homesick? Everybody does at first.

Something was stuck in Arva’s throat, Jana decided. Nobody could talk like that on purpose. Jana wanted to pound Arva on the back until her voice turned normal.

He won’t leave me here alone, Jana said. He’ll be waiting for me in the parking lot when we get there.

Closed campus, Arva said. No visitors.

Jana turned around in her seat to look out the back window of the school bus. Michael was probably following in his car. He couldn’t live without her.

The students in the seats behind her stared at Jana. There was something odd about every one of them. Even the cute guy sprawled out in the backseat of the bus looked a little crazy. He smiled at her.

He had beautiful blue eyes and perfectly arched dark eyebrows, but Jana knew his kind with one glance. Every school had them. They acted tough and talked dirty. Michael could scare them off with a wave of his hand. So could Jana.

She held up the back of her left hand to the boy at the rear of the bus, the hand with Michael’s white-gold senior-class ring on it. Jana waved her fingers at herself.

The boy at the back of the bus nodded and grinned. Then flipped her the bird. A tall guy with his leg stuck out across the aisle laughed.

Jana turned around in her seat.

Don’t look at them, Arva warned her. The guys at the back are Sliders. They’re dangerous. They’ll get you into real trouble. That’s all they’re good for.

Jana’s new roommate sounded like a frog trying to talk.

If I strangle you right now as hard as I can, will you quit talking like that? Jana asked.

Arva giggled. It sounded like car brakes squeaking.

Jana looked for her cell phone and noticed her clothes. They were the same clothes that Arva wore: a pleated plaid skirt of dark greens and a white button-down blouse with a man’s collar. Knee socks and black loafers. These weren’t clothes she’d owned before. Ever.

They didn’t smell like her clothes. They didn’t smell like her fabric softener or like her perfume—the one Michael had given her for Valentine’s Day. Jana wrinkled her nose. Her new clothes smelled like Ivory soap. And so did she.

She slid her bottom forward in the bus seat and checked her new clothes for pockets. There was one on each side of the thick cotton skirt. Both were empty. She checked the top of her socks.

Are you looking for cigarettes? Arva asked.

Jana shook her head. Cell, she said. I need to text Michael. He would meet her wherever she said. Whenever she said. He would leave class if he had to.

Can’t, Arva told her. Cell phones don’t work here. Not on the bus, not at school, not in the dorm.

Oh, Jana said. Really? That can’t be true.

Her white blouse had a chest pocket. It was empty.

Definitely true, Arva said. If you had one on you when you came here, it will be back in the dorm with the clothes you were wearing, but it won’t work here. There’s no signal.

Purse? Jana asked, startled that she might have lost so many things by transferring to the new school. Not the least of which was Michael. Where are my books? My laptop?

Purses and bags are not allowed on campus. Your books and notebooks for each class will be at your seat when you get there. You just leave them where they are and then they will be in the dorm room when school is over. It’s one of the things they do. And there’s a computer in the dorm room, but you won’t like it.

Jana didn’t care whether she liked the computer. Email would save her life. She’d just have to wait.

What time do we go home? Jana asked, her thoughts shifting.

Arva laughed again. Or at least Jana interpreted the two harsh squeaks as a laugh.

It’s a boarding school, of course, Arva said. You’ll get out for a funeral and field trips, things like that.

Jana looked out the window again.

Nothing made sense, really. No one should be plopped down in a new school in the middle of the year. Especially not her junior year when she was dating a senior. Jana touched the back of her hair. It felt messy. Her brush was in her purse, wherever that was.

We’re almost there, Arva told her. We’ll be in homeroom together. But if you have any more questions, you should ask them now. When I talk in class, they know it’s me.

Jana was puzzled by a girl who sat at the front of the bus. Everyone else wore school uniforms. She wore a shimmering white gown. It looked like satin.

Okay, then, Jana said. The girl in white. What’s her story? Is she in a cult or something?

Shhh. Arva held her finger to her lips. Don’t make fun.

I’m not making fun, Jana said. She just looks so pale. Except for her lips and eyes, she’s the same color as her dress.

I know. It’s like you can see right through their skin. She’s a Virgin. They’re diaphanous. Ethereal.

Why is she wearing a gown? Is she in the choir or something?

Sort of, Arva said. Virgins sing. Otherwise, they don’t do much at school. They aren’t in classes with the rest of us. They’re not allowed to talk to us either. They’re almost angels.

How do you get to be one? Jana asked. She wouldn’t mind skipping class for a year and a half.

A Virgin? Arva grinned. Think it through. You start out as one.

Well, crap, then. I’m a virgin!

Arva shook her head slowly, looking directly into Jana’s eyes. Fingers count, she said.

Jana stared at her new classmate in disbelief. That wasn’t fair. You’ve either had intercourse or you haven’t. Jana and Michael hadn’t. They’d made a unanimous decision not to. They were going to, but not yet. Jana was almost an angel too. Almost.

Anything else? Arva asked.

Jana shook her head.

You want to know his name, don’t you?

Whose name?

That guy in the backseat. He’s beautiful, really. I look at him all the time when it’s safe. But don’t let him see you doing it. He has a smile that can melt the buttons off your blouse.

No, Jana said. I don’t care what his name is.

He was rude and crude and that’s all she needed to know.

Mars, Arva said. Just like the candy bar they used to have when we were kids. His name is the only good thing about him. Those boys are poison, Jana. Pure poison.

Jana turned in her seat. She was on a school bus with an almost angel in the front seat and pure poison sitting in the back.

She looked hard at Arva. Her orientation adviser’s lips were tinged slightly blue at the edges and they were quivering. There was a small feather in the corner of Arva’s mouth. It looked like pillow down, except for the color.

Arva noticed her stare. She touched her mouth and pulled the little black feather away. Happens, Arva said.

Jana had fallen.

She remembered it now. That’s what messed up her hair in back.

When Michael told her that Nathan Mills wanted to double-date, Jana wasn’t happy with the idea. Nathan was a jerk. Michael was only best friends with him because they’d grown up across the street from each other. They had walked to school together every day in junior high, before Michael and his father moved to a better part of town.

We see him all the time, she said. Does he have to go out with us too?

It’s special this time, Jana. He wants to impress this girl who has a crush on him. He thinks this could be the real thing, the one who waits for him to come home from the Navy.

Michael had that look in his eyes. The one that promised Jana the world. How could she say no?

Why is he joining the Navy? Jana asked. He doesn’t know anything about boats.

To get away from here, Michael said. To see the world. Just like us.

"But we’re not going to float around in a boat, Michael. We’re moving to the city where there’s real theater." She had explained this a hundred times.

We can go to Hollywood right out of college, he reminded her. He’d learned the easiest way to get along with Jana was to keep her dream alive. College came first in Michael’s world.

Or New York, Jana said. Denzel Washington started out in New York.

Webster and Haynes were destined to be famous actors. They had won regionals in Duet Acting last year. And this year they were going to win state. Everyone said so. Jana had also qualified in Solo Humorous Interpretation with a reading of Horton Hears a Who, while Michael had taken a regional in After Dinner Speaking. They were that good.

Okay, she relented. Who wants to go out with Nathan, anyway?

Sherry Simmons. She’s a sophomore.

Jana groaned.

Do you know her? Michael asked.

Does Nicole know Kidman? Jana said.

Does Sandra know Bullock? Michael countered.

"Practical Magic, Jana answered. Too easy." It was their private game. It made her smile.

I should have said Stockard Channing.

You should have told Nathan no. You know he gives me the creeps. And Sherry Simmons is a slut. Nathan’s not going to marry Sherry Simmons. Nobody in this town is.

She just wants to be liked, Michael said. And doesn’t know how to go about it.

Oh, she knows how to go about it. And she’s already been liked by half the boys in school.

Sherry was short and round. She wore hickeys on her neck like they were jewelry. She got a fresh set every weekend. Her father was a locksmith. The only thing Jana had ever heard Sherry talk about was how to break into stores and people’s houses. The guys in school ate it up.

Sherry was always watching Jana in the halls. When Jana looked back at her, Sherry would make a face like she and Jana were supposed to be friends. They weren’t.

Come on, Jana, Michael said. It’s not going to kill you.

Okay. But they go home early and I mean it. I’m not riding around in the car all night while Nathan drinks beer and giggles until he throws up.

Nathan asked her out for Thursday. So we’re booked?

You owe me one, Jana said.

You can decide what we’re going to do. I was thinking maybe a movie.

Movies are just for us, Michael. You know that. Jana considered their options. I’ll come up with something, she said.

And she did. Jana wished now that she had thought of something where you couldn’t fall down so easily and so hard.

Chapter Two

ARVA TUGGED JANA’S ARM.

Homeroom, she said in her creaky voice as she led Jana inside. Bluish faces were the trend here. And more.

Your desk is next to mine, Arva croaked cheerfully. See, your notebook is already there. Pencils and pens. You can take notes, but you leave your notebook here when class is over.

Jana sat slumped in her desk. She leaned her head over her notebook, letting the fall of her dark brown hair hide her face. One wall of the classroom had windows. The seats along the windows had been taken by boys, except the first desk. It was empty.

Hi, someone said to Arva. Jana didn’t look up right away.

She barely wanted to look at anyone. There were things about some of these students she didn’t want to see twice. Disfigured faces. Bodies damaged in odd ways. The bus had been bad enough. The hallway was worse. With Arva, it was the little black feather in the corner of her mouth and that muffled rasp and croak of her broken voice. But with others . . .

This is Beatrice, Arva was saying.

What’s your name? Beatrice asked.

Jana Webster, Jana answered, still slumped forward, still hiding her eyes from the classroom.

Of Webster and Haynes, Arva hoarsely choked out. Jana had told Arva all about Michael on their way to class. She couldn’t help it.

Oh, sounds juicy, Beatrice said, catching on quickly. How hunky is he?

Big-time, Arva said.

With that, Jana lifted her head and pulled her hair behind her ear to look at Beatrice. Jana had her smile in place, the one she used when she met new people at speech and acting tournaments.

Jana looked once at Beatrice, then quickly looked away.

I’m sorry, Jana mumbled. She held her hand to her mouth then dropped it. I’m so sorry . . . but there’s something . . . there’s . . .

Beatrice apparently was accustomed to an initial gasp or two when being introduced. She grinned at Jana. Beatrice had a wide mouth that pointed downward when she grinned. She looked cute when she did that. Jana would have to practice the technique. It was a look she could copy when there was a reason to smile about something you weren’t really happy about.

Something sticking out of my head? Beatrice asked. Looks like a hat, doesn’t it? A clown hat or a big fake flower.

What is it?

Yard dart. Church picnic.

I didn’t know they still made those.

Oh, they don’t, Beatrice told her. They’re bona fide collector’s items.

Jana nodded like an idiot. Beatrice sat in the desk behind her. Jana faced forward and slumped into place, letting her hair fall again to hide her face. She tried not to shiver, wondering whether Beatrice had tried to pull the thing out of her head. She had such pretty brown eyes, but no one in the world was going to notice with a metal rod and three bright yellow plastic fins sticking out the top of her skull.

A new sound caught Jana’s attention. Three kids on gurneys with squeaky wheels were brought into homeroom by attendants wearing gray. The students on gurneys were placed in a row, heads along the wall without the windows, toes pointing at the class. Jana, apparently, had been transferred to a magnet school for the critically lame.

She peeked over her shoulder at the back of the class, her eyes shielded by the fall of her hair. Boys talking in low, chiding voices were punching one another in the arm.

Sliders. That’s what Arva had called them. A couple of them wore jeans instead of the black school uniform slacks. Mars was right in the middle of the group. He caught her looking at him.

Roll! a male voice boomed from the speaker mounted next to the institutional clock above the blackboard. The students’ names were read in alphabetical order. His last name was Dreamcote. Mars Dreamcote. It sounded like something you wore to bed if you wanted to meet Martians in your sleep.

Their teacher appeared. He stood at the front of the room, peering over their heads, looking at none of them. Jana didn’t blame him.

All present, he said. He glanced at the empty desk at the front of class and added, Vacancy noted.

Jana opened her notebook and saw that someone had already written on the first page in dark pencil. It was one simple word, followed by a short notation in smaller, carefully printed letters underneath.

The word was Murder. The notation below said From a Friend.

Murder. What was that supposed to mean?

Jeff Bridges, Jana said.

She was on the phone with Michael. Jana had spent the evening searching online, finding just the right activity for their double date with Nathan Mills and Sherry Simmons.

And? Michael asked.

Sam Elliott.

Michael stalled. That’s not an easy one, he said.

It will be when I give you one more.

No, I’m getting it.

She waited.

Okay. Michael gave up. One more.

John Goodman.

"The Big Lebowski, Michael said, then swore for needing three actors’ names to get it. One of my favorites. I should have had it at Sam Elliott."

Fart, fudge, and popcorn, Jana said in return, laughing. It was her catch phrase, the one she used in place of cursing. You didn’t.

I guess we’re going bowling?

Yep, Jana said. The perfect double date. I’ve already reserved a lane.

Jana didn’t like bowling. It was too loud, for one thing, and she felt utterly wretched when she rolled a gutter ball. But bowling would save her from having to do anything the least bit romantic with Nathan and Sherry along. More importantly, it would keep those two from doing anything romantic in front of Jana. The idea of watching them kiss made her shudder.

I didn’t know you liked bowling, Jana.

I hate it, she said brightly. But I’ll live. And the next time we go on a double date, it’s going to be with people I choose. Okay?

Woody Harrelson, Michael said in reply.

"Kingpin, Jana said, nailing it. Way too easy, Michael. Then she added quickly, Bill Murray, Randy Quaid." She earned ten bonus points for naming the movie and two additional actors in the cast. The more actors who had to be named before you guessed the right movie, the more difficult it was to come up with additional cast members.

Bonus noted, Michael said reluctantly.

Don’t you just love me? Jana teased.

Of course he did. Of that, Jana was most certain. Webster and Haynes loved each other dearly, deeply, and for all of time.

One of the Sliders wrote it, Jana decided.

Murder. From a Friend. The printing was so precise. She glanced at the back of the classroom to see if they were watching her, waiting to laugh when she read the spooky note.

Mars caught her looking at him again. He let one corner of his mouth smile. There was a dimple.

She quickly turned her head around. The teacher was writing on the blackboard. He had greased hair parted high on one side. Nearly two inches around his ears had been shaved. He was in his early forties, she guessed, but his face looked more tired than his age. His hands were too large for his sleeves.

The instructor’s name was at the top of the blackboard: Mr. Fitzgerald. He didn’t wear a ring on either hand. After writing Today’s Assignment on the chalkboard, he turned around to check his notes. He wore a twill jacket with a small checkered pattern and a funny knitted tie. It had perfectly horizontal contrasting stripes and was too short. It was also cut flat across the bottom.

Jana liked watching older people. She worked hard to figure out what motivated them. It was part

Reviews for Dead Rules

[leia9ann-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reading Dead Rules, I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would. Although the book has some major flaws, mostly in terms of consistently and plotting, I had a great time reading it.

Liked:

Fun, quirky and above all, unusual story, which is great to find in YA UF.
Funny and addictive writing.
Great characters and compelling, fresh story.

Disliked:

So much whining! Yes, it was unfair. No, killing your boyfriend won't make it better. Sheesh.
Jana is so dependent! Seriously icks me out when a character defines themselves by their relationship status.
PLOT HOLES the size of JUPITER all around.
Too much left unexplained.
Too open ending, unless this was the first book in a series. Which I hope is the case.
Lots of showing in exposition - could've been handled better.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers who appreciate dark humour, macabre themes and over-the-top kind of "love".

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales Quick & Dirty: This was a surprising and interesting take on death from a dead teen’s point of view. Opening Sentence: Jana had the jitters. The Review: Dead Rules starts with Jana on her first day of school. The problem is that Jana is dead, and the school is for dead kids to help acclimate them to their new state of being. Jana doesn’t remember dying, but it eventually comes to her. Her strongest memory is of her boyfriend that she is still hopelessly in love with. The book is from a third person perspective, so we have a chance to see what her boyfriend is doing on earth, and we find out that he and his two friends are not innocent in relation to her death. Jana gets a hint on her first day that she might have been murdered from a notorious Slider, Mars Dreamcote. There are two main classifications of dead in Dead Rules: Riser and Slider. Sliders are kids who died doing something bad, or don’t follow the rules while at Dead School. There is not much known about what happens to Sliders after Dead School. Risers are kids who would rise after Dead School to the rest of the afterlife. Virgins were used as messengers, and anyone who committed suicide were basically watchmen at Dead School. I found this whole set up of the afterlife very interesting. Each of the characters show signs of what they died of. There are kids missing limbs, stuck on stretchers, or with large arrows sticking out their heads. Each of the characters that Jana interacts with gets their own section that explains how they died, and little more about the characters themselves. I really loved seeing how their death affected the personalities and daily lives of the teens. There is a lot for Jana to learn and get used to, but she is a fast learner. Her only interest is being with her boyfriend, Michael again. That is her sole determination that drives the whole book. She would kill to have her boyfriend with her again. I can’t say much more about the plot without giving it away. Jana sees herself as half of a whole. Without Michael by her side, she doesn’t know who she is. Her whole life has been full of those around her, like her mother, ignoring her. She doesn’t have any friends besides Michael, and she has their whole future planned out. When all of that is taken away from her with her death, she doesn’t know what to do with herself besides do all she can to be with Michael again, even if that means killing him too. There are rules for everything, and there are consequences if those rules are broken. Jana tries to use the system to her advantage, but finds out that some things are just not meant to be. She tries to cheat death, but she can’t thwart the Dead Rules to have the life she left behind with Michael. Those around her like her roommate Arva, or the attractive, but dangerous Slider Mars Dreamcote try to help her learn the rules, but Jana makes her own choices. What else is there left to do for newly dead teen? I would recommend this novel for anyone interested in a fresh, funny take on death. Notable Scene: There was onlyone way Jana could be happy again. And that was to be with Michael. “If Darcee does wake up, she’ll be out of here. Just like that, back to the Planet she goes.” “The Planet is real life, then?” “I shouldn’t call it that, I suppose. But everyone does.” “Where’s the Planet?” “Oh, it’s all around us,” Arva croaked cheerfully. “We’re right in the middle of it. There’s a boundary between us and the real world. The fences around the dorm and around the school. But it’s more than fences. When they let you leave the campus, you become a spirit. You’ll think you have your body just like you do here, but you don’t. It’s pretty scary.” “So we’re right here on Earth?” “Yeah, that’s the cool part. Dead School is in a real school building and the dorm is a real building on the Planet too. They have Dead Schools all over. Around the world, I imagine. They’re vacant buildings. But we get to use them. When a new student shows up, they try to find you a vacancy near to where you live. Your town could be very near, you see. Or maybe we’re right in it.” “Who are they? You said ‘they’ try to find a Dead School near to where you live.” “The regents,” Arva said. “There’s a Council of Regents. They oversee everything. They’re like a board of education. I have to find you the student guidebook, don’t I? Jana realized Arva didn’t really want to show her a copy of the student guidebook. In fact, Jana decided, Arva was probably keeping it from her on purpose. She enjoyed getting to explain her version of things to Jana. FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of Dead Rules. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[tristan_bruce_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From the moment I started this book all I could think was Tim Burton could make a killer movie out of this. It's dark and macabre but has a quirky charm. One of my favourite lines from the book was in the first few pages and it really showcases Jana's personality and the strange atmosphere the book invokes, so I thought I would share it. " If I strangle you right now as hard as I can, will you quit talking like that?" Jana asked" Now this could be said in a number of ways and not be weird, but she says it in a very serious way and it totally cracked me up. I feel like this book is ultimately about how people perceive things, and intead of a coming of age tale it's a coming to grips with your demise tale. Like how the love you felt in a relationship can be your whole world and the most important thing to you, but be suffocating and irrational to someone else. Or feeling your death was brought on by some indiscretion on your part, where someone else feels it was just your time. You watch everyone deal with their deaths in different ways, some just going with the flow, some struggling, some seeking redemption, and even some plotting to help others meet their maker.The characters in the book were great, even ones with small parts. There was a wide range of personalities that were as unique as each of their deaths, they all brought there own flavour and purpose to the story. Dead Rules was really fun to read and I loved every single page of this book, I can't wait to read more by Randy Russell. This book gets 5 out of 5.

[yabookiemonster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From the second that I laid eyes on the cover of Dead Rules I was dying to read this book, and I've got to say that I loved this book as much as I loved it's gorgeous cover!What I really loved about this book was how unique it was! I've never read a book that was anything at all like Dead Rules and that's a real accomplishment! I guess that you could say that Dead Rules is a very unique take on the after life, in a way. Pretty much, when teenaged Jana dies in a freak bowling (yes, bowling!) accident, she ends up in dead school.Another thing that I loved about Dead Rules was how funny it was! I loved the way that paranormal/supernatural romance and humour were all tied up into one in this book. I found myself smiling to myself while reading it and I found the bizarreness of this book to be really amusing as well! There were so many strange things about this book, but in the best way possible, I loved it!I really loved the awesome cast of characters in this book! There was such a variety of different personalities and people (dead and alive), some that I really loved and some that I really didn't. Jana was someone that I really liked and didn't like at the very same time. On one side of the spectrum, I liked that she was so passionate about love, but I think, wait, I know, that it got to an extreme. She wanted to kill her boyfriend Michael just so that she cold be with him forever! She was a little crazy and wild at times, but I think that it made her interesting.I also really liked Mars! He was kind of the bad boy of the book, but he was such a sweet heart! I feel like he really kept Jana from getting out of line and not doing anything too stupid for Michael. We find out in the book that Mars knows more about Jana's death than he tells her, and what happened that night has a lot to do with the way that Mars feels about her. He was such a genuinely good guy, so caring and sweet, yet daring and adventurous at the same time! I really liked him!All in all, I loved this book! Everything about it just hit the mark for me! If was weird (in a good way!), funny, unique and paranormal! The characters were great, the plot was intriguing and it kept me reading! This book is probably not for everyone, but if it sounds interesting to you that I would really suggest checking to out! I'm not sure if there is going to be a sequel, but I really hope so!

[jibar_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So, usually it's a bad thing when a man writes a novel in the point of view of a girl. Sadly, this book is no exception. I think Russell probably fed every stereotype there is to a teenage girl with a boyfriend. I found Jana to be flat and very easy to predict.Michael was the stereotype of a boyfriend that fathers usually see in every boy on the street. Ultimately, he will hurt the girl. Maybe not just like in this book, but he will hurt her nonetheless. The girl (Jana) of course also falls for the hot guy she meets at the new place. She also is rather happy (or at least not reluctant) to accept that she is dead, which is not what a teenage girl would usually do in my opinion.I still liked some parts of it. I finished it after all, which is where the 2 star rating comes from. But still, there were few points in the novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. And most of those were with Wyatt present, who - to me - seems to be the only character that is properly developed. In theory I like the idea of Dead School. But I had no sense for Jana's surroundings. In my head she was always acting in a bland white room with no furniture or anything at all really. Everything was rather hard to get a goot look at, I think the book was seriously lacking some description. In fact, I'm sure it would have pulled the book up to maybe even four stars. If I know the surroundings of a character, it would perhaps be easier for the reader to accept that the character accepts her death so easily.I guess I'm going to read the sequel (I'm guessing there will be one with that kind of ending), but I can't say I'm going to buy it. I'll probably go to a library to read it, or swap it with another blogger.

[jacindahinten · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The dead in Dead Rules walk around looking exactly how they died and are stuck in some sort of actual school. Whatever they were wearing when they died and how they died are apparent and sometimes easy to tell by how they look. Awesome part of the book, I can just picture these characters walking around looking completely goofy and crazy and with random objects sticking out of their heads! Dead Rules took a completely different look on death and the after life then I’ve ever seen before. Dead Rules has many “rules” regarding being dead, but at the same time the dead are still clueless as to what is out there and what is next. We see different levels/stages of being dead based on how you died and such; many of us as a society believe to be true and Randy shows us in Dead Rules a different take on it. You can tell, or at least I can tell, that Randy Russell knows what he’s talking about. Many instances involving death and and contacting the dead you can tell aren’t just something made up. I can see that he’s spent TIME researching death as a whole and other living people who are involved with it. Now knowing Randy Russell’s history, it makes sense. Dead Rules is described as “ Romeo and Juliet meets Heathers”…I can sooo see that! I’ve only seen Heathers once in like junior high, but I remember it! I even just re-watched the Heathers trailer (Google it if you haven’t see it!)…so true! If you like a twist on Romeo Juliet and are all for the crazy, pick up Dead Rules!

[renkellym · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Jana Webster and Michael Haynes are the most popular couple in school. That is, until Jana dies and ends up in Dead School. Jana’s determined to be with Michael (she had their whole lives planned out together, for goodness’ sake!), so she’s ready to do anything—even kill him—to get him back. Dead Rules presents a quirky new take on the afterlife that is both frightening (who wants to spend eternity in high school? Yuck) and comical (everyone appears the way they did when they died, no matter how ironic). Randy Russell’s writing isn’t flowery at all: it’s simplistic and right to the point, something that fits the somewhat somber storyline perfectly. Dead Rules can’t really be considered action-packed, but it does have an unpredictability that gives the reader an edge-of-your-seat feeling. It’s nearly impossible to predict what certain characters will say or do, which adds to the humor and quirkiness of the novel. Jana, the protagonist, is somewhat annoying at first; her obsession with Michael is completely over the top and it’s a bit sad how reliant she is on him to feel confident. As the story progresses, though, Jana becomes less grating, and comes into her own. The side characters, unlike Jana, are likable from the very beginning. From Arva, a girl who talks like a frog-duck combination, to Corrine, who claims her parents are trying to bring her back to life (she says “ouch” every time she feels them tug at her soul, which is frequent), all the characters are unique and completely entertaining. Each side character has a backstory (we get to hear how each character died) that will make the reader either laugh or cringe in horror. Dead Rules is one of those rare YA gems that will definitely appeal to guys as well as girls. Despite the pretty cover and Jana’s fixation with her once-boyfriend, Dead Rules isn’t actually very girly, which is refreshing. I enjoyed Dead Rules quite a bit, so I’d easy recommend it to any fan of paranormal YA—though thankfully Dead Rules doesn’t follow the formula—it’s something completely original.

[kreagsheehan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dead Rules By Randy RussellSo, I usually see that people make a note on their reviews of ARCs, so I will to: I received this ARC free from HarperCollins, and I thank them extremely. Receiving it for free did not at all affect my thoughts or opinions on the book. So, this was the first ARC book I read from the first package of ARCs I ever received. I really wanted to read them in order of release date, this being the last to be released of the books I received. But, one day, I picked it up, curious just to know a little of what was going on. So I checked out the first page. And then I found myself one page fifty. I couldn’t stop.So, the storyline of this book was really good. It was completely original and it was a whole new take on the Paranormal Romance genre. I loved it. Jana Webster dies and wakes up in Dead School. She died in a freak bowling accident. Yes, a bowling accident. (Oh, and these aren’t spoilers, these happen in the first few pages.) So, Jana is extremely upset because she is without Michael, the “love of her life”. She is miserable. Jana wants to be with him. So, she has to find a way to be with him, only there area few problems I won’t tell you about. J. So, as I said, this story was very entertaining and I love the originality! 5/5I believe this was Randy Russell’s debut YA book. The writing was great. Mr. Russell really seemed to know how to write for teens, which is great as that’s who it was written for. The story flowed really well and I never found myself going back to reread anything. I also really liked the occasional shift in the point of view. They didn’t last long, but I really liked them. 5/5The book was pretty much set at the Dead School. I actually was not too fond of the setting. The Dead School just seemed really… boring. It was really original and everything but it just didn’t seem eventful or exciting like I think real schools are like. Then again, it is a school for dead kids, yet I still just found it kind of bland. The setting did change up occasionally, but I won’t say how, as it is somewhat spoilerish. But it is nice when it changes up. Overall, the change of the setting helped, but the school setting still never got in the way of enjoying the book, so it is still a 3/5.I loved the characters in this book. Some of them you start out hating and end up loving, and some you start out loving but end up hating. But that’s a good thing! I really liked all the dead kids that Jana becomes friends with, and I loved hearing about each of their stories. I really liked the way the story switched to the scene of there death when they were telling their story, so it was like you were with them. I really like the way they all seem to make friends and get along. The living characters were good to, but I found a few of them in particular, quite despicable. My only complaint is that I would have liked to hear more about Jana’s mother, just a bit. It does explain why she wasn’t very involved, but I just found myself wanting to know a bit more. 4/5Also, I am not going to be rating based on the covers anymore. I don’t think it is fair, as the cover has nothing to do with the content of the book, though it does help if the cover is nice when it comes to picking it out. But, I do like the cover for this one. It is simple and in my opinion it works for the book. I am not quite sure if it would have grabbed my attention from the shelves, but you never know. So, overall a 17/20. I really enjoyed the book, and I think it was a great read. I think once it comes out all the way in July, you guys should check it out. I found it to be a quick read even though it had over three hundred pages, but that was because I couldn’t put the book down. So, put this on your to be read list, because it is not to be overlooked!