The story twisted and turned, and while I guessed the ending, I was still surprised by quite a few elements and scenes. I liked both the knowing and not knowing. I also liked that it was not a perfectly happy story, there was always going to be tragedy about it (I mean it starts with the apparent suicide of three high school girls). But the words will fill your heart at points, as it rips your heart out at other moments. The mean girls were a fantastic addition, creating lots of depth and forcing Mila to visit her own judgments and prejudices. They all must come to terms with their worst natures, their darkest selves. This is a good book for showing everyone how corrosive words can be, what you may think is simple gossip, or a harmless joke, could turn into persecution of someone who just needs love or a friend. Dayton and June were barbed, but they also proved themselves to have hearts and were caring and kind, if a little ignorant and flighty. Dayton is often the most caring and also the saddest story. She often shows what it means to lose a life, how much she will miss, but she is also the most accepting of her fate. It is her strength, happiness and courage that help the other girls to accept who they are and the inevitability of death. June is sharper, more determined, but she is also hiding secrets that show her to be careful, loving, protective. Riley, while Mila's best friend, seems to have changed when she emerged from her grave. She and Mila are continuously at odds and cannot find their footing. Their journey back to friendship helps both girls to heal and accept their loss. I loved these girls, all four of them, they remind me that I am human and so were the people who were once cruel to me. We all have our issues, and these four worked together to find peace. I found all of the characters well developed and well rounded, and the big baddie was so craftily formed that at first you are so blinded. As the story unfolds, your assumptions are tested and broken, just as Mila's are when she spends a week with the reanimated corpses of her worst enemies. I hope there is another Mila Flores book in the future, with the possibilities of hilarity and dark magic being endless.
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