Review: Croak

Book: Croak
Author: Gina Damico
Series: Croak #1
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 311
Source: Thomas Allen & Son (Thank you so much!!)
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon CA | The Book Depository | Chapters
Stars: 5/5

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 that of 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 by 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, craving 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?

(summary taken from Goodreads) 

MY THOUGHTS:  

Absolutely 5 SHINY (like this cover) STARS! Sometimes I think I read so many books that finding an original and captivating gem in the bunch gets harder by the day, but Croak reminds me why I love to read. It's knee-slappingly fun but still dark at the same time! 

As a huge Soul Screamers fan, I already have a weakness for reapers but Gina Damico still brings something new to the table! These reapers carry actual scythes and only have the job of carting souls off to the Afterlife, where quirky ghosts like Elvis and Edgar Allan Poe can wallow in peace. 

Lex has to be one of the most spunky, temperamental, and stubborn heroines I've ever met — but she's also one of my favourites! She doesn't take crap from anyone, not even her twin sister Cordy, but her fair heart still makes her wince when she has to reap the souls of a murdered victim. Along with her swoon-worthy partner Driggs and a whole group of misfit apprentice reapers, they will make you want to move to Croak ASAP! ♥

But it's not just all fun and games. The mysterious murders in the novel add a serious undertone, along with how Lex is wholeheartedly against unfair deaths. And that twist at the end... Break my heart, why don't you, Gina?? Intense is only the beginning of this amazing debut!

With a hilarious cast, a mysterious plot, and creativity packed to the max, it's safe to say that I love Croak to death! Like Adam Rex said, there are so many books with worlds that I would love to live in, but dying in this one doesn't sound like such a bad idea. ;)  

BUY or BORROW?: If my five stars aren't enough to convince you, maybe me adding this to my Favourites shelf will? I usually don't pre-order books this far in advance, but I'm already planning on buying the sequel, Scorch! :) 

-Mimi