Review: Light, Fun Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2014
Lily Harper is driving in a rainstorm, late for work, when she crashes into a truck. But Lily doesn’t know that she died until a strange bureaucrat brings her up to speed in an even stranger place called AfterLife Enterprises. To Lily’s horror, she learns that her death was a mistake because her guardian angel Bill wasn’t paying attention. Lily isn’t allowed into the Kingdom unless she either waits 100 years in a somber place called the Shade or goes to work for AfterLife to retrieve lost souls. Lily signs on, not realizing that she’s being sent to the Underground City (think hell) to retrieve those souls. The only help she has is Bill and a taciturn bladesmith named Tallis. It isn’t long before Lily faces the stark reality that her new job will probably finish her off for good.Better off Dead is the first installment in what promises to be a lighthearted fantasy series with lots of exotic creatures and fun plots. Each of main character has a distinctive voice, and the author deftly weaves in backstory for the mysterious Tallis. Lily comes across as nave but since she’s trying to come to grips with what’s happened to her, it works. Bill is a potty-mouthed, tacky moron, but since he truly cares about Lily, I grew to like him. It will be interesting to see how Lily copes with her new existence in the next installment.