Review: Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez

Dead is a Battlefield (Dead Is #6)

by Marlene Perez
Date Published: March 6th, 2012
2012 Houghlin Mifflin Harcourt
Softcover Edition; 227 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-547-60734-4
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary
Jessica Walsh is starting her freshman year at Nightshade High and trying to forget about the tragic events surrounding her brother’s graduation. She wants to have a normal high school experience. But that’s easier said than done in Nightshade.

When a new boy shows up at school, the girls are infected with a case of seriously creepy crushes. But when their obsession turns to violence, Jessica and her friends start to wonder if there’s more going on than just a little friendly rivalry. Are the smitten girls turning into love zombies?

And Jessica has other worries—like her crush on Dominic Gray, the cute but moody new singer for Side Effects May Vary, and the mysterious tattoo that appeared on her arm one day and lets her know whenever there is trouble brewing. Jessica learns she's a Virago, a woman warrior chosen to fight evil whenever it threatens her hometown. But does a lowly freshman really have what it takes to keep Nightshade safe?

My Thoughts

Dead is a Battlefield is the sixth novel in this series, and features Jessica Walsh, a freshman trying desperately to forget the serious events that surrounded her brother's graduation.  I thoroughly enjoyed the previous novels in this series and wondered where the author was going to take this series when this one popped into my mailbox one day.  And although I enjoyed it, I can't honestly say I enjoyed it as much as the earlier novels featuring Daisy.

Jessica is an interesting character, but I felt like the author focused too much on the status of her popularity rather than on her character traits and the development of her character which I found to be somewhat erratic.  I found her to be somewhat selfish at times and although I liked the fact that she was honest with herself to admit she liked her popularity, it did irk me at times and I kind of found her to be snobbish.  Perhaps this will change in future novels as her character develops and she gets put in more serious scrapes which allows her to grow up and be more responsible and mature.

The plot is meant to be lighthearted and fun, definitely not complex, and it lives up to that standard set in previous novels.  I enjoyed the antics of secondary characters and the various events that continue to plague the town of Nightshade as it was just pure fun.  While the main plotline is easily predictable, I enjoyed reading how the various characters worked together to get themselves out of the scrapes with the usual romantic entanglements getting in the way.  You have to take the plot with a grain of salt, but the various threads are fun and set up some interesting scenarios for the future.  If you are looking for complex, deep plots, then this book and series are definitely not for you, but if you are looking for light entertainment, then you will enjoy this novel.

Verdict
Dead is a Battlefield continues the antics of the various characters introduced in previous novels and puts them in scenarios that are fun and entertaining.  While not quite up to the standard of the previous novels featuring Daisy, this one was still fun and lighthearted, and I'm hoping that as Jessica's character develops and matures, and I get used to the change in character focus, Jessica will grow on me as well.