Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Undead by Rose Pressey

Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Undead by Rose Pressey

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal romance 
E-book: 345 KB
Publisher: Rose Pressey
Release date: June 29, 2011

 

Series: Veronica Mason #1

 

Source: Rose Pressey

 

Reviewed by: Jenn

 

Purchase: Amazon

Veronica Mason—lead singer of the rockabilly band The Voodoo Zombies—discovers her vampire bass player staked through the heart. A vision of the murder flashes in Veronica’s mind and she wonders if she’s going bonkers. Up until now her supernatural skills consisted of a few botched love spells.

 

Using her sexy voice and pin-up style has paid off, she’s about to land a record deal. But suspicion soon turns to her when another vampire turns up as nothing more than a pile of ashes a vacuum would have a hard time sucking up. Veronica has another vision, and she has to hone her paranormal powers or lose her deal—and possibly her life.

 

When an utterly delicious mystery man steps in as the new bass player, Veronica can’t figure out if he’s there to help or cause more problems. What she does know is she can’t resist his good looks and sex appeal. She wonders if they’d make rockin’ music together. But helping the undead could stop her from finding out and leave Veronica dead—permanently.

I’d like to start off by thanking Rose Pressey for a review copy of Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and loved the idea of a paranormal book set in a rockabilly world. It’s definitely a unique take on the genre and I was excited to read it.

 

There were a lot of things I liked about Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead. The rockabilly scene is vividly portrayed through Veronica’s music, band, lifestyle, and personal style. A lot of thought has obviously gone into building Veronica Mason’s world, which I appreciate. There are a lot of little details that make the book come off the page. The basic storyline is also solid. Though there are some moments where I felt like Veronica was a bit slow on the uptake, the mystery was pretty satisfying, with some nice red herrings thrown in, though there were some moments toward the end of the book that seemed a bit out of sync with the rest of the novel. (I don’t want to say too much about it since I want to keep this spoiler-free, as usual.)

 

I also liked the general tone of the story. Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead is light and fluffy, with a lot of humour injected into the story. It reminded me a lot of Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, though Rose Pressey has a less bawdy feel, and it sort of reminded me of Charlaine Harris, though I think the Sookie books are a bit more serious overall than this one. I can also see this book appealing to fans of Mary Janice Davidson or Janet Evanovitch.

 

One aspect of the story I didn’t really love was Veronica, oddly enough. I liked bits and pieces of her personality but she seemed really flighty and kind of dumb at some points in the book. It’s not because she’s bad at witchcraft (which she truly is, ending up with a new lipstick at the end of every spell) or because she’s not the kind of kick-butt, take-charge kind of heroine we see in a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal romance; after all, there are some great protagonists who aren’t powerful and their lack of power is what makes their journeys so interesting. I think it boils down to the fact that she didn’t feel fully realized to me – like she had all the makings of a great character but just fell short of the mark. In fact, there were a few characters in the novel that could have used a bit more development to make them stand out a little bit more, instead of seeming like stock characters.

 

Overall, I’d have to say that Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead definitely isn’t for everybody but I think it holds a lot of appeal for folks who enjoy light paranormal romance. It’s got a very distinct tone and feel that may not work for people who like a little darkness in their stories but it’s a decent read. I’d suggest reading the excerpt available on the Amazon page (by clicking on the Look Inside option) to see if you like it.

Posted by jenn at 10:58

 Review, Witch  2 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.