Review: Good Start to a Series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2013
THE RELUCTANT REAPER, the first book in Gina X. Grant's series of the same name, introduces single, orphaned, Kirsty d'Arc a PR marketing specialist at Iver PR. The story begins on the momentous morning of her twenty-fifth birthday, when strange things start happening. First she's attacked by a stapler in her office, and her boss, Conrad Iver, rushes in to use her dripping blood as a signature on a soul-selling contract. Next, at a celebration with her friends and coworkers that evening, her soul is accidentally reaped by Reaper First Class, Dante Alighieri, when she steps in front of the original target, lying, despicable Conrad, whose own contract of death is now due. The rest of the book follows Kirsty's time adapting to the Underworld while awaiting her accidental reaping appeal. During her Hell-ish adventures, she falls in love, learns the layout and culture of the Underworld, and is introduced to several interesting, and a few pretty wacky, entities who will be featured through the rest of the series.THE RELUNCTANT REAPER is a lighthearted, humorous paranormal, and I give it a solid 3.5 stars for an unusual storyline and unique characters. Though it's a good book and a fun read, the overuse of puns keep me from setting a higher rating. The puns are cute at first, but after a while they lose their punch and just become tedious.On the plus side, a good number of the puns are amusing and their sources easily identified. The downside, besides overuse, is that some might only be understood by a science major or mythology-obsessed reader.THE RELUNCTANT REAPER is definitely worth reading and sets the scene for the next book, SCYTHE DOES MATTER, which I'll review separately. It's good entertainment, funny, and definitely beachworthy.If You Like This, You May Also Like: --- SCYTHE DOES MATTER and ESPRIT DE CORPSE by Gina X. Grant, HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOUR VAMPIRE by Mina Vaughn, CHARLEY DAVIDSON SERIES by Darynda Jones, DARKLIGHT SERIES by Darynda Jones, UNDERWORLD DETECTION AGENCY SERIES by Hannah Jayne, F.R.E.A.K.S. SQUAD INVESTIGATION SERIES by Jennifer Harlow* An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster/Pocket Star Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.** Visit Blue Moon Mystery Saloon blog for more book reviews.