Early to Death, Early to Rise (Madison Avery Series #2)

by Kim Harrison

Overview

New York Times–bestselling Author: She’s been put in charge of heaven’s dark angels—and as the new boss, she intends to shake things up . . .

Madison Avery’s dreams of ever fitting in at her new school died when she did. Especially since she was able to maintain the illusion of a body, deal with a pesky guardian angel, and oh yeah, bring the reaper who killed her to his untimely end. Not exactly in-crowd material. It’s amazing that her crush, Josh, doesn't think she’s totally nuts.

Now Madison has learned that she’s the dark timekeeper, in charge of angels who follow the murky guidelines of fate. Never one to abide by the rules, she decides it’s time for a major change to the system. With the help of some unlikely allies, Madison forms a rogue group of reapers who definitely don’t adhere to the rules of the heavens.

But as she grapples with the terrifying new skills that come with being a timekeeper, and tries to give a young hacker a chance to save his soul, Madison realizes she may not be prepared for what lies ahead—unless she gets some seriously divine intervention . . .

“This fast-paced tale delivers some uniquely amusing moments.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061995897
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/18/2023
Series:	Madison Avery Series , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
Sales rank:	34,909
File size:	382 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kim Harrison is best known as the author of the #1 New York Times best selling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published more than two-dozen books spanning the gamut from young adult, accelerated-science thriller, several anthologies, and has scripted two original graphic novels set in the Hollows universe. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, non related, urban fantasy projects.

What People are Saying About This

Melissa Marr

“With a Kim Harrison novel, I expect action, humour, worldbuilding, strong female characters, true friendships, and a bit of realistic romance. I found it all right here.”

Kelley Armstrong

“Harrison injects her young adult debut with style and originality. Rocking good fun, packed full of twists and turns.”

Editorial Reviews

This fast-paced tale delivers some uniquely amusing moments. Fans of Lauren Kate’s Fallen and those who enjoyed the first book may be drawn into Harrison’s world of heaven and earth.” — School Library Journal

“Harrison injects her young adult debut with style and originality. Rocking good fun, packed full of twists and turns.” — Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of the Darkest Powers series on Once Dead, Twice Shy

“With a Kim Harrison novel, I expect action, humour, worldbuilding, strong female characters, true friendships, and a bit of realistic romance. I found it all right here.” — Melissa Marr, New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series on Once Dead, Twice Shy

“An amusing and entertaining jaunt of an urban fantasy.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) on Once Dead, Twice Shy

From the Publisher

An amusing and entertaining jaunt of an urban fantasy.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) on Once Dead

Harrison injects her young adult debut with style and originality. Rocking good fun, packed full of twists and turns.

Kelley Armstrong

With a Kim Harrison novel, I expect action, humour, worldbuilding, strong female characters, true friendships, and a bit of realistic romance. I found it all right here.

Melissa Marr

Abounds with originality and introduces us to rich characters…is sure to introduce [Harrison] to a whole new generation of readers.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An amusing and entertaining jaunt of an urban fantasy.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Gr 9 Up—In this sequel to Once Dead, Twice Shy (HarperCollins, 2009), purple-haired Goth Madison is adjusting to life at her new high school—and to the fact that she is recently dead. She is the newest dark timekeeper put in charge of reapers of death. Her ideals clash with tradition—she believes in choice over fate: people with the potential to do evil might still be able to change in time to save their souls. Madison and her two reapers, (mostly) light Barnabas and dark Nakita, set out to alter the fate of a teen with a computer virus set to wreak havoc on the local hospital and cause several deaths. Madison's adversarial light timekeeper, Ron, and his apprentice are positioned to prevent them from succeeding. Amulets with hidden forces and an occasional visit from a limerick-spouting guardian angel add to the complex hierarchy of fate and supernatural power. Sharp-dressed Nakita, who can "scythe" (kill) mortals is still concerned with fitting in at school and is an engaging sidekick to Madison, yet other characters are portrayed sketchily at best. This fast-paced tale delivers some uniquely amusing moments but does not stand alone. Fans of Lauren Kate's Fallen (Delacorte, 2009) and those who enjoyed the first book may be drawn into Harrison's world of heaven and earth, but new readers will be left confused by undeveloped characters and overly complex rules and guidelines.—Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

School Library Journal

Madison Avery is still trying to come to terms with her death and her role as the dark timekeeper (Once Dead, Twice Shy, 2009). With dark reaper Nakita and her mostly light counterpart Barnabas at her side, Madison is determined to prove that, given the choice, those who might be doomed in the afterlife due to their bad choices can in fact be convinced to see the error of their ways in time to save their souls. Her test case involves two teen boys and a computer virus that she knows will be responsible for deaths in a hospital. As she races against time and her nemesis, Ron, she develops new, frightening powers. The complexities of Madison's supernatural world are not very well explained here, so readers would do best to start with this book's predecessor. Harrison builds an interesting world rife with politics and tradition, but Madison does a poor job of clarifying the roles she and her co-workers play in moving people from life to the afterlife. (Paranormal. YA)

Kirkus Reviews