Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.
The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.
My Thoughts :
Croak and Scorched, the first two books in this series were amazing. I absolutely loved Croak and Scorched didn't hold the WOW factor anymore but it was still a great sequel. So it isn't surprising to hear that this third book, Rogue, was on my pre-order wishlist as soon as I saw it, I pre-ordered it as soon as possible and I was grinning with joy about getting back to Croak when it arrived on my Kindle! Then I started it.
Cue me looking disappointed.
Firstly the author didn't put any effort into revisiting the strory from the previous books. I felt totally out of my depth and couldn't remember what had happened and who was who. I didn't feel welcomed back into Croak and the whole story left Croak before it even started. Or so it seemed. Secondly the book was on the run constantly. I couldn't keep up with where the characters and story were going so I was confused for most of the book. Putting this down to go to work, eat, sleep etc was awful because as soon as I came back to it I felt the dread of being thrown back into chaos.
Thirdly, yes there is a third, I really didn't like any of the characters this time. Everything seemed to be Lex's fault and she was agreeing with everyone about it. I felt so bad for her but at the same time hated her for not standing up to the others and pointing out their faults. Fourth (yeah....) the whole substance of the concept was lost in this book. The reaping was talked about but there was no actual Croak/Reaper action going on. The story felt bare of all the things that made it so amazing, unusual and unique.
And lastly, the ending sucked. It was the way the author wanted it to end and I respect her for that but it really wasn't a nice ending. Not because of what happened but because of how she left it. I didn't feel any closure and only had more questions about everything. Boy did my head hurt during this one.
Anyway, I read the book but forced myself to finish it after already reaching the point of no return. I felt disappointed and annoyed at the story and the characters for the majority of the book. It wasn't anything like I was expecting and I wonder how many other people felt the same about this one. Most of the reviews on Goodreads seem to be positive but there are a few who shared some of the same views as myself.
A great start, a horrible end and now I hope the author comes back with something else as original and fun as the first two books were. I don't care if it includes Croak but I hope she stays on the paranormal side of things. She does have a great imagination.
