The Death and Romancing of Marley Craw

by Brindi Quinn

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Death and Romancing of Marley Craw from Brindi Quinn in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved the other two books I’ve read by Brindi Quinn (Lightborne and the Pursuit of Zillow Stone) so naturally I couldn’t resist the chance to read and review another one of her books! The thing I really love about all of Brindi Quinn’s books (I’ve read three now, so I feel safe saying this) is how much fun they are. Even when the subject can be really rather heavy (for example, what happens to Marley in this novel) Quinn always manages to bring things back around to a lighter tone. Her characters are light and happy, and on the whole always willing to look on the brighter side of things. In a world where there’s enough trouble building, it’s hard not to appreciate this escape for what it is.



Warnings first: (This is spoiler heavy, so beware) As the title of this book implies, Marley Craw dies. It happens literally at the beginning of the book, and it is not what I’d consider a good death (if one is willing to consider any death a good one, that is). She’s caught unawares, raped, and then murdered. Marley’s character does a pretty good job about not focusing on the details (as is Quinn, the event itself isn’t overly in depth, thankfully), but it does come up a few times later in the novel. Additionally, Marley’s character in life had tried to commit suicide at one point (again, we’re told this in the past tense, and only ‘see’ Marley as she’s recovering in the hospital), and it’s implied that her father also took his life. Again, these don’t go incredible detail, but they did still happen, and I know sometimes that’s enough to really upset some people, so please be aware of it.
Obviously I knew that this book was going to have to end with Marley Craw’s death – the title made that pretty clear. Despite that I was still surprised by the manner of her death, which I know may seem silly. It’s not like there’s a happy way for a healthy seventeen year old girl to die. Still, things start off pretty heavy (again, I shouldn’t be surprised, since it starts with a death). What’s more surprising is that the novel following this even is not exceptionally heavy or depressing. Yes, it absolutely has its moments, but Marley doesn’t spend her entire afterlife (well, the two weeks we see of it) wallowing in what happened to her physical body (though I do feel like if anyone’s earned that right, it’s her).
Quinn has a way of developing these wonderfully strong and quirky characters. Each one is different from any other character I’ve seen. One would think using the template of “strong” and “quirky” that there would only be so many variations before we start seeing the same characters from her, but so far that hasn’t happened. This makes me believe that Quinn spends a lot of time thinking about the characters, and how she wants them to be and grow as characters throughout the novel. I sincerely can’t get over how much thought she must put into her series.
I should probably cover the actual plot a little bit, huh? As mentioned (multiple times), Marley Craw is dead. In her own words, she’s dead as a doorknob dead. Which is a pretty accurate statement, all things considered. Most (many?) people when they die already have their fate decided, but not Marley. Due to this she’s assigned two different reapers, Pine and Minx, to help her soul decide where it belongs.
Now, if you’re thinking this is one of those “heaven vs. hell” stories, let me tell you how wrong you are. Yes, Marley needs to be reaped by one of the two men seeking her soul, but neither of them represents heaven or hell. Though one of them is dangerous for Marley, just not in a way you can immediately guess (which I loved). Quinn did a fantastic job of telling a story about the afterlife, without touching upon any of the tropes one would expect. It was delightfully refreshing.
I imagine our preference for which reaper we like better depends much on our own experiences, much like how Marley has picked. Pine is serious, experienced, and almost feels more like a care taker, in some sense. Minx is…well he’s pretty much a puppy. All he wants to do is cuddle. Both are trying to seduce Marley into letting them reap her soul (and yes, I’m using the term seduce intentionally here; each soul requires the reapers to treat them differently, in Marley’s case she needed to be loved and wanted). If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend half the book trying to figure out which one represents which afterlife, only to find out you’ve had it all wrong from the beginning (which I actually appreciate – there’s nothing worse than reading a predictable book).
Coming back to the fact that Marley is dead (we can’t really escape that fact, no more than Marley herself can); this novel will make you feel all sorts of emotions. From the way you’ll feel about the life Marley had, to the afterlife she’s currently having, it’ll all cause a reaction in you, I promise.
I can’t wait to see what Brindi Quinn’s next book is like! So far I’ve loved all of them, even the ones I wasn’t expecting to (normally life after death stories aren’t my thing, but in this case it totally worked). I’ll admit that I liked the other two novels more, but considering I still greatly enjoyed this one, I’m not upset about that (which is really saying something about how great the other two are, if you ask me). If you’re looking for an author who writes expansive and immersive worlds, then Brindi Quinn is your girl.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks