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A review by princess_starr
Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
4.0
Excusing my fansquee over [b:Texas Gothic|9535352|Texas Gothic|Rosemary Clement-Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1294613587s/9535352.jpg|13155646] earlier this month, I love most of Rosemary Clement-Moore’s books. They’re funny, snarky, and manages to whip up a good plot.
Prom Dates… is a great little read. I said in the aforementioned review that Amy Goodnight could be cousins with Maggie Quinn, insofar of the fact that they’re both snarky psychics who like to get their Nancy Drew on. While it should be a cliché that Maggie’s defenses for dealing with the banality that is high school. But it’s a refreshing brand of snark, and I loved the humor Maggie brings to the book. I also liked how, even though she doesn’t figure out the exact answer until the end, she’s still willing to approach the conflict from every possible angle until her hunches are right. I like that she’s willing to do the right thing, even if it means helping out her high school nemeses (the Jocks & Jessicas), because it is the right thing to do. Also, she uses logic and science to explain and figure out all of the supernatural goings-on. And she manages to have a great relationship with her parents and grandmother, and it feels realistic.
The plot flows really well. There’s one or two things that feel thrown in at the last minute or feel shoehorned in, but overall, the main action and mystery moves at a good pace. Like I just mentioned, I like how once Maggie accepts all of these accidents are supernatural, she start eliminating every possibility before figuring out the force causing everything. Most of the revenges also feel natural—with the exception of Jock Brian’s sudden development of MS, that one felt a little too out of left field (or as out of left field as one can get in a supernatural mystery)—and fitting to the targeted characters. (Even Karen, who we find out wasn’t an intended victim, but the revenge still fits with her character well enough that it throws Maggie off her game.)
Designated love interest Justin is a little harder to pin down, but I generally liked him. He plays off Maggie well, and some of my favorite parts of the book is their banter. The fact that they both genuinely like one another is a refreshing change from the “slap-slap-kiss” trope, and I was hoping that they would eventually hook up by the end of the book.
Lisa’s the hardest character to crack. While I liked her similarly snarky attitude, there’s something off about her that I couldn’t really relate to. And unfortunately, her reason for helping to summon the demon in the first place—her pre-book sexual assault/rape (it’s never clarified) by one of the Jocks—felt like a convenient excuse and didn’t really get a lot of the attention that it deserved. There’s some hints of Lisa being damaged throughout the book, but the explanation comes too quickly and too close to the end to have the intended effect on the reader. It’s my least favorite part of the book, specifically because it does feel shoehorned and doesn't have the impact that the backstory should have.
As a villain, Stanley is the weakest character in the whole—he only feels like the intended antagonist just because. He’s a slightly sympathetic villain in the idea that he’s a nerd, and most of us know what it’s like to get picked on in high school. But there’s really not much that he does beside mua-ha-ha-ing behind his greasy glasses.
Despite its faults, I have such a good time reading this book. It’s a great start to a series, Maggie’s a fun character to both read and root for, and the mystery manages to be entertaining and puzzling for the reader as well as the characters. It’s happy fun brain candy that’s also smart and witty. Highly enjoyable, and comes very recommended.
Prom Dates… is a great little read. I said in the aforementioned review that Amy Goodnight could be cousins with Maggie Quinn, insofar of the fact that they’re both snarky psychics who like to get their Nancy Drew on. While it should be a cliché that Maggie’s defenses for dealing with the banality that is high school. But it’s a refreshing brand of snark, and I loved the humor Maggie brings to the book. I also liked how, even though she doesn’t figure out the exact answer until the end, she’s still willing to approach the conflict from every possible angle until her hunches are right. I like that she’s willing to do the right thing, even if it means helping out her high school nemeses (the Jocks & Jessicas), because it is the right thing to do. Also, she uses logic and science to explain and figure out all of the supernatural goings-on. And she manages to have a great relationship with her parents and grandmother, and it feels realistic.
The plot flows really well. There’s one or two things that feel thrown in at the last minute or feel shoehorned in, but overall, the main action and mystery moves at a good pace. Like I just mentioned, I like how once Maggie accepts all of these accidents are supernatural, she start eliminating every possibility before figuring out the force causing everything. Most of the revenges also feel natural—with the exception of Jock Brian’s sudden development of MS, that one felt a little too out of left field (or as out of left field as one can get in a supernatural mystery)—and fitting to the targeted characters. (Even Karen, who we find out wasn’t an intended victim, but the revenge still fits with her character well enough that it throws Maggie off her game.)
Designated love interest Justin is a little harder to pin down, but I generally liked him. He plays off Maggie well, and some of my favorite parts of the book is their banter. The fact that they both genuinely like one another is a refreshing change from the “slap-slap-kiss” trope, and I was hoping that they would eventually hook up by the end of the book.
Lisa’s the hardest character to crack. While I liked her similarly snarky attitude, there’s something off about her that I couldn’t really relate to. And unfortunately, her reason for helping to summon the demon in the first place—her pre-book sexual assault/rape (it’s never clarified) by one of the Jocks—felt like a convenient excuse and didn’t really get a lot of the attention that it deserved. There’s some hints of Lisa being damaged throughout the book, but the explanation comes too quickly and too close to the end to have the intended effect on the reader. It’s my least favorite part of the book, specifically because it does feel shoehorned and doesn't have the impact that the backstory should have.
As a villain, Stanley is the weakest character in the whole—he only feels like the intended antagonist just because. He’s a slightly sympathetic villain in the idea that he’s a nerd, and most of us know what it’s like to get picked on in high school. But there’s really not much that he does beside mua-ha-ha-ing behind his greasy glasses.
Despite its faults, I have such a good time reading this book. It’s a great start to a series, Maggie’s a fun character to both read and root for, and the mystery manages to be entertaining and puzzling for the reader as well as the characters. It’s happy fun brain candy that’s also smart and witty. Highly enjoyable, and comes very recommended.