Belinda Reviews: Kim Harrison - "Once Dead, Twice Shy"
We’re introduced to this new world created by Kim Harrison in the 
anthology Prom Nights From Hell. Once Dead, Twice Shy is the first full-length volume featuring the new character, Madison Avery.
Madison Avery, or ‘Mad Maddie’, as the popular kids call her (purple-tipped hair and one step away from being classed as a delinquent) is coming to the end of her summer vacation. She spent most of it trying to figure out a new bunch of ‘powers’ she’s supposed to have, as a result of having stolen an amulet from a reaper as he came to finish her off in the morgue. (This is after he unsuccessfully drove her off a cliff in a convertible on prom night, and when ‘scything’ her didn’t do the job 100%!).
So, Maddie is dead with a capital D, and she doesn’t believe in fate. The irony of this becomes apparent as you read through the book and follow the twists and turns to their eventual destination. If you end up where you thought you would, you must have flipped to the back of the book and cheated.
This is Kim Harrison’s first foray into YA Fiction. For the most part, the story is at completely the opposite end of the spectrum from her Hollows series. An element that I think will be Kim’s calling card in future books is her use of the ‘tiny hero’: An annoyingly lovable character who is only knee-high to a grasshopper, but who packs a serious punch.
Harrison knows how to put the unlikeliest characters together to create humour and suspense, and she doesn’t leave you feeling like there’s something missing… well, apart from the next instalments: Early to Dead, Early to Rise (2010) and Something Deadly This Way Comes (2011).
You’ll enjoy the fast pace and the light humor. A wonderful Friday afternoon filler.
Check out Kim’s website for further info.
Once Dead, Twice Shy – Kim Harrison
June 7th 2010 by HarperCollins Australia
Paperback, 256 pages
ISBN: 9780061441684
ISBN: 0061441686
