Beautiful Dead: Arizona (The Beautiful Dead, 2)

Great book.

This book was my first purchase on my kindle and I am glad I made the choice! I read the 1st book about a year ago and loved it but couldn't find the rest of the series anywhere except Amazon. Would recommend to young adult interested in love and a little mystery.

See this is why a lot of people don't write positive Amazon reviews.. why can't we just grade it 5 stars for great, expected service, and only have to provide commentary for the ones we want? This is a pain in the ass.. nice item, my daughter was pleased. Thank you!

This series of books is amazing. If I have to rate it I'd give it a five star rating the book is amazing

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I was actually really surprised that I did because this book has paranormal elements and normally I don't read those types of books at all. However, the story really grabbed me due to the mystery plot line and I found myself really engrossed in the book. Reading Arizona's story was no different. I really enjoyed the story and as soon as I finished found myself raving about it online.As I said with the first book, I found the storyline to be pretty believable. Even though the Beautiful Dead are pretty much zombies or lost souls, they did not act in the typical manner that others in that situation are always portrayed. They act like normal humans other than the fat that they are dead. Their emotions and feelings are still intact. This is evident in Arizona's feelings for her younger brother. And as in the first book, the mystery is done very well and I had to force myself not to look at the ending. I was really surprised at what really happened with Arizona's death. It was a bit violent and rather dark. However the emotions that Arizona was facing before that were things that teen girls do experience. Hopefully they will never end up the way Arizona did.The relationship with Darina and Phoenix is bittersweet. It's going to have to end soon. They both know this and can't escape it. However, they are content with just enjoying being with each other for the time being. There's no rushing to do things or wishing for a future that can't happen. They just simply enjoy each other. Interestingly there's not a lot of sex in these books or even a lot of cursing. They really are enjoyable reads and I am definitely excited to read the next book. I don't think that I'll be turning to other paranormal reads any time soon but these books are definitely the exception. And a really well written exception at that.

After thinking the first in the series was only so-so, I didn't set my expectations to high for this second installment. I'm happy to report that enjoyed it way more than the first. Even better, the word Zombie wasn't even mentioned once in this one.I do have to point out that this series seems to have some glaring faults. The first being, I'm sure in a sane world, an autopsy would have been performed on Arizona. And the placement of her wings tattoo doesn't make a lot of sense when the description of what actually happened is revealed. In my eyes, she technically did drown. Also, I don't understand what the beautiful dead for 18 months. Darina gets about a week to help them, but even she doesn't do much. Hunter is the one who actually solves the mystery. Why can't he do that all along?Despite all that, I really like the story this time. I think it's because I liked Arizona more. Her life leading up to her death was way more complex that I thought possible. She's hiding so much from everybody, and it's interesting to watch all the facts unfold. And what really happened was crazy. Not to mention the events that occur right after we learn the truth. I don't think justice was truly served.I also liked Phoenix and Darina's relationship in this one. It seemed more real and not nearly as rushed. I also think Darina is starting to build more character, although I really wish there would be more of a connection with her mom. Plus, the other character are starting to have more life.I'll be reading the next one. I was to see how this all plays out in the end.

This was a great second installment in the Beautiful Dead series. It was filled with new plot twists and I discovered a lot more about certain characters.Considering this novel focused on Arizona, it was great to be able to read more about her history. There was so much going on in her life that I didn't know about, and it really made me understand and like her more. Learning about all of Arizona's secrets was surprising and the mystery surrounding her death kept me guessing all the way to the end. I never saw that coming!These books are always filled with suspense and excitement. I'm constantly on the edge of my seat and wondering what's going to happen next. The plot of this series is so unique and I love being able to experience everything with Darina. She is a head strong and independent main character, and works so hard to make sure all the Beautiful Dead are safe. Her relationship with Phoenix is stronger than ever and their connection is amazing. A lot of new characters are introduced in this book, many of which I liked. Raven was especially great. I'd never read about someone with his condition before and his relationship with Arizona was heartbreaking.Eden Maguire has a great writing style and I had a hard time putting this down once I'd gotten into it. There are so many plot twists and this series is so different from anything I've read before.I definitely recommend picking this series up. It may not be for everyone, but I do enjoy it, and you can understand what's going on even if you haven't read the first book. Beautiful Dead is an original and suspenseful series and I can't wait to read book three (Summer)!Overall: 4 out of 5 stars