The Reaper's Quota by Sarah McKnight

 The Reaper’s Quota by Sarah McKnight

This is a hilarious and fast story to read. It was nothing like what I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book.

Reaper # 2497 (a.k.a. Steve) is tasked with a set amount of deaths he has to complete or he will be executed. This story is about the Random Death quota he has to complete. He is torn between his humanity and his need for survival. While completing his tasks, he is struggling with the right and wrong of being a Reaper. 

My only issue with this book is the ending. It ends on a cliffhanger. I am, however, going to be looking for the second in this series. 

Thank you to #Netgalley and author Sarah McKnight for a copy of this book for an honest review. #TheReapersQuota

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

 Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

I don’t even know where to start with this review. I am torn between 3.5 and 4.5 stars. I have never read Malfi before, so I don’t know if this is his typical storytelling. There are so many good points to this story and some that fell flat. 

In a nutshell, we have a few main characters. Jamie, an on-again and off-again alcoholic. Dennis, his brother, has some mental disabilities. Mia, a young lady with some mental struggles. And Clay, a young man with vitiligo. All four meet the Magician, and soon learn there is more to this “man” than they realize. 

There are five sections to this story. Parts one, two and three; alternate between their childhood and adulthood stories. Most of them have moved away as they grew up. Started some careers, made some mistakes. We get a good picture of their mental and physical state. We learn all about their conflicts and growing pains.

Parts four and five - we are up to date on where they are in life. A huge event has led to a reunion. They come together in hopes of ending a tormenting childhood experience, in hopes to end a life of regrets and heartache. And they learn a little bit of magic along the way.

Throughout this whole story, I was wrong with every assumption except one. And even that assumption is just slightly off the mark.

Here is a quote straight from the story. It sums up this whole book perfectly. You can read into this quote in so many different ways…just like this story, it has so many angles. 

“We cannot run from ourselves”.

Breach: Lost In a World No Longer Her Own by Candace Nola

 Candace Nola knows how to write a fantastic story. I am blown away by the smoothness in which she writes.

This story is about a young woman who gets lost in the woods in a different world from her own. She begins to see new foliage and creatures that are made of nightmares and dreams. Her life is threatened many times and she has to learn to navigate this new world. 

The descriptions of the forest she has entered are so well written, that I can feel and see vividly what she is dealing with. Nola has a way of describing scenes and feelings without overdoing it. I can actually visualize what a creature looks like and I feel like I can smell everything along with our main character. 

There was a point at which I felt I knew exactly what was happening, I thought I had figured it out; but I was so wrong. I loved the unpredictability of this story.

While this is a very mild book of horror, filled with mystery and thrills, it makes a fantastic “get out of your reading slump” story. It drew me in right away and held my attention the whole time. 

I am definitely going to be reading everything else by this author. And you need to give this one a try!