Krista Reviews: Aprilynne Pike's - "Life After Theft"
Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.
No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so–in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history–he agrees to help her complete her “unfinished business.” But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff’s new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he’s made the right choice.
Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published April 30th 2013 by HarperTeen
Jeff is the new kid in school and has had some trouble getting noticed and making friends. When he begins to anonymously return missing property from a long ago fiasco. Most people are grateful, some are upset, and for others like Sera, old unwanted memories return.
The first person that Jeff encounters as a friend at his new school is a ghost. A ghost that in life stole everything she could get her hands on and hid them in a cave. She thinks she is stuck on Earth for her past actions and with the help of Jeff, they slowly begin to return the property she has stolen.
During the course of the story Jeff does gain some friends through the connection of the property and love connection with Sera, who has some secrets of her own.
Kimberlee is a really mean girl. She is vindictive, holds a grudge and always uses payback against others to make herself feel better. Jeff on the other hand is shy and very loyal person. The two personalities really clash in the story which brings most of the humor to the novel.
Kimberlee does grow the most throughout this book. The connection between Jeff and Sera is truly sincere and slowly grows throughout the story – it was my favorite part. Jeff is such an honest and devoted person.
Life After Theft has a great combination of characters, a unique ghost story and relationships that are life altering. It’s amazing how one small act can change a life.
