Croak (Croak #1)
4 Stars: Recommended
Publication:March 20th, 2012 (Paperback)
Pages: 311
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Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her 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 that of shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.
Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.
Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?
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.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Rachael-Madison ^__^ says
Hm. Whenever I read about reapers, it's always that reapers are the villains and are not to be trusted. I suppose I should pick this one up then – it sounds like a light and fun read! Can't wait to pick this one up – thanks for the review!
Crystal says
I love reading from the perspective that isn't usually explored. Hope you enjoy this one!
Elizabeth says
I can't wait to read this book its been in my wish list forever lol awesome review 🙂
Crystal says
Thanks. Hope you enjoy!
Bookworm1858 says
I liked this book a lot too especially the humor which also increases my appreciation of a book. I ended up being really surprised by the ending and I can't wait to pick up the sequel and seeing how Lex responds.