The Beautiful Dead: A Tale of K-Pop, Ghosts, and Nine-Tailed Fox Women Paperback – September 29, 2017

I am a huge fan of supernatural, paranormal novels. Lately, I've been looking for something different within this genre. Something unfamiliar and unique. This book really caught my attention by it's artistic and impresive cover to be honest. I was instantly drawn to it and I am so glad I gave it a read. I am not familiar with K-Pop, but reading this, I enjoyed learning more about it. But it is so much more. Yes, it is a unique story revolving around the members of a K-Pop, all female band called SIITY Girls. But the story goes much deeper. The characters are forced to deal with many different struggles many will be able to identify with. Challenging parental relationships, a learning disability, sexual exploitation and haunting, inescapable childhood memories are all incorporated in the story line. You are taken on a dark supernatural journey through their lives. They face many relatable challenges, and each character has a well-developed and intriguing back story. In addition to their personal histories, Prince writes of supernatural experiences and paranormal activities with a visual component that is like none I have ever read. Strange, clever and unusual creatures are among the many well crafted components of his spirit world. I also enjoyed the modern day back drop with a peek into reality television, and the combined use of texting and personal computers as a means of communicating with the dead. Kept it socially relevant in today's world. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something fresh and new. This story posseses the elements of tragedy, humor, fantasy, conflict and love all woven together in a masterful way. I couldn't put it down! This novel is a great beginning to what I hope will be a series of books. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Since I am seriously considering getting an e-book copy for my mother, I thought I'd re-post my Audible.com review here:This book is a sweet onion. It has many layers, and just when you think it's going to get stinky on you, something unexpected and / or amazing happens. This book is complex and draws a lot upon cultural relevance. So I would suggest having Google, your favorite source of Korean drama, anime, or Asian supernatural lore handy.The story follows the current existences of 5 girls, and peeks into their pasts. The relationships between them are far from what they seem on the surface as none of them shares everything about themselves. The narrator also differentiates well as the point of view jumps from girl to girl. This can get really crazy when several of them are near each other.The author does a great job with explanations, so even if you know nothing about Asian culture, you won't be lost or confused. However the school life, the idol life, and the entertainment industry in Korea is vastly different than in other countries, like America. The best way that I can personally describe it is Ramen. Anyone who has seen boxes of the little packs knows what Ramen is in general... Noodles with seasoning. However anyone who has sat down at a true Ramen stall or restaurant, where the Ramen chef puts pride and skill into making sure every bowl is up to their personal standards, knows what Ramen is Supposed to be like! That is what this book is, good for everybody, better for those who have had exposure to the culture. Following that line of thinking, I can't wait to slurp up the next book!

This is a difficult review to write. I’ll tackle the two main issues I had with this book.What caught my eye was that this book was a Kpop and Korean ghost story. I wanted to enjoy to this. I WANTED this to be a book to get excited to read. I expected a light paranormal ghost story with perhaps a touch of romance worthy of a Kdrama. The book was not that. I felt lied to by the cover and blurb.The book had some minor grammar issues, mostly the lack of commas. Especially on dialogue tags that precede the quote. Other than that, it was just the common errors that you can also see in traditional published books.There was some adult language and sexual situations. I feel this book needs a trigger alert.GRAPHIC WARNING ALERT:This novel depicts sexual abuse, multiple times. (The first one was the idol manager had her, and told he she had to choose between her and another girl. He was the number one person she had to make happy. He had her alone, model outfits, then a bikini, then says something along, “Aren't you going to take that off?" Which she does, even though she doesn’t really want to, and then it's a bit graphic about where he touches and what he does. All the writer needed to do was stop with his moving behind her as she undressed. Readers are not dumb. We did not need the description of her body hair or what the evil vile manager did. And we most certainly didn’t need it multiple times.I have adjusted my review as perhaps 1 star was too harsh.

I loved every second of this book. And I love the supernatural themes and kpop background too...everything about it is awesome hence the five stars review...i can't wait for another installment

Satisfied