Title: Reapers
Series: The Reapers Trilogy
Year: 2014
Author: Bryan Davis
Summary: Reapers, the first book in The Reapers Trilogy, is a dystopian tale with a supernatural twist. Taking place in a futuristic, urban setting, this first book in a planned trilogy will appeal to readers of The Hunger Games and similar fast-paced stories for young adults.
Along with a blend of real life and imagination, it delivers action, danger, and suspense through the adventures of three teenagers: Phoenix, Singapore, and Shanghai, Reapers who collect the souls of the dying or already dead and transport them to the Gateway where they will travel to their final destination ... or so they are told. (from Goodreads)
Along with a blend of real life and imagination, it delivers action, danger, and suspense through the adventures of three teenagers: Phoenix, Singapore, and Shanghai, Reapers who collect the souls of the dying or already dead and transport them to the Gateway where they will travel to their final destination ... or so they are told. (from Goodreads)
Main Characters:
~ Phoenix
~ Singapore
~ Shanghai
~ Phoenix
~ Singapore
~ Shanghai
Review: I'm finding it rather difficult to organize my thoughts about this book. Mostly because this is one of the first novels I've read in the dystopian genre, and I'm not certain how well I enjoy that particular genre, seeing how new I am to all of it. But... let's see how this review goes.
The action in this book carried each chapter along nicely, and there was never a moment for boredom. The suspense is high, the plot moves quickly, and once you got into the story, it was difficult to put the book down. Phoenix narrates the novel easily, and you can't help but want to see him succeed. The whole idea of the Reapers moving about with mystery and purpose is intriguing. I don't think I can say how muchly I enjoyed following this plot. This is the first in a trilogy, and I was surprised when it ended so suddenly. Not that that's a bad thing, of course; it just made me greatly curious for the second book... which... isn't out yet.
The main antagonist in this book was utterly despicable. I hated her from the start, and everything she did made me hate her more. Yet, I thought that she was a little too predictable, bad and heartless enough to put any other villain to shame, but her actions came as no surprise. If she had acted in a more crafty manner, keeping Phoenix and his friends in a greater suspense, I think I would have enjoyed hating her even more. As it is, she did end the book in high form, so I guess I shouldn't complain there.
And... of course, my favorite character died. *sigh* What's with these authors?
The part that was a little odd for me was the whole theme of the Reapers. They are a special set of people who are assigned to "districts" and are trained how to reap the souls of the civilians after they die. The reaping process I found a bit disturbing, as the novel left the dystopian genre to dabble in elements of the supernatural. Phoenix and the other Reapers reap the dead souls, carry them in special cloaks, and then transport them to the Gateway where the Gatekeeper takes them to the afterlife. Souls between death and the afterlife are ghosts, and it's not uncommon for the Reapers to be around them, often talking to them. While I'll admit the story itself is fascinating, I didn't much care for all the supernatural references in the book, and I was a little uncomfortable reading about it all.
The action in this book carried each chapter along nicely, and there was never a moment for boredom. The suspense is high, the plot moves quickly, and once you got into the story, it was difficult to put the book down. Phoenix narrates the novel easily, and you can't help but want to see him succeed. The whole idea of the Reapers moving about with mystery and purpose is intriguing. I don't think I can say how muchly I enjoyed following this plot. This is the first in a trilogy, and I was surprised when it ended so suddenly. Not that that's a bad thing, of course; it just made me greatly curious for the second book... which... isn't out yet.
The main antagonist in this book was utterly despicable. I hated her from the start, and everything she did made me hate her more. Yet, I thought that she was a little too predictable, bad and heartless enough to put any other villain to shame, but her actions came as no surprise. If she had acted in a more crafty manner, keeping Phoenix and his friends in a greater suspense, I think I would have enjoyed hating her even more. As it is, she did end the book in high form, so I guess I shouldn't complain there.
And... of course, my favorite character died. *sigh* What's with these authors?
The part that was a little odd for me was the whole theme of the Reapers. They are a special set of people who are assigned to "districts" and are trained how to reap the souls of the civilians after they die. The reaping process I found a bit disturbing, as the novel left the dystopian genre to dabble in elements of the supernatural. Phoenix and the other Reapers reap the dead souls, carry them in special cloaks, and then transport them to the Gateway where the Gatekeeper takes them to the afterlife. Souls between death and the afterlife are ghosts, and it's not uncommon for the Reapers to be around them, often talking to them. While I'll admit the story itself is fascinating, I didn't much care for all the supernatural references in the book, and I was a little uncomfortable reading about it all.
Advisory: A lot of violence; Phoenix and his friends reap souls from dead people, and the descriptions sometimes get graphic. There is also some fighting scenes, mostly hand to hand combat, with a few sonic guns thrown in. Since this novel is about Reapers and their jobs, don't be surprised to see a lot of death. Blood and bruises are a common thing. One character takes the Lord's name in vain, which greatly disappointed me, and there are also a few references to hell, but it is used in proper context.
Also, I found myself a little annoyed with a part of Phoenix's character. I admired how loyal he was to the people in his district, often trying to save their lives instead of letting them die so he could reap their soul, but he dwelled a lot on thoughts of his female friends. No spoilers here, but he is too easily infatuated with those thoughts, and there were times I believed he took the thoughts too far. There is one kiss, nothing more, but I still didn't care much for it. Phoenix was so lost in these emotions that I almost didn't want him to get any of the girls.
Also, I found myself a little annoyed with a part of Phoenix's character. I admired how loyal he was to the people in his district, often trying to save their lives instead of letting them die so he could reap their soul, but he dwelled a lot on thoughts of his female friends. No spoilers here, but he is too easily infatuated with those thoughts, and there were times I believed he took the thoughts too far. There is one kiss, nothing more, but I still didn't care much for it. Phoenix was so lost in these emotions that I almost didn't want him to get any of the girls.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
*The author sent me a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. I wasn’t required to review it positively, nor was I recompensed for my review. All opinions are my own. *
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