Dead Is the New Black

By Marlene Perez

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

      Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.

       Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad.

This ebook includes a sample chapter of DEAD IS A BATTLEFIELD.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9780547351858

Marlene Perez

Marlene Perez is the author of eight books in the Dead Is Series, including Dead Is The New Black, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. She lives in Orange County, California. Visit her website at www.marleneperez.com.

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Marlene Perez

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

www.hmhco.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Perez, Marlene.

Dead is the new black/Marlene Perez.

p. cm.

Summary: While dealing with her first boyfriend and suddenly being pressed into service as a substitute cheerleader, sixteen-year-old Daisy Giordano, daughter and sister of psychics but herself a normal, attempts to help her mother discover who is behind a series of bizarre attacks on teenage girls in their little town of Nightshade, California.

[1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Cheerleading—Fiction. 3. Psychic ability—Fiction. 4. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 5. High schools—Fiction. 6. Schools—Fiction.]

I. Title.

PZ7.P4258De 2008

[Fic]—dc22 2007027677

ISBN 978-0-15-206408-2

eISBN 978-0-547-35185-8

v5.1215

HarperCollins Version 03022023

To my agent, Stephen Barbara, who got the party started

Chapter One

Being dead became fashionable approximately forty-five minutes after Samantha the Divine Devereaux came back from summer break.

Although stylish as ever, there was still something off about the Divine Devereaux. She strolled down the hall wearing a cleavage-baring top, a miniskirt, and stiletto heels. Her long blond hair had been freshly highlighted.

But unlike after previous summer vacations, Samantha didn’t have that sun-kissed Cabo glow. Her skin was, forgive the phrase, dead white.

A large silver pendant hung around her neck, but I couldn’t get a close look at it. I wasn’t the only one trying to sneak a peek, because heads turned more than usual as she strutted down the hall.

Get out of my way, Daisy, she snapped at me as she passed by.

She was only slightly hampered by the coffin she was dragging behind her. At first I thought it was a giant wheelie backpack.

But my clue came when Penny Edwards, who could have brought home a gold in social climbing if it were an Olympic sport, rushed up to Samantha. "Where did you get that . . ."

Coffin, Samantha supplied helpfully. Mort’s Mortuary. Burnished mahogany. Scaled to size for those of us with petite frames. I could have sworn she eyed my thighs with a look of scorn.

Lined with satin? Penny asked.

She recoiled in horror. Silk, of course.

Of course, Penny tittered. Samantha went on her way, and Penny, faster than you could say dead girl walking, was on her cell phone to Mort’s Mortuary.

After first period, I saw Mr. Amador, our principal, talking to Samantha in the hallway, so I loitered long enough to eavesdrop.

He started with a lot of throat clearing and then said, My dear, why on earth have you adopted such an . . . unusual look? You look like a vampire.

The preferred term is ‘undead’ or, if you must, ‘living challenged,’ she said, nose in the air. "I’m not a vampire. The thought of drinking blood is disgusting. And think of all those calories!"

But, but you’re a student council member, head cheerleader. You represent Nightshade High to the world . . .

Now I represent Nightshade looking like this, Samantha said.

While Mr. Amador sputtered and coughed, she swept away but called over her shoulder, And why don’t we let Daddy’s lawyer decide whether or not I can continue to attend Nightshade High looking like this? With that she snapped open her cell and punched in a number. Interesting that she had Daddy’s lawyer on speed dial.

After Samantha lawyered up, Mr. Amador had no choice. He had to let Samantha wear whatever she wanted, as long as it was within the school dress code. And since our school dress code didn’t say anything about dressing in black, dead white skin, or bloodred lips, he was stuck.

By the time the dismissal bell rang, I was sick of hearing everyone talking about Samantha’s new look. I shut my locker, which closed with a clang.

Hey, Giordano, what’s up? Ryan Mendez asked. He was the closest friend I had these days. His dad was chief of police in Nightshade.

When I didn’t answer but just stood there frowning, he continued, I saw your mom on the news last night.

My mom had been helping his dad solve crimes since Ryan and I were both in diapers. Mom’s a psychic, the real deal, not the kind who reads your palm for ten bucks. Although she could probably do that, too. Instead, she spends her time crime solving.

We live in a small town—peaceful enough, I guess, but it’s always been a little strange here. Nightshade started as a little frontier town a couple of hundred years ago, and it had a long history of strange occurrences, odd inhabitants, and most of all, secrets. The town was full of secrets.

I realized I hadn’t responded to Ryan. Yep, Mom said as soon as she touched the scarf, she knew where the body was.

Cool. Ryan turned to get a better view of Samantha giggling with Penny at her locker.

What do you think about all that? I murmured, with a nod toward Samantha.

She still looks beautiful, he replied, not taking his eyes from her.

I restrained the involuntary gag that rose to my throat. He’s had a crush on her since second grade.

I made a face.

Daisy, I know you don’t like her, Ryan continued. And I know she embarrassed you back in middle school, but she didn’t mean to.

Embarrass was an understatement. Humiliate. Devastate. Annihilate. Those were more accurate word choices.

I don’t want to talk about it, I said. In fact, I’d be happy if her name was never mentioned again.

But Samantha Devereaux was all anybody wanted to talk about. The rest of the week was devoted to watching her every move and then rehashing it endlessly. The goths howled with rage and frustration: The popular kids, now sporting Samantha’s look, were on their turf. Finally, in protest, the goths, girls and guys, switched to lime green or hot pink skirts, matching sweater sets, and pearls.

The one thing that people didn’t seem to be able to duplicate was the pendant that never left Samantha’s neck. I was curious about it, but since I wasn’t in her close circle of friends, I still hadn’t gotten a good look at it.

By Friday, I’d had more than enough of the Samantha Devereaux madness. After school, I sat on our porch swing with a glass of lemonade, trying to clear my head of the week’s weirdness.

That’s when I saw Samantha climbing into her boyfriend Sean Walsh’s bedroom. She was using her coffin as a step stool to get in through the window. Sean had lived next door to us since third grade, so I knew his bedroom was on the first floor, with the window near the big rose bush. A few minutes later, I heard Sean’s deep voice, a series of giggles from Samantha, and then silence.

Samantha Devereaux was dead and she was getting more action than me. Life wasn’t fair.

My moment of solitude didn’t last long anyway.

It’s your turn to cook dinner, twerp, my sister Poppy announced. She was only a year older than me, but she liked to push me around. Now that she was a senior, it was even worse.

She threw herself beside me on the swing, and it rocked violently.

My lemonade! I said, but it was too late. I watched as the glass started to tip over and then . . . didn’t.

I looked up. Poppy smiled complacently.

Show-off, I said. I headed for the kitchen.

Life wasn’t fair. Poppy never used her telekinesis for anything major. I thought of all the things I would do if I had her powers. But I didn’t, so it looked liked I’d be making dinner again the old-fashioned way.

Not only am I the baby, I’m the only nonpsychic in the family. My dad disappeared under mysterious circumstances when I was eleven. He was a normal just like me.

Do you know how hard it is to be the only nonpsychic in a family of psychics? Trust me, it’s tough.

Like the time I had a date with Brian Miller (my first and last date, thanks to my sister Poppy.) I borrowed Poppy’s sweater without asking, thinking she’d never find out. Her psychic abilities hadn’t fully developed yet, so I figured I was safe.

But she knew all right.

When Poppy discovered her sweater was missing, she just concentrated and told it to come on home.

Unfortunately, I was with Brian at the time, sitting at the Dairy Queen. I was also wearing the sweater in question.

The date had been going well. He talked about himself—but not too much—and he had an adorable smile. The smiled faded fast when he saw my sweater hover in the air and then float out the door.

Luckily, I was wearing a cami under the sweater or it would have been even more embarrassing. As it was, Brian broke out in a sweat. He didn’t even finish his sundae, and I was home twenty minutes later.

Needless to say, I never borrowed Poppy’s clothes without asking again and Brian Miller never asked me on another date. And neither did anybody else.

It seemed like I was always the one who ended up cooking dinner. Mom’s cases often kept her late. My other sister, Rose, who was a freshman at the local college, UC Nightshade, was always studying, and Poppy was—well, I don’t know what Poppy was doing, besides annoying me. She certainly wasn’t cooking dinner.

I rummaged through the contents of our fridge, which were pretty pathetic. Some wilted lettuce, a couple of cartons of suspicious-smelling takeout, and a twelve-pack of diet soda. I found some decent veggies in the keeper and some cheese. Not much to work with in the nutrition category. We needed to go grocery shopping again.

I’ll stop at the market after class tomorrow, Rose said, not even looking up from her books, which she hunched over at the kitchen table.

I hated it when she popped in and out of my mind without my consent. I knew she didn’t mean to do it, but I didn’t have to like it. There were certain things that were meant to stay private. Like certain thoughts about Ryan Mendez.

Sorry, she added. I know you hate it. I was thinking of something else and accidentally wandered in.

At least Rose tried to respect my privacy. No, I’m just in a bad mood, I said. Thanks for taking on the shopping.

I took the vegetables I’d found out of the fridge: tomatoes, mushrooms, and an iffy onion. I washed the tomatoes and set them aside, then I chopped the onion and mushrooms to sauté with a little garlic. I found a package of noodles and took out the bag of preshredded cheese. Lasagna it was.

Hey, watch it! Rose said. You’re getting tomato all over my notebook.

But I’m not chopping tomatoes, I said. When I looked over, though, there was one exploded tomato on the counter.

Poppy, knock it off or I swear—oh, hi, Mom, I said. You’re home early.

She stood in the doorway with her briefcase still in her hands. My mom was beautiful, even rumpled after a hard day at the office. Her long hair was midnight black and shiny, as though a cluster of stars shone in the strands.

My hair was the same basic color as hers, but on me it just looked dirty. Mom’s eyes have been compared to sapphires. My eyes are more like the color of Windex.

Rough day, Mom said. How was yours?

Same as yours, I said. Rough.

Mom smiled in sympathy. Do you need any help with dinner? she asked.

Thanks, but I’ve got it under control.

Thanks for cooking tonight. I don’t think I could face making dinner after the day I had. She collapsed into a kitchen chair.

I looked at my mother curiously. She loved her work and rarely complained about it. She looked pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

I put the kettle on and made Mom a cup of tea. She sat at the counter and kept me company while I finished dinner.

After the lasagna was done and Poppy grudgingly set the table, we ate in the dining room.

Daisy, this is delicious, Mom said.

I used Grandma’s recipe, with a few minor alterations.

I may not have psychic talents, but I make a mean lasagna.

After dinner, Rose and Poppy headed for the kitchen for clean-up duty. Mom headed for the living room. A few minutes later, I heard her talking on the phone.

I wandered in to read on the couch. Mom had a thick file in front of her. After a short conversation, she hung up the phone with an angry click. That man is going to give me gray hair, she said.

What man? And why?

The county coroner, Bud Larson. Because he’s an idiot, she burst out. Then she sighed and said, "Forget I said that, Daisy. I’m

Reviews for Dead Is the New Black

[crazy4reading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well I picked this book up from the library and finished it in one night. I couldn't put the book down once I started it. In this book you meet Daisy and her sister's Poppy and Rose and their mother. You also meet the other teens from Nightshade High School. Nightshade is an old town with paranormal people and something strange is going on in the town. Samantha comes back from vacation and she is wearing all black. The cheerleaders all seem to be slowly dying. Daisy's sisters are psychic the same as their mother. Daisy is the only one so far that hasn't seen her powers manifest so she believes she is a normal like her father, who disappeared. I enjoyed this book from the beginning and will be continuing this series.

[shahnareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's not the best written novel I've read. But it's not the worst either. Some things get a little redundant, but over all it's an alright story. I wouldn't mind trying to hunt down the other ones in the series to continue the story.

It's a nice series to add to any fantasy book readers collection.

Vampiers. Werewolves. Witches. Psychics. Good stuff.

[mykake-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good YA book. I am in the rest of them now.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Great title, which was the only thing I really liked about this book.
Vampires are hot for the girls but this one didn't seem that good.

[laurat81 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Dead is the New Black, the first of a paranormal, young adult series, is about Nightshade, a strange town where a soul-sucking vampire is on the loose attacking teenage girls. Daisy, the typical girl from a not so typical family, tries to save the day in between dating her new boyfriend and becoming a new cheerleader. The novel begins interestingly enough, but the plot takes too many convenient turns with randomness tossed in. That isn't so bad, except when combined with some bad dialog and clichéd and repetitive inner monologue. Not horrible, but I think I'll skip the rest of the series.

[callmecayce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loving this series! It's a lot of fun and really easy to read, which means it's a nice distraction. I like the growth of all the characters and the sub-plots that stuck around from the first book. Daisy makes a fun and great detective and her revelations are often quite amusing.

[booklover327-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is amazing. I like its word usage and it is perfect for teenage readers. It is written well but can use some more sensory detail/imagery in it. It kept me hooked which is something I love about books. This is overall a great book.

[fanchon33 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was really enjoyable. It was easy reading, had humor, and a mystery that was cleverly solved. Daisy and her childhood friend, Ryan, try to solve the mystery of who or what is attacking teenaged girls in Nighthaven. Here is her chance to prove she is a valuable member of her family (who all have psychic powers, except for her). With witches, vampires, and werewolves as just a few of the paranormal beings she meets, Daisy faces her task with humor and a little bit of trepidation when she realizes she would have to join the cheerleading squad to solve the mystery.

[shra9_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was very good.It is all about how a girl named Dasiy and her sisters have paranomal powers but Dasiy doesnt have them yet.Later in the book she gets them and along the way she sovles a strange mystery haveing to do with the cheerleading sqaud.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Everyone in Daisy's family is psychic... except her. She appears to be a "normal" like her father who mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Daisy's mother uses her talent to solve crimes and when teenage girls in the town of Nightshade begin to die mysteriously, Daisy decides to solve the case herself. She is aided in her task by her best friend Ryan. When she and Ryan discover that cheerleaders in their high school seem to be targets and the killer appears to be a particularly vicious form of vampire, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad to get investigate. Daisy soon finds herself in grave danger; Ryan is starting to become more than just a "friend; and most importantly of all, Daisy discovers she has some psychic talent after all!This is a light, humurous and entertaining read. In general, I'm not a huge fan of the vampire genre, but this one was fun. The romance beween Ryan and Daisy is a realistic teen romance and the focus is more on psychic talent than vampirism. This is the first book in the "dead Is... series by Perez. Read by Suzy Jackson.

[liga1996 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i love this book so much i read it in three days and thats very short for me . i would definetly read this again.

[camc0506 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I randomly picked up this book when I forgot a book to read in class. It was really good!! It kept me on my toes, and was unpredictable. That is a quality I look for in books. I highly recomend reading it.

[highvoltagegrrl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is definitely a teen book from start to finish. It’s a light read, no heavy messages weaved through the plot, and it’s a lot of fun. I love how being “dead” is the hot new thing that the most popular girl in school is pushing this week. We follow Daisy, a not so popular girl on her ride of figuring out just what is going on in her creepy little town of Nightshade. Everyone in her family has a paranormal gift and she just wants to be accepted both at home and in school. There are no overly complex plot twists, but the story is well written to keep you glued to the pages and ready for the next in the series. I only wish for more character development so that I would care more about what happens to them.

[mybookaffair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Daisy and her adventure through the town of Nightshade. This book had it all; werewolves, psychics, vampires, and mystery. Daisy is determined to help her psychic mom figure out who is killing girls around town even though she has no psychic abilities of her own. She enlists the help of her long time best friend Ryan, who happens to be the police chief's son and the cutest boy in school. The characters in the book were so adorable and really had me laughing and falling in love with them. I thought I had the mystery solved pretty early on, but then the author threw in a little twist and confused me there for a bit. I hadn't really heard of this book until I received the forth book, Dead Is Just A Rumor to review. I figured I'd read them in the order written to better review the forth. I'm so glad I did. I read this in one day easily as it's a quick, fun and light read. Perfect for a summer day by the pool or beach. I hope you will pick up this book and have as much fun with it as I did. If you do be sure to stop back by and let me know what you thought.

[katnisseverdeen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good, but could have been more exciting for the conclusion. Would read the other books in the series, but only after Mockingjay comes out!

[kaybowes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The town of Nightshade is not like any other town. There are psychics, werewolves, vampires, etc. Daisy is the only normal one in her family -- or is she? Are the vampires trying to take over? Why do cheerleaders keep keeling over? Daisy discovers her powers and with the help of Ryan, the chief of police's son, she solves the mystery and stops the vampires.Mystery or Werewolves list? Could fit either.

[saffron12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable book. . . Daisy thinks she is the only "normal" one in her family (she doesn't think she has ESP powers like her mom and sisters). . . but does have an investigative spirit, and sets out to solve the mystery of who is sucking the souls of the cheerleaders.

[reacherfan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a pretty good start to the series. I'd call it "Buffy lite". It's not really fair to compare this series to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it really can't be helped. Welcome to the town of Nightshade (How can you not love that name, it's a great name for this kind of setting). It seems that some creature is stalking the halls of NIghtshade high school, and is picking of the cheerleaders one by one. One of the town residents, Daisy, comes from a family of psychics. The only problem is that she's the only one in her family that isn't a psychic. It's up to her and her friend, Ryan, to get to the bottom, why and who are picking off the cheerleaders. The baddie is interesting, really doesn't kill it's victims, not really. Over all it was a pretty good read. It had some great chars and interesting plot twists. For me, it was kind of heavy on the romance. We read a lot about Daisy and her friend, who at times is more than a friend, and boyfriend. I'd like to have had more time on the baddies than her love life. I'd also like to have Daisy's powers grow, and we see them develop as times goes on, and less of the romance. I'll be interested to see how she turns out in the upcoming books. As I said, it was a pretty good read, not a perfect one, but one that held my interests for the most part. I look forward to the other books.

[59square · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kearsten says: I do love supernatural mysteries, and when they involve teenage girls falling for their best male friend (who has suddenly become super hot) while trying to solve a mystery that might just involve vampires...well, I'm gonna devour it, of course.Daisy is a charming lead, and I'd like to read more about her. She's smart and sarcastic, and her best friend Ryan sounds *dreamy*. The mystery is a bit lackluster, and the wrap-up was ridiculously brief - on one page Daisy still isn't sure who to trust, the next she's at the bad guy showdown. Huh? The villain was a complete joke, to make matters worse...However, much was introduced in this obviously first book in a series (is Ryan a normal, too? Where did Daisy's dad disappear to?), that I'm interested in following up, so I'll be checking out _Dead is a State of Mind!_

[sbrew1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readers Annotation: Daisy is the only one in her family that does not have physic abilities. When she hears that her mom is stumped on a case she decides to help her mom out with the case in secret. She is determined to find out who the soul sucking vampire is that targeting teenage girls all over town. Plot Summary:Daisy is the only “norm” in a family with physic abilities. When she discovers her mom is stumped on a case involving the mysterious death of a cheerleader she decides to do some super sleuthing with her best friend Ryan Mendez. Daisy and Ryan sneak into the town “refrigerator” to look at the girls body. They discover a stamp on the girls hand for the The Black Opal a uber-trendy club that all of the popular teens hung out at on Saturday nights. Samantha Devereax the captain of the cheerleaders hasn’t been friends with Daisy since sixth grade. When three of the schools cheerleaders fall ill with a strange white steak in their hair she asks Daisy to try out for the cheer team. Daisy makes the cheer team and Ryan starts asking her out. All of a sudden Daisy is part of the popular crowd. Ryan and Daisy continue investigating the case and all the while Daisy begins to have strange things happen around her. Things move magically, a jukebox at the diner seems to play just the right song and she begins to realize that maybe she is not as normal as she thought she was. Evaluation:This book was not a typical vampire book. Although it has vampires in it, the story does not center around vampires. The main character of the book is starting to come into her own psychic abilities. The villain in the book is a vampire who sucks the souls out of their victims to stay young and beautiful. This is a murder mystery that keeps you guessing as to who is the murderer, kind of a Nancy Drew meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is an interesting combination that will have even the most reluctant reader laughing and reading on.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I do love supernatural mysteries, and when they involve teenage girls falling for their best male friend (who has suddenly become super hot) while trying to solve a mystery that might just involve vampires...well, I'm gonna devour it, of course.Daisy is a charming lead, and I'd like to read more about her. She's smart and sarcastic, and her best friend Ryan sounds *dreamy*. The mystery is a bit lackluster, and the wrap-up was ridiculously brief - on one page Daisy still isn't sure who to trust, the next she's at the bad guy showdown. Huh? The villain was a complete joke, to make matters worse...However, much was introduced in this obviously first book in a series (is Ryan a normal, too? Where did Daisy's dad disappear to?), that I'm interested in following up, so I'll be checking out _Dead is a State of Mind!_

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like the book but it was definitely aimed at the teen crowd, but our heroine, Daisy, acted like a teenage girl, with friends, interests, older sisters, busy Moms, everything. Not only that, but Daisy reminded me a lot my myself when I was in highschool, even including the ex-best friend who ran in the popular crowd :) The author, Marlene Perez, knows small town schools and the kids who go there.As for the plot, It was a bit predictable. There was a few week spots, namely the romance between Daisy and the next door neighbor. It read like Nancy Drew Meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also, there was so many plot elements introduced that the main story, pretty girls getting sick and dying for no reason, sometimes got lost. And, since this is a start of a brand new series, those side plot elements were never closed.Overall, I think teen girls are going to love this. The book is sweet but not cloy. Daisy's love for Ryan is described as how a real teenager feels, with doubts, and Oh My God I'm so happy, and jealousies that every very first love has. Even the preppy cheerleader is more than just a cardboard character with lots of money. I think this is a very appropriate book for that junior or highschool girl who has read Twilight one two many times.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Daisy is used to life in Nightshade, her home town, being not exactly normal. Afterall, her mother and sisters all have psychic abilities that they use to try to solve crimes. So normal Daisy is sort of left out, until cheerleaders at Nightshade start dressing and acting strange. Could a vampire be the cause?This is a short fun read. Daisy and her friends are enjoyable and the mystery is pretty good. I think I will be visiting the mysterious town of Nightshade again and soon.

[pacey1927 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first in a series of Paranmormal adventure's aimed for young adults 12 years and up. I am not in the market range but I enjoyed this story very much before passing it along to my stepdaughter. I intend to read the other books in this series as well. This book tells the story of Daisy, a non-psychic child who lives with her mother (a psychic) and her sisters Rose and Poppy, who both have psychic abilites. Daisy feels like she doesn't quite fit in. With her family or at school. But suddenly Nighshade's cheerleaders are becoming very deathly ill..its almost like something is literally sucking the life from them. As a favor to her ex-best friend Samantha, Daisy joins the squad. From that vantage point, Daisy and her new boyfriend start to investigate the murder of a teenage girl who shows up walking and talking to the pep rally...It soon apparent that Nightshade has more than its fair share of odd beings. This story was quick and quirky and fun. It definetly caught and kept my attention and my step-daughter loved it. The writing is well done and the characters are well crafted. The paranormal jukebox is just one of many great touches. I think this book will captivate any teen or pre-teen and maybe their parents. I recomend this book as lighthearted, clean, paranormal fun.

[ohioyalibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Daisy can't understand why suddenly, at Nightshade High School, dead is the new black. Ultra popular cheerleading captain, Samantha, returns to school in the fall looking like a goth queen, dragging a coffin around behind her and wearing a strange silver amulet around her neck. Soon, everyone's imitating her style. Not only that, but girls on the cheerleading squad start acting half-dead too, looking pale, sporting zombie eyes, and a few even end up in the hospital with some strange disease that no one can diagnose. What's going on? Can Daisy and her psychic mom and sisters save the day? Find out in Dead is the New Black. This is cute, fun, got some humor, somewhat silly. A quick ulta nonserious read.

[xicanti_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Daisy Giordano, the only non-psychic member of her psychic family, teams up with her friend Ryan to track down a vampire attacking girls around her town.This was a lot of fun! It's definitely a lighter read, but it's entertaining nonetheless. Daisy is a great narrator, and I loved the dynamic between her and her sisters. They squabble and fight and get on each others' nerves, but they're still family and are there for each other when it counts. I thought Perez did a great job of showing what they all meant to one another.Daisy's relationship with Ryan is also nicely fleshed out. There are lots of good moments between the two of them as their friendship shifts into something else. Daisy's anxiety over the whole situation came across as very real. I also appreciated her non-friendship with Samantha and how it changed as the book progressed.I thought the psychic elements were incorporated pretty well. Nightshade is a little bit like Buffy's Sunnydale in that there's this whole otherworldly segment of the population existing alongside the clueless normals. Perez doesn't devote much time to explaining this, though, and it's a little unclear as to whether or not the supernatural types are underground or not. Even the normal main characters seem aware that there are vampires and werewolves and such in their midst, but there are a few scenes that make it seem like psychics and supernatural creatures aren't really out about their abilities. There's also a coverup near the end that makes it seem like the psychic characters are shielding the rest of the town from the truth.Overall, though, this is good stuff. It was a fun, quick read. I'll keep an eye out for the next two books!(Review copy provided by the publisher. This review originally appeared in a slightly different form on my blog, Stella Matutina).

[ekanderson_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Daisy is the youngest of three girls. Their mom is a police psychic, and her two older sisters, Poppy and Rose, have supernatural abilities as well. As the sole "normal" in the family, Daisy is less than pleased to be excluded when her mom asks Rose to help her on her latest case. Teens seem to be dying of mysterious causes in Nightshade, and there isn't a single lead. Daisy enlists her best friend - and, admittedly, her crush - Ryan to investigate on her own. When the head chearleader starts acting decidedly undead and members of the squad start dropping like flies, Daisy even tries out as a replacement in order to get crack the case. But what Daisy and Ryan never anticipated was the layer of secrets just beneath the surface of Nightshade's small-town exterior, and they may have gotten themselves into more than they bargained for.Dead is the New Black is a fun whodunnit with a few laughs and a different take on vampires and ghouls. However, it is sadly ill-paced, laden with too much set-up in the first few chapters, characters who accept too quickly the strange phenomena surrounding them, and dialogue that tries too hard to be witty without adding anything to the plot. This is the first in a series, which gives hope that later books might show signs of improvement, but where this clearly takes cues from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Perez has a lot to live up to if she wants these characters to be anymore than a cheesy flash in the pan.