Death's Daughter (Calliope Reaper-Jones Series #1)

an amusing action-packed chick lit urban fantasy

She works in a dead end job because her boss relies on her so much she refuses to promote Calliope Reaper-Jones. She lives in New York, which is in her blood as a fashionista, but has not had a real date in months. One day on her way to work, Calliope sees a dinosaur-dragon who guards her building¿s door. At work, she goes to the bathroom where she meets a faun who breaks the forget-me spell leading to Calliope realizing who she is and what her family heritage is.

She is her daddy¿s daughter so handles well the news from her father¿s assistant the faun Jarvis that her sire, her sister Thalia and the rest of Death, Inc has been kidnapped. At her mother¿s request, Calliope returns home to see Sea Verge. She learns her family will be evicted from their home if Callie fails to become the Grim Reaper. To make the conversion to CEO, she must perform three tasks to determine her worthiness. First she must capture one of Cerberus¿ pups. Second she must find the Sea Foam from Indra a Hindu God who wants to kill the demon Vrita and find the Cup of Lamshid. Challenging her is Daniel who wants to be the next Death and Detective Davenport of the Psychic Bureau of Investigation who believes she was part of the kidnapping plot of her dad. If she succeeds and becomes Death, Callie knows this does not guarantee she will be able to rescue her father.

Leaving Buffy behind, Amber Benson writes an amusing action-packed chick lit urban fantasy loaded with more twists and curves than a twist-a-whirl. The heroine does not want to be the next Death as that might interfere with her nails and what she seeks on Craig¿s List, but knows her choices are limited to either death or Death. Filled with humor and wit, this is a refreshing original thriller as double, triple, and nth crossings are the norm.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Atypical Urban Fantasy

The most refreshing thing about this heroine is that she isn't the Tough Independent Chick of almost every other Urban Fantasy book on the shelves. Calliope (aside from having one of the coolest names ever) is definitely whiny, irritating, co-dependent, and oddly sympathetic. Truly someone thrust in over their heads as her father - The Grim Reaper - is kidnapped and finds out she alone is the sole inheritor of his position.

The catch is if she doesn't take it then someone else does, and her family becomes mortal. Which is exactly what Calliope wouldn't mind happening and exactly what everyone else doesn't want.

Add in the Devil's protege, a good dose of Indian myth (Kali is an excellent character here), and one of Cerebus' pups and there's a good set of people who are more competent (and possibly determined) than Calliope herself.

As Calliope attempts to complete the tasks put forth before her to gain her father's mantle, in order to keep her family in the Death Business and hopefully save him in the bargain, she is helped and hindered by a colorful cast. By the end it's hard to decide if I want to slap the girl, or cheer her on.

The downside is the that it takes nearly half the book for things to really pick up and grab the reader. The first half plods along, I found myself following less with a sense of wonder and more with a sense of wondering how Calliope is going to screw up next or what she'll find to whine about this time. By the second half the book finally grabbed me by the collar and dragged me in a headlong rush to the conclusion. Overall, it's worth the wait to get to, and I do so like our protagonist by the end.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was really hoping to like this but...

I was really hoping to like this but I didn't. I really admire Amber Benson. She is a talented actress and seems to be a great a person. (I know people who have seen her at various conventions and they say she is very friendly to fans.) I have not read her comic books or other writhing but this series doesn't make me want to.

First the character is one we have seen a lot of in the past few years. I blame "Sex and the City" for that. Second the story kind of wanders around and doesn't really hang together.

Not that this is a bad book -- it is a quick read and I would suggest it for a beach or vacation to pass the time. I just wouldn't put it in my library or expect I would want to read it over again.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Confusing plot and whiney character

not very good

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly entertaining

Three years ago Calliope Reaper-Jones put herself under a nice and comforting forgetting spell. Gone were the days of dealing with the craziness of the family business, Death, Inc. All Callie had to worry about now was finding the perfect man on Craig's List and finding organic dim sum for her boss.

One bite of an organic cupcake later and Callie is right back in the middle of the family drama. Her father's right hand man, Jarvis, has come to notify Callie that her father and older sister have been kidnapped. Callie being next in line must assume the role of Death or her family losses their immortality. But it's not as simple as being the second oldest, Callie has to complete three tasks in order to take the reins and she has a competitor for the job... the devil's incredibly "hot" and irresistible protégé.

I got a total kick out of this book. It's very different from the usual fantasy/paranormal story lines and it was funny to boot. Among the characters Callie had to face off against were, a psychical detective, an evil sea monster, a bitter Goddess and the devil himself.

This was the first of a new series featuring Callie. It was a faced paced read and I look forward to many more books in this series. Highly recommended for urban fantasy or supernatural fiction lovers.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

different

I have been reading alot of series and while waiting this looked interesting..starts off good-drags a little and too many characters but I will read the next if it is written..not too explicent but for those of us that like heavy books (think Black Dagger Brotherhood) this is very lite reading

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What a hoot!

I confess, I only picked up this book because of the author and her Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Hey, not much monetarily to try a new author right? Boy was I surprised. This book was so well written, so hilarious and so enjoyable I have already reccommended it to several other people. My roommate is on the couch right now reading it and I keep hearing bursts of hysterical laughter drifting back to me. It was nice that so many Gods and Goddesses from various religions were mentioned but not harped upon. It was left open for possible sequels and I am definately keeping my fingers crossed that Ms. Benson decides to continue this character as a series. Not since Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich series) or Betsy Taylor-Sinclair (Mary Janice Davidson series) have I enjoyed a character based humor/human adventure story so much!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Horrible

If I could give this less than 1star I would. Total waste of my money, and more importantly, my time. Characters were characteriatures and the plot, which I figured out the second or third chapter didn't hang together. I don't normally write bad reviews but felt I had to balance the record here

Excellent characters & world, but an okay story

When a Forgetting Charm is needed to have a normal life, obviously Calliope should know better than to believe "normal" would last forever. Family always keep track of their own - and when Death gets kidnapped and you happen to be the daughter of Death, be sure that the higher beings will come to fetch Calliope to take over the business until her dad is found. But taking over is no easy matter - Calliope must complete three tasks to prove her worth, or else forfeit to the Devil's protégé who may not have Death's best interest.

I enjoyed death's daughter, but I didn't totally fall in love with it. I could not quite grasp Callie as a person - what made her tick, why she insisted on a "normal" life, what motivates her to exist, anything beyond the here and now of her predicament. That said, I loved the world that Amber Benson built for Calliope to discover. There is a richness that leads to many possibilities and quirks that I cannot wait to see what is in store for Calliope! The quest-like nature of death's daughter sometimes feels slow, but it does pull every random thread together into one big finale where all the wolves in sheeps' clothing finally get unmasked.

a good read

enjiyed this book.

Give This Series A Chance And It Will Hook You

I loved both Death's Daughter and Cat's Claw by Amber Benson. She has created a very engaging and very human protagonist whom she has thrust into a detailed and well thought out fantasy adventure series. I eagerly look forward to reading the next book when it comes out on e-books so I can read on my Nook (as I have foresworn buying anymore paper books to clutter up my limited shelf-space).

Death's daughter

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and entertaining and the plot was good. I would recoomend this book...

Great read

Loved the book,the story was enjoyable a different kind of read,funny.
cant wait to read her next instalment.

A Fun, Fresh Fantasy Novel.

This is a quirky fun book to read. It has interesting twists and a solid plot, wrapped up in a dysfunctional family and good hearted main character, Calliope Reaper-Jones. It's a perfect travel or vacation read.



The book recommended below are all first in the series. Enjoy the fantasy!

:(

I put this book down several times because I found the heroine to be utterly selfish and not someone I would be able to be around in real life. I was devastated that "Tara" would create such a horrible character and was only able to make it through about 2/3 of the book before putting it down entirely.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Death's Daughter

This is the first book I've read by Amber Benson. This is in paranormal chick lit style. If you are in the mood for that kind of thing, give it a try. It's light and the heroine is likeable.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Coundn't Finish it!

I love the urban wizard/vampire/werewolf theme but I just could get into this one. The premise was intriguing, but the protagonist was not someone I could identify with or even like. Sorry, but I just couldn't finish this book.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

New series is interesting.

I mostly picked up this book because I remember Amber from her days with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". This book's quite an easy read as the main character seems to tell the story while on some kind of adrenaline rush. I found the story interesting and amusing enough to want to read the sequel when it comes out.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You gotta read this one!

Calliope is the grim reapers daughter and is thrown into dads position to see if she can save her family. This book was laugh out loud and truly was a wonderful and fresh read. I can't wait for the next in what i hope will become a long series.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

good book

A quick, fun read.

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.