Review: Great start to a new series...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2013
REVIEWED BY EMILY:I confess/admit that I'm a HUGE paranormal fan. I like just about all things witch-y, were-wolf-y and vampire-y. I enjoy chick lit with minor fantasy undertones, as well as pretty hard core paranormal.Better Off Dead is somewhere in the middle -light enough to make me laugh out loud on more than a few occasions, but c'mon, Lily is DEAD, so it can't be all fun and games, right? If you do read paranormal, I'm just going to call out that the fantasy elements in this book are more mythical and Dante's Inferno-esque than the typical witch/vampire ones that heavily dominate this genre.Let's first talk about what I liked about this book. H.P. Mallory is a talented writer. She writes very down to earth characters who you can relate to.Lily Harper is no exception. Lily is a pretty normal, almost boring person before she dies, and she has as much trouble adjusting to discovering what happens next as you'd expect. There is the Kingdom (think Heaven) and an Underground City (think Hell) - and then there are the soul-sucking nothings in-between, including the DMV-esque "AfterLife Enterprises" where the recently dead are sorted. I loved all the creative details about the ever-after and how Lily adapts and grows in her new role.I especially loved the interaction between Lily and Bill, her guardian angel. Bill is the exact opposite of how you'd imagine a guardian angel._ _ _ _ _ _"I couldn't stifle my shock.This stout little man definitely didn't look like an angel....This guy looked like he'd been plucked from the Animal House set and dropped unceremoniously into my living room."_ _ _ _ _ _Lastly, I am crushing on the brooding, stoic Tallis Black. Lily sets out to find the Blacksmith as her first task, in order to get a sword to take to the Underground City. She finds her Blacksmith, or Bladesmith, as Tallis prefers to be called, in the savage forest. I will admit, reading Tallis's words - which are written out phonetically - is a little time consuming in the beginning._ _ _ _"...Ah bladesmith is far more skilled than ah blacksmith, who hammers oot or cats tools ah soft iron...Ah bladesmith has to ken ho' ta make ah sword from steel"._ _ _ _ _ _But after a short while, and after reading aloud for a few pages, I was all on board the Tallis train. His speech plays into his character and makes the story more realistic. Well, more realistic in a fantastical, paranormal way. You dig?While I totally liked it overall, I did have a few minor hang-ups about Better Off Dead. While I thought it was paced well, I wanted more story. It seemed to spend the bulk of the book setting up the series, and while I can't wait for the next book, I wish more had actually happened in this one. Okay - let's be honest and specific. I wanted more romance. I KNOW that there has to be something between Lily and Tallis, and I understand that sometimes in a book series, we are running a marathon, not a sprint. BUT, I wish that there had been more realized romance, not just buildup for future books.Bottom LineFor those who like fantasy/paranormal, Better Off Dead is setting itself up to be a great series, and I'd FOR SURE suggest you give it a read. It is not your Momma's vampire or witch series, but don't let that scare you away! If you don't normally read this genre, give H.P Mallory a try (maybe with one of the free books linked above,hint hint). I think you'll like what you see!Rating: B+. I can't wait for the next in this series!Note: I received a a review copy of this title courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.