Book review: Reaper by L.S. Murphy

Reaper by L.S. Murphy

YA paranormal*Paperback, 212 pages

Published January 7th 2013 by J. Taylor Publshing

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

  

I wasn't crazy about the Queen of Popularity, Quincy, the main character in L.S. Murphy's Reaper. She came across as many rich girls in YA. Pretty, popular, and petty. That is until she started to look at herself, at how she treated others, especially her childhood best friend, Ben. When her friends call him a "scrub" and treat him like dirt, she doesn't do much about it. Until she's informed she's about to become the fifth Reaper, a position handed down in her family, and as she watches others accept their deaths--no matter the age or reason, no matter if it was warranted or not--she begins to change. So did my opinion, and from then on I  liked her. And when Quincy figures out Ben is someone who should be involved in her present life, I didn't want to stop reading.

Reaper is a satisfying and quick paced read. Entertaining and enjoyable, I was pleasantly surprised. The Quincy we meet at the beginning undergoes some needed changes by the end and despite her 'shocking' climatic moment, I thought the ending was necessary too. There was quite a cast of characters from her friends to Ben's band mates and I had no problems remembering who was who. I"ll admit I did expect a heavier take on the reaper aspect of the story, but I did get a kick out of Forsyth and Destiny. 

Reaper is a lightweight and fun paranormal read for young adults.

Rating: Liked it

Cover comment: I don't mind Quincy looking coy in the front and even the scythe is okay, but all that white and the kids sitting down are distracting. It's an uneven image and I don't think it fully represents the story.

Book source: I received a promotional copy from the publisher in return for my honest review.