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pbanditp's review
4.0
The dead are burning to talk and Kennet is there to listen, but do they want more from him then he dares to provide?
Nineteen years old and Kennet lives with his invalid mom at Costa’s Personal Care Home and has since his abusive father died. Struggling to make money, he has a job as a crematory operator at the local funeral home. The thing is, in this genre bending tale, Kennet has a special ability, he gets visions of how the people died. There is something for everyone in this slow burning, supernatural, coming-of-age, YA, thriller, fueled by greed and control.
Kennet is such a great kid, you really get to know and love him. He doesn’t always make the best decisions, but his heart is always in the right place. Unlike those around him.
Nineteen years old and Kennet lives with his invalid mom at Costa’s Personal Care Home and has since his abusive father died. Struggling to make money, he has a job as a crematory operator at the local funeral home. The thing is, in this genre bending tale, Kennet has a special ability, he gets visions of how the people died. There is something for everyone in this slow burning, supernatural, coming-of-age, YA, thriller, fueled by greed and control.
Kennet is such a great kid, you really get to know and love him. He doesn’t always make the best decisions, but his heart is always in the right place. Unlike those around him.
goblin_reaper's review
4.0
“Singleton, you sure know how to bake ’em.”
•
Huge thanks to Black Thorn Books for sharing the ecopy of this book in return for an honest review!
•
When I was browsing through the Goodreads reviews of this book, a sentence from a fellow reader's review caught my eye—
"How do you review a book that is so catchy that your eyes stick to the paper and can't be freed?"
This is exactly how I felt when I sat down with a pen in hand and book open to review Death Perception. My thoughts were still swimming in the storyline, the ending and the gripping contents of the book; deep enough that I couldn't gather my thoughts to pen down even a single sentence. But now that I've entered the "reviewer mode", I'll just get started on talking (writing?) your ears off:-)
Nineteen-year-old Kennet Singleton lives with his invalid mother in a personal care facility. He works at the local funeral home as a cremator. However Kennet, with his dark past and turbulent present, has secrets— he has the power of discerning the cause of death by toasting marshmallows over their ashes (yep, marshmallows). It's all a weird hobby and a little fun time until his perception begins to differ from what's written on the death certificate… Kenneth must put his powers to use and bring the killer to light— before people start dropping like flies!
With jokes bordering on dark and a moral-Esque main character, the author portrays a unique plot line with brilliant writing.
As a regular reader and writer (an amateur one), what I've noticed is that authors, along with keeping the storyline and the characters alive, also have to make sure their writing (word orders, sentence formations, figures of speech and dialogues) is thriving too. I think Allen Howard manages this beautifully. His words have an intense feel to it and that made the story more effective in its context. However, I did think that when a character is toasting marshmallows, it becomes difficult to take him and what comes after a little more seriously. But by giving a powerful and mysterious rationale to a bonfire-side activity was very unique in its own way.
I loved how the author portrayed the male mc. From being naive and too trusting to being a little more clever and cautious— his character arc was very well written. It was beautiful how Kennet did not once lose his hope and still looked towards the light at the end of the tunnel even after being through so much, especially considering his upbringing.
“He once told Kennet that a professional always cleans up his own mess. On this point, he had to admit he was wrong.”
During the end of this chapter I had to take a moment or two to appreciate how ironic Grinold's fate was. He was the first one to succumb to his fears despite his previous attitude of "being raised right by a strong, powerful woman of a mother." I felt like it was a fitting ending for him.
The remaining proprietors of crime traveled in the same boat but in different directions. It was like all loose ends of Kennet's little town were neatly cut off. I loved how everything fell into place.
Kennet's love for his mother, Nathan's cologne, adorable yet grumpy old people and Wilkes' eccentric nature truly made this book memorable for me. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Recreational And Consensual Drug Use, Depictions of Domestic Violence.
This story revolves around the sum and substance of death, I recommend caution to those who are sensitive to such content.
•
Huge thanks to Black Thorn Books for sharing the ecopy of this book in return for an honest review!
•
When I was browsing through the Goodreads reviews of this book, a sentence from a fellow reader's review caught my eye—
"How do you review a book that is so catchy that your eyes stick to the paper and can't be freed?"
This is exactly how I felt when I sat down with a pen in hand and book open to review Death Perception. My thoughts were still swimming in the storyline, the ending and the gripping contents of the book; deep enough that I couldn't gather my thoughts to pen down even a single sentence. But now that I've entered the "reviewer mode", I'll just get started on talking (writing?) your ears off:-)
Nineteen-year-old Kennet Singleton lives with his invalid mother in a personal care facility. He works at the local funeral home as a cremator. However Kennet, with his dark past and turbulent present, has secrets— he has the power of discerning the cause of death by toasting marshmallows over their ashes (yep, marshmallows). It's all a weird hobby and a little fun time until his perception begins to differ from what's written on the death certificate… Kenneth must put his powers to use and bring the killer to light— before people start dropping like flies!
With jokes bordering on dark and a moral-Esque main character, the author portrays a unique plot line with brilliant writing.
As a regular reader and writer (an amateur one), what I've noticed is that authors, along with keeping the storyline and the characters alive, also have to make sure their writing (word orders, sentence formations, figures of speech and dialogues) is thriving too. I think Allen Howard manages this beautifully. His words have an intense feel to it and that made the story more effective in its context. However, I did think that when a character is toasting marshmallows, it becomes difficult to take him and what comes after a little more seriously. But by giving a powerful and mysterious rationale to a bonfire-side activity was very unique in its own way.
I loved how the author portrayed the male mc. From being naive and too trusting to being a little more clever and cautious— his character arc was very well written. It was beautiful how Kennet did not once lose his hope and still looked towards the light at the end of the tunnel even after being through so much, especially considering his upbringing.
“He once told Kennet that a professional always cleans up his own mess. On this point, he had to admit he was wrong.”
During the end of this chapter I had to take a moment or two to appreciate how ironic Grinold's fate was. He was the first one to succumb to his fears despite his previous attitude of "being raised right by a strong, powerful woman of a mother." I felt like it was a fitting ending for him.
The remaining proprietors of crime traveled in the same boat but in different directions. It was like all loose ends of Kennet's little town were neatly cut off. I loved how everything fell into place.
Kennet's love for his mother, Nathan's cologne, adorable yet grumpy old people and Wilkes' eccentric nature truly made this book memorable for me. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Recreational And Consensual Drug Use, Depictions of Domestic Violence.
This story revolves around the sum and substance of death, I recommend caution to those who are sensitive to such content.
coffeedogsbooks's review
4.0
[b:Death Perception|17847827|Death Perception|Lee Allen Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367283829l/17847827._SX50_.jpg|24981404] is so far my favorite of [a:Lee Allen Howard|2017027|Lee Allen Howard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549198421p2/2017027.jpg] books that I have read (not that they aren't all good but..) at about the 40-50% mark we see how Kennet's "gift" is going to come in to play. You see Kennet can tell how people are going to die (after death) with a somewhat creepy trait, he toasts marshmallows over their cremains and eats them. Odd for sure, but so is Kennet in his own way, although I suspect that is more from his family history than anything else. And while this is a slower paced books, its still an engaging fast read, if hat makes sense. We get a lot of Kennet's background and about is life in the earlier part of the book until he decides to use what he learned to try and find out what is going on and if his mother was a victim as well. Despite Kennet's oddity, you get to like him, he really is a good kid just trying to get by on the raw deal he was dealt in life. I thoroughly enjoy this book and thank Blackthorn Book Tours and Lee Allen Howard for the review copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
rainnbooks's review
4.0
Look at the cover image on the book and tell me if you can begin reading without expecting horror, but Lee Allen Howard throws a perfect googly with his Death Perception. The story about a young man brought up in an unusual circumstance developing psychic powers is unexpectedly a bittersweet one.
Kennet Singleton goes about life trying to do the right thing without causing much fuss. His upbringing amongst the elderly care patients is itself an oddity and seeing him trying to navigate life after the death of his mother created an ache in the heart. His peculiarity doesn’t end there, to be working as an operator in the cemetery earns him the nickname Dr. Death but he has no problems with it as he believes that even the dead need to be cared for well but his habit of toasting marshmallows over their ashes, OH GOD, that had me queasy.
Lee Allen Howard’s Death Perception is all about perception, there are multiple plotlines, on one hand, there is Mr. Grinold, the funeral director focused on his business and his reputation which creates a horde of problems, on the other, there’s Ms. Costa the care homeowner whose sole intention is to earn enough to live independently without a man, for which she decides to take matters into her own two greedy hands, there is Alex, the helper in the care home who is growing drugs inside his house, then, of course, Kennet and his open and kind heart trying to see the good in all and the psychic visions that give him more truths than what he bargained for.
The murders, the suspense, the ghosts everything comes together in this excellent tale of greed and needs with well fleshed out characters. The author’s writing is so effortless that for a time one forgets the subject matter of death and cemetery. The story brims with underlying dark humor that provides a kind of quirky fun in a tale of murders and mayhem. This is my first book by the author and I find it admirable that he has mixed a number of genres to provide a very endearing story. The murders and horror and the crazy turn in the story apart, this is also a coming of age for Kennet who learns to accept the gift for what it is and vows to protect his loved ones.
Do not expect an action-packed chill down the spine horror, this novel is nothing like that, in fact, the straight narration leaves the reader with a twinge of sympathy for Kennet rather than any feeling of fear.
If you love books with horror and humor in equal measures, then Death perception is just the perfect book for you. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to BLACKTHORN BOOK TOURS and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.
Kennet Singleton goes about life trying to do the right thing without causing much fuss. His upbringing amongst the elderly care patients is itself an oddity and seeing him trying to navigate life after the death of his mother created an ache in the heart. His peculiarity doesn’t end there, to be working as an operator in the cemetery earns him the nickname Dr. Death but he has no problems with it as he believes that even the dead need to be cared for well but his habit of toasting marshmallows over their ashes, OH GOD, that had me queasy.
Lee Allen Howard’s Death Perception is all about perception, there are multiple plotlines, on one hand, there is Mr. Grinold, the funeral director focused on his business and his reputation which creates a horde of problems, on the other, there’s Ms. Costa the care homeowner whose sole intention is to earn enough to live independently without a man, for which she decides to take matters into her own two greedy hands, there is Alex, the helper in the care home who is growing drugs inside his house, then, of course, Kennet and his open and kind heart trying to see the good in all and the psychic visions that give him more truths than what he bargained for.
Despite what life dished out, everyone had a choice. You could choose to react poorly, or you could endeavor to rise above. Either way, you were responsible for your actions.
The murders, the suspense, the ghosts everything comes together in this excellent tale of greed and needs with well fleshed out characters. The author’s writing is so effortless that for a time one forgets the subject matter of death and cemetery. The story brims with underlying dark humor that provides a kind of quirky fun in a tale of murders and mayhem. This is my first book by the author and I find it admirable that he has mixed a number of genres to provide a very endearing story. The murders and horror and the crazy turn in the story apart, this is also a coming of age for Kennet who learns to accept the gift for what it is and vows to protect his loved ones.
Do not expect an action-packed chill down the spine horror, this novel is nothing like that, in fact, the straight narration leaves the reader with a twinge of sympathy for Kennet rather than any feeling of fear.
If you love books with horror and humor in equal measures, then Death perception is just the perfect book for you. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to BLACKTHORN BOOK TOURS and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.
taketwolu's review
3.75
19 year old Kennet works at a crematorium and lives in a senior care center with his sickly mother. With a greedy, selfish boss, and a pushy landlord (senior care center owner), Kennet is nothing but down on his luck and constantly pushed around. He soon discovers his ability to determine the cause of death of those he cremates as he roasts marshmallows over his ashes. Maybe this skill could be the key to turning things around for him?
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but it was a pretty interesting read! Kennet is trying to do his best for him and his mother, but everytime he tries to stand up for himself or do some good, he’d just get kicked down again -- paired with the fact that he’s had a rough life, you’ll feel pretty sorry for this kid. Howard also does a great job at villianzing some of his other characters because they will make your blood boil!
Through multiple POVs, we gradually see the unravelling of something more twisted and sinister at hand. I’m a sucker for a good mystery so it was fun seeing how everyone’s story fit together. This is a bit of a darker read with some trigger warnings to be careful of, but seeing the underdog outcome for Kennet was very rewarding. I would’ve liked some more supernatural moments and horror, but overall, I still enjoyed it.
novelbloglover's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Book Review
Title: Death Perception by Lee Allen Howard
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Death Perception was an interesting story that in some ways reminded me of The Dead Zone by Stephen King as we follow a young man named Kennet who happens to have a supernatural power. Kennet operate the crematorium at the local funeral home and he discovers that he can learn the cause of death for the people he cremates, however, sometimes the cause of death on the death certificate doesn’t match what Kennet sees which indicates some foul play at work and it was really fun to unravel this mystery with Kennet. The story is very well written featured multiple points of view, different subplots, twists and conspiracies but it does have a lot of obviously religious undertones which I wasn’t keen on and they weren’t hinted at so it caught me by surprise when they were introduced.
Another interesting feature about Death Perception was that even though there are a lot of things happening at any given point, they were all told in a very straightforward fashion meaning the story is easy to follow and you don’t get confused reading it which is something I really appreciated as a reader as there is nothing more frustrated than a confusing book. Howard’s writing style was artful when he describes the settings and people within the book and he definitely has a talent with word that rivals some of the horror greats but the atmosphere and suspense were lacking for me meaning that the twists weren’t as surprising but there felt like there was very little build up to them. While the idea of Kennet’s supernatural gift wasn’t original it was presented in a very unique fashion given that Kennet works with the dead for a living.
Despite this I did struggle to identify with Kennet as a protagonist though as until close to the end of the novel there is no clear definition of his character and personality. For the majority of the novel he seems like someone who avoids conflict at all costs and is very much an outsider but he ended up being a really strong, badass character which just didn’t align for me as a reader. Kennet’s decision making through the novel also didn’t seem to come from one consistence core belief and while the storytelling was exceptional it wasn’t quite enough to support the character development. My main issue with Kennet is throughout the novel he is dealt a lot of hard blows and yet seems completely unaffected by them and has little to no emotional reaction to these things. This would be find if Kennet had been presented as an emotionally stunted character or someone that didn’t react strongly to things but this wasn’t the case and he seemed a little one dimensional for me.
Overall, Death Perception was a good read sending me back to the first time I read The Dead Zone with Kennet’s power and the themes presented. I would recommend this book to reader who like a lot of conspiracy plots and interpersonal relationships between characters but it will lack vital elements for the horror, thriller and mystery readers. Despite this the writing earned a solid three stars from me.
stephaniemwytovich's review
5.0
Howard's approach to dark fiction combines horror and humor in a way that is both terrifying and light. Death Perception was a fast-paced, entertaining read by an author who knows his way around nightmares and is no stranger to putting them on the page. This was a fascinating read with a plot unlike anything else that I've read, and I will never look at or eat another marshmallow the same way again. I hope to see more of Kennet Singleton's character in the future!
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