My Sister's Reaper: Reaper's Rite Book I
By Dorothy Dreyer
I’m a huge fan of horror, blood, and all things dark. So this book was an instant win for me right from the description. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. I thought the plot unfolded really well, with a great opening that took me in right from the first page.
So there’s zombies, death, and creepy wish granting. It sounds crazy when I spell it out like that but, believe me, it was one interesting ride. Young Zadie is faced with a tragedy when her sister is in a terrible accident, desperate to save her, she interrupts the flow of life and death to keep her sister on the side of the living. Thus the tale unfolds and can you believe there’s actually room for romance in here?
The cover is the first thing I want to talk about. It looks awesome, very alluring and very intriguing. From the start I wanted to read this book before I even read the blurb for it. That’s something that every good book needs, even if the inside isn’t so great at least you have a chance at drawing in readers from the cover!
The thing I liked best about this book was the characterization. They are so realistic and charming, I felt like I could place them in any book and they would adapt, I felt like I could see them in movies or television shows and I’d know exactly who they were. I even felt like I could meet them in person. Everyone’s personality developed to a degree and they came out in their own way during the progression of the story. I enjoy loving characters so having a female lead as witty yet determined as Zadie gave me one heck of a read.
The style of writing was good for YA. Dreyer set up the structure and the flow very well, I was carried from beginning to end without a problem, no confusion, no flipping back through the chapters to see what I missed, everything was laid out in plain color with lively details and intriguing description.
The very concept itself was what originally got me interested. I’m not a HUGE fan of zombies but the idea is done in a way that’s actually cool in this book. Plus the setup with the accident and Zadie’s desperation to keep her sister alive really played with the emotions of the readers. I mean, you don’t have to have a sister to understand Zadie’s struggle and plea but I think anyone could relate to this tale—as crazy and up and down as it was, and I mean that in an exciting good way. Even though it was about reapers and such, everyone has someone they’d be willing to do absolutely anything to save. My Sister’s Reaper takes that concept and twists it into a wildly creative and original story.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the naming. The characters themselves were enjoyable but I thought their names were quite interesting too. Even though this all took place in modern society, their unique names gave the story an extra boost of creativity and fantastic appeal.
If you like dark fantasy, YA reads, and anything that has to do with zombies, I would highly recommend this book. The writing is great and the story is unique, give it a try, I promise it won’t be disappointing.