Croak (Croak, #1) by Gina Damico

Croak by Gina Damico

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's 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 Lex the family business.

She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't stop her desire for justice - or is it vengeance? - whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again.

Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?

My Review:

Interesting concept. Lex, the main character was a pain in the ass and could be quite frustrating to read. I fought the idea of liking her, but supposed I fell for her in the end. I loved Driggs and Uncle Mort immediately, and I think they were just the people to counter Lex's behavior.

I enjoyed the fact that there wasn't a love triangle, or a sexual angst (that can get old when it's in every other book I read). I do have to admit that I was caught way off guard at the part where Driggs & Lex are yelling at each other and Gina Damico mentions that once they were done they could rip each others clothes off and have crazy sex (of course I'm paraphrasing - I should have remembered exactly where that quote was). It just seemed so out of the blue considering the pace of the story. I feel that the little bit of tension between Driggs & Lex was perfect, and that this was unnecessary to the storyline. I suppose it didn't hurt anything, but nothing was gained either.

What makes this book totally worth it? The dead Presidents and Edgar Allen Poe! Hilarious!

I'd recommend this book to someone who is interested in afterlife, paranormal activities (in a sense) and a story that has friendship and bonding, sprinkled with a little bit of romance in a g-rated sense.

Read from November 10 to 12, 2014

Top 5 Genres*: Young Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Fantasy, Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Mystery
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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Scorch (Croak, #2) by Gina Damico

Scorch by Gina Damico

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home.

To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all—but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?

My Review:

I enjoyed the first in this series, Croak. I liked Lex from the beginning, although she could be quite frustrating. I loved Driggs to, as well as the rest of the supporters. I really liked the heightened adventure and sense of doom in this story, it amped the story up quite a bit.

Without saying too much, I feel like Gina Damico took a taste from George R.R. Martin's books, although it was just a taste, thank goodness.

I'd recommend this book if you have already read Croak, it did not disappoint me. I will probably read on as there was a huge cliff hanger at the end.

Read from December 04 to 08, 2014

Top 5 Genres*: Young Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Fantasy, Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Fantasy/Supernatural
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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Rogue (Croak, #3) by Gina Damico

Rogue by Gina Damico

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.　

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

My Review:

5 huge stars for this book, and the series as a whole, even though I rated Croak only 4 stars. With each new installment, the series continued to surpass my expectations. Gina Damico kept things natural (well, as natural as a supernatural story could be), down-to-earth, sarcastic, and dark. A great combination in my opinion. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies when it came to young love, there were complications, stressors, obstacles, and heartbreak.

Lex continues to run headlong into danger while thinking she is finally making unselfish decisions to help others, and of course, without too much forethought, she keeps making things worse. She manages to come through in the end though. Her sarcasm in stressful situations was something I could definitely relate to, as I have said many an inappropriate thing during the most inappropriate times for this reason alone. I think this personality, and Driggs' as well, is what kept this story from plunging into the dark abyss. They kept it right on the edge.

Driggs was optimistic as always, especially despite his situation. He stuck to his values and reacted appropriately. I'm glad Lex and him got to experience something "cracktastic", that is something most teenagers think about when the concept of dying young comes up. I also enjoyed the struggle they had to get there.

All the other supporting characters provided the right amount of dialog and background to give this story the depth it deserves. The sacrifice of Mort, Pip, Skyla, etc., Grotton's change of character, Ferbis' grudge and help, A.J.'s circumstances, Pandora's position, Cord's and Zara's support, and Edgar Allen Poe's presence (my 2nd favorite supporting character).

The story ended beautifully. I don't want to go into too much detail because I want you to experience it the way I did. If you liked the first in the series, they only get better from there. I'd recommend this series as a whole, and will not hesitate to pick up another from Gina Damico.

Read from June 01 to 05, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Young Adult, Fantasy/Paranormal, Fantasy, Fantasy/Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Ghosts
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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The Postcard Killers by James Patterson

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Paris is stunning in the summer

NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him--he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.

The killing is simply marvelous

Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.

Wish you were here

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm--and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

My Review:

Ah, another successfully entertaining and well-written James Patterson book, of course with the help of Liza Marklund.

Sometimes I think I like his books that are not apart of a series. This story had all the right ingredients for a quick, thrilling read. As a reader, I became invested in the lives of Dessi and Jacob, both professionally and romantically. The ending was nice and could have gone either way. A happy ending or a tragic ending, and either would have been just as satisfying.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in a quick read with shocking details, and for those who enjoy a JP book.

Read from May 26 to June 02, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery/Crime, Suspense, Thriller/Mystery Thriller
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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