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Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate
New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of
dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is
much dirtier than shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the family business.
She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by
reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can’t stop her desire for
justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to
stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with
her reaper skills?
4
"I gotta be honest, Lex," Uncle Mort said as they continued down the hill into town, slowing the bike so they could speak without yelling. "You look just about ready to soil yourself."
Lex shot him a glare, then eyed a sign at the side of the road that read Croak! Population: 78 . The number clicked over to 80 as they passed.
She scrunched up her nose. "That was weird."
"But accurate."
Lex gazed at the handful of small buildings as they passed by. "I don’t get it. Where’s the town?" she asked, searching into the distance.
"You’re in it."
"This is it?"
"It is small," Uncle Mort agreed. "But it’s got heart."
Lex assumed he meant this literally as well as figuratively, since both sides of the street were lined with blooms of brilliantly red bleeding-heart flowers. As she gawked at the short buildings, she got the eeriest feeling that she had stumbled into a historical theme park. The storefronts just seemed so old-fashioned, like they were part of some bygone era of yore, or maybe even yesteryear. She had only ever seen places like this on the evening news during election years, when politicians invaded to kiss babies and purchase homemade pies from smiling, toothless bakery owners.
"Please tell me you have running water," she said.
"Of course. Tuesdays and Thursdays."
She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic.
"Don’t worry," he said. "Croak’s a pretty modern place. Up there are the Pine Condos, where some of the younger people live, and a few good shops on the right down Slain Lane." He pointed to a side street paved with cobblestones, unlike the smooth pavement of the one they were on. Lex craned her neck and spotted a handful of oddly named stores: a flower shop called Pushing Daisies, a mattress place labeled The Big Sleep, and a grocery store with a giant sign reading Bought the Farm.
At the junction of the two roads, a gravestonelike obelisk rose out of a small fountain. Uncle Mort nodded to the left. "Best diner in the universe right there. Hello, Dora!" he called to the ancient woman sweeping the sidewalk outside. She waved cheerily.
"And the library’s up on the left—oh, but check this out, our pride and joy," he said with reverence, looking straight ahead. At a fork in the road stood the tallest building in town, clocking in at a whopping two stories. The Victorian house was painted a sunny yellow, with friendly letters spelling out the word Bank across the façade. The wooden front porch contained a hammock, a small table, and, naturally, a pitcher of lemonade. "We take our investments very seriously."
Lex struggled to take it all in. She had never seen a bank that looked as though it could double as a summer home. Nor could she conceive of a place that didn’t seem to have a single traffic light. And the quaint, nostalgic street sign labeled Dead End rather than Main Street only confirmed her suspicions that the town had surely lost its quaint, nostalgic marbles.
Then, just like that, it was behind them.
The bike veered onto the fork to the left of the Bank and passed a large field on the right. Across that, a dozen or so houses stretched down the other fork, looking like any other suburb in America.
Lex squirmed in her seat. "Are you kidding me? That was not a town," she said. "I mean, where’s the Starbucks?"
Uncle Mort sighed. "Lex, I know you’re from New York, so I’m going to forgive you for that. But let me tell you something right now, something that I don’t want you ever to forget: Starbucks is an abomination."
Lex was speechless, for she now believed there was no way in a million years this man could possibly be a blood relative.
"And here are my digs," he said as the bike slowed. "What do you think?"
Lex no longer knew what to think. The house was practically a larger version of Uncle Mort himself—loud, schizophrenic, and potentially fatal. Speckled with all manner of colors in no apparent pattern, it looked as if it had rolled around the countryside picking up random items and whatnots before finally coming to a halt at the top of its grassy hill.
Lex ogled the bizarre devices poking out of each window as the bike rolled to a stop. She took off her helmet and dropped it to the ground. "You really live here?" she asked, her voice tinged with the faintest trace of warmth. This house, in all its chaotic glory, reminded her of her bedroom back home.
Uncle Mort dismounted the bike. "Yep. And now, so do you." He handed her a set of keys. "Your room is the first door on the left."
Lex, who from the moment of her conception had never had a room of her own, snatched the keys out of his hand and tore into the house. If she really was going to be stuck here for the duration of the summer, she might as well become accustomed to the living quarters in which she would undoubtedly be holing herself up. And at least this was an actual house with actual walls and not a crusty, fetid hayloft, as she had feared. It almost seemed—she hardly dared to think it—kind of cool.
She burst into the front hallway. Unsurprisingly, the kitchen was a mess, and the living room was buried under piles of unidentifiable paraphernalia. Useless junk clogged each pore. Empty photograph frames collected dust at every turn, while a large tank of jellyfish stretched across an entire wall, like a live mural. The luggage Lex’s mother had sent sat at the edge of it all, blending in perfectly. Lex grinned, her sense of alienation abating. This was exactly the way she and Cordy had always preferred to live: in utter squalor and disarray.
Tingling with anticipation, Lex ran down the hall to her room and flung open the door.
Her face fell.
No bedlam. No eyesores. And not a single useless trinket.
Instead, a beautifully carved armoire stood gracefully in the corner. Next to it, a desk made from spotless white oak. Pink bedding, curtains, and rugs, as if a flamingo had exploded. And worst of all, looming on the wall across from the frilly, perfectly made bed: a Titanic movie poster.
Lex shrieked in horror and slammed the door. "What was that?"
"What’s wrong?" Uncle Mort asked as he entered the house. "You don’t like it?"
"I hate it! Were those doilies?!"
"Dammit." He sighed. "I thought I could trust him with this."
Lex glanced at the slightly open door across from hers, on which was tacked a poster of The Who. She peeked through the crack, but all she could see was a massive set of drums. Next to that, another door was wide open and spewing a heavy stream of smoke. She squinted down a set of stairs at several bubbling vials of goo.
"Your basement’s on fire."
"Oh, that’s just my lab," Uncle Mort calmly replied, closing the door and fanning the sulfuric fumes away. "I like to tinker."
"I see." Lex strayed back into the living room and looked around, confused. "Where’s the TV?"
"I don’t have one."
"WHAT?" she yelled. "WHAT?"
"After a few days you won’t even care. And don’t worry about your room; it’ll all be fixed by the time we get back."
"Get back? Where are we going?"
"Out. Can’t very well have the redecorators come in while you’re still here, can we? Besides, we have to talk."
"Yeah, right." She let out a huff, walked into the kitchen, and sat down, throwing her muddy feet up onto the table. "You almost killed me about twelve times in the past hour. I’m not going anywhere with you."
"Ah, but you are."
"Make me."
"Gladly."
And with a lightning-quick swoop of his arm, Uncle Mort grabbed his niece by the waist yet again, flung her over his shoulder, and walked out the door.
As she was lugged upside down through the empty streets of Croak, Lex thrashed with a ferocity that would have impressed even the most seasoned probation officer. Yet Uncle Mort seemed not to notice, and before long, Lex’s protests were reduced to nothing more than an occasional groan.
"Almost forgot—I promised your family we’d call when you got here," he said cheerfully as they passed into the other end of town, his shoulder digging into her stomach more and more with every step.
Lex, now fairly nauseated, jammed her elbow into his lower back and propped up her addled head onto her hand. "Here’s an idea," she said weakly. "You put me down, I’ll use my cell."
"No reception for miles. Hence, the Cuff," he said, indicating the strange band around his wrist.
"Fascinating. Put me down."
Uncle Mort ignored her. "Gotta make a personal call first." He did something to the Cuff—it turned staticky again and stayed that way—then began to quietly scold it. Lex thought she heard him utter a few key phrases like "it’s a bedroom, not a Victoria’s Secret," but by now she was teetering too closely to the brink of unconsciousness to even guess what was going on.
"I am about two seconds away from vomiting all over every inch of you," she told her uncle in a slurred voice as he hung up.
"And me without a poncho. Pity."
She riskily let out a small burp. "Oh God. Put me down. Please?"
"Was that a magic word I just heard? Did an ounce of politeness just escape the mouth of Lexington Bartleby? I think it did!" And with a surprising gentleness, he lowered his queasy passenger to her feet.
"Good?" he asked, giving her a hard pat on the shoulder.
"Yep." Lex’s eyes focused, then unfocused. "Nope. Head rush," she said on her way to the ground. Five minutes later she woke up and squinted at her uncle’s hovering head.
"Hey, kiddo. What’s your name?" he asked.
"Lex."
"What month are we in?"
"July."
"Yankees or Mets?"
"Mets."
"Good girl." He yanked her up from the ground and pointed at a nearby hill. "This way."
Lex swallowed a couple of times, clutched her stomach, and followed him through the trees as he began talking into his wrist once more.
"Yep, she got in just fine, no problems to speak of. Lex, say hi to your dad."
"Dad!" She grabbed her uncle’s arm and shouted into the flickering metal. "Your brother is a lunatic. He’s trying to kill me!"
"Nice try, Lex," her father’s tinny voice answered. "You’re not getting home that easily."
"I don’t think you’re fully grasping the enormity of the situation, Dad. He doesn’t even have a television!"
Uncle Mort jerked his arm away, hung up, and began walking faster. "Enough chat. Let’s enjoy us some nature."
Lex tried to keep up. "Good idea. Find me a nice tree to puke on."
They were now ascending the gently sloping side of a grassy bluff. When at last they reached the top, Lex gaped at her surroundings, which included, among other things, an enormous gray boulder that almost seemed to be keeping watch over the town below. "Where are we?"
Uncle Mort walked to the brink of the precipice and sat down on the cliff ’s edge. "Best place in Croak to watch the sunset."
Something in Lex snapped. She didn’t want to watch a sunset. She wanted to be told what in holy hell was going on here. The rage stirred yet again, spurring her to grab her uncle’s arm and twist it behind his back as hard as she could.
Seemingly bored with her antics, Uncle Mort breathed a peaceful sigh and gazed into the distance. The sun, a fiery ball of neon orange, set over the village below them.
"What can you see out there, Lex?" he asked in a tranquil voice.
"Well," Lex said, twisting harder, "I see a pitiful excuse for a town, some trees, a few hills, and an abusive, stark raving madman." She dug her nails into his wrist. "That about cover it?"
"More or less. Hey, would you mind letting go? It’s starting to tickle."
Lex dropped his arm with a defeated grunt. How had she not separated his shoulder by now? Why wasn’t he begging for mercy?
"Just sit," he said. "You may continue your attempt to detach one of my limbs later. Right now, there are some things you need to know."
Lex sat, defeated, exhausted, but most of all, confused—because despite all efforts to suppress such inclinations, she could not help but feel the tiniest bit of admiration for her uncle, who was now wiping away the few drops of blood that emerged where her nails had dug into his skin.
He caught her sheepish gaze. "Don’t worry, I’ve encountered much worse," he said, his eyes sparkling with either youthful excitement or demented delirium. "I knew you’d put up a good fight. I’d be surprised and frankly insulted if you hadn’t."
Lex cocked her head. The wrath that had raged within her only seconds ago seemed to be rapidly melting away of its own accord, like an ebbing storm. What was going on?
"But you’re also smart," he went on, "which is why you’re going to listen very closely to what I’m about to tell you. Right?"
Lex found herself nodding. How did he do that?
He turned serious, all traces of insanity abruptly leaving his face. "Your parents haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you, Lex. Nor have I been entirely forthcoming with your parents. It was my idea for you to come here, not theirs. When I heard that you had turned delinquent, I knew your time had come. So I suggested to your father that you visit me and experience some country living." His eyes turned dark. "But that is not your purpose here."
Lex listened as patiently as she could, tearing a piece of grass into microscopic shards.
"We’re going into town tomorrow, and I want you to be prepared. What we do here is important business and should never, ever be taken lightly. We have been blessed—and burdened—with a very grave responsibility, if you’ll forgive the pun." He glanced over the valley. "Croak, as you may have gathered, is a different kind of town. All of its citizens exist for a common purpose. Naturally, from time to time we need some fresh blood, which is where you come in. And as I said earlier, you’re going to be a natural. Trust me on that one. All you need to do is pay close attention, learn as much as you can, and try not to be scared by anything you see."
"Scared of what?" she said. "How disgustingly adorable your little village is? The perfectly groomed flowers? The—the . . ." Lex trailed off. A national coffee shop chain wasn’t the only thing missing from this town. She had seen no firehouses, no police departments, churches, gas stations, schools . . .
A furious outbreak of goose bumps flickered across her skin. Everything was starting to feel very strange.
That same electric crackle shot through the air once more as Uncle Mort opened his mouth to speak. "Lex," he said, "Croak is a portal—one that sits between our world and the next."
A strange noise escaped Lex’s lips, something between a stupefied gasp and a dubious snicker. "What?"
"That’s why you’re here. I’m going to teach you how to do what I do."
"And what is that?"
He leaned in close. She could feel his breath on her face.
"I Kill people."
Anonymous
Posted May 21, 2012
it is a very good book to read should be on the must read
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 18, 2012
This book was extremly good. It was funny in all the right places (i got some weird looks from my brother after literally laughing out loud multiple times). The characters were realistic and relatable. The setting was awesome and the details were amazing. I loved Lex and Drigg's sarcasm and personalitites. Overall, a very good book. I highly recomend it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Daniela07
Posted July 19, 2012
Lex was never this bad. She used to be the goody-two-shoes with straight A's and no absent marks. But for some reason unknown, Lex has turned into a quick-tempered, dirty mouthed bully. She's punched kids from wheelchairs to jocks and cheerleaders. But enough is enough. Lex has finally crossed the line.
And what luck! Uncle Mort has suddenly appeared asking to take Lex away for the summer. A little vacation away from the civilized world to get Lex back into her place. And Lex's parents are all for it, but Lex can't stand being away from her twin sister, Cordy. They've never been separated for more than a couple of days. Summer was officially going to suck. Or at least that's what Lex thought. Apparently there's more to the dull, boring family she's always known. Lots more.
In the small town of Croak with the population a soaring 80 people, things look groggy and boring. But never judge a town by it's population size, judge it by its people. One look at the place and it looks like a hillbilly hell (a nice hillbilly hell to be fair), but if you look closer you'll see the inhabitants carrying scythes and wearing black all day long. Some would even disappear for hours. Why? Because they're grim reapers. And Lex is about to become one as well, but just like most small towns, there's a Crasher on the loose. Someone is killing people instead of reaping the souls. And now they're after Lex.
Croak can be described in one word: Hilarious. I was cracking up throughout the entire book. It's darkly witty and guaranteed to have you rolling in laughter page after page. The story line is original and entirely refreshing. The characters are exuberant and extremely enjoyable.
Lex is someone who I hated and loved at the same time. She's a fierce heroine you definitely don't want to mess with. I loved her wit and sarcastic comebacks. She had a strong head and wouldn't let anyone move her. But she was incredibly arrogant and whiny. It made it more realistic since lots of teenagers are like that (me being an example), but it made it easier to grow tired of her too.
Her partner, Driggs, was really super immature, especially for an 18-year-old. He did the stupidest things and acted like a 2-year-old, which is both good and bad. I loved his charm, the way he was never intimidated by Lex, and his personality altogether.But he too didn't know when to stop with the stupid act.
The relationship between them both took time and even though it was expected, it didn't disappoint, but I did hate the fact that there were no swoon worthy moments between them. There was just a tiny bit of romance in the entire novel.
The plot was incredibly predictable, which was the only downfall. I figured it all out by the middle of the book, and I didn't even have to try hard. There weren't much of any surprises, all of it is sort of common sense and maybe even a little cliche. The humor was the only thing that kept me going, the mystery wasn't so exciting. The pace is consistent throughout the book, not really slowing down or speeding up. The scenery was interesting and I got a clear enough picture in my head.
In the end, the book seemed to lose it's cheerful note and was replaced by a depressing gloom. It's not at all scary, just sad.
Overall, I ended up with tears rolling down my face with all the laughing. Yes, the ending was gloomy, but the rest of Croak will definitely cheer you up.
I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a light, hilarious read for the summer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was a very funny and fresh take on the whole grim reaper thing. Lots of great banter, some romance and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments made this a very fun read. My only complaint is the ending that made me REALLY wish the next book was out already.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Croak was a wonderful start to what I'm sure will be a great series.
Our protagonist Lex was snarky and sarcastic and obviously that made me really like her. Lex starts off as a really harsh character that doesn't really care much about anything or anyone but it was great to watch her slowly change over time. Once she went to stay with her Uncle Mort in Croak she slowly made friends and started to feel like she actually belonged somewhere and that was really great to watch.
Lex's Uncle Mort was definitely not the conventional guardian. I found him to be quirky and kind of unhelpful at times but it's understandable. He has a lot on his plate and when it comes down to it you can see how much he really cares about Lex and just wants what's best for her. I still think there's quite a bit of mystery surrounding him though so I'm interested to see what we find out about him in the future.
Driggs was probably my favorite character. He's Lex's partner and they start off not really hating each other but they definitely got annoyed by each other very easily and had quite a few arguments. It's pretty clear right from the start though that they like each other and I was definitely rooting for them. Their relationship didn't develop too much in this book though so I can't wait to see what happens between these two in the future.
The rest of the gang of Junior Grims were all endearing in their own ways. They all have their own stories and personalities and I always loved all their interactions with Lex. Even though she had a rocky start with them they soon accepted her and she became good friends with them. It was nice to see Lex finally fit in and be happy.
I thought the plot of this book was really unique and interesting, I've never read anything involving grim reapers before. This book also had the perfect balance of humor and seriousness. While the story didn't end on a cliffhanger there are quite a few things to pick up on in future books and I can't wait to see where this story goes next.
Final Thoughts: Croak is a funny and unique book and is a good start to what I'm sure will be an awesome series.
*This review is also posted on my blog and my other social media profiles.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 1, 2012
This is one of the best books i've ever read. Its funny intence and you wont be able to put it down. I meen realy who wouldnt love haveing a crazy uncle, loveing partner/bf and amazing abilitys you cant even explane
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The whole concept of this book is what drew me to it. Having to learn that your life is forever changed because your destiny is to be a grim? No, not a “Grimm” from the t.v. show. A grim as in…Grim reaper! In this tale woven by Gina Damico, we are fully immersed into a world of death. (As a grim, what else would you be doing?)
Dark and delicious, Croak tells a story from the eyes of 16 year old Lex Bartleby who is forced to live with her Uncle Morte for some good old fashion hard work, due to her reckless and destructive behaviour. Little did Lex know that her time at the town, Croak, would not consist of heavy duty farm work, but rather coming to grips with her destiny as a grim. It was very interesting to see how Lex’s life and attitude changes as she lives her new life, and it is equally interesting to see how she struggles with how to deal with her old life, back at home. Although we see how tough and damaging Lex is at home, we see a softer side of her when she talks about and interacts with her twin sister, Cordy.
Damico’s writing style is so addicting. The descriptions she provides in relation to the deaths that Lex deals with throughout the novel is so great that the reader will be able to picture the various forms of death found, as well as seeing the impact each discovery has on Lex. Not only do we get to read about how Lex learns to deal with her new found life, we are also thrust into a mystery where a fellow grim has turned into a Vigilante and has taken it upon themselves in determining the fate of lowlifes and criminals, by their own hands.
With that being said, the many characters that we are introduced to in Croak are an unforgettable crew, and a favorite will be found. I couldn’t help but find myself crushing on Lex’s partner and sidekick, Driggs. His sarcasm and his quick comebacks made him easily crushable. It was very entertaining to read the interactions between Driggs and Lex. Their witty back and forth banter was hilarious and was something that I was always looking forward to reading. There were many points throughout the book that I found myself literally laughing out loud! I am seriously loving Damico’s sense of humour, and I loved seeing it in the book. Those of you who follow her on Twitter or her blog will see that her humour extends beyond just Croak, and that most of her tweets consist of the same humour. Damico has taken her time in developing all the characters and has breathed so much life into them.
Fans of a darker read, with a hand full of humour will completely fall in love with Croak. This is one book that you definitely do not want to miss out on.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 26, 2013
Hey this ia the first book i have read about grim reapers and i like it i am reading this for a class and the teacher askhe what i am reading and i tell him that it is a good book if you think in a teen age girl that has a mind of killing or hurting girls
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Posted February 26, 2013
The book was brillant and exciting
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Posted February 17, 2013
This book was SO good!!! There are no words for it. Im speechless of how well written this book is!!
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Posted February 16, 2013
My name is april but my real name is v
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is so comically funny even with its somewhat violent characters!
Lex is a sixteen-year-old girl whose violent tendencies are the despair of her family. In an attempt to change her back to the pleasant girl she once was, her parents ship her off to her Uncle Mort, tearing her away from the twin sister she has never been separated from before. Once there she discovers that her uncle is not what he seems to be and he introduces her to his community of Croak, which only have about 50 occupants in it. He also his her his trade - being a Grim Reaper. Thrown head first into a summer job she never expected the fun really begins when humans are killed before their time.
'Croak' was a book that had me choking back my laughter one minute and gasping in horror the next. I think that's what I liked about it. There was never a dull moment. Right from the start, 'Croak' had me hooked with its characters and story line. Lex was such a relatable character with her attitude and the way she didn't understand why she acted some of the ways she does. That happens to normal teenager. I loved how she had a loving family and when it came to what was best for Lex, they sent her away to her uncle.
Unlike other Grim Reaper stories, not that I've read many, I loved the community of Croak. It was so funny how they treated the people who up there by accident. They were a tight-knit community, but when you considered what they did it was exactly a surprise. I couldn't help, but feel for them when one of their own turned traitor. There's nothing I like more than a twist and the end of someone I ever expected was definitely a twist.
I really love a book when I get enraptured by the cast of characters and 'Croak' had that in spades. I enjoyed the story-line and the writing style so much. I haven't read a book for some time that had captivated my interest like this book did. Some of the aspects of the book was just straight out nonsensical, but I guess it just hit my weird sense of humor. Things like jellyfish being sensitive to death and meeting the dead presidents of the United States in the afterlife.
There was a mystery here, a quite serious one, but with the writing being so comical it was hard to take it seriously. And, I must admit that the more serious part of it didn't really start until about the middle of the book. I think it was the middle. But, even with that though, I still enjoyed this book.
I would recommend this to any fantasy lover, especially those who appreciate worlds that are humorous, yet somewhat serious, all at the same time.
Book Review done by Sandy from Magical Manuscripts
Anonymous
Posted January 10, 2013
I love your books and croak and scorch are funny.
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Posted December 27, 2012
Fun
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CleverSystem
Posted December 9, 2012
My mom had originally bought me this book, thinking it's something I would read, and boy was she right!!! Croak is a phenomenal story that has both adventure and comedy, with just enough romance. It
s also one of the few books I've read with a female main character that can actually take care of herself. It's definitely a must read, and if you like it, check out Scorch the second book. I'm only halfway through with it, but man is it good.
Anonymous
Posted November 27, 2012
So hilarious & awesome. Difference from another YA I've read lately!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A must read for fans of the supernatural. This is a fun, different read that had me hankering for a little of the Grim business in my life. (Truthfully, I think that I would very much want to run away from the dead, but that's the beauty of books. You get to experience what you can't in reality.) The town of Croak is wonderfully constructed. I love it all around from the the names of places to their rules for dealing with tourists to the occupants themselves.
The characters are a bundle of fun, wit, and quirks. Lex is a teenage delinquent with a hyperactive imagination that I admire. She comes up with the most brilliant, funny scenarios. It's hard to believe that she has a hard time dealing with the anger broiling somewhere within her, yet that is the reason she's shipped to Uncle Mort. I did not see Uncle Mort coming. Not his attire or the way he proves to be a danger stranger that can be good for troubled kids like Lex and her fellow reaper misfit Driggs.
Croak is a fun, fast-paced read. It is filled with detailed imagery and passages that will have you laughing outright. Nevertheless, there are also times where the characters get serious--must get serious. Romance brews as Lex and Driggs team up to find out who is behind the mysterious deaths taking place.
TheTwinsRead
Posted November 11, 2012
4 Stars for Croak
I picked this book up based on the interesting summary alone. I mean, having an uncle who's a Grim Reaper and finding out you're one too? Mystery deaths and unknown killers? Scythes?! This sounded way too fun to pass up, and I was right.
The story is told in Lex's point of view, she's a pretty humorous and witty girl, despite being self-destructive, violent, and impertinent - an anti-heroine in every sense of the word. She's gotten into numerous fights and, since her parents are unable to take any more drama, is shipped off to spend the summer with her uncle, Mort. Little does she know that she's in for a big surprise. She's a Grim like her uncle and she finds that her abilities surpass those of her peers with the addition of a few other powers; there's news of strange deaths which Lex isn't sure she doesn't agree with and if that's not all, when she finally realizes who the murderer is her whole life gets upended and she's faced with heartbreak and betrayal.
The world-building in this story is intricate and well thought of. Damico manages to explain how the Grims' world works in a totally believable fashion; how they Kill and Cull, where souls go and how they're able to predict death; even the way the Afterlife was portrayed was really interesting. I loved the complexity of the world the author has managed to build and the way she introduces it to to readers through Lex's eyes, not to mention the numerous scenes that'll have you laughing despite all that talk about death.
Croak also has a fun bunch of characters, there's Lex's uncle, Mort. Mort is Croak's mayor and is a really charismatic character. I couldn't help but love him - he's so badass. He's got secrets and hints of a painful past that I wouldn't mind learning more about; it adds to his charm I suppose. Then there's Driggs, Lex's partner, he's adorable and droll and charming and I loved the way he interacted with Lex, they're undeniably cute together. There are a lot more characters who play a vital role in the story and you'll meet them along the way. Lex's friends, the citizens of Croak and all the crazy that comes when you spend a lot of time in a town dealing with death. There will be certain points where things get a tad bit predictable but the story manages to incorporate a few twists that manage to take you by surprise.
Croak is a great book - it's got humor, mystery and witty dialogue; grim reapers who are charming and sarcastic and wield personalized scythes; and absolutely, amazingly intricate world building. You cannot miss out on this one and if you haven't grabbed a copy yet, you most probably should, along with a copy of the second installment Scorch. Death has never seemed so much fun.
Anonymous
Posted September 9, 2012
One of the best books i have read
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Posted August 29, 2012
I loved this novel! I love the idea of Grim Reapers and this novel did not disappoint in the reaper area. I think the way that Gina described the reapers jobs was very interesting. I loved Lex's character and was glad to see her character grow through out the novel. I am very glad I got to finally read this novel and I will definitely be continuing on in the series.
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Overview
Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate
New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of
dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is
much dirtier than ...