B.C. Johnson: "Deadgirl: Gravedust" (ARC Review)

Title: Deadgirl: Gravedust [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Deadgirl (5th of 5 books, but there's also a novella about a side character that is chronologically book 2.5 in the series - though best read after book 3 if you want to avoid a spoiler about its ending)
Author: B.C. Johnson [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Year: 2024
Age: 14+
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Imaginative plot. Excellent pacing. Emotional kaleidoscope. Flawed yet lovable characters who manage to feel realistic in the middle of mayhem.
Cons: Darker than the previous installments. A certain twist brings some issues with it.
WARNING! Horror, gore and heartbreak (both for the characters and the readers). Guns, knifes/swords, rats, fires/burns, vampirism (on people and animals, the latter off-page), eye and leg injury, near-drowning, suicide (off-page). Lots of language.
Will appeal to: Those who love peculiar undead protagonists. Those who enjoy a mix of cinematic action and strong feelings. Those who like brave, resourceful teens who don't pose as heroes, but are set on saving the world whatever the price (and manage to love a lot in the process).

Blurb: For Lucy and her friends, the end is here. The deals they've made have fallen apart, and their enemies prepare a final attack on everything Team Deadgirl holds dear. An army of monsters out of a nightmare arrives on their doorstep, but Lucy, Morgan, Zack, and Daphne are scattered, unprepared, and alone. When an old villain turns out not to be as dead as they appeared - which is sort of Lucy's thing - the team again faces the one girl they were never able to defeat. And she isn't just seeking revenge against Lucy. She's after something far worse. (Amazon)

Review:  First off...DISCLAIMER: I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. And the author being B.C. Johnson, you all know I've been campaigning for his first Deadgirl book with all my might since 2013, when I read the original version. Also, B.C. Johnson and me have stayed in touch, if sporadically, for the whole time. I'm not what you would call a friend of his though, only a fan of his work. And an unbiased one. As usual, this review is the love child of my penchant for quirky, uniquely worded books and B.C. Johnson's ability to deliver them.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

How do you review the last book in a saga you've been invested in for almost twelve years? How do you find the words to say goodbye to a world and a cast that you aren't, will never be ready to let go, and yet (you agree, you see the point) went out with a spectacular, incredibly satisfying bang? First thing first - Deadgirl: Gravedust is what every series ending should be: high-octane, twist-serving, and emotionally destroying, but in a good way. (Wait, is there a good way? You bet there is). In this last installment, Johnson puts every idea, mood, plot thread, side character (alive and dead) that have ever been incorporated into the story to fruition, which is an impressive feat in itself, and shows how he's been playing the long game all along, though the first Deadgirl was just a standalone novel with sequel(s) potential when it was published (well, the author had ideas for those sequels, but I don't know how structured at the time - what I know is, he changed a bunch of them during his writing journey. And yet...). Gravedust is a colossal showdown (not only because it could be a legit superhero blockbuster, only with teens), and it's a chorus line's last bow after a terrific performance, because all of this has been as much about Lucy - the girl who stubbornly refused to die on her first date - as it has been about all her friends and family and allies, in more ways than one. Whether a character in this book is alive or dead, just bruised or badly injured in the end - and regardless of their lives still being a work in progress, because of course they are, and clear-cut endings are a lie - we get closure about them, or as much closure as we can. And it's funny, and it's sad, and it's beautiful. [...]

MATTERS OF THE HEART

Let's backtrack a little, though. Gravedust starts off where Daybreak ended (except for a heartwarming/heartbreaking prologue), with Lucy and the gang scattered and in all kinds of grave danger. The narration is again split between Lucy and her friend Morgan, with a few omniscient-narrator chapters for group scenes and minor characters (and we'll understand what the deal is with those chapters only towards the end). Very distinctive voices and styles, though the Johnson trademark is clearly recognisable. Slowly, the Team Deadgirl's members find their way back to each other, and plunge deeper and deeper into danger and mayhem. The best thing is, your heart goes out to everyone - the friends, the parents, and Lucy herself of course. I've said it once, I'll say it again (quoting my Daybreak review here): each and every one of these books is able to "build a unique world and populate it with characters we can't but care for. Surprise us at every corner. Break our hearts and put them back together and make us LOVE the whole painful process". It bears repeating because it's too true, it's ALWAYS been true, it's gotten all the more true for every new installment, and this one of course - this is the acme. And though the (ambitious) climax poses a few logistical problems (that can be solved, but will require a tad of mental gymnastics), I can't detract even half a star from my rating, because the twisty, cinematic, poetical, pulsating quality of this story, the immersive prose, the challenging but ultimately endearing epilogue, don't deserve anything less. Lucy Abigail Day, it's been an honour.

For my "Deadgirl" review (first installment in the series) click here.
For my "Deadgirl: Ghostlight" review (second installment in the series) click here.
For my "Daphne" review (installment 2.5 in the series) click here.
For my "Deadgirl: Goneward" review (third installment in the series) click here.
For my "Deadgirl: Daybreak" review (fourth installment in the series) click here.
For my interviews with B.C. Johnson click here and here.
For more Afterlife books click here.