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bmg20's review against another edition
4.0
Expected Publication Date: March 20th 2012
Croak was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
When sixteen year-old Lex starts to become a problem child, her parents decide to send her away for the Summer in hopes that her behavior will be changed while spending time with her Uncle Mort on his farm.
"I know it's a rather odd decision, but we think that a few months of fresh air could do you some good. You can get in touch with nature, lend a hand on Uncle Mort's farm, maybe even learn something! You could milk a cow!"
Cordy let out a snort. "She'd probably punch the cow."
So Lex is sent to Croak, which turns out to be a bit more than just your typical small town (and her Uncle Mort doesn’t live on a farm). Croak is actually a portal between this world and the next and all its inhabitants, otherwise known as Grims (including Lex now) are in charge of helping souls after death get to that other world. Lex ends up enjoying her new responsibilities far more than she had anticipated, and her Uncle Mort and new partner Driggs are both shocked at how strong her abilities are.
I loved the intricacies of their world: Killers, Cullers, Crashers, deathflash, the ether, the Ether Traffic Controllers (the Etceteras), Gamma Removal and Immigration Managers (Grims) the jellyfish, the Terms of Execution.... it was all very fun and extremely well done. I loved the originality of the whole world Gina Damico built. To me, Lex was a snarkier version of George from the Showtime show 'Dead Like Me' and I was all on board for that. 'Dead Like Me' is one of my favorite shows ever.
With an incredibly fun storyline and a great build-up (and not even a cliff-hanger OR a love triangle! Yay!) I’m really looking forward to how this series continues to progress.
Croak was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
When sixteen year-old Lex starts to become a problem child, her parents decide to send her away for the Summer in hopes that her behavior will be changed while spending time with her Uncle Mort on his farm.
"I know it's a rather odd decision, but we think that a few months of fresh air could do you some good. You can get in touch with nature, lend a hand on Uncle Mort's farm, maybe even learn something! You could milk a cow!"
Cordy let out a snort. "She'd probably punch the cow."
So Lex is sent to Croak, which turns out to be a bit more than just your typical small town (and her Uncle Mort doesn’t live on a farm). Croak is actually a portal between this world and the next and all its inhabitants, otherwise known as Grims (including Lex now) are in charge of helping souls after death get to that other world. Lex ends up enjoying her new responsibilities far more than she had anticipated, and her Uncle Mort and new partner Driggs are both shocked at how strong her abilities are.
I loved the intricacies of their world: Killers, Cullers, Crashers, deathflash, the ether, the Ether Traffic Controllers (the Etceteras), Gamma Removal and Immigration Managers (Grims) the jellyfish, the Terms of Execution.... it was all very fun and extremely well done. I loved the originality of the whole world Gina Damico built. To me, Lex was a snarkier version of George from the Showtime show 'Dead Like Me' and I was all on board for that. 'Dead Like Me' is one of my favorite shows ever.
With an incredibly fun storyline and a great build-up (and not even a cliff-hanger OR a love triangle! Yay!) I’m really looking forward to how this series continues to progress.
noolna's review against another edition
3.0
Read full review up on my blog here
So, the last time I read a book about grim reapers I wasn't entirely impressed and abandoned that storyline for a bit until I came upon this book. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and completely fell in love with the characters that Damico created. What I love the most about this book is how effortlessly the dialogue flows, and finally teenagers that actually swear!
Lex is considered to be a delinquent by her family and classmates. She wasn't always like this, however, she used to be a good daughter, straight-A student and her nickname wasn't always Tyrannosaurus Lex. And then something in Lex changed—she was always angry and she couldn't control it, she would always lash out. Her parents finally have enough of her crap and ship her off to live with her Uncle Mort in the small town of Croak. Croak isn't just a small town, it's actually not here or there. It is a town where all the grim reapers live, and they make money by milking the tourists of all their cash and basically freaking them the fuck out.
When Lex meets Uncle Mort, she's leery of him at first but eventually she begins to like him and even trust him. Unlike her parents, Uncle Mort treats her like a regular person and understands why she's always so angry. It's part of the requirement of being a grim reaper, actually. As Lex begins to understand her new power, she starts to make friends and eventually grows to like Croak. However, things aren't always as they seem and terrible things begins to happen in Croak ... and they all start about the same time that Lex arrived.
I love the world that Damico built, and her writing is quirky and humourous just like her characters. What I really enjoyed was the difference between Killing and Culling, and how "reaping" souls has to be done in pairs. The detail and how fleshed out the grim reaping process is made me really enjoy the book even more. As always, you guys know how I love when authors flesh out their secondary characters. The fact that I was able to get attached to the background characters (the bartender, Edgar Allen Poe, etc.) shows how much thought Damico put into her story.
Also, the romance between Lex and Driggs? Totally cute and awkward and I 100% ship it! They are so adorably awkward, and I wish I read more relationships that have that awkward element to it. What I really like about it is that, I'm not cringing and hiding my face in my hands because it's just completely ridiculous, ya know? It's sweet and adorable, and just the right touch to blend in with the storyline.
All in all, Croak is definitely something y'all should pick up and read if you're in the mood for awkward and angry grim reapers!
So, the last time I read a book about grim reapers I wasn't entirely impressed and abandoned that storyline for a bit until I came upon this book. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, and completely fell in love with the characters that Damico created. What I love the most about this book is how effortlessly the dialogue flows, and finally teenagers that actually swear!
Lex is considered to be a delinquent by her family and classmates. She wasn't always like this, however, she used to be a good daughter, straight-A student and her nickname wasn't always Tyrannosaurus Lex. And then something in Lex changed—she was always angry and she couldn't control it, she would always lash out. Her parents finally have enough of her crap and ship her off to live with her Uncle Mort in the small town of Croak. Croak isn't just a small town, it's actually not here or there. It is a town where all the grim reapers live, and they make money by milking the tourists of all their cash and basically freaking them the fuck out.
When Lex meets Uncle Mort, she's leery of him at first but eventually she begins to like him and even trust him. Unlike her parents, Uncle Mort treats her like a regular person and understands why she's always so angry. It's part of the requirement of being a grim reaper, actually. As Lex begins to understand her new power, she starts to make friends and eventually grows to like Croak. However, things aren't always as they seem and terrible things begins to happen in Croak ... and they all start about the same time that Lex arrived.
I love the world that Damico built, and her writing is quirky and humourous just like her characters. What I really enjoyed was the difference between Killing and Culling, and how "reaping" souls has to be done in pairs. The detail and how fleshed out the grim reaping process is made me really enjoy the book even more. As always, you guys know how I love when authors flesh out their secondary characters. The fact that I was able to get attached to the background characters (the bartender, Edgar Allen Poe, etc.) shows how much thought Damico put into her story.
Also, the romance between Lex and Driggs? Totally cute and awkward and I 100% ship it! They are so adorably awkward, and I wish I read more relationships that have that awkward element to it. What I really like about it is that, I'm not cringing and hiding my face in my hands because it's just completely ridiculous, ya know? It's sweet and adorable, and just the right touch to blend in with the storyline.
All in all, Croak is definitely something y'all should pick up and read if you're in the mood for awkward and angry grim reapers!
postitsandpens's review against another edition
5.0
I've been in a bit of a slump regarding books, having a really hard time finding something that really drew me in and held my attention (seriously, I have four that I've started and set aside just in the last couple of days). That was cured by Croak; I started this book and didn't even THINK about reading anything else until this one was done. This book is very charming and has a wonderful sense of humor about it - sometimes sarcastic, sometimes just LOL-funny - which is especially interesting for me personally considering the subject matter. I mean, Grim Reapers and death isn't really all that laugh-worthy, right? But in the world of Croak, and especially in the narration of our main character, Lex, it totally is. I loved every single second of this book.
First off, Lex is probably not what you would consider a charming main character, considering that when we first meet her, she's in the principal's office with her parents after getting into yet another fight. But the fact of the matter is that her inner monologue is simply hysterical; there's really no other word for it. She has a very dry outlook on life, and it shows in her inner musings. She says exactly what she thinks, and doesn't really care of her opinion bothers other people. And while she's suddenly given in to these violent tendencies, the truth is that she doesn't know why, she doesn't know where the anger has come from, and she doesn't know how to stop herself from lashing out. You can tell that she's just as confused as everyone else. So when her parents decide to send her to her uncle, she is of course hurt that they'd send her away, because they're her parents and they're supposed to love her unconditionally and put up with all her crap.
But then she meets Uncle Mort, and things suddenly become crystal clear: she's angry and lashing out because she's hit the age where her Grim Reaper blood has stirred. And this is when things got really fun and exciting. She meets a whole group of Juniors - kids around her own age who all have their own stories and histories and can exchange stories about their own falls into delinquency - and it's at this point where I was just completely charmed by the entire world, all the characters, and the story itself. Lex is thrown headfirst into the art of Killing and Culling souls, and of course is paired with a ridiculously attractive guy named Driggs (who was also taken in by her uncle, who, by the way, the family thinks is a farmer) and t~e~n~s~i~o~n starts to form between them, but it was done in such a way that it didn't feel ridiculous or overdone and definitely couldn't qualify for insta-love (which, thank God, seriously, because I would have hated to take away any stars!). On top of all of this, Driggs and Lex start to realize that something weird is going on, in that people are dying who aren't supposed to be. And this is where the mystery and danger start to come into play.
Now, I have lamented the fact that I have read several books already this year that use the "teenage girl tries to solve the crimes instead of leaving things up to the proper authorities" trope, but, again, this was done in a way that was different and refreshing, and, yes, I'm going to use that word again, just utterly charming. Mixed in with the strange deaths are all of these humorous asides like how random people have died (shooting themselves in the chest with a nail gun to kill the mosquito that had landed there, choking on a hamster, getting run over by an airlines luggage cart, etc.), and the fun things that Lex and her fellow Juniors do for fun. It really helped keep the grimness (yes, pun intended!) of their occupation from getting too dark.
And then you had the mythology of the Reapers, and the story of that one frightening Grim who took his powers and disobeyed the laws and killed for fun, which turns out to be a main focal point of the book and the overlying mystery. I probably should have seen the "bad guy" before it was revealed, but was so caught up in Lex and Driggs' adventures and growing relationship that I didn't. Needless to say, that part of the book - just like the rest of it - was well done.
The ending's a little achy-breaky, though, and definitely sets itself up for the second installment (anyone know how many there are going to be total?), so be forewarned about that. But this was just such a good, fun and different book that I was utterly captivated from beginning to end, to the point where I could hardly put it down. If you're looking for a book that's a bit different but utterly charming and hilarious, give this one a read. I would highly recommend it!
First off, Lex is probably not what you would consider a charming main character, considering that when we first meet her, she's in the principal's office with her parents after getting into yet another fight. But the fact of the matter is that her inner monologue is simply hysterical; there's really no other word for it. She has a very dry outlook on life, and it shows in her inner musings. She says exactly what she thinks, and doesn't really care of her opinion bothers other people. And while she's suddenly given in to these violent tendencies, the truth is that she doesn't know why, she doesn't know where the anger has come from, and she doesn't know how to stop herself from lashing out. You can tell that she's just as confused as everyone else. So when her parents decide to send her to her uncle, she is of course hurt that they'd send her away, because they're her parents and they're supposed to love her unconditionally and put up with all her crap.
But then she meets Uncle Mort, and things suddenly become crystal clear: she's angry and lashing out because she's hit the age where her Grim Reaper blood has stirred. And this is when things got really fun and exciting. She meets a whole group of Juniors - kids around her own age who all have their own stories and histories and can exchange stories about their own falls into delinquency - and it's at this point where I was just completely charmed by the entire world, all the characters, and the story itself. Lex is thrown headfirst into the art of Killing and Culling souls, and of course is paired with a ridiculously attractive guy named Driggs (who was also taken in by her uncle, who, by the way, the family thinks is a farmer) and t~e~n~s~i~o~n starts to form between them, but it was done in such a way that it didn't feel ridiculous or overdone and definitely couldn't qualify for insta-love (which, thank God, seriously, because I would have hated to take away any stars!). On top of all of this, Driggs and Lex start to realize that something weird is going on, in that people are dying who aren't supposed to be. And this is where the mystery and danger start to come into play.
Now, I have lamented the fact that I have read several books already this year that use the "teenage girl tries to solve the crimes instead of leaving things up to the proper authorities" trope, but, again, this was done in a way that was different and refreshing, and, yes, I'm going to use that word again, just utterly charming. Mixed in with the strange deaths are all of these humorous asides like how random people have died (shooting themselves in the chest with a nail gun to kill the mosquito that had landed there, choking on a hamster, getting run over by an airlines luggage cart, etc.), and the fun things that Lex and her fellow Juniors do for fun. It really helped keep the grimness (yes, pun intended!) of their occupation from getting too dark.
And then you had the mythology of the Reapers, and the story of that one frightening Grim who took his powers and disobeyed the laws and killed for fun, which turns out to be a main focal point of the book and the overlying mystery. I probably should have seen the "bad guy" before it was revealed, but was so caught up in Lex and Driggs' adventures and growing relationship that I didn't. Needless to say, that part of the book - just like the rest of it - was well done.
The ending's a little achy-breaky, though, and definitely sets itself up for the second installment (anyone know how many there are going to be total?), so be forewarned about that. But this was just such a good, fun and different book that I was utterly captivated from beginning to end, to the point where I could hardly put it down. If you're looking for a book that's a bit different but utterly charming and hilarious, give this one a read. I would highly recommend it!
h0pesheart's review against another edition
5.0
HOW DARE YOU END THE BOOK ON SUCH A CLIFFHANGER 10/10 LOVED
golden_lily's review against another edition
5.0
Actual score: 4.5
Phenomenal in practically every way. I loved Lex and Driggs and LexandDriggs and Uncle Mort and the town and the humor and the fact that it reminded me of Dead Like Me.
Half star deduction for the crazy names and the cliffhanger ending, but even without a full five stars, it's my favorite read so far this year.
Phenomenal in practically every way. I loved Lex and Driggs and LexandDriggs and Uncle Mort and the town and the humor and the fact that it reminded me of Dead Like Me.
Half star deduction for the crazy names and the cliffhanger ending, but even without a full five stars, it's my favorite read so far this year.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like this has the potential to be a book I could really enjoy. I really liked the premise and reading about an apprentice Grim reaper is right up my street but it just didn't quite live up to that with the execution. The narrative seemed a bit choppy, going from close to omniscient third person and back again, and the writing was fairly practical for the most part but occasionally a really poetic sentence would be thrown in and it just felt out of place. It was funny in places, and I think I'd have enjoyed it more if everybody was a bit less tortured and Damico had concentrated on writing a funny book rather than a serious book.
I didn't like Lex, she physically attacks people (biting, punching ect.) for no reason other than she's angry and she expects people to tolerate it, give her a slap on the wrist, forgive her and then let it carry on. And the whole' her powers made her do it' is a terrible excuse, they made her feel angry but nothing made her physically attack people. Lex was supposed to be badass and snarky but she just came across as spoiled and nasty. The rest of the characters seemed fairly one dimensional as well.
We also had a case of teenagers solve it for themselves, there's no really reason not tell the adults, but to keep the plot going the teenagers here make the (bad) decision to keep the whole serial killer on the loose thing secret and investigate themselves, although their investigation basically involves seeing all the murdered people and not actually managing to figure out who dunnit.
The paranormal aspect of Croak (the town) was interesting and well thought out but the town itself seemed a bit ridiculous- 80 people and you've got a restaurant and a pub that serves food, and everything is always busting and busy even though we are told half everyone works ridiculously long hours (like 10-14 hours) there's barely enough people to fill one pub if all of them were there at the same time (and not half working/sleeping/not drinking in a pub!).
I also felt like it stopped short, like it was missing an epilogue or something. I was just disappointed, I really though I was going to enjoy but I just didn't and found myself getting bored.
I didn't like Lex, she physically attacks people (biting, punching ect.) for no reason other than she's angry and she expects people to tolerate it, give her a slap on the wrist, forgive her and then let it carry on. And the whole' her powers made her do it' is a terrible excuse, they made her feel angry but nothing made her physically attack people. Lex was supposed to be badass and snarky but she just came across as spoiled and nasty. The rest of the characters seemed fairly one dimensional as well.
We also had a case of teenagers solve it for themselves, there's no really reason not tell the adults, but to keep the plot going the teenagers here make the (bad) decision to keep the whole serial killer on the loose thing secret and investigate themselves, although their investigation basically involves seeing all the murdered people and not actually managing to figure out who dunnit.
The paranormal aspect of Croak (the town) was interesting and well thought out but the town itself seemed a bit ridiculous- 80 people and you've got a restaurant and a pub that serves food, and everything is always busting and busy even though we are told half everyone works ridiculously long hours (like 10-14 hours) there's barely enough people to fill one pub if all of them were there at the same time (and not half working/sleeping/not drinking in a pub!).
I also felt like it stopped short, like it was missing an epilogue or something. I was just disappointed, I really though I was going to enjoy but I just didn't and found myself getting bored.
harleybasswood's review against another edition
3.0
This was surprisingly funny and heartfelt. Twists I didn't see coming (though I did see he big one coming, which is why it gets four stars instead of five). All in all, an interesting new take on the paranormal for the YA set.
bookslucyking's review against another edition
5.0
whoooaaaa tak tohle byla naprosto dokonalá a úžasná grim paráda :D
ashkitty93's review against another edition
5.0
October 2015 reread
Honestly, I can't come up with any reason why this only got four stars instead of five the first time around. Rereading this was like coming home. Almost the same way rereading Harry Potter feels like coming home. I read books two and three this past January, and only read Croak for the first time in December, so it hasn't even been a whole year apart yet but I missed this town. And these characters <3 I love books that make me feel like this.
17Dec14 Initial Reaction:
YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.
Thankfully the other two books are already in my Amazon cart.
The whole premise is so imaginative and completely different from any other magical-ish world I've encountered in my literary travels; I've never really read anything that dealt specifically with death (until now: having just finished Croak and currently reading Sabriel, which deals with necromancy), so it was a bit... hm... morbidly refreshing, in that sense.
Everything just seemed to fit together so well. The Afterlife, the jellyfish, Yoricks -- although I was disappointed that no one started waxing Shakespearean when they all got drunk. Ah well, there's still two more books to go! And Poe. Holy cheese. If he wasn't already my favorite poet (and he's held that position for over ten years now) this would have definitely cemented it. Ms Damico's writing, especially the dialogue, just came out so clever and witty. I literally sat here and cackled out loud every couple pages. I instantly loved Lex's character and we need more Uncle Morts in the world. Driggs proved to be a worthy companion as soon as he started dishing things right back at Lex. Let's be clear: I don't advocate violence, but if she's gonna be a little shitbag then he's got more than enough right to stand up for himself. Although the name was a bit odd, I'll admit; I kept thinking of Drix from that old KidsWB show Ozzy and Drix--
Things got a little predictable when it came to unmasking the villain but I thought it was okay because the details were handled really well -- with the scars and whatnot. Reminded me of Ron in the Brain Room of the Ministry from Order of the Phoenix. And I got on my own nerves because I made the idiotic mistake of saying "let's check the end and see if they include a snippet from the next book" before I was done -- well, they didn't and I wound up piecing things together a wee bit earlier than I would have liked and spoilering myself. Dammit. JUST GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK ALREADY.
Upon discovering the book and its gorgeous cover: She looks like Jack Frost with a reaper's scythe instead of an ice staff. First impression is a good one!
Honestly, I can't come up with any reason why this only got four stars instead of five the first time around. Rereading this was like coming home. Almost the same way rereading Harry Potter feels like coming home. I read books two and three this past January, and only read Croak for the first time in December, so it hasn't even been a whole year apart yet but I missed this town. And these characters <3 I love books that make me feel like this.
17Dec14 Initial Reaction:
YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME.
Thankfully the other two books are already in my Amazon cart.
The whole premise is so imaginative and completely different from any other magical-ish world I've encountered in my literary travels; I've never really read anything that dealt specifically with death (until now: having just finished Croak and currently reading Sabriel, which deals with necromancy), so it was a bit... hm... morbidly refreshing, in that sense.
Everything just seemed to fit together so well. The Afterlife, the jellyfish, Yoricks -- although I was disappointed that no one started waxing Shakespearean when they all got drunk. Ah well, there's still two more books to go! And Poe. Holy cheese. If he wasn't already my favorite poet (and he's held that position for over ten years now) this would have definitely cemented it. Ms Damico's writing, especially the dialogue, just came out so clever and witty. I literally sat here and cackled out loud every couple pages. I instantly loved Lex's character and we need more Uncle Morts in the world. Driggs proved to be a worthy companion as soon as he started dishing things right back at Lex. Let's be clear: I don't advocate violence, but if she's gonna be a little shitbag then he's got more than enough right to stand up for himself. Although the name was a bit odd, I'll admit; I kept thinking of Drix from that old KidsWB show Ozzy and Drix--
Things got a little predictable when it came to unmasking the villain but I thought it was okay because the details were handled really well -- with the scars and whatnot. Reminded me of Ron in the Brain Room of the Ministry from Order of the Phoenix. And I got on my own nerves because I made the idiotic mistake of saying "let's check the end and see if they include a snippet from the next book" before I was done -- well, they didn't and I wound up piecing things together a wee bit earlier than I would have liked and spoilering myself. Dammit. JUST GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK ALREADY.
Upon discovering the book and its gorgeous cover: She looks like Jack Frost with a reaper's scythe instead of an ice staff. First impression is a good one!
merricats_cuppa_tea's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book. there were time Lex got on my nerves, but the storyline and the idea of the whole book was interesting and I adore Uncle Mort he reminds me a lot of Sirius Black. I couldnt put it down and I've moved on to the sequel.