Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Kyra Sellers is back, and if people know what's good for them, they will keep their distance. Her mother has died of cancer, and even her special relationship with Fanboy couldn't keep her life from spiraling out of control. If he hadn't told her father about the bullet, her innermost thoughts would still be hers.

After spending six months under psychological observation in a facility of her father's choosing, Kyra is back at home and expected to resume regular life. Her father has suicide-proofed the house so she can't even shave her legs, and all he wants is for her to behave herself at school.

It all just reminds her of how much Fanboy let her down. He said he'd email and stay in touch, but she never received a single contact. Now she's learning that while she was gone, his life went on. He seems to be everyone's hero, and he's rewritten his comic and is actually choosing to publish it in installments in the school literary rag.

Kyra uses her rebel skills to annoy everyone as much as possible. She refuses to be drawn into heartfelt conversations with her father. Instead, she blames him for her mother's death, and in an effort to shock him, shaves her head. As far as her behavior at school, it's nearly impossible to honor her promise to "be good." The teachers irritate her, the principal has unrealistic expectations, and Fanboy has been sucked into a situation with his comic that she just can't respect.

Almost immediately, Kyra reverts to yelling matches with her father, sneaking out at night, and stealing cars. Plagued by memories of her mother's lingering death, Kyra fights the urge to seek help from her therapist and her friends. How far will she go before she hurts herself or others?

Barry Lyga adds this sequel to THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL to his growing list of impressive YA fiction. What impressed me most about his creation was his ability to get inside Kyra's head to give readers a vivid view of her emotional upheaval.

The suggested audience is 14 and up, which is sensible given its straight-forward, gritty characters and rough dialogue. However, this isn't in any way a fault of the book, since Lyga keeps true to the unique voice of Kyra that he created in the first Fanboy/Goth Girl book. ( )

This is the story of a very confused and sick young girl. After the lose of her mother she is quite distraught with the path her life is taking. After having been admitted to a psychiatric hospital she is returning home to start over. Only what she encounters is a life that continued without her, and the plans that Kyra had made to start over are not playing out as she had planned. Kyra is a young girl that is mad at the world for what her life has become, and it takes so difficult and terrifying steps for her to overcome the slump she is living in. I did not relate while reading this book in any shape or form. It terrifies me to think that young people can be lost in their own minds as Kyra was in this particular book. Goth Girl Rising did not begin with a Once Upon a time, and certainly was not concluded with a Happily Ever After but I was comfortable with the outlook of a brighter future in the end. This was not the best book I have read, but surely not a waste of time I would say you need to take a look for yourself. ( )

Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising is the best YA book I've read in a long time. It's been a while since I've been this excited about a book. A sequel of sorts to Fanboy and Goth Girl, this is Kyra's story. The main characters, especially Kyra, are nuanced and complex. I could completely relate to Kyra's motives and behavior, to her fears, her anger, her confusion. In a lesser writer's hands this kind of angst would be cringe-worthy, but not in Lyga's. I wish I could express how much I needed this book. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen. I also wish I had a handle on all that fancy language from when I was a literature major to properly express my admiration for Barry Lyga's writing. This story resonated with me. Kyra was so real I still expect to see her when I turn a corner. ( )

Kyra Sellers, aka Goth Girl, is back in this novel about South Brook High. Returning to school after a bout in the hospital, she needs to learn who her friends actually are. ( )

Don't ruin your memory of the Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by reading this. It is horrendous. A total waste. I read the first 100 pages (out of 390) and could not go further. ( )