Review ROGUE by GINA DAMICO @HMHKids @GinaDamico

Book Description

Release date: September 10, 2013 | Series: Croak

Lex, a teenage Grim Reaper, has the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. Her boyfriend, Driggs, is dead . . . sort of. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it. The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed . . . but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

  About the Author


  Gina Damico is the author of Croak, Scorch, and Rogue. She received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where she was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, the country’s only collegiate murder mystery improv comedy troupe. She has since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, and movie extra. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. Visit her website at www.ginadami.co.

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

*** spoilers if you haven't read the first two in the series ***

And why haven't you read these awesome books yet?

Lex is quickly learning that she has skills above and beyond the ability to Damn and none of them are supernatural.  With Driggs being somewhere between ghost and dead-dead, she can still see him and hold him once in awhile.  As the Grimsphere is starting to collapse and might signal the end of the afterlife, Lex and her uncle Mort must contain the damage and prevent the downfall.  Armed with the Wrong Book and which is attached to the Grim Creator, Grotton, the Juniors must follow the clues to save everything for the afterlife.  Can they do it in time?


 Of course, the Junior have many tricks up their sleeves, including fast thinking and Uncle Mort's theories.  They head to Necropolis, to seal the last opening to the Grimsphere where Norwood, has already somewhat taken over.  This is such a thrilling conclusion that left me feeling a bit bittersweet.  I was so sad that Driggs was no longer corporeal but could be when he touched Lex.  I am going to miss the dry sense of humor and swift comebacks of Lex and Uncle Mort. 



These characters aren't perfect, they make a lot of mistakes and some die.  The romance between Driggs and Lex is just swoon-worthy.  These two are meant for each other even if they can't always be together.  A little more about Driggs' history is also explained and it is pretty sad.    Do yourself a favor and go grab all three books to read before summer ends.  You won't be disappointed.  Sigh, I have to get over the end of this series.  I am going to miss Lex so much. 

Disclosure I received this book from the publisher at no charge and in no way influenced my review. If you are considering purchasing this book or anything else from Amazon, please use my link above since I earn a very small percentage of the sale which helps pay for shipping my giveaways!

BOOK REVIEW Scorch by Gina Damico @ginadamico @HMHKids

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2012 | Series: Croak

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?

About the Author

GINA DAMICO is the author of Croak. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. www.ginadami.co

Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Graphia (September 25, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547624573
• ISBN-13: 978-0547624570

SOURCE:  AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

*** spoilers abound if you haven't read Croak -- do so without delay ***

Lex is stuck with an unbearable power to damn souls as well as being a grim reaper, not only can she send souls to the afterlife, she can turn them into ghosts, forced to walk the earth in a neverending afterlife on Earth with no chance of reuniting with loved ones.  Zara has tricked Lex into sharing her  Damning power and is using it to create chaos beyond removing criminals in order to create a new world order.  Driggs is still by Lex's side as well as the other Juniors who now find themselves ostracized by the townspeople of Croak and led by Norwood and Heloise, who place all of Zara's doings squarely on the group of teenagers and depose Uncle Mort as mayor.

 In order to escape the hell that is now Croak, the group escapes to DeMyse which is another Grim town much like Las Vegas for reapers.  Her uncle Mort has supplied the group with a loophole that allows them to "crash" together to escape the town and Zara.  Lex has also uncovered a bit of history and some notes that lead her to search for the Wrong Book which is basically a book of all the wrong things that should never be done and unravel the world's order.  Zara is also on the trail of the book and she will do anything to get her hands on it, even kill any who stand in her way.

There is nonstop action as the group bands together to stop Zara and clear their names.  As the crew continue to work their way back together, Norwood and Croak are out to get them as well as Zara.  Of course this ends in another cliffhanger but with one twist I wasn't expecting.  Uncle Mort uses his wiles to protect them all.  The story is filled with lots of wonderful wordplay and snarky dialogue that I adore.  You are immediately swept up in Lex's world and drama while the descriptions were right on target without being overly wordy.  Parents should note that there is lots of PDA between Lex and Driggs, some language, drinking, mentions of drugs, violence and death, so this one is best suited for older teens. 

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REVIEW: Croak by Gina Damico @ginadamico @HMHCo

Book Description

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? 

About the Author

From Goodreads:

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger. I live in Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. 

NOTE: I don't check back here as often as I'd like to (OR write reviews), so instead of sending me a friend request or following me, why not hit me up on Twitter instead? @ginadamico 

 Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; 1 edition (March 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547608322
• ISBN-13: 978-0547608327

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Lex has uncontrollable urges to hurt people almost to the point of killing them.  She has an almost superhuman strength about her, so just as she is about to be kicked out of school, her parents ship her off to her uncle's farm where they think some good old fashioned work will help her contain her violent tendencies.  All except Uncle Mort doesn't have farm chores in mind for Lex. He know she has all  the qualities to become an excellent grim reaper, just like he is.  Lex falls in line with her new life strategy and meet people her age who understand her.  Not as well as her twin, Cordy, but it is nice not to hide her newly discovered gifts any longer.  I love the fact that they are named after Lexington and Concord, from the Revolutionary War.  

Uncle Mort has teamed her up with Driggs, another reaper misfit, and things are really starting to fall into place when the pair discover that people are dying and no one knows the cause of death.  They begin to suspect that the murderer is actually another reaper since these people are scheduled to die.  The story quickly because a romantic paranormal thriller with the clock ticking as they try to discover who is doing the deed as Lex and Driggs slowly find that they are in love.  The story reminded me a bit of Dead Like Me that ran on television years ago about a teenage reaper mixed in with a bit of Christopher Moore weirdness and humor.  

I just adored the writing and how everything flowed, especially with my favorite thing on earth: snark and sarcasm.  OH MY!  What a treat this story was!  I immediately got right into Lex and her whole world which contained a bit of Harry Potter magical elements as well.  Lex is one of those characters that you can easily identify with, she isn't perfect and she knows it.  The other characters in the book come from broken homes and Lex is almost set aside since she comes from a loving home.  She questions authority, she is extremely curious and she does end up finally becoming comfortable in her own skin.  The evil Zara is an excellent foil to Lex's goodness.  Now, I can't wait for the follow up, Scorch that will be released next September.  It is going to be a long summer wait.  

Waiting on Wednesday: Croak by Gina Damico

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2012

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?

 

 

About the Author

Gina Damico grew up in Syracuse, New York. She received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where she was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, the country's only collegiate murder mystery improv comedy troupe. She has since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, and movie extra. Croak is her first novel. She lives in Boston with her husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. 

 

 

Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Graphia (March 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547608322
• ISBN-13: 978-0547608327

LOVE LOVE LOVE reaper stories and this one looks adorable!