Review: Dead Girl Walking by Sharon Sant

Title: Dead Girl Walking

Author: Sharon Sant

Genre: a, mystery thriller, paranormal

Publication date: July 2015

Published by: Lawsome Books

Source: For review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis:

Cassie Brown doesn’t see dead people, she becomes them. The slightest touch forces her to relive their final moments in breath-sapping detail. She herself was dead, killed in the accident that took the rest of her family. But whatever strange power governs the universe, has plans for her that don’t involve her death… yet.

Dante has a recurring dream. Every time he sleeps he sees the exact moment of his own demise. But where did the nightmare come from? If it is a premonition, how long has he got?

A girl and a boy, two damaged souls drawn together. Add a serial killer stalking the streets, a desperate cop and a newspaper reporter with an unhealthy interest in her story, and Cassie is soon mixed up in a lethal game. She may have cheated Death once, but this time he’s keeping a much closer eye on his prize...

Dead Girl Walking is an unpredictable mix of romance, paranormal and crime thriller that will keep you gripped until the very last page.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆
In Dead Girl Walking, our main character, Cassie, has the ability to see the memories of the dead, particularly the memories of their death. You see, Cass and her family got in a car accident, one which killed everyone--Cassie's mom, dad, sister, and even herself. But Cass didn't stay dead for long. A couple of hours later, Cass wakes up in the morgue with a morbid power bestowed upon her. You can see why I needed to read this right away! I love awesome, morbid powers like this! That, plus, we get a murder mystery, (and you know how much I love them murder mysteries!) one in which Cass starts out helping but may soon end up as a victim herself. Dun, dun, DUN!

So yes, I was very excited to read this. I loved the concept and it seemed promising enough, but it ended up just being an okay read. First of all, I wasn't the biggest fan of Cass--more often than not, she annoyed the hell out me! At first I was like, "Okay, she's just grieving and that's why she's being a little bitchy." But the more I read, the more I realized that this was probably not the case. She even admitted it herself at one point!

"Besides, you should be flattered. I'm always most bitchy to people I really like. That's my Gran's fault."

"You must think I'm amazing then,"[Dante] said slyly.

And this was toward the end! Ugh! And apparently she's always been like that, even before the accident.

Speaking of Dante, my poor Dante... He was the sweetest thing ever! And here Cass is taking out her anger or whatever on him. I just... I didn't like her all that much. I did think they were perfect for each other--they're both equally screwed up and their futures were both intertwined more than I could've imagined. But still... don't like her, love him! So by the end I was thinking to myself, "Wow Cass, you're a jerk and stupid!"

You see, Cass was helping out the police with this serial killer when she suddenly decides to get herself involved further, more than she should have, and even though the detective specifically told her "NO, it's a bad idea!" Normally I would be totally on board with the MC investigating, but this time I totally agreed with the detective. Cass just didn't give me reason to believe why she should get involved. Maybe it was the vivions? I don't know, but I didn't have reason enough. I wasn't even properly surprised there at the end with the plot twist and then finding out who the killer was (though I'd pretty much figured out who the killer was by this point anyway) because I was so frustrated with Cass! Ugh! So stupid!

Dead Girl Walking had a very interesting concept, a cool power, and a swoon-worthy love interest. Unfortunately, with an unlikable main character and simply 'okay' execution, this book fell a little flat for me. But I did enjoy some parts of the story, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! :)