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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
When I finished the book, I thought I would need some time to reflect on it and decide what to give it. I was very conflicted, because there are some things I really like about the book, yet I also felt it had some deep flaws. I was uneasy about Croak, but this book just made me even more unhappy with some of the series' flaws. There will be some pretty major spoilers (for both Croak and Scorch) in this review, so be forewarned.
My biggest, hugest beef with this series is the consequences of Lex's actions just aren't serious enough. In the first book, Lex's actions get her sister killed. Yes, she is angsty over it, but that angst doesn't stop her from continuing down a path that is only going to lead to more regrettable actions. Yet, in spite of this, nothing really ever seems to be all that bad for Lex. Cordy is happy in the Afterlife, effectively letting Lex off the hook for her death. When Lex Damns Corpp, Dora immediately forgives her and, once again, Lex is let off the hook. Various and assorted other characters die or are injured during the course of the book, but Lex never really has to feel badly about this because their deaths are all for the cause. Most egregious of all, Lex doesn't really need to feel badly about what happens to Driggs, because she decides at the end of the book that she's going to fix him. All of this is what seriously hinders these books from rising above a form of entertainment and into the realm of books that are a little more serious.
The second flaw of this series is that I am starting to have a pretty adverse reaction to Lex. It's easy to identify her and to understand her righteous indignation in the face of what she must do. It certainly wouldn't be an easy thing to witness heinous crimes and to just walk away from them because interfering would mean bad things for the universe. I can see how that would wear away at a person. But when it's finally revealed that Lex has been doing some Damning of her own and conveniently allowing the blame to fall on Zara, that's where my disappointment with Lex really knew no bounds. I feel like this series tries to ask some really hard questions about morality, but Lex is so blissfully free of having to pay for her choices that it's hard to really take that aspect of the series seriously. If Lex is going to go down the path of declaring herself judge, jury, and executioner, there needs to be consequences to it. I'd feel better about her character if this was the case. As it is, Lex is delving into an extremely gray area of morality here, but she's none the worse the wear for it, and that bothers me a whole lot.
Mort also receives a share of my ire. He falls into that category of adult who keeps things from the kids just because they're kids and because it's convenient for the plot. I can buy Dumbledore keeping things from Harry because Dumbledore was in denial about the effect that would have, but I am so impatient with Mort. Rather than telling Lex why everyone resents her presence in Croak, rather than warning her about Grotton, he allows her to bumble about in the dark, eventually leading her to the steaming heap she ends up in at the end of the novel. That's just unforgivable. At the end, Lex is happy because Mort has her back, but all I could think was, "He does? Since when?" I really like Mort, but it is so disappointing that, at no point, did I ever feel like he was really doing what was best for his niece.
This book also had the same problem as its predecessor: the secondary characters are often interesting and have unique personalities, but they're essentially just there to further the plot. I can't help but feel like they're just walking plot devices rather than people in their own right. This wasn't the case for Driggs in the first novel, but I felt that's what he ultimately becomes in this one.
In fact, not even Zara is spared from this fate. For two books, she is the big villain and, yet, the end she meets is decidedly anti-climactic, not to mention rather absurd. Why does everyone spend so much of the book just running away from her when they could coordinate their efforts to catch her? They know where she's going to strike, because they know she will come after Lex and Driggs. Plenty of other characters are allowed to effectively become canon fodder, but not Lex and Driggs. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be used as bait? If one was lost in the process, wouldn't that have been a whole lot more meaningful--and saved a whole lot more lives--than simply allowing person after person to be sacrificed?
And, lastly, I just cannot stand Norwood and Heloise. Yes, the reader isn't meant to like them, but they are just so campy, cartoony, over-the-top that it was impossible to suspend my disbelief. There is something so great about when a villain is done well. There is something so awful about when they're just outright bad, and Norwood and Heloise fall into this category. The psychology is there, and I could buy it if they just acted in a more subtle way. Instead, they often seem like deranged toddlers, and that just made it too far-fetched for me. Do I believe a bunch of townspeople would follow insidious bad guys who fanned the flames of fear and paranoia? Yes. Do I believe a bunch of townspeople would follow shrieking, hysterical bad guys who practically smack them over the head with the absurdity of their off-base accusations? No. And, yet, this is precisely what almost all of the residents of Croak do. Apparently, good judgement isn't a requirement for joining the Grimsphere.
Yet even with all this criticism, I do not actively dislike this series and, in fact, I plan on reading the next book. Why? Because it is so imaginative, and the world building is just so awesome. I loved DeMyse, loved the idea of a town whose residents prefer to live an amusement park life of blissful ignorance. I love what this says about human indifference.
I love the Afterlife, love seeing figures like Poe and Tut pop up in unexpected and amusing ways. Every time Lex walks into the Afterlife, I know I'm in for a treat of the imagination, and the book never fails in this regard.
But the fact of the matter is that all of this great imaginative power isn't enough to save me from feeling supremely disappointed with the book as a whole.
My biggest, hugest beef with this series is the consequences of Lex's actions just aren't serious enough. In the first book, Lex's actions get her sister killed. Yes, she is angsty over it, but that angst doesn't stop her from continuing down a path that is only going to lead to more regrettable actions. Yet, in spite of this, nothing really ever seems to be all that bad for Lex. Cordy is happy in the Afterlife, effectively letting Lex off the hook for her death. When Lex Damns Corpp, Dora immediately forgives her and, once again, Lex is let off the hook. Various and assorted other characters die or are injured during the course of the book, but Lex never really has to feel badly about this because their deaths are all for the cause. Most egregious of all, Lex doesn't really need to feel badly about what happens to Driggs, because she decides at the end of the book that she's going to fix him. All of this is what seriously hinders these books from rising above a form of entertainment and into the realm of books that are a little more serious.
The second flaw of this series is that I am starting to have a pretty adverse reaction to Lex. It's easy to identify her and to understand her righteous indignation in the face of what she must do. It certainly wouldn't be an easy thing to witness heinous crimes and to just walk away from them because interfering would mean bad things for the universe. I can see how that would wear away at a person. But when it's finally revealed that Lex has been doing some Damning of her own and conveniently allowing the blame to fall on Zara, that's where my disappointment with Lex really knew no bounds. I feel like this series tries to ask some really hard questions about morality, but Lex is so blissfully free of having to pay for her choices that it's hard to really take that aspect of the series seriously. If Lex is going to go down the path of declaring herself judge, jury, and executioner, there needs to be consequences to it. I'd feel better about her character if this was the case. As it is, Lex is delving into an extremely gray area of morality here, but she's none the worse the wear for it, and that bothers me a whole lot.
Mort also receives a share of my ire. He falls into that category of adult who keeps things from the kids just because they're kids and because it's convenient for the plot. I can buy Dumbledore keeping things from Harry because Dumbledore was in denial about the effect that would have, but I am so impatient with Mort. Rather than telling Lex why everyone resents her presence in Croak, rather than warning her about Grotton, he allows her to bumble about in the dark, eventually leading her to the steaming heap she ends up in at the end of the novel. That's just unforgivable. At the end, Lex is happy because Mort has her back, but all I could think was, "He does? Since when?" I really like Mort, but it is so disappointing that, at no point, did I ever feel like he was really doing what was best for his niece.
This book also had the same problem as its predecessor: the secondary characters are often interesting and have unique personalities, but they're essentially just there to further the plot. I can't help but feel like they're just walking plot devices rather than people in their own right. This wasn't the case for Driggs in the first novel, but I felt that's what he ultimately becomes in this one.
In fact, not even Zara is spared from this fate. For two books, she is the big villain and, yet, the end she meets is decidedly anti-climactic, not to mention rather absurd. Why does everyone spend so much of the book just running away from her when they could coordinate their efforts to catch her? They know where she's going to strike, because they know she will come after Lex and Driggs. Plenty of other characters are allowed to effectively become canon fodder, but not Lex and Driggs. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be used as bait? If one was lost in the process, wouldn't that have been a whole lot more meaningful--and saved a whole lot more lives--than simply allowing person after person to be sacrificed?
And, lastly, I just cannot stand Norwood and Heloise. Yes, the reader isn't meant to like them, but they are just so campy, cartoony, over-the-top that it was impossible to suspend my disbelief. There is something so great about when a villain is done well. There is something so awful about when they're just outright bad, and Norwood and Heloise fall into this category. The psychology is there, and I could buy it if they just acted in a more subtle way. Instead, they often seem like deranged toddlers, and that just made it too far-fetched for me. Do I believe a bunch of townspeople would follow insidious bad guys who fanned the flames of fear and paranoia? Yes. Do I believe a bunch of townspeople would follow shrieking, hysterical bad guys who practically smack them over the head with the absurdity of their off-base accusations? No. And, yet, this is precisely what almost all of the residents of Croak do. Apparently, good judgement isn't a requirement for joining the Grimsphere.
Yet even with all this criticism, I do not actively dislike this series and, in fact, I plan on reading the next book. Why? Because it is so imaginative, and the world building is just so awesome. I loved DeMyse, loved the idea of a town whose residents prefer to live an amusement park life of blissful ignorance. I love what this says about human indifference.
I love the Afterlife, love seeing figures like Poe and Tut pop up in unexpected and amusing ways. Every time Lex walks into the Afterlife, I know I'm in for a treat of the imagination, and the book never fails in this regard.
But the fact of the matter is that all of this great imaginative power isn't enough to save me from feeling supremely disappointed with the book as a whole.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
If you want to laugh a lot, try this book. :)
I loved it, it was even better then book 1. More action, more magic and some more romance. But I also shed some tears. :(
I loved it, it was even better then book 1. More action, more magic and some more romance. But I also shed some tears. :(
iceangel32's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great middle book to the series. There is so much that happens. There is constant action in this whole book. I will say some of it was predictable not so much as the actions but in the reasons and persons responsible. The end, there was just no words. You wanted to cry, scream and cheer all at once. Left me wanting to know what happens.... so glad I could start the next one right away.
kberry513's review against another edition
5.0
I take back any complaints about the first one - the second book is outstanding. It builds on the setup from the first book and fleshes out many of the secondary characters which add credence to their motivations. I can't wait to read the next one!
celjla212's review against another edition
5.0
Lex has returned to the comfort of Croak after the death of her twin sister, Cordy. But even though she's suffered this tragedy, no one in town is going easy on her. They all blame her for the fact that Zara, the rogue reaper, is Damning innocent people all over the country. Since she's gone off the grid, no one seems to be able to stop her--but Lex is determined to find a way.
Along with the help of her friends and her ever so sexy boyfriend Driggs, Lex works to unravel clues that lead to a mysterious book. Lex does not want to allow Zara to get her hands on the book, but she may not have a choice--because to get what she wants, Zara is attacking everyone that Lex holds dear.
I LOVED Croak, and its' sequel was no disappointment!
Lex is back but obviously not the same as she was in the first book. Some (but not all!!) of her snark is gone, and she's dealing with so many things--the loss of her twin, being an outcast, and having to control her ability to Damn. I'm so glad she had a few loyal friends, and of course Driggs to take her mind off of things.
A huge part of the reason I love this series is its' cast of entertaining characters, and we get a few new ones in Scorch. There are two rookies, Pip and Bang, who are just very SPECIAL and come to blend in with the rest of the Junior Grims perfectly. Sadly, we also see the loss of a few beloved characters.
The villains in this story are well deserving of that status. Norwood and Heloise are so nasty, and I really wanted something bad to happen to them as payback. Zara will stop at nothing to get the book she wants, and killing innocent people is just a step in the right direction for her. Though, Lex seems to be having issues controlling her Damning...so good and evil aren't as clear cut as we would like them to be.
Scorch is full of the same humor and originality that Croak had. From King Tut talking about benchpressing a camel, to Lex and Driggs being caught in a, er, compromising position, Gina Damico has portrayed her weird and random sense of humor. Which is perfect for me, because I am rather weird and random. The humor in the book won't be for everyone, though, since nearly all over it revolves around death.
Gina Damico has quickly become on of my favorite authors, and Croak one of my favorite series!
Along with the help of her friends and her ever so sexy boyfriend Driggs, Lex works to unravel clues that lead to a mysterious book. Lex does not want to allow Zara to get her hands on the book, but she may not have a choice--because to get what she wants, Zara is attacking everyone that Lex holds dear.
I LOVED Croak, and its' sequel was no disappointment!
Lex is back but obviously not the same as she was in the first book. Some (but not all!!) of her snark is gone, and she's dealing with so many things--the loss of her twin, being an outcast, and having to control her ability to Damn. I'm so glad she had a few loyal friends, and of course Driggs to take her mind off of things.
A huge part of the reason I love this series is its' cast of entertaining characters, and we get a few new ones in Scorch. There are two rookies, Pip and Bang, who are just very SPECIAL and come to blend in with the rest of the Junior Grims perfectly. Sadly, we also see the loss of a few beloved characters.
The villains in this story are well deserving of that status. Norwood and Heloise are so nasty, and I really wanted something bad to happen to them as payback. Zara will stop at nothing to get the book she wants, and killing innocent people is just a step in the right direction for her. Though, Lex seems to be having issues controlling her Damning...so good and evil aren't as clear cut as we would like them to be.
Scorch is full of the same humor and originality that Croak had. From King Tut talking about benchpressing a camel, to Lex and Driggs being caught in a, er, compromising position, Gina Damico has portrayed her weird and random sense of humor. Which is perfect for me, because I am rather weird and random. The humor in the book won't be for everyone, though, since nearly all over it revolves around death.
Gina Damico has quickly become on of my favorite authors, and Croak one of my favorite series!
this_fishy_reads's review against another edition
4.0
The story and the attitude in this (and Croak) are awesome and fun and I love them. But two books in and at least one more to go and the characterization is still laughably weak. Anyone mean or popular is evil or a d-bag. Always. Anyone nice or witty is the hero or on the hero's side. Always. It's too simplistic. And yeah, it's a YA series, but that doesn't mean the intended audience is too stupid to see shades of grey.
angelicide's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Lex, the main character in this series, and that's primarily what keeps me going. Just as she was in the first book she's smart, snarky and bad-ass in a mostly believable way. Her dialogue and interactions with the other characters are well-written and entertaining.
What keeps me from loving it, is that I've never been 100% sold on its mythology. So much of it seems arbitrary and just a little silly when you stop to think about it. And then there's the Grim technology (Uncle Mort's inventions included), which is often a bit too convenient in the way that it works or doesn't work, seemingly in service to the plot.
And for God's sake, why doesn't somebody just pull out a gun and shoot Zara (the principle villain who can damn people with a single touch) from a distance? Really? Nobody can figure that out?
Anyway, if I don't think about it too hard, I find that I am able to sit back and enjoy the ride. This one is a little tough to get through in some places in the same way that the fifth Harry Potter book was. By that I mean that Lex suffers one terrible injustice after another until you want to scream. That certainly isn't an indictment of the book--in fact, it serves to really ratchet up the tension and makes me that much more determined to be there when Lex is finally vindicated (at least I presume she will be--that was not a spoiler).
Now on to book number three.
What keeps me from loving it, is that I've never been 100% sold on its mythology. So much of it seems arbitrary and just a little silly when you stop to think about it. And then there's the Grim technology (Uncle Mort's inventions included), which is often a bit too convenient in the way that it works or doesn't work, seemingly in service to the plot.
And for God's sake, why doesn't somebody just pull out a gun and shoot Zara (the principle villain who can damn people with a single touch) from a distance? Really? Nobody can figure that out?
Anyway, if I don't think about it too hard, I find that I am able to sit back and enjoy the ride. This one is a little tough to get through in some places in the same way that the fifth Harry Potter book was. By that I mean that Lex suffers one terrible injustice after another until you want to scream. That certainly isn't an indictment of the book--in fact, it serves to really ratchet up the tension and makes me that much more determined to be there when Lex is finally vindicated (at least I presume she will be--that was not a spoiler).
Now on to book number three.
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
Originally reviewed at Hooked on Books
Croak by Gina Damico was one of my surprise favourites earlier this year. It was fun, clever, exciting. A perfect recipe for success. Because of my love for Croak I was a bit nervous going into Scorch.Would it live up to the brilliance of the first book? But I should have known better than to worry. Gina's writing has a way of putting you at ease. Letting you lean back and enjoy the ride as she piles on the crazy.
Just like in Croak, the dialogue in this novel was spot on. The conversations felt entirely real and could have easily been happening right in front of me. And because the dialogue was so perfect, the characters really came to life. They had real emotions, relationships and real faults. Even the bad guys were relatable and you just don't see that very often.
Even better than the dialogue was the relationship between Lex and Driggs. They have the perfect partnership. Lex doesn't give up who she is to be with Driggs and vice versa. They treat each other as equals and they work together. It's a beautiful thing! It was nice to see a YA relationship where they trust one another and there's no angsty nonsense. I'm not saying things are perfect all of the time, but it is one hundred percent believable that these two are in love.
There is a lot more action in this book. Partially because it isn`t completely situated in the town of Croak. And although I loved Croak, this was a nice change of pace. The other reason is that there's a lot more danger in this book. The fear is immediate and some really horrible things happen to beloved characters. Gina Damico obviously wasn't afriad to make some hard decisions while writing this book and that really helped set a dramatic, urgent tone in Scorch. And though some parts broke my heart, or made me throw the book across the room, it was a better novel because of it.
Once again Gina Damico has produced a fabulous novel. Funny, creepy, suspensful. An absolute joy to read. If you haven't read this series yet, you're missing out.
Final recommendation: A must for those who like a side of humour with their paranormal. Also recommeded for those who enjoyed the show Dead Like Me.
Croak by Gina Damico was one of my surprise favourites earlier this year. It was fun, clever, exciting. A perfect recipe for success. Because of my love for Croak I was a bit nervous going into Scorch.Would it live up to the brilliance of the first book? But I should have known better than to worry. Gina's writing has a way of putting you at ease. Letting you lean back and enjoy the ride as she piles on the crazy.
Just like in Croak, the dialogue in this novel was spot on. The conversations felt entirely real and could have easily been happening right in front of me. And because the dialogue was so perfect, the characters really came to life. They had real emotions, relationships and real faults. Even the bad guys were relatable and you just don't see that very often.
Even better than the dialogue was the relationship between Lex and Driggs. They have the perfect partnership. Lex doesn't give up who she is to be with Driggs and vice versa. They treat each other as equals and they work together. It's a beautiful thing! It was nice to see a YA relationship where they trust one another and there's no angsty nonsense. I'm not saying things are perfect all of the time, but it is one hundred percent believable that these two are in love.
There is a lot more action in this book. Partially because it isn`t completely situated in the town of Croak. And although I loved Croak, this was a nice change of pace. The other reason is that there's a lot more danger in this book. The fear is immediate and some really horrible things happen to beloved characters. Gina Damico obviously wasn't afriad to make some hard decisions while writing this book and that really helped set a dramatic, urgent tone in Scorch. And though some parts broke my heart, or made me throw the book across the room, it was a better novel because of it.
Once again Gina Damico has produced a fabulous novel. Funny, creepy, suspensful. An absolute joy to read. If you haven't read this series yet, you're missing out.
Final recommendation: A must for those who like a side of humour with their paranormal. Also recommeded for those who enjoyed the show Dead Like Me.