The Wednesday Review: Twice Dead by Caitlin Seal

The Book:

Book Title: Twice Dead

Genre: YA Paranormal

Publishing Date: August 18th, 2018

Publisher: Charlesbridge Teen

Synopsis: Naya, the daughter of a sea merchant captain, nervously undertakes her first solo trading mission in the necromancer-friendly country bordering her homeland of Talmir. Unfortunately, she never even makes it to the meeting. She’s struck down in the streets of Ceramor. Murdered.

But death is not the end for Naya. She awakens to realize she’s become an abomination–a wraith, a ghostly creature bound by runes to the bones of her former corpse. She’s been resurrected in order to become a spy for her country. Reluctantly, she assumes the face and persona of a servant girl named Blue.

She never intended to become embroiled in political plots, kidnapping, and murder. Or to fall in love with the young man and former necromancer she is destined to betray.

The Review:

Twice Dead seemed to have so much potential to be dark, exciting, and unique, but it fell a little short for me. I enjoyed some of the world building involving necromancy, wraiths, the undead, and reapers, but it seemed like the excitement kind of stopped there. The pacing was slow to moderate. The world building fell a little flat, and the character development just wasn’t there.

I really wanted to love this book. I mean, it wasn’t boring enough to make me stop reading it, but it wasn’t intriguing enough to make me want book 2. I never felt like I quite grasped how the setting looked, and I never felt like I connected with the characters. There was only scene that really struck me as unpredictable, while the rest of the plot just kind of fell in to place quite typically.

I just wish I wasn’t so disappointed with this one. The writing wasn’t terrible. The concept of the book really grabbed me, and the idea behind the necromancy was intriguing, but that was about it for me, unfortunately. I wouldn’t say to avoid the book, but it wouldn’t be at the top of my recommendation pile.