Undeadly by Michele Vail
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Source: ARC
Order: Powell’s || Amazon
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.
Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there’s something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly’s got an undeadly knack for finding trouble…. — Goodreads
In a nutshell: Teenaged mutant ninja… necromancer.
Main Character: I’ll get to Molly but first, a preface: I’ve read books with main characters of all ages. Lyra Belacqua is 12 when we meet her. Harry Potter, 11. Katniss Everdeen is 16. Lucy Pevensie, 8. Young characters don’t need to matter in a good book. I suppose the point that I’m trying to make is that I don’t make this next statement lightly:
This book felt young. Molly Bartolucci felt young and what’s worse, she felt stupid. Molly is a necromancer. In addition to that, it seems to me that the author Google searched, “sixteen year olds” and then incorporated every stereotype she found into this character. She’s a ditz and her reactions to some big deal things that happen work against the story. I can’t take it seriously if your character can’t take it seriously.
Molly also talks like a ditzy sixteen year old. It could’ve been a cute character quirk but the problem was that she not only talked this way, she narrated this way. Again, it cheapened the story. When a lady pulls out a gun and says she’s going to shoot you and your response is, “HOOKAY?” I’m not taking that gun seriously.
Besides that we don’t learn a ton about Molly that is worth pointing out. She rises to the challenge but it’s all halfhearted. She doesn’t feel like the Champion she’s supposed to be.
Love Interest? Rick appears at the very beginning and we don’t get very much time to learn anything about him, except he smiles crooked. Then he dies. That doesn’t stick though, and he quickly transitions from love interest to plot point. There is an additional love interest in the making, and it’s one of those ones that happens just because. We don’t know much about Rath or why he would like Molly, besides the initial physical attraction.
Negligent Parents? 1/2. Molly’s mother abandoned the family when she was young. The book heavily hints at their being some big! reason! why! but since this of course has a sequel, we’re not privy to that information. As it stands, Molly’s mom is negligent. Her father, however, seems perfectly competent. Even when he isn’t in the main action, we are told he calls to check up on her. CRAZY.
There is a big reveal that challenges Molly’s relationship with her father and I guess it’s no surprise that I side with the father. Molly’s reaction is legit, but also she’s a brat about it so she can STFU.
Ho Suspension? I’m leaning towards no. Molly makes a big mistake when she returns Rick’s soul back to his body because she didn’t want to see her boyfriend die. Even when it is clear that she has to let him go, she can’t and there are consequences. This to me, however, is less thinking with your vajay, and probably the knee-jerk reaction of anyone witnessing a death who could do something to stop it.
I mean, yes she should probably be thinking less about boys with all the zombies and souls and spirits and training and being chosen by a god stuff, but it’s Molly. I expect it from this vapid, little thing.
A+: The plot framework. I loved the idea in theory and get sad when I think about what it could’ve been in the hands of a more deft writer and with a better protagonist. Necromancers, zombies, a necromancer school, Anubis and a spirit world? Cool. This book about that stuff? Not so cool.
There were also quotes from fictional books at the beginning of each chapter pertaining to necromancy. Those were cute and reminded me a little of The Book of Shhhh quotes found in Delirium.
Fail: Molly. Fucking Molly.
The End: This book was reasonably resolved and there was an epilogue that introduced the plot of the sequel. I mean, I guess if this book had to have sequels, they divided it effectively.
And so: I’m not gonna cry because I read it but I’m also not going to write home about it. I have lots of YA-reading friends but I would’ve even recommend this to them.
For Traumateers who love: to not take my word for it and need to discover bad things on their own. Or pretty book covers.
Final Grade: C-