Gina Damico

I read a lot of books so it's amazing when I find a book with a unique concept, and this is that book! Lex is a juvenile delinquent with a deep anger that she doesn't understand, and can't even begin to control. Her parents love her very much and have tried everything to help her, so when summer vacation comes around just when Lex is about to be expelled from yet another school, they decide to try something drastic - they decide to send her to her Uncle Mort's for the summer. Needless to say, she is NOT happy with this, nor is her identical twin sister, Cordy, but they are outvoted, so off she goes.

Her trip is uneventful, until the bus is stopped due to an accident on the road, and when Lex sees bright flashes of light coming from inside the vehicles of people who died at the scene, but nobody else on the bus sees them, it becomes much more interesting. Then when her Uncle Mort shows up on his motorcycle looking and acting like a crazy man, things really get weird. Lex is about to learn that she knows nothing about him and the new life she is about to be thrown into.

I loved this book! I loved the characters, the town, the whole grim reaper theme, and the mystery Lex and her friends are called on to help solve. The setting was described so well I felt like I was visiting the town of Croak along with the tourists who occasionally happened upon it. Lex was a juvenile delinquent but she was so torn up by it, it was hard not to feel bad for her, and when she found out why she was so angry all the time, I was relieved right along with her. I felt like all the characters grew from the beginning to the end. And that end was such a surprise! I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to fans of YA fantasy/grim reaper stories.

5/5 stars.… (lisätietoja)

The best fiction aimed at young adults is the kind of stuff that expands minds and encourages thought-- stuff which invites the reader to ponder deeper questions, experience other lifestyles, and gain glimmers of understanding on complex topics. It helps the reader deal with their own situation, and encourages empathy for others.

This book doesn't really strive to do any of that, and that's okay! There's a place for highly targeted entertainment, fluff and nonsense that it is. I'm not the target audience, however, and even with my inner critic turned firmly off I couldn't quite enjoy this one.

I will say, however, that parts of the setting were visually interesting... in that weird way which books have of putting pictures in our heads.… (lisätietoja)