A review by keytheelibrarian
The Grim Reaper's Lawyer by Mea Monique

adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

let the record show i'm OBSESSED with this idea. the thought of the grim reaper not being this single entity but instead a title within a bigger system? genius. mea monique ate that really, really bad. there was a lot of potential, but i do think the actual writing left much (much) to be desired. the writing style isn't my favorite—i'm into more colloquial writing—but i was willing to overlook that because this is one of my reads for my @bookdbrunch tbr for march. it felt very...script-y. Very direction and dialogue based over descriptive which i think is fine when there's balance, but this didn't have much. 

joyce and yirah's relationship is my favorite in the book, which is sad bc joyce and aiden are the main characters. i like how m.m. made j&a's  attraction for each other clear. it was obvious from the beginning and that's perfect bc without the lip looks and distracted glances you would never know he liked her. like, he literally watched her get her ass beat by a spirit. their first smut scene was fine, but after that they felt very cringed and almost forced. aiden's whole "owe" thing was such a turn off i literally gagged. 

the plot "twists" were predictable (to me), but mea monique still does a good job writing about them and adding them into the story. though they all lead into each other, the plot still becomes messy, jerky, and that's disappointing. 

even with all of that said, i will be tuning into the next book. what can i say? the book is low vibrational and my favorite kind of entertainment. it also should be said that this is mea monique's debut and i know it'll only get better. 2.7⭐️s.