Dead On Town Line

So I’ve been trying to decide if I want to do my own personal book reviews anymore since I do want to eventually start actively looking for an agent and trying to become a published author.  But right now since my life is at a point where I am focusing more on my health and still working on my manuscript, I feel I will go ahead and do my reviews.  I might delete them later if it’s suggested to me when I do start looking for an agent, but for now I just want to get my thoughts out there for my own personal use to reflect on what I like about stories I read and what I don’t like.

Also I plan to make a page soon with cover pictures of the books I’ve read so I can keep a tab.  I’d get one of those bookshelf widgets but some of my books are really old and a lot of those widget places don’t have cover pictures on file for them and I really want them all to have cover pictures because I will be getting rid of some of the books I don’t see myself ever reading again.  I’m thinking about holding on to some of them and offering them as a giveaway on my blog in the future.  Still deciding on that.  But for now, on with the review.  Enjoy.

Dead On Town Line by Leslie Connor

Here is another one of the novels my sister picked up for a dollar at Books-A-Million. So this story was written in a very interesting way. It's completely in prose, as in poem. Each poem is a new chapter of the story. This story reads super fast, like a hour tops for fast readers.

Here's it's synopsis: Of all the revelations her afterlife brings, perhaps the most startling thing Cassie Devlin discovers is that being dead isn't being done. Murdered by a classmate, Cassie finds herself stuck on the edges of the world she once knew and a realm whose tug she feels but can't quite find her way to. And . . . she is not alone.There's another like her, who arrived earlier and who, like Cassie, has some unfinished business.

Beautifully crafted in electrifying free verse, Dead on Town Line offers teens an emotionally provocative, can't-put-it-down reading experience that will linger long after the last page is turned.

So I like the plot of this story. It does become easy to figure out who killed the main character in the story pretty early on, but it's still worth sticking to the story to find out how the murder was pulled off. The main character starts off the story dead, retelling her story from a while back. She explains what happened to her and why she is currently dead. However, along the way in her story she jumps back to present time as she and her new friend, an also dead girl who's mystery is unsolved, try to find ways to get the living's attention so their bodies can be found and they can move on. They practice using ghost tricks to try to make this happen.

This story kind of read like a Lifetime or after school special movie for me. There's the drama of past events that leads up to the person wanting to kill the main character, to the assumed and expected ending. It really wasn't a bad story. I dare to say I might be tempted to read it again some day.

So on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being best I give this story an 8. It was a decent little story with an interesting plot and decent ending. It's not the best story out there, but I find a story being told in prose very interesting. It makes me want to experiment with my writing and perhaps try writing a novel in prose to see how it turns out. If you can find this book in your local library or used for super cheap or have a Books-A-Million close by, totally pick this one up. I think you will find it very interesting. I am curious to read more books by the author to see how I like them. The hunt is on.

Writing away,
M.