Book Review + Author Word Associations: Body and Soul by Stacey Kade

I've got both an author word associations list and a review for you guys today, celebrating the recent release of the final installment in the Ghost and the Goth series! I love this series, it's definitely a favorite of mine, and I'm so excited the conclusion is finally out! Since my review for this one is admittedly shorter, since it's really hard to talk about the reasons I fell into this book without spoiling either it or the previous two books, I'm combining everything into this one post.

First up is a round of Word Associations, where I sent a list of random words/phrases to Stacey, and she had to give me the first thing that came to mind for each!

Vindictive: evil

Cheerleader: red and white (the cheerleading uniforms at my high school were red and white, as, of course, was Alona’s)

Okapi: cute (I’ll admit I had to look this up to find out what it was. So really the first thing that came to mind would have been, “Huh?”)

Persephone: Meg Cabot (her new series is based on that myth and I love her books).

Monkeys: baby orangutans

It's a Dog's Life: A Bug’s Life (the ride at Disney. One of my favorites when we visited a couple of years ago.)

Piglet: red shirt (Piglet wears a red shirt in the Pooh cartoon, right?)

Bug in a Rug: snug

Aloe: green

Bones: safe (I have no idea. Maybe that no further harm can come to whoever that was? Yes, I know. Occasionally, I’m weird and morbid.)

Ocean: waves

Pink: Bright

Penguin: publisher

White Out: mistakes

Laptop: doorway

OPINION: 4 STARS

With the same charm and mix of wit and emotion that was present throughout the first two books, Body and Soul is a well done and engaging finale to a fun series. Picking up not long after book two closed, and keeping a steady pacing to it, this one will definitely have readers enthralled and rooting for both Alona and Will. Kade throws in some great twists, and has an undercurrent of the unknown driving this one, and wraps everything up in a way very fitting of the series.

Will and Alona continue to grow and change, needing each other in some big ways but also relying on themselves. Their little battles and nitpicks with each other continue to build their charm and relationship, while having a few bigger things thrown in that makes them relatable, and understandable. I love these two together, from the way they test the other to how they just really make each other better all around. While their final installment is certainly not an easy one, it’s well worth it.

As with the previous two installments, there is a plot specific to just this book, yet pulling in long running elements as well. Kade does a fabulous job of pacing everything and keeping her readers interested, not to mention leaving them guessing. I truly love the challenges the pair faces, and the decisions then end up having to make. Still switching perspectives in a smooth way and written in an easy to fall into style, and having some rough elements to it, Body and Soul is a great book and a perfect ending to a favorite series.

Details:

Source: Netgalley 

Reading level: Ages 12 and up 

Hardcover: 320 pages 

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Publication Date: May 1, 2012