Bad Girls Don't Die From Bad to Cursed (Bad Girls Don't Die Novels)

Book number two starts off quite a few months after the first book finished its story... And in From Bad To Cursed the sisters will have another dose of the supernatural. Sadly I wasn't able to enjoy this sequel as much as I thought I would. I still love the writing style, which is engaging, flowing and makes you fly through the story. But I wasn't so sure about the plot. The idea behind From Bad To Cursed is an interesting one and definitely involves a healthy dose of creepy, BUT I wasn't so happy with all those high school cliches included as well as a lot of 'perfect pretty girl' cliches. A bunch of teenage girls playing perfect and bitching to others if they don't dress perfectly, eat the right food and say the right things? No thank you. The way both Alexis and Kasey behaved really started to bother me as well. I'm still hoping it was just this particular 'problem' they had to deal with that made them unlikeable and I'm having hopes for the final book. Fingers crossed I'll be able to like that one better!

This is an all around outstanding book. Its definitely one that once you start its almost impossible to put down. Following the story of Alexis Warren, who in the first book of this series, her little sister Kasey was possessed by the spirit of an angry little girl that had died in the front yard of their house many years before they moved in. Her sister attempted to kill their entire family, and she didn't succeed and they managed to get the evil spirit out of her body but it was a close call. In this book, there's a new spirit and his name is Aralt. Kasey, Alexis, and their friends come upon Aralt through a girl at their school, Tashi. Tashi has a book that she claims if you read one of the pages in the book and take an oath that Aralt will come into your life and make everything amazing, but what the girls don't know is there's a big catch, but trust me they find out in the end. This book is full of surprises and will keep you guessing the entire way through. Definitely a great read and i totally recommend it.

Everything is going fairly great for Alexis. She has an absolutely adorable boyfriend, an awesome best friend, and mad photography skills. She has also stopped being so much of an outsider. Not bad for a girl whose sister tried to kill her and their parents and set their house on fire almost a year ago.

Yes, everything is as normal as it can be until Alexis's younger sister Kasey returns home. It seems as though Kasey has given up her obsession of dolls, especially the possessed ones, but she is still inexplicably drawn to the paranormal. When Kasey starts hanging out with Alexis's nemesis, Lydia, and some other girls who all suddenly become beautiful and poised, Alexis becomes suspicious. With her best friend Megan's help, Alexis plans to infiltrate this new bubbly girl group and keep Kasey from getting in too deep.

What would you do if there was some kind of spirit who seemed to only want to provide his followers beauty, wisdom, luck, and elegance? It is really tempting to easily get everything that you want. But Alexis and Kasey soon learn that things are a lot more difficult and deadly than they seem.

From Bad to Cursed is a fantastic follow-up that can stand alone just like its predecessor. In the first novel, Kasey majorly screwed up and Alexis was there to save her and help pick up the pieces. In the sequel, Kasey is vulnerable at first, but quickly blends back into the real world...at least until the whole Sunshine Club business begins. Alexis, however, seems secure with herself until she and Megan get mixed up into the Club. She goes from being her own person to being part of a group from which see seeks and needs approval for her appearance and actions. The change is so subtle that it is difficult to tell exactly when Alexis begins to change. She literally becomes unrecognizable and she tries to recapture her identity throughout the entire ordeal. Interestingly, it is Kasey becomes the strong one of the two sisters, but the mess they are in is too big for them to solve without serious repercussions.

With the same thrilling tone as Bad Girls Don't Die, From Bad to Cursed takes the supernatural to the next level with a lot more mystery and unpredictable twists and turns that keep the pages flying. Fans of the first novel will not be disappointed and I urge readers to try out both books.

See the original review here: <...>

Katie Alender has yet again amazed me with her awesome ability to write really good ghost stories. Though it is not as good as the first one, it is well put together and i really enjoyed it. Like the last one, I read it all in one night... my mother had to hide the books from me but i waited until she was asleep and then I went downstairs and grabbed it. That shows you just how good Katie Alender is. You cant keep me away from her books, they are just that good.
I was sort of disappointed when Lydia Small died, but I'm sure there was a reason for that. And brainwashing Carter Blume... I didn't like that part either... but I'm sure there was a reason for that as well. Thank you Katie Alender for just another amazing book that you cant (not even if you tried... unless i got to meet ALL of my favorite celebrities) pull the book away. I am positive that you will love this book... and even though it's not as good as the first book... you will enjoy it, I'm sure.
It is a really good book and if I like it (I don't like very many things) you will certainly love it. Katie Alender has done it once again!

Katie Alender writes another scary but good book in my opinion. Alexis joins the Sunshine Club which seems innocent making its members beautiful, classy, and popular. She and Megan join for just one reason: to destroy whatever is in the freakin book. They are soon finding themselves not doing what they planned to do. After a while Alexis realizes that the book is not the key to destroying the spirit Aralt because the members are his power source. Alender writes an amazing story yet again.

From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender is the second book in the Bad Girls Don't Die trilogy. I found a lot more depth and meaning in this novel than I expected to find! Beyond just containing a really creepy ghostly mystery, I think the characters' experiences added extra layers to the story.

Teenagers have a long history of searching for a way to feel beautiful and popular. The lengths some will go to (especially girls) can get really out-of-hand. That is definitely true in this novel! Kasey, who was possessed by a vengeful ghost in the first book of the series, accidentally gets herself roped into another situation where she finds herself possessed. This time she drags her older sister Alexis and Alexis' best friend Megan along with her.

Alexis goes to a meeting of The Sunshine Club intending to put a stop to it to keep Kasey safe - but before long finds herself pledging loyalty to the god Aralt. The members start showing up to school looking much prettier...before long they realize they are also acing quizzes they didn't study for and attracting attention from the popular crowd that had ignored them in the past. Exactly what is Aralt doing with their lives?

I found the plot really engrossing - it is definitely a twisty-windy journey to find out exactly who/what Aralt is and how he is managing to control their lives. The plot is 100% contained in the novel, you definitely don't have to read the first book of the series to keep up with it (although I recommend doing so just so you have more background on the characters - and because this series is entertaining and creepy).

Putting aside the supernatural, the girls learn that sometimes being popular and gorgeous isn't worth all the trouble it takes. I'm not sure if Katie Alender meant readers to find so much depth in this part of the plot or not, but it definitely struck a chord with me. I thought the book overall gave a really great message.

I never stopped feeling like I was reading a book about characters - the writing didn't make me feel like a part of the story or like I was reading a book about real people. So, while the writing didn't quite live up to the plot - I definitely still recommend this series overall. Very interesting and very different from everything else on the shelves.

My first thought when reading the synopsis was "This family seriously has bad luck. How can they be getting mixed back up in something supernatural?" I loved the first book, Sarah creeped me out more than words can say...then again, as a child I had a fear of one of my dolls. I was convinced she'd come alive, but I'm not reviewing the first book.

The sequel holds that same scary factor. It's more of a gradual build-up. The whole time in my head I was going "No, Lexi, no no no no!" You'd think after the last book, she'd have learned not to toy with things of this sort. That aside, my inner teenage girl totally understands why there is an appeal to being perfect and getting everything you want. Who cares if you have to take an oath?

There was one line towards the end of the book that rocked me to my core. It was definitely one of the most frightening lines I've read in a book in a very long time. I read a lot of horror/thrillers that I don't review, so for me to say it's that bad is kind of a big deal. After that line, things sped up and went at a rapid, yet appropriate rate.

My heart ached for Carter and Kasey both. Moreso for Carter since he had no clue what was really going on. I have to admit, I kind of missed Carter throughout the book, but also would love to see more of Jared.

If you have read this review and haven't picked up the first book and love being scared/creeped out, pick it up! If you loved the first book you won't be disappointed with the sequel and then can join me in eagerly awaiting the third book. From Bad to Cursed will be in stores on 6/14.

I received From Bad to Cursed as an ARC from the publisher, Disney-Hyperion in exchange for my honest review on Letters Inside Out.

Blending horror and humor, From Bad To Cursed is sure to be unforgettable. Taking all the amazing elements of the first installment and amping up the stakes for this newest addition, it is the perfect novel to read just after dark, with every single light in the house on. From it's characters to it's break-neck plot, From Bad To Cursed is original and yet, somehow, completely familiar.

I mentioned before in my review of the first novel, Bad Girls Don't Die, that horror novels are tricky to pull off without strong leads. Alexis's got that covered and then some. She's never been the girl that runs blindly into something because the plot calls for it. She strives to know what she's dealing with and is brave enough to do something about her situation. As a newly reformed bad girl, making amends for her dark days, she is likable. She still tells it how it is but is trying hard to be nicer to people. Her voice in this next installment felt even more authentic than the first one. As she slowly changes after joining the Sunshine Club, you can feel the things you love about her starting to slip away. Suddenly, she is becoming unreliable which is complete change from her strong, stable self in the first book. Seeing her fade into something completely other really does make you realize how incredibly strong she was in the first and by the ending, you are clamoring for her to find that strength again. Her journey doesn't disappoint.

Ms. Alender is a master in the art of subtly. You'd think a character completely changing who she is would be a huge red flag and easy to detect but I can't pinpoint when Alexis went from bad to cursed. Even though this is a first person narrative, her priorities and tone changing is so subtle that before you know it, she is a completely different narrator with only hints of the girl we know and love. Still using sight, sound, and sense to play with emotions and amp up the fright level, this novel is scary in an entirely new way. Though there isn't a physical presence of an antagonist, the fact that it was coming from within was enough to make it really truly scary. And just when you feel like you can't take anymore tension, a line jumps out to make you laugh before layering a new threat on thicker.

One of the most interesting aspects of this novel once again was the dynamic between Kasey and Alexis. Freshly out of the mental institution and hopping right into high school, Kasey is not the same girl she was in the beginning of the series and Alexis really doesn't know how to deal with her. I loved watching Kasey mature through this novel and to see Alexis's learn to lean on Kasey a little bit more. With their relationship always being Lexi taking care of Kasey, it was nice to see Kasey stepping up to the plate to show Lexi that she can carry some of the burden. There is a scene where Kasey cleans up Alexis in a bathtub that is partly touching and partly horrifying. It brings an entirely new layer to their complex relationship as sisters.

Generally speaking, I'm not big on plot since I'm willing to go for most things if I like the characters enough. And I really like these characters who continue to break through from their stereotypes in order to come alive on the page. But this story had a complex plot that will have you flipping the pages faster just to figure it out. The clues are sprinkled in so well that you don't really know what's happening until it does and I didn't even have time to try and reason out what was going to happen because I was so addicted to the words on the page. I caught the twists and turns only when the character did and I felt compelled to read "just one more chapter" until the 400+ pages melted into nothing in my hands.

Alexis's voice is believable, her journey long and winding but it doesn't feel like it. The ending reaches out for one final scare and will have the reader clamoring for the next novel. Even better than the first, with an entirely new kind of enemy and the same cast of familiar characters, From Bad To Cursed is a masterpiece. From its first fright to the last, it's scary good!

After reading the first book in this series, Bad Girls Don't Die, I knew I would have to continue on, once this one was released. This series is mainly about 2 sisters, who have issues with being possessed. These are definitely books that I would've read in my teenage years. I love the whole ghost/ possession theme.

Alexis is a great main character and I loved the idea of the sunshine club and Aralt and how certain characters and situations were all tied in together at the end. The author did a really great job with this one. Some series get worse as more books are released, but this was definitely better than the first one. I will be waiting for the next book As Dead As It Gets, which should be released in May 2012.

This is a good read--well written, with fairly memorable characters. Since I didn't read the first book, there was a great sense of the mysterious unknown which gave it a haunting quality. That was good. Overall, though, it's a bit cliched. I would recommend it for ages ten to fifteen.