Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

I'd been wanting to read Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender for a while, there was something about the title and the creepy cover image that really made me want to find out what the story would be like.

Bad Girls Don't Die is about pink-haired Alexis, a social outcast living with her dysfunctional family in an big old house full of secrets. Her life gets turned upside down when all these bizarre things start happening - the air conditioner breaks and turns the whole house freezing cold, someone tampers with the brakes on her Dad's car - and Alexis doesn't know if she's going crazy or if her doll-crazed younger sister is actually responsible.

'I stared at the dolls, which were lined up on the built-in shelves like a sinister chorus.'

Alexis was a very independent character, she has few friends at school and doesn't fit in. Throughout the novel she changes and challenges her preconceptions about people and for all those who enjoy a bit of romance, she gets a love-interest in blond-haired, sparkly eyed Carter.

One big thing that I was wondering about this book was whether it would actually be creepy/scary or would it fall short of actually creating a chilling atmosphere. In answer to my own question, it turned out that it actually had a pretty good mix. There were definitely a few moments when Alexis' younger sister was possessed that were very convincing and genuinely creepy but there were plenty of light-hearted moments to keep the balance too :)

"Whatever I felt in there," Megan said, "it's totally evil. Like bad evil, Alexis."

There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing and the ending worked well. I was really drawn into the book and pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting. It had all the elements you'd expect form a young adult novel, there was some romance, and I felt that Alexis' actions and motivations in the impossible situation of having your a possessed sister seemed believable. Well worth a read if you're looking for something a bit different then you're average teen book.

Bad Girls Don't Die is the debut young adult book of Katie Alender (katiealender.com). I give it 4/5 Stars :) (It's out on April 21)