Book review: "Dead is a Battlefield" by Marlene Perez

Dead is a Battlefield review
Author: Marlene Perez
4 out of 5 stars

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Middle Grade (12+)
Recommended for: Urban fantasy, especially geared toward younger readers; fans of this series.

Disclosure: I received a free paperback galley from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Jessica Walsh is starting her freshman year at Nightshade High and trying to forget about the tragic events surrounding her brother’s graduation. She wants to have a normal high school experience. But that’s easier said than done in Nightshade.

There’s a new guy at school who seems to be turning the girls into lovesick zombies. And Jessica has other worries—like her crush on a cute but moody lead singer, and the mysterious tattoo that appeared on her arm one day that lets her know whenever there is trouble brewing. Jessica learns she’s a Virago, a woman warrior chosen to fight evil whenever it threatens her hometown. But does a lowly freshman really have what it takes to keep Nightshade safe?

My Thoughts: This is the 6th book in a series, of which I have previously only read the 2nd . The review for that book is here, on sites that can support links. I had hoped to get some of the interim books before reading this one, but have not had any luck in my attempts, so I shall have to hope that I will be able to enjoy this as it is.

When Jessica ran into Connor after her guitar lesson, it reminded me of my most clueless moment ever; it was when I was in 6th grade and a friend of mine showed me this necklace he had one night while we were riding the bus home. He told me he had bought it for his girlfriend and did I like it; I said it was pretty cool and she would probably like it. Then he asked if I wanted it... I was so confused! “But you said you got it for your girlfriend!” “Yes, do you want it?” *me scratching my head* “Why do you want to give it to me, you said it was for your girlfriend?” Several years later I remembered that conversation and realized what he was asking, but at the time? Completely clueless. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing in this book that brought back fond memories – Jessica’s mother’s comment about, “Boys like cookies” reminded me of how incredibly popular I would become (for at least a few minutes) after I had spent the weekend cooking. I had several boys from a college I visited who provided me their address just so I could send them cookies. Boys do definitely like cookies!

I should point out that my cluelessness in that situation all those years ago is matched by Jessica’s cluelessness in this book – everything is very obvious, but she just manages to completely ignore all the signs. Still, this is an urban fantasy geared toward middle-grade readers, not the latest mystery-thriller, so that’s not really a big problem. That fact of the matter is, just like the 2nd book in the series that I read several years ago, I quite enjoyed this story, and would still like to get the rest of the books in this series. A 7th book has been published since I received this one, so that means I have 5 books I still need to get, somehow. More information about the series can be found here. Recommended for fans of urban fantasy, especially for younger readers, and/or for fans of this series.