YA Book Review: Croak ( Croak 1)

Book Title: Croak (Croak 1)
Author: Gina Damico |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: YA Paranormal Fiction
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: Trade paperback

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 311

How I got it: Book Expo America 2012

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Shelfabililty: Must Read
Season: Halloween
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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?

Let's start with the sexy book cover, and all it's beauty, go ahead I'll give you time.  Then of course is the snazzy font that the title is written in, the awesome storyline and I was hooked!!! As I was reading I kept thinking OMG she reminds me of Dead Like Me (one of my favorite shows by the way), so I was totally hooked at the concept of a modern Grim Reaper.

Let's start with our awesome, dry witty and perpetually angry grumpy sixteen year old Lex, she's a twin and she's the one with the bad attitude, give her dirty looks and she's guaranteed to kick your butt. After this final showdown Lex's parents split the twins and send her off to live with Uncle Mort, her Uncle who owns a farm in upstate New York, in a town called Croak. Let's start with the weird town line sign and her uncle showing up on a Harley (my kind of man), and let's move to the rest of the weirdness that is Croak.  I laughed at so many of her thoughts about the town because as a New Yorker I know we think anything beyond the four *yes I said four, Staten Island doesn't count y'all it doesn't count, Buffs my Boogie Down nails* boroughs as being the boonies and a whole other state, New York is only what can be reached by the train system LOLOLOLOL.

Not long after reaching Croak, Uncle Mort let's the cat out of the bag and takes Lex on her first trip as a Reaper, before long she's got the hang of it and then she gets hooked with Driggs as her teacher and they are off.  Before long her talents at this take off, and there are those who aren't too happy about it.  So much happens in this novel and I can't lie there are moments that still haunt me, especially when she figures out what her real gift is. People in town don't like that Lex is related to Mort and that she's gotten really good at what she does, other towns are starting to have issues and Mort doesn't take well to the problems going down in town.  It's a whole heap of craziness, in there throw in young love, friends being attacked, Reapers who died long ago coming back, power hungry idiots doing all manner of crazy things and of course several kinds of souls being reaped that will tear your heart out. One in particular makes me which I had her gift so I could exact revenge.

I can say I wasn't disappointed, this book, much like the show drew me in, wrapped me in it's wonderful storytelling and kept me locked in until the very end. Luckily I didn't have long to wait to read the second book Scorch. either because my sister had it, so I stole it borrowed it (she'll get it back...someday).
 ★★★★★

I got his book at Book Expo America 2012 and had the author sign it for me, I cracked up because she signed it

And so to you my loves I wish
Happy Reaping Reading