First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1)

by Darynda Jones

[Berls]

Review appeared first on Fantasy is More Fun.

4.5 stars
I’ve owned First Grave on the Right on audio for what feels like FOREVER, but for some very stupid reason I didn’t read it until it came up as a selection for book club. Well thank goodness that made me read it! There was absolutely nothing about First Grave on the Right that I didn’t love – but I’m giving it 4.5 stars because I wasn’t quite blown away enough to push it to 5.

Charley is nothing like I expected – she’s THE Grim Reaper, that comes with certain dark, badass expectations. Even though that’s not her at all, I adore her. She gets into loads of trouble (she’s not exactly a badass LOL) and has a really sarcastic and somewhat inappropriate sense of humor. As in snark overload. But you love that, right? I know I adore a grim reaper that names her boobs “Danger” and “Will Robinson”!

Charley also has a HUGE heart. Having a heart like hers could be a liability when you have to deal with death so frequently, and it kind of is for Charley – remember all the trouble she gets into? – but I loved that she doesn’t let some pretty horrendous things keep her from caring.

And I just loved her dynamic with her best friend – Cookie. Cookie is Charley’s assistant at her private investigation firm, but she’s also just a GREAT friend. Charley’s life is far from normal and Cookie just excepts it. Sure she freaks out and mothers Charley when Charley almost gets herself killed (notice a theme –> Charley gets into a lot of trouble), but that’s what a good friend does.

And then there’s Reyes. So when I heard his name, I thought, “Ohhhh Reyes!” Needless to say I’ve heard all about Reyes but I didn’t realize he belonged to this series. Yes, I like Reyes. He earned some sighs from me too. But he didn’t illicit the reaction I thought he would, given the hype. That’s okay, because I still really like him and I’m super curious about him – he’s a bit of a twist in the plot all on his own, so I can’t say much without being spoilery.

The way this world works is neat – grim reaping is nothing like I expected. Charley has an awful lot of ghosts around her and I found myself thinking, “aren’t you supposed to reap those souls?” But it doesn’t work that way – Charley is really just that bright light souls pass through. They have to choose to pass through her – so she’s more of a gate than an actual active soul collector.

I really enjoyed First Grave on the Right and look forward to reading more. If you’re one of the few out there that haven’t read it like me – I’d recommend it, especially if you enjoy snark, a bit of paranormal woo-woo, a light (almost cozy) mystery, and some sexy fun! And I’d definitely recommend it on audio – Lorelei King nailed it! I think the personalities, humor, and snark really came to life BECAUSE if her reading. This will be audio only for me, for sure!