Since Daisy and freinds have graduated, this book though still set in Nightshade has a new cast of main characters who are just entering high school. Jessica Walsh and her friend Eva are excited but worried about high school. This is no time for Jessica to find out that she is a virago, a warrior who must protect Nightshade. Between training and new boys, there is also the threat of a zombie apocalypse. Just another day in Nightshade.

These books are fun. They teach about family and loyalty but in a way that is not preachy at all. They are not really scarey so just about anyone can enjoy them. I like Jessica and I think she was brought in very well. I know some people have not liked the change in the characters but I found it refreshing. ( )

"Dead Is A Battlefield" sees former narrator Daisy Giordano away at college. Someone needs to show us the adventures of Nightshade so we get a new heroine, Jessica Walsh, a freshman at Nightshade High School. The tone of the series doesn't change a single bit but Jessica is not a Daisy copycat. Jessica doesn't have psychic abilities like Daisy does. She does find out that she is a virago, a female warrior chosen to battle evil in Nightshade. A virago is marked by a special tattoo that tingles when danger is near. Other things going on? Jessica is attracted to the new lead singer of Side Affects May Vary. But Dominic has his own issues starting with moodiness and moments when he starts to sing songs he didn't plan to sing. The songs also appear to be messages with clues in them. (Jukebox, anyone?) Jessica's best friend Eva starts acting extremely weird when she begins to hang around with a new boy named Edgar who works at the new perfume shop his mother owns. So there is a lot of odd things happening in Nightshade.

I loved all the storylines which truly are uniquely Nightshade. I have come to love this quirky town in the previous installments. I was somewhat disappointed by a rushed ending. All the plot strands seem to unravel far to quickly and easily. I also would have liked to see more depth to the characters, especially the new ones. The Dead Is series is for younger teens and pre-teens. It is a fabulous series for the independent reader who first expresses an interest in reading things paranormal. As an adult I still enjoy the fun, quick reads. They are very enjoyable and I know I will be around to read any future installments. Nightshade is one interesting town. ( )

Dead is a Battlefield

by: Marlene Perez

4 Stars


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780547607344
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: 3/6/2012
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 57,499
Age range: 12 – 17 Years
Series: Dead Is…(Spin-Off) Series
Product dimensions: 5.00 (w) x 6.90 (h) x 0.70 (d)



Summary: This is book 6 in the Dead is series. I have not read any of the previous books, but it was not necessary. Jessica Walsh is the newest heroine in this series. She is starting her freshman year at Nightshade high. If you don’t know much about Nightshade, it is a town that seems to be filled with paranormals. I understood that a lot of the people and town history were explained in previous books, but there is enough description throughout the book to never make me feel lost. Regardless, Jessica wants to have a normal high school experience. She was miss popular while she was younger, and she is hoping to continue life as normal with her best friend in high school. A new boy has become the singer of a local band that happens to be one of her favorites. Jessica hears how hot he is, and her best friend and her bum a ride from her best friend’s sister to see the bands first concert. Everyone is right, the new singer is HOT!!! However, Jessica is stubborn enough to not be one of the lovesick girls that throw themselves at him. This helps because she also meets and becomes friends with his sister. At the same time, a new store is coming to town. A creepy boy hands Jessica and her friends a flyer introducing it, then hands out a few samples of free perfume to some of the girls at school, including Jessica’s best friend. Jessica doesn’t get all the fuss, but everyone else is dying to get their hands on a special bottle of perfume from the new stores. Tingling sensations on Jessica’s arm demand attention, and through an unlikely twist, Jessica finds out that she is a virago, woman warrior. From there, new training begins, zombies run a muck, and love is in the air. How does Jessica become the new hero in Nightshade? What will all of the girls do about the new singer and Edgar? It’s time to find out by reading through this quick book. Hurry up before book 7 pops up.
My thoughts: This is a fun beach/pool read. The 7th book is expected to come out in September, so laying out by the pool and reading through this is a pretty good idea. If you are like me, you will read it in a day and be satisfied with reading it. It’s nothing to be jump up and down excited about, but it’s fun and keeps you moving. My high school teenagers (juniors and seniors) weren’t rushing me at the door to be the next to read this, but I handed it off to our librarian and she had several freshman that were “dying” to read it. Yes, that was a silly pun. I would say that younger teens and adolescents will be even more excited with the series because of how quickly the stories move. They are interesting, just not very deep. This is not a book that you are going to have to think about, it tells you exactly what is going on without a lot of hidden aspects. Even the overall zombie plot is out in the open. I was a little frustrated that Jessica took so long to figure it out. I’d hope that a younger reader would enjoy the mystery a little longer than I did. ( )