microreview of Beautiful Decay

Seriously off-putting title for the best YA fantasy I've read in years. Sylvia Lewis's novel of a teen outcast with an unusual and dangerous immune-system disorder is charming & gripping. I could hardly put it down & ( want the sequel now. The book reminds me of @TeamDamnation's Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. If you liked that book then you must read Beautiful Decay. I really like the fact that BD's protagonist, Ellie Miller, miserable and isolated, pulls herself out of the abyss. She is tough, and deals with her very real problems with grit and determination. There's no sex, but there is death; most pre-teens who like fantasy are ready for this book. www.runningpress.com/kids 9780762446117