Review: Reaper

Reaper
Rachel Vincent
Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
Soul Screamers/Novella
Harlequin Teen/December 2010

From Books on Board ~

The story of how Tod died and was recruited as a reaper . . .

Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him--and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred.

Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life . . . Death . . . or something Between . . . .

A couple of things first. This is a novella of approximately 17,000 words. Most full length novels run closer to 90,000 to 100,000. Reaper comes in at 64 pages in Adobe Digital Editions. The great news is that it's free right now! Yes, you can go right now and download it for free from Books on Board in Adobe PDF format. It's showing up at places like Amazon and B&N for pre-order, set to release on December 1 for $2.99 (minus discounts). If you don't want to pay for it, Ms. Vincent has said it will be available for free on her website. Personally, I think this is a great way to introduce new readers to Ms. Vincent's writing and get current readers excited about the next release in the series, My Soul to Steal (January 1).

As you can see from the blurb, the story is from Tod's perspective, telling about the events that led up to him becoming a reaper. But that really simplifies this little gem of a story. Those of you that have read the previous books in the series know who Tod is and, if you're like me, want to know more. This is the more. Tod is complex in a way that only a teenage guy could be. He likes hanging out with friends, his girlfriend and partying. He finds his little brother irritating as only little brothers can be. He loves his mom but doesn't always listen to her. See, a typical teenager. Tod's also smart, he gets the consequences to his decisions. He's loyal and loves his family so fiercely, he'll do anything to keep them safe.

I loved this look at the series from Tod's POV. He's a character that we've gotten to know through the series but still leaves us so many questions. In Reaper, we get to see what makes him tick, what drives him to make difficult decisions and still maintain that smart ass humor that is oh, so Tod. It was also heartbreaking, making me tear up a bit and feel Tod's sorrow and regrets coming through in Vincent's writing.

This novella only adds to the layers of this series. Since the bean sidhe are all about the dying, it's not surprising that reapers are part of their world. In Tod's world, there are rules that he doesn't mind bending and even breaking a little. Tod showed how mature he could be and gave this reader a greater appreciation for his part in Nash's life. I hope we get more of Tod and possibly his POV in future books. Since he's an integral part of Nash and now Kaylee's life, I can't imagine we've see the last of him.

Rating: A

My reviews for books in this series ~

My Soul to Take
My Soul to Save
My Soul to Keep