Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on
When I first saw this I was pretty intrigued, I’ve never read a book about a reaper before and the cover is super shiny so I had a immediate attraction to it. (I mean who doesn’t like shiny things?) Not to mention the first sentence of the summary talks about her suckerpunching someone, that’s pretty different. So when I saw HMH’s twitter giveaway I jumped all over it.This was actually my second read during the April 2012 Dewey Readathon, and it was absolutely perfect for it.
This is an interesting book in the fact that it kind of makes fun of the things you see in YA so often, and yet it still manages to be a great book in itself. Gina really knows how to balance out the humor and the serious quite well through out it so even though parts can be downright silly she can reign it back without it seeming forced. The visualization is pretty nice as well, and the details give you a good sense of what every thing is like. The town of Croak was pretty awesome and really unique, I loved the set up and the people that Lex meets. It really is a place of character and it seems like a really fun place to be. The technology of the town is beyond weird and totally unique, and it goes great with the odd storyline. The reaper aspects were really cool and well thought out. I loved the concept of the scythe being more for transportation than actual reaping, and I also loved how they tend to represent the one who owns it. The pace of the story is pretty quick and you enter into the story running, which at first was a bit weird for me but once I got into it I loved how quickly everything flowed. I think the most surprising aspect of the book was the serious nature of some of the topics and situations that come up. Such as death, loss and abuse. Nothing is harped on in any immense detail, but there is a darker side to this story and while it is discussed in great details in does give you a sort of human connection to the characters. I think the only problem with this book is the age rating and the amount of cursing. I personally didn’t get offended by any of it but I know that if a parent buys this for their 10 -13 year old they may be a tad alarmed by the frequency. That being said I didn’t find it to be terrible and the worst curse words are never used.
The characters are also pretty unique and also pretty cliche, if that makes any sense. They seem to be set in the cliche but they also seem to poke fun of it as well, so none of it really bothered me. Lex is a pretty out there main character, she’s tough and loud…and kind of pushy but it works. She’s perfect for the role she has to play and she actually reminded me of a few people I went to high school with, so even though I personally had nothing in common with her I totally got what she was like. Driggs was alright, he’s the perfect counter point to Lex and he’s kind of adorable but at times he came off as an over excited 3 year old. It made me laugh but it was a bit odd. He also has an insane appetite and I envy it a bit. The relationship between the two is pretty funny at times and overall the whole thing didn’t seem rushed at all. The other Juniors are also pretty entertaining in their own right, each with a personality that is completely their own and makes for an interesting mix of friends for Lex.
Overall it’s a great book for those wanting a unique story and a good laugh or two. For those looking for books for younger kids I’d be a bit wary of this one, or at least make sure to read it first and then decide
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 21 April, 2012: Finished reading
- 21 April, 2012: Reviewed