Kristy is torn – she can stay in hell with Dante, or she
can fight to return to her mortal life, see her friend and loved ones but
possibly never have a relationship with Dante again. It’s a hard choice
But one becomes much clearer when her boss, who already
schemed to claim her soul, is now plotting another extension and back up plan;
he’s going after her aunt. Her aunt will do anything for Kirsty – even if it
means sacrificing her soul thinking it will bring her out of her coma.
Her mission is now clear – especially after how little
Kirsty appreciated her aunt when she was alive. She has to return to the mortal
coil, she has to get her life back and save her aunt. And to do that, she needs
to become a Reaper, with the power to travel on the coil and affect the people
there
And it’s past time her boss was scythed. But first she
has to go to university and pass the course.
On the plus side, this book manages to be more amusing
than the last one because it doesn’t try so hard. It’s amusing because the
characters are kind of fun, the world is a little quirky the whole thing is
silly in a good way. The puns are still there but they are much much more
restrained and it’s generally lost the whole sense of trying to FORCE the humour
that the first book had.
We also had a more coherent story. Kirsty wasn’t just
wandering around while random stuff randomly happened randomly around her with
much randomness. Nor was she just following people around. She had a plan –
admittedly not a good or decent one – was motivated and decided to act. It wasn’t
a complicated plan, completely failed to take various things into account, was
far from sensible and there were definitely more sensible routes she could have
taken. But it was her plan, it was a goal and it was something she set out to
do and eventually succeeded in (kind of).
There was also a suggestion of character growth in this
book and a definite forward push in her character. She learned, she adapted she
accepted her capabilities or lack thereof. It wasn’t huge, but she did work to
become more of a character than a passive actor. She even assumes some elements
of leadership and a driving force not just in her own life but in the
characters around her. She takes charge of her life, she forms new
relationships and even shows courage and dedication that is surprising after
the first book
I didn’t like the ending. It felt like it rather invalidated
what the book was had spent most of the time doing – she saw a threat to her
aunt and made a plan to try and counteract that. She then spent most of the
book learning to become a Reaper, facing challenges, preparing for the big
exam, making sure she put in the work, the effort and the dedication and trying
to maintain her relationship with Dante and general aiming towards this end
goal. But the events at the end of the book sort of invalidate everything she
was working towards. Yes she definitely achieves things and her actions will
definitely be great hooks for the next book, but her actual goal, the problem
she actually set out to solve was kind of brushed over in a slightly convoluted
and unbelievably twee manner.
I wouldn’t have minded a twee ending, it is after all, a
happy fun book – but it was a twee ending that had precious little to do with
everything Kirsty has been doing the entire book; the ending left me feeling
that Kirsty could have spent the entire book becoming the best Macarena dancer
of all time and it would still have ended in a similar fashion.
We had some decent moments I quite liked; the fallen
angel was a nice touch, the continues jokey nature of hell (and expectation
that you should cheat and everyone plays favourites) is pretty fun. We also
have some pretty good female characters around Kirsty – both her dedicated,
loyal friends who do have personalities but, most surprisingly, even potential
rivals or people she looks down on. The “Death Valley Girls” are initially regarded
with contempt – but they show incredible mutual loyalty that Kirsty has never
had and some surprising skills and talents.
We have some POC, one is Kali. The goddess. She isn’t
handled in a way that is expressly respectful, because this book doesn’t have
that tone; but nor is she treated as anything less than what she is – a power
and a serious one. We also have M’Kembi – the most dedicated and hard working
in the class – but I wish his country of origin had been listed rather than
just an African nation that Kirsty couldn’t remember, especially since it was
summed up only as been a terrible place where M’Kembi lead a terrible life. It
wouldn’t have been that hard to put a little more research in.
We have her aunt and her aunt’s partner as lesbians for
some inclusion which is nice to see especially since they’re presented as
loving and dedicated parents worth fighting for – but they’re more mentioned
than present.
This book is definitely better than the first book – but that
does come down somewhat to damning with faint praise. I didn’t like the first
book, as I made clear. I think this has addressed many of the issues in the book,
but other than correcting those issues it hasn’t really added anything
compelling. We have a plot – it’s there and it’s not awful, but “not awful” is
pretty much the summation of it. It doesn’t really pull me in. Similarly Kirsty
has grown and developed, but has formed into a decent character with a lot more
potential rather than a character whose story I feel compelled to follow. The
world is broad and wide, but largely random with little real definition.
It’s a fluffy read, mildly amusing and I don’t think
anyone will regret reading it – but nor is it really worth seeking out. The
number of negatives have gone down but I still can’t honestly point to anything
and say “that was awesome” “this was excellent” or “this was really well done.”
It has some nice moments which really lift the book up, but “decent” and “nice”
are the words I have to use.
A copy of this book was received through Netgalley
