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Croak by Gina Damico (Review #65)

"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 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 of 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, yearning 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?"

Review:
When I first saw this book I thought it was a new and interesting twist on death. I had read about "handmaidens" of Death in Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (see review), but this was a whole new level of awesome. It was a modern day take on Grim Reapers and I thought it was so cool. What I loved most was a character (in this case Lex) was given an unimaginable gift, one that was even extraordinary among Reapers, and given the ultimatum to use it for good or for vengeance. I was surprised beyond belief how it ended and the choice that Lex made. I even got a little teary-eyed for her and the circumstances of her predicament. All in all, I think it was a good book. Although I was hoping for more when it came to Lex and Driggs' relationship and it fell short. But I rest assured that there will be a sequel and more will come with adventures that await them in Croak.


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