Author: Gina Damico
5 out of 5 stars
Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Reading Level: Middle Grade (per publisher) Young Adult (per me)
Book Available: September 25, 2012
Disclosure: I received a free paperback galley from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home.
To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all — but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?
My Thoughts: This book is the sequel to Croak!, which I read and reviewed March 16-17, 2012 (see that review here), and at least one more book is currently scheduled in this series, tentatively scheduled for release sometime in 2013.
The publisher lists this book for age 12 and up, but it has quite a lot of violence (and some mild sexual situations), so keep that in mind. It actually creeped me out a bit, and I seriously had a difficult time finishing it due to how dark it was (I admit, I peeked at the ending – on serious advantage to eBooks is that I can’t do that). That does not mean it is not a good book – it really is a very good book. Damico is a seriously talented writer, one that has created characters for whom I truly feel something, which is why I had so much trouble finishing the book; I didn’t want to see the characters go through what I knew was coming.
We finally see another Grim town – DeMyse, out in Death Valley – which was pretty neat. From the ending of this book, it appears we might get to see Necropolis in the upcoming third book... but I won’t give any more information than that, so as to avoid spoilers. If you enjoy a book with well-written and strongly characterized people, and aren’t bothered by some seriously dark storylines, this book is definitely for you. If your younger reader is interested in the book, I would recommend you first read the book yourself before allowing it.
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