Scan barcode
abbyhope's review against another edition
4.0
this book is really good. it's quirky, inventive, fun, and heartbreaking.
Lex, The MC is well defined and consistent throughout the book. for me, the storyline was unpredictable.
Lex, The MC is well defined and consistent throughout the book. for me, the storyline was unpredictable.
helendeu's review against another edition
2.0
Started this with enthusiasm based on all the great reviews. I struggled to make it a third of the way through. I was jerky and predictable. I was promised hilarious but I found the humour forced - when I did realise something was meant to be funny (& I'm all for tongue in cheek humour and dry wit).
All in all I yawned more than I laughed.
All in all I yawned more than I laughed.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
Croak is a snark-filled, humour-laden refreshing take on soul reaping and death imagery in every warped way possible. Meet Lex - a rebelious teen forced to spend the summer with her uncle as punishment for her rash of inexcusable behaviour. Aside from being a farmer with a reputation for being notoriously obscure and affinity to that of a hermit, she barely knew Uncle Mort. Lexington soon learned that Uncle Mort is a 'harverster' of a different crop altogether and the town of Croak with a tiny population of 85 people, hides a world beyond anything she could ever imagined. Absurdity abounds, hilarity ensues as Lex navigates her way around small town Creepsville, USA while figuring out what unprecedented reaping abilities she apparently has according to her twisted, morbid Uncle.
This book was a lot of fun! The incredibly funny ensemble of characters just about eclipsed the plot line for me. I had to fight the urge to skip all the soul harvesting and just read the parts where the degenerate of the society chillaxed and drank copious amount of their own version of Crunk juice (elixir + unknown substance). Uncle Mort is just...wrong in so many levels. He's the cool uncle but you can't trust him to babysit your kids. Not that he'd abuse them or anything but let's just say they'll be on a steady diet of Doritos and frozen pizza for the duration of their stay. Seriously, even the bit part characters here gave me a chuckle or two.
The absurdity factor in this book is through the roof. There's the invertebrate harbinger of deaths - jellyfishes, the roomful of black widow spiders who harbour some deep affectionate love for Driggs and vice versa and holy freaking crap! The hallway/lounge where everyone in the Afterlife hangs out is like a daycare for dead presidents, literary geniuses and celebrities. Hilarious banters, childish pranks and EDGAR ALLAN POE. Win.
But not everything is roses and rainbows. I have some minor grievances. First, Drigg's confession (?) about his true feelings for Lex didn't really match up with the way he treated her throughout the book. I don't know. Maybe it's in his character to (A) punch the girl he liked simply because she punched him first - that's very school playground antics, by the way or (B) act like he wasn't jonesing for the girl the whole time. As much as I love their bickering and bantering, I swear they needled each other like siblings and as such, I couldn't see a love match between the two. But hey, Driggs with all his apathetic bravado still managed to pull the sweet card from time to time. He grew on me like a fungus in the dark recesses of the forest.
I also had a bit of a hard time taking the story seriously. But in this case, I think it's a good thing. Death is not a funny business but Damico sure as hell missed that memo. Based on her novel, Gina Damico is one hilarious, twisted lady that I'd pay to hang with. Please pass on the message.
Overall, this highly entertaining novel will have you laughing your ass off, wishing you lived in Croak, wishing you were dead hanging with my man, E.A.Poe, and cringing at some of the obscure ways people meet their Maker.
This book was a lot of fun! The incredibly funny ensemble of characters just about eclipsed the plot line for me. I had to fight the urge to skip all the soul harvesting and just read the parts where the degenerate of the society chillaxed and drank copious amount of their own version of Crunk juice (elixir + unknown substance). Uncle Mort is just...wrong in so many levels. He's the cool uncle but you can't trust him to babysit your kids. Not that he'd abuse them or anything but let's just say they'll be on a steady diet of Doritos and frozen pizza for the duration of their stay. Seriously, even the bit part characters here gave me a chuckle or two.
The absurdity factor in this book is through the roof. There's the invertebrate harbinger of deaths - jellyfishes, the roomful of black widow spiders who harbour some deep affectionate love for Driggs and vice versa and holy freaking crap! The hallway/lounge where everyone in the Afterlife hangs out is like a daycare for dead presidents, literary geniuses and celebrities. Hilarious banters, childish pranks and EDGAR ALLAN POE. Win.
But not everything is roses and rainbows. I have some minor grievances. First, Drigg's confession (?) about his true feelings for Lex didn't really match up with the way he treated her throughout the book. I don't know. Maybe it's in his character to (A) punch the girl he liked simply because she punched him first - that's very school playground antics, by the way or (B) act like he wasn't jonesing for the girl the whole time. As much as I love their bickering and bantering, I swear they needled each other like siblings and as such, I couldn't see a love match between the two. But hey, Driggs with all his apathetic bravado still managed to pull the sweet card from time to time. He grew on me like a fungus in the dark recesses of the forest.
I also had a bit of a hard time taking the story seriously. But in this case, I think it's a good thing. Death is not a funny business but Damico sure as hell missed that memo. Based on her novel, Gina Damico is one hilarious, twisted lady that I'd pay to hang with. Please pass on the message.
Overall, this highly entertaining novel will have you laughing your ass off, wishing you lived in Croak, wishing you were dead hanging with my man, E.A.Poe, and cringing at some of the obscure ways people meet their Maker.
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was a fun book. It's very playful, romp-y, dark and at times hysterical. I didn't expect to like this book so much, especially since it contains some grammatical errors and awkward language. As soon as I noticed any errors, Lex's character swept in and crashed through my unhappiness with her ill-placed but somehow spot-on observations and unnecessary violence.I loved all the characters, even though they were sometimes unrealistic and cartoony. But that, I'm guessing, was the point. This would make a great comic book, but I enjoyed it as a words-only novel as well.
Never thought I'd read a YA novel about training to be a pretty scientific and rule-encrusted Grim Reaper. It is awesome.
Never thought I'd read a YA novel about training to be a pretty scientific and rule-encrusted Grim Reaper. It is awesome.
bluebeereads's review against another edition
5.0
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
What just happened? Seriously. I literally have no words right now. I don't even know where to start. I'm just rambling here so bear with me okay? Okay. Great. So this was bloody fantastic, to say the least.
When her parents are sick of her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex is shipped off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer. Hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will do her some good. But Uncle Mort is not a farmer. His true job is much dirtier than that. He's a Grim Reaper and he's going to teach Lex the family business. Lex quickly gets used to life in Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But then they start finding people dying of unknown causes and the murderer seems to be from Croak.
So... Yeah. First off, a huge thank you to Melanie and Celine from YA Midnight Reads, without whom I would have never found this book. So thanks you two for introducing me to the fabulous Gina Damico! Now that that's out of the way... I don't really know where to start. This turned out to be exactly what I needed. It's fun, hilarious, original, filled with great characters and it hooked me right from the start. I read it in one sitting. Well mostly anyway.
I loved these characters! So much! Mort was awesome, Driggs was fantastic, all the other side characters were marvelous and Lex, oh my god, Lex is all of those things and more. I loved her spunk, her sarcasm, her badassery but also her loyalty and love for her sister and family. There's a bit of a romance here, but it doesn't take over the plot in any way and I really liked it! I hope it develops more in the next two books. Also, the ending just about broke my heart. Thanks Gina.
Croak is an absolute page-turner. It's original, funny and highly entertaining. I recommend it to everyone because it's just that great to be honest. So go read it. Now!
This review is also (or -soon- will be) posted on Istyria book blog
tshchechs's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the conclusion of the central relationship with the protagonist was extremely odd. Hopefully this will be developed more as the series continues. I found the protagonist to be entertaining and refreshing since she wasn't as boy crazed as many YA female central characters.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
A really quirky take on Death - who takes the form of angry teens who have had a rough life. They find purpose and meaning as a GRIM. In Croak, Lex spends the summer trying to understand who she is and solve the mystery of a series of deaths.