Review: Scorch by Gina Damico

Scorch by Gina Damico

Croak #1

Release Date: September 25^th, 2012

Number of Page: 332

Publisher: Graphia

Source: ARC from BEA

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home. To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all—but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?

I had absolutely enjoyed Croak when I first read it, and I have to say, Scorch doesn’t disappoint. There’s just something about this book that made it impossible for me to stop reading (this book is addicting, that’s for sure) and smile. This book made me smile, laugh and just simply enjoyed the time I spend the nose buried between its pages. This is the kind of book that I just can’t get enough since there’s about everything I, as a reader, could want. There’s humor, drama, mystery,

As expected, the character had to mature a little since they went through some pretty horrible events in Croak. Lexi just lost her sister, and things aren’t getting easier for her. Almost whole town is turning their back on her and the other Juniors, Zara is still on the loose, and Lexi ahs trouble controlling her Damning. Yep, nothing is easy for her right now. She fortunately still has her friends, her uncle, two new Juniors (two really great additions, if I may add) and, of course, Drigg. Doesn’t mean things are going perfectly well for Lexi and company. They go through some pretty bad stuff in this book once again, losing some of their friends in the process.

Scorch ends up being a little darker than its predecessor, since it deals, after all, with the aftermath of Cody’s death, and the betrayal of Zara. Still, the book is full of dark humor, and nice little twists. Gina Damico created an incredible world and an addicting story that will please many readers. Yes, the book isn’t perfect, but to me, all the fun I had reading it made me forget about the little details that may have bugged me otherwise. A book that can make me smile and laugh as much deserves some love. I already can’t wait sink back into the world of DeMyse and of the Grims.

Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Croak by Gina Damico

Croak #1

Release Date: March 20^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 311

Publisher: Graphia

Source: Bought 

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?

I had received an eARC on NetGalley for this book a few months ago, but I never got around to reading. I always find it really hard to read ebooks, but when I saw it at my local bookstore (in all its SHININESS), I had to get it. This was a really good move, as I simply ended up DEVOURING it in a matter of hours. Why? Well, it is simply funny and creepy, a really great mix.

Now, I have to say that Lex was one of the reasons I really like this book. She’s an amazing character, as she was strong, fierce and slightly stubborn. She had a hell of an attitude! There was simply something about her that really made it easy for me to like her. Maybe it was also the way she acted with Driggo, her new partner. There was some really great tension between those two.

Now, after Lex gets expelled from school, having made a 180 from the A student she was to the now full of rage Lex she is, she is sent to her Uncle Mort for the summer. I don’t know why the parents really thought Uncle Mort was the best choice, as he is slightly creepy and doesn’t look like the strictest uncle in the common sense of the word. I found this also stranger since they hadn’t seen him in a while, but I won’t complain. The story wouldn’t be happening if they had done differently, right?

I have to say that I really loved the world Gina Damico created. Love the idea of the Grim Reapers; love the characters she had created. I’m already dying to read the sequel (which luckily I was able to find at BEA. Look for the review closer to the release date!) I have to say that I did guess who the bad guy was early on, but it still didn’t stop me from loving this book.

Overall, this book was simply addicting. It can easily be devoured in a matter of hours. I read it in one sitting, being unable to put it down. Definitely a book I would recommend to fan of paranormal books filled with humor. It was simply addicting.