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The Reaper Diaries #1
Undeadly
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.
Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.
Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2012
74 people are currently reading
13725 people want to read
About the author
Michele Vail
5 books282 followersMichele Vail writes young adult paranormal fiction about zombies and reapers.
She likes reading, dogs, cats, board games, ghost-hunting shows, and Halloween. She believes in magic, in the impossible, and in the restorative powers of chocolate.
Michele lives happily-ever-after with her Viking and their family.
She likes reading, dogs, cats, board games, ghost-hunting shows, and Halloween. She believes in magic, in the impossible, and in the restorative powers of chocolate.
Michele lives happily-ever-after with her Viking and their family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 388 reviews
November 14, 2012
You know me and my love of zombies. I couldn't resist this any more than I can resist chocolate. But unlike chocolate, Undeadly left quite the sour taste in my mouth. Not right from the beginning, where I actually found myself amused by the sarcastic personality of our protagonist, but about half way through I started to get annoyed by things I could previously ignore, or irritated by our main character who I realized is not very... smart.
You will notice right away that Molly has quite the sense of humor. In a world with zombies and reapers, it can get a little morbid and pretty comical which was an immediate sign--or so I thought--that I was going to like her. But then, I began to see how very unintelligent she was and the liking came to an abrupt halt. I can deal with young, naive characters, who may not always do the right thing, or become blinded by teenagerism, but plain stupidity, I cannot. No better way to explain, than to show you a few example:
-- "Police!" I shrieked and raised my hands.
-- (trying to use her magic ring) "not knowing what else to do, I reached down and poked it"
-- Side character to Molly: "The windows are barred. The front door is welded shut, and there is necro magic keeping you bound. You cannot leave." […] She patted my cheek, and then turned. The door shut behind her, and the lock snicked.
Molly: "I couldn't figure [her] out. Was she friend… or foe?" And this is after she learns this character is working with the dark side.
-- Not long after Molly is locked in that room, she hears gunshots, doors slam, tires squeal, and a friend tells her there's a weakness in the spell binding her there so they should leave ASAP…. This is what Molly does:
"I went into the bathroom. When I was finished, I washed my hands. I stared at myself in the cracked mirror" … Really? What's the rush? Let me just stare at my face a moment…
-- Then there's the way she talks: I sooooo wanted to, like, sooooooo much.
Even her supporting characters know it:
Rennie: "You're stupid," he said. "You know that, right?"
With such an exasperating character, it might not have been as bad if at least the plot and writing would make up for it. Such is not the case here. We get a blindingly predictable plot, tepid action, and from the very start I knew I was in for a vomit-inducing romance. We meet the first guy, who is pretty high on himself, and within a few pages--after Molly goes: "Oh, yeah. He was definitely feeling attracted to me. It’s the body language thing, you know?" --they're making out, and he's telling her he wants to date her, that she's pretty and has waited for her for a long time, all that jazz. Fast forward 3 minutes when he meets her father and immediately tells him “I have every intention of kissing Molly, sir”. Yep. Very odd this one. Fortunately, he does die a sudden death. Unfortunately, it doesn't last. Then enters Rath. You guessed it! The bad boy of the love triangle: Rath... Enough said.
The Egyptian mythology added in the plot is a little of a saving grace. I loved the facts and details scattered throughout. The unique zombie lore added to this already fascinating mythology creates a really creative premise. I do think the author went a little overboard when trying to animate this mythological vibe in the book, however. On every other page someone exclaims "Holy Anubis" or "Sweet Anubis", even "Sweet tea and Anubis". Maybe I was simply irritated by so many things already, but every time this was said it was as if it screamed it out at me, grating on my every nerve. When we finally do meet Anubis, the god the underworld, it was completely underwhelming, and not at all up to par with my vision of a God of the underworld with his joking demeanor and blasé attitude.
And of course, Elvis had to be in a book about zombies set it Vegas:
"Nobody had been able to call forth the spirit of the King, not even the company who bought rights to his spirit".
I did not like this book.
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
You will notice right away that Molly has quite the sense of humor. In a world with zombies and reapers, it can get a little morbid and pretty comical which was an immediate sign--or so I thought--that I was going to like her. But then, I began to see how very unintelligent she was and the liking came to an abrupt halt. I can deal with young, naive characters, who may not always do the right thing, or become blinded by teenagerism, but plain stupidity, I cannot. No better way to explain, than to show you a few example:
-- "Police!" I shrieked and raised my hands.
-- (trying to use her magic ring) "not knowing what else to do, I reached down and poked it"
-- Side character to Molly: "The windows are barred. The front door is welded shut, and there is necro magic keeping you bound. You cannot leave." […] She patted my cheek, and then turned. The door shut behind her, and the lock snicked.
Molly: "I couldn't figure [her] out. Was she friend… or foe?" And this is after she learns this character is working with the dark side.
-- Not long after Molly is locked in that room, she hears gunshots, doors slam, tires squeal, and a friend tells her there's a weakness in the spell binding her there so they should leave ASAP…. This is what Molly does:
"I went into the bathroom. When I was finished, I washed my hands. I stared at myself in the cracked mirror" … Really? What's the rush? Let me just stare at my face a moment…
-- Then there's the way she talks: I sooooo wanted to, like, sooooooo much.
Even her supporting characters know it:
Rennie: "You're stupid," he said. "You know that, right?"
With such an exasperating character, it might not have been as bad if at least the plot and writing would make up for it. Such is not the case here. We get a blindingly predictable plot, tepid action, and from the very start I knew I was in for a vomit-inducing romance. We meet the first guy, who is pretty high on himself, and within a few pages--after Molly goes: "Oh, yeah. He was definitely feeling attracted to me. It’s the body language thing, you know?" --they're making out, and he's telling her he wants to date her, that she's pretty and has waited for her for a long time, all that jazz. Fast forward 3 minutes when he meets her father and immediately tells him “I have every intention of kissing Molly, sir”. Yep. Very odd this one. Fortunately, he does die a sudden death. Unfortunately, it doesn't last. Then enters Rath. You guessed it! The bad boy of the love triangle: Rath... Enough said.
The Egyptian mythology added in the plot is a little of a saving grace. I loved the facts and details scattered throughout. The unique zombie lore added to this already fascinating mythology creates a really creative premise. I do think the author went a little overboard when trying to animate this mythological vibe in the book, however. On every other page someone exclaims "Holy Anubis" or "Sweet Anubis", even "Sweet tea and Anubis". Maybe I was simply irritated by so many things already, but every time this was said it was as if it screamed it out at me, grating on my every nerve. When we finally do meet Anubis, the god the underworld, it was completely underwhelming, and not at all up to par with my vision of a God of the underworld with his joking demeanor and blasé attitude.
And of course, Elvis had to be in a book about zombies set it Vegas:
"Nobody had been able to call forth the spirit of the King, not even the company who bought rights to his spirit".
I did not like this book.
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Want to read
November 27, 2011I hate it when you read a book summary and want to read it so badly only to realize that it's not even out yet!
So frustrating!
So frustrating!
August 16, 2012
I wrote UNDEADLY, so I may have a slight (meaning: overwhelming) prejudice regarding the novel's awesomeness. If an author doesn't think her work is worth reading, then it certainly shouldn't be worth writing. And UNDEADLY was worth writing. I love creating this world and these characters, and I especially loved the use of Egyptian mythology as the foundation for how and why Molly's world works.
I would love to talk to you all about UNDEADLY and teen reaper Molly Bartolucci any time! Below are links where you can post questions. Please fan me and friend me (I will totally be your friend!) and if you like, join my author discussion group. See below for various links.
I also wanted to thank the Goodreads community for so whole-heartedly embracing UNDEADLY before even having read a single page. You guys rock!
Michele :-)
Michele Vail
Undeadly
Michele Vail Website
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
Amazon Page
I would love to talk to you all about UNDEADLY and teen reaper Molly Bartolucci any time! Below are links where you can post questions. Please fan me and friend me (I will totally be your friend!) and if you like, join my author discussion group. See below for various links.
I also wanted to thank the Goodreads community for so whole-heartedly embracing UNDEADLY before even having read a single page. You guys rock!
Michele :-)
Michele Vail
Undeadly
Michele Vail Website
Facebook Fan Page
Amazon Page
due-to-reviews-lost-interest
October 18, 2012The blurb for this book reminds me of The House of Night series. That's not a good thing. :/
September 27, 2018
I was realy looking forward to this. This is what I wrote on my STS post when I requested it from Netgalley:
"It sounded cool! A teenage reaper. Awesome. And a boarding school story? I like those as well."
But I just can't do it. When the second paragraph reads like this:
I just can't.
Let me break it down:
Molly kisses Rick a grand total of three times, in three different ways, in what is supposed to be one kiss.
1. Rick's lips ghosted across mine.
2. He angled his mouth against mine and I opened for him.
3. Tentative, I met his kiss and felt electrified.
And she is still unsure about what she's doing. I'm pretty sure she's kissing Rick, but hey, I could be wrong. Not to mention the whole 'tentatively clinging' thing.
This is going on my abandoned pile. I just can't wade through this.
Thanks to HarlequinTEEN and Netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy for an honest review.
"It sounded cool! A teenage reaper. Awesome. And a boarding school story? I like those as well."
But I just can't do it. When the second paragraph reads like this:
Rick's lips ghosted across mine. He angled his mouth against mine and I opened for him. My eyes fluttered closed. Tentative, I met his kiss and felt electrified. I clung to him, completely unsure about what I was doing.
I just can't.
Let me break it down:
Molly kisses Rick a grand total of three times, in three different ways, in what is supposed to be one kiss.
1. Rick's lips ghosted across mine.
2. He angled his mouth against mine and I opened for him.
3. Tentative, I met his kiss and felt electrified.
And she is still unsure about what she's doing. I'm pretty sure she's kissing Rick, but hey, I could be wrong. Not to mention the whole 'tentatively clinging' thing.
This is going on my abandoned pile. I just can't wade through this.
Thanks to HarlequinTEEN and Netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy for an honest review.
May 6, 2020
1.5 Stars
1) Zombies - Yaaaas!
2) Necromancy - Squeeeee!
3) Chosen Champion of Anubis! - *Faints with excitement*
4) Incredibly annoying, whiny and immature muppet as the main character - *throws arms towards the sky* For Anubis' sake! Whhhhhhhhhhhhhy! *runs out of the room crying but comes back in because it was the wardrobe. Tries another door but it's the ensuite bathroom. Stares around in confusion.*
5) Cliffhanger ending - will she ever find her way out of her room let alone slay the bad peeps? I will never know.
I mean that.
I do not want out find out.
1) Zombies - Yaaaas!
2) Necromancy - Squeeeee!
3) Chosen Champion of Anubis! - *Faints with excitement*
4) Incredibly annoying, whiny and immature muppet as the main character - *throws arms towards the sky* For Anubis' sake! Whhhhhhhhhhhhhy! *runs out of the room crying but comes back in because it was the wardrobe. Tries another door but it's the ensuite bathroom. Stares around in confusion.*
5) Cliffhanger ending - will she ever find her way out of her room let alone slay the bad peeps? I will never know.
I mean that.
I do not want out find out.
Want to read
January 30, 2012this reminds me of the vampire diaries. Get it? ' The Reaper Diaries, The Vampire Diaries'?
February 1, 2013
I've read a lot of mixed reviews of this book, most of the negative ones seemed to have a similar quarrel, Molly. So, needless to say, I went into this with extremely low expectations. And lo and behold, I really enjoyed it.
Molly is a reaper in training, and even with making the mistake of bringing her "almost" boyfriend back to life missing some of his soul, she's still picked out by Anubis to be given special powers and sent to Nekyia Academy, where she can train to be Anubis' champion.
I did like Molly. A lot of reviews claimed her to be too immature but I thought she was okay for a 16 year old. I would find in a lot of YA novels that the main character comes across quite mature for their age. So, I was able to enjoy Molly's voice. I could have done without the diary entries though, and after the first couple, I stopped reading them.
I also liked Rick and felt it a pity that we got to see so little of the real him. He felt quite promising. And the way things turned out for him was just so sad.
Rath, the hot bad boy who I couldn't not enjoy. He was probably my favourite. His interactions with Molly entertained me and I'm interested in seeing if any romance between the two of them in future books.
While I was intrigued by the world that Michelle created, I did find it a lot to take in. I still don't really know the different parts of the soul and the different kinds of people who deal with each. And with reading on my kindle, I wasn't going to keep flipping back to remind myself like I might have done with a paperback.
I was quite annoyed about the way Molly reacted to her dad after the "bombshell" was dropped. And while I've never been in her situation, and I don't normally like to judge actions unless I've lived them myself, I just felt she went overboard and didn't see the bigger picture here. This could have been one of the reasons that other readers would have thought her to be immature.
This was a book I had been highly anticipating so when the negative reviews started flowing, I was really disappointed. I started reading with a lot of trepidation and hesitation but was happy that, after a small amount of info dumping, I found myself really enjoying it. I'm now really looking forward to the next instalment.
Molly is a reaper in training, and even with making the mistake of bringing her "almost" boyfriend back to life missing some of his soul, she's still picked out by Anubis to be given special powers and sent to Nekyia Academy, where she can train to be Anubis' champion.
I did like Molly. A lot of reviews claimed her to be too immature but I thought she was okay for a 16 year old. I would find in a lot of YA novels that the main character comes across quite mature for their age. So, I was able to enjoy Molly's voice. I could have done without the diary entries though, and after the first couple, I stopped reading them.
I also liked Rick and felt it a pity that we got to see so little of the real him. He felt quite promising. And the way things turned out for him was just so sad.
Rath, the hot bad boy who I couldn't not enjoy. He was probably my favourite. His interactions with Molly entertained me and I'm interested in seeing if any romance between the two of them in future books.
While I was intrigued by the world that Michelle created, I did find it a lot to take in. I still don't really know the different parts of the soul and the different kinds of people who deal with each. And with reading on my kindle, I wasn't going to keep flipping back to remind myself like I might have done with a paperback.
I was quite annoyed about the way Molly reacted to her dad after the "bombshell" was dropped. And while I've never been in her situation, and I don't normally like to judge actions unless I've lived them myself, I just felt she went overboard and didn't see the bigger picture here. This could have been one of the reasons that other readers would have thought her to be immature.
This was a book I had been highly anticipating so when the negative reviews started flowing, I was really disappointed. I started reading with a lot of trepidation and hesitation but was happy that, after a small amount of info dumping, I found myself really enjoying it. I'm now really looking forward to the next instalment.
February 7, 2013
First and foremost, I love zombies. In 2012 alone, I've spent the first 4-5 months reading zombie novels only. Most of them weren't in the YA genre though, so I've been on a mission ever since to look for awesome YA novels (although I really doubt any could live up to Charlie Higson's The Enemy series). So just imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw this novel on NetGalley! Unfortunately, it didn't really live up to my rather high expectations. Even my love of zombies did not save this book.
Annoying Heroine
The heroine is one of the most irritating heroines I've ever had the displeasure to read. I'm not sure if it was her personality altogether, or just the ridiculous narrative that made me cringe sentence after sentence after sentence. See, here's the thing - the narrative is unique. At first glance, it does resemble a real teenager's voice. But it becomes too overbearing after a while and it felt ridiculous after a page or two. I think it was written that way in an attempt to make it more "relatable", "personal", or even "realistic", but it felt unnatural and forced. I just couldn't stomach all the attempts to insert slangs, to sound witty, to sound funny, when all of them fail bigtime. Since she was the only voice in the book, finishing it was a struggle. She was not only unrealistic, she was also condescending and judgemental. Ugh, Worst Heroine Award, anyone? It doesn't help that it incorporates abbreviations that should never,ever be seen in any form of literature. Examples of abbreviations? "FYI", "BTW"... yeah, go figure.
World-Building
World-building honestly felt pretty random to me. So there are necromancers who have the ability to revive the dead. They do it for people who cannot let go of their passed on loved ones. Despite having a lot of people depending on them, these necromancers feel a sense of isolation from the rest of the "normal" populace. These revived zombies are also oftentimes used as "pets" or "slaves" by their masters (or former relatives... how sick is that?). It felt to me a simple world - a bit bizarre, and quite random. I do appreciate the Egyptian references, though. They were fun to read.
Overall
The protagonist ruined this book for me. I could live with weird world-building, cardboard side characters, and the like, but if the one doing the narrative is someone like Molly, it just ruins everything else for me. I wouldn't recommend this. +1 for the Egyptian terms, though.
Annoying Heroine
The heroine is one of the most irritating heroines I've ever had the displeasure to read. I'm not sure if it was her personality altogether, or just the ridiculous narrative that made me cringe sentence after sentence after sentence. See, here's the thing - the narrative is unique. At first glance, it does resemble a real teenager's voice. But it becomes too overbearing after a while and it felt ridiculous after a page or two. I think it was written that way in an attempt to make it more "relatable", "personal", or even "realistic", but it felt unnatural and forced. I just couldn't stomach all the attempts to insert slangs, to sound witty, to sound funny, when all of them fail bigtime. Since she was the only voice in the book, finishing it was a struggle. She was not only unrealistic, she was also condescending and judgemental. Ugh, Worst Heroine Award, anyone? It doesn't help that it incorporates abbreviations that should never,ever be seen in any form of literature. Examples of abbreviations? "FYI", "BTW"... yeah, go figure.
World-Building
World-building honestly felt pretty random to me. So there are necromancers who have the ability to revive the dead. They do it for people who cannot let go of their passed on loved ones. Despite having a lot of people depending on them, these necromancers feel a sense of isolation from the rest of the "normal" populace. These revived zombies are also oftentimes used as "pets" or "slaves" by their masters (or former relatives... how sick is that?). It felt to me a simple world - a bit bizarre, and quite random. I do appreciate the Egyptian references, though. They were fun to read.
Overall
The protagonist ruined this book for me. I could live with weird world-building, cardboard side characters, and the like, but if the one doing the narrative is someone like Molly, it just ruins everything else for me. I wouldn't recommend this. +1 for the Egyptian terms, though.
November 5, 2012
Undeadly has an interesting concept. Necromancy and zombies isn't exactly my favorite genre, but I liked some of the ideas that Vail brought into this story.
But sadly I felt that the plot and it's characters were overly hyper, overly quirky and all over the place. I had a hard time connecting to our main character, Molly and while the writing is decent I struggled with the pacing and flow.
Not for me.
(Arc provided by Netgalley and Harlequin Teen)
But sadly I felt that the plot and it's characters were overly hyper, overly quirky and all over the place. I had a hard time connecting to our main character, Molly and while the writing is decent I struggled with the pacing and flow.
Not for me.
(Arc provided by Netgalley and Harlequin Teen)
November 19, 2012
Undeadly had potential to be an intriguing story about necromancy, but the plot wasn’t very interesting, and I couldn’t connect with the characters, so I couldn’t really get into the book no matter how hard I tried.
First of all, Molly was a super annoying character, and she really hit you hard in the first several pages with her diary entry. Wow, oh, wow. For those, who just couldn’t stand it, like me, hang in there because I promise the rest of the book won’t be like that. Don’t get me wrong, Molly still had irritating tendencies, and the words that come out her mouth make me want to roll my eyes. But there are only a few diary entries.
Now the story itself had the typical development about the girl who finds out she’s not really who she thought she was all along (although she did know that she was somewhat gifted in the reaping business, though not quite what she was led to believe); she is sent off to boarding school; she trains to kick butt (though not so much in this book compared to others); she learns not all is what it appears to be; and she solves the current mystery, with the typical unusual suspect.
I wish the book had offered something beyond that, but it didn’t. So what in the world did I mean when I said the book had potential?
Well, Molly started out knowing she was some sort of heka. The world that Vail could have created with that concept could have been something really interesting. I’m not saying bogged down the story with setting up different characters were these gifts and going to lengths with world-building description. But I was kind of disappointed with what we got out of it. And apparently, it seemed pretty common, but it’s still somewhat of a secret in the human world? I think that limited Vail’s options, forcing readers into that boarding school world.
And I’m sorry, but the relationship with Rick and his role in this whole story was kind of lame. I mean, Molly basically had a longtime crush on this dude, and Vail takes an amazing guy and turns him into a chump. What a waste. It’s just that he doesn’t really fit into the story very well. Why was he at the school and not in Vegas (why he’s attached to her)? Why couldn’t she tell something was wrong before? Why couldn’t anyone else tell? And trying to throw us off? Too obvious.
While I’m on the subject of boys, what’s up with Rath? I’m guessing Vail is trying to save some details for the sequel, but please give us something to look forward to. Readers can sense that he’s important, and we are teased into knowing there’s more in stored where he is concerned, but what we got wasn’t satisfying enough.
And I really wish that Vail had gone more into the society and Clarissa. There’s definitely more there.
I also didn’t like the way the book ended. It reminded me too much of how PC and Kristin Cast ends each House of Night novel with Zoey Redbird saying, “Ah hell.”
I don’t know. I just felt this book just fell short – a little bit here and a little bit there, and overall, it just failed to impress me.
First of all, Molly was a super annoying character, and she really hit you hard in the first several pages with her diary entry. Wow, oh, wow. For those, who just couldn’t stand it, like me, hang in there because I promise the rest of the book won’t be like that. Don’t get me wrong, Molly still had irritating tendencies, and the words that come out her mouth make me want to roll my eyes. But there are only a few diary entries.
Now the story itself had the typical development about the girl who finds out she’s not really who she thought she was all along (although she did know that she was somewhat gifted in the reaping business, though not quite what she was led to believe); she is sent off to boarding school; she trains to kick butt (though not so much in this book compared to others); she learns not all is what it appears to be; and she solves the current mystery, with the typical unusual suspect.
I wish the book had offered something beyond that, but it didn’t. So what in the world did I mean when I said the book had potential?
Well, Molly started out knowing she was some sort of heka. The world that Vail could have created with that concept could have been something really interesting. I’m not saying bogged down the story with setting up different characters were these gifts and going to lengths with world-building description. But I was kind of disappointed with what we got out of it. And apparently, it seemed pretty common, but it’s still somewhat of a secret in the human world? I think that limited Vail’s options, forcing readers into that boarding school world.
And I’m sorry, but the relationship with Rick and his role in this whole story was kind of lame. I mean, Molly basically had a longtime crush on this dude, and Vail takes an amazing guy and turns him into a chump. What a waste. It’s just that he doesn’t really fit into the story very well. Why was he at the school and not in Vegas (why he’s attached to her)? Why couldn’t she tell something was wrong before? Why couldn’t anyone else tell? And trying to throw us off? Too obvious.
While I’m on the subject of boys, what’s up with Rath? I’m guessing Vail is trying to save some details for the sequel, but please give us something to look forward to. Readers can sense that he’s important, and we are teased into knowing there’s more in stored where he is concerned, but what we got wasn’t satisfying enough.
And I really wish that Vail had gone more into the society and Clarissa. There’s definitely more there.
I also didn’t like the way the book ended. It reminded me too much of how PC and Kristin Cast ends each House of Night novel with Zoey Redbird saying, “Ah hell.”
I don’t know. I just felt this book just fell short – a little bit here and a little bit there, and overall, it just failed to impress me.
March 30, 2013
The book itself is ok until you realize the MC is a complete idiot.After all when a !reaper! tells you that bringing someone back to life will have consequences and all you can think of is that they're "jealous"of your super-duper speshul powers it does not show great judgement on your part.And it got worse from then on.
Want to read
November 13, 2011I seriously love anything with Anubis, or Ancient Egyptian culture.
November 12, 2012
Giveaway (US) http://somelikeitparanormall.blogspot...
Molly's world was incredibly different than I expected going into this book. It is all about ancient Egyptian mythology. Zombies, ghouls, and different powers are all out to the world. Molly's dad even owns a zombie making business! Everyone also worships Anubis. He visits Molly in her dream and asks her to complete a mission for him. She does what anyone would do faced with a god, agrees to whatever he wants even though she would rather be just a normal girl obsessed with boys and shopping. When destiny calls a lot of family secrets and lies come out and Molly is really angry and I felt she had every right to be. When I was that age I punished my parents too so I felt Molly came across realistic. Far from perfect but a real teenager.
With no choice but to try to follow her destiny, she heads to a Nekyia Academy to help develop her powers. I was expecting something like Vampire Academy but it was more Hogwarts to me. Ghosts and ghouls running around and special studies to teach magic. Molly even has her own ghoul servant named Henry. Henry was such a sweet ghoul. It was a fun place to be and I enjoyed it. While reading I felt like I was right inside Molly's head and there were even little diary entries from Molly with advice for what she is going through. During special studies Rath is back to train her. They have kind of a love/hate relationship. It doesn't really get romantic or head into love triangle territory but there was some great banter and sexual tension. I can see it as the beginning to a great future relationship. Molly is still very into Rick who seems to be stalking her and she couldn't be happier. First love is always strong and I did think Rick was a great guy but he was dealt something he can't walk away from no matter how hard Molly wants to fix it.
There is a good amount of teenage drama but I didn't find it too overly annoying. I think this will probably be a bigger hit with actual teenagers and maybe those like me that very much remember being young. I still squee for spongebob slippers and footie PJs! lol I'm very young at heart. There is a little bit of mystery and action although rather predictable but there was one twist in the end that I actually didn't see coming. Maybe I should of but I was just more caught up in Molly's world. I thought it was a quirky place to be for a quick fun read! After a cliffhanger I am looking forward to getting deeper into Molly's head and finding out more about her mission for Anubis as well as getting to know more about Rath.
---
"What did you do, Molly?"
"Gah! Fine! I'm a necro, okay? I know how to make zombies. Sorta. I'm in training. So, when I saw Rick's soul, I just...grabbed it. And squished it inside."
Most of it, anyway.
He pushed off from the wall and straightened, keeping his arms crossed.
"You squished his soul back into his body?"
"Lesson One, Molly. Always be prepared."
"You're a jerk."
"You're disrespectful."
"Respect has to be earned," I said.
"True. Get up." I rolled onto my hands and knees and got back onto my feet.
Wary now, I walked back to Rath. I watched his feet, trying t ready myself to jump out of the way.
He shoved me.
I flew backward and landed on my ass. Fury boiled through me.
---
*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
Molly's world was incredibly different than I expected going into this book. It is all about ancient Egyptian mythology. Zombies, ghouls, and different powers are all out to the world. Molly's dad even owns a zombie making business! Everyone also worships Anubis. He visits Molly in her dream and asks her to complete a mission for him. She does what anyone would do faced with a god, agrees to whatever he wants even though she would rather be just a normal girl obsessed with boys and shopping. When destiny calls a lot of family secrets and lies come out and Molly is really angry and I felt she had every right to be. When I was that age I punished my parents too so I felt Molly came across realistic. Far from perfect but a real teenager.
With no choice but to try to follow her destiny, she heads to a Nekyia Academy to help develop her powers. I was expecting something like Vampire Academy but it was more Hogwarts to me. Ghosts and ghouls running around and special studies to teach magic. Molly even has her own ghoul servant named Henry. Henry was such a sweet ghoul. It was a fun place to be and I enjoyed it. While reading I felt like I was right inside Molly's head and there were even little diary entries from Molly with advice for what she is going through. During special studies Rath is back to train her. They have kind of a love/hate relationship. It doesn't really get romantic or head into love triangle territory but there was some great banter and sexual tension. I can see it as the beginning to a great future relationship. Molly is still very into Rick who seems to be stalking her and she couldn't be happier. First love is always strong and I did think Rick was a great guy but he was dealt something he can't walk away from no matter how hard Molly wants to fix it.
There is a good amount of teenage drama but I didn't find it too overly annoying. I think this will probably be a bigger hit with actual teenagers and maybe those like me that very much remember being young. I still squee for spongebob slippers and footie PJs! lol I'm very young at heart. There is a little bit of mystery and action although rather predictable but there was one twist in the end that I actually didn't see coming. Maybe I should of but I was just more caught up in Molly's world. I thought it was a quirky place to be for a quick fun read! After a cliffhanger I am looking forward to getting deeper into Molly's head and finding out more about her mission for Anubis as well as getting to know more about Rath.
---
"What did you do, Molly?"
"Gah! Fine! I'm a necro, okay? I know how to make zombies. Sorta. I'm in training. So, when I saw Rick's soul, I just...grabbed it. And squished it inside."
Most of it, anyway.
He pushed off from the wall and straightened, keeping his arms crossed.
"You squished his soul back into his body?"
"Lesson One, Molly. Always be prepared."
"You're a jerk."
"You're disrespectful."
"Respect has to be earned," I said.
"True. Get up." I rolled onto my hands and knees and got back onto my feet.
Wary now, I walked back to Rath. I watched his feet, trying t ready myself to jump out of the way.
He shoved me.
I flew backward and landed on my ass. Fury boiled through me.
---
*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
October 21, 2012
Originally posted on Bookworm Recommendations
-----
I had some really high expectations for Undeadly. I wasn’t even entirely sure what the book as about but I was still excited. I mean, reapers AND zombies? Does that not sound awesome enough? Unfortunately, Undeadly ended up disappointing me. I’m honestly not sure whether to give it a 2.5, 2.7, 3, or what. I just had so many mixed feelings throughout reading.
One of the main problems I had with Undeadly was our MC, Molly. Molly was supposed to be sixteen, but she acted and talked like a twelve year old. I’m not kidding. Throughout the whole book she said things like, “OMG, Whatevs, Hoo-kay,” and to the point where it just annoyed the crap out of me. She was immature, whiny, and just a brat. Did she change towards the end? Kind of… She didn’t make me completely fall in love with her, but she was bearable.
The rest of the characters were just flat. I had trouble telling everyone a part because we were introduced to so many people. Rath, I saw could’ve had some real potential to become a great love-interest, or maybe even just a friend, but he was barley in the book. He was one of the few characters that actually had a personality and one that I liked, but we barley get to see any of him. I’m not even sure where Rath and Molly stand now.
The whole reaping and zombie business was definitely a plus for me. The beginning did have a bit of an info dump and I found myself having trouble comprehending everything, but I did develop somewhat of an understanding as the story progressed. Everything about this whole reaper/zombie world was complex, fascinating, and something completely new and fresh.
The plot, unfortunately, was just all over the place. I found something fascinating, then I found it boring, I started to like the story, and then back to disliking, and so on and so forth… The first 100 pages was all about leading to Molly saving her boyfriend from dying, and it all just seemed like a waste to me, especially considering this book was only 250 pages. And then everything after that was just… messy. It went to one dilemma to another and I just couldn’t figure out what the main plot was.
Overall, Undeadly had a lot of potential but just ended up being disappointing. The characters were unrealistic and cliché and the plot was cheesy to the point of being eye-rolly. Although, Undeadly does have its moments where I found myself glued to my seat, taking everything in, and it was interesting enough for me to finish everything. And even though Molly came off as immature to me, she still made an entertaining narration that kept my attention. I don’t feel right giving Undeadly a 2, but I don’t think it was good enough to be a 3 either so I’ll just settle in the middle with 2.5/5. If you like light and fun reads, with a fascinating world, then you might just like Undeadly.
An ARC was provided by Harlequin via Netgalley
-----
I had some really high expectations for Undeadly. I wasn’t even entirely sure what the book as about but I was still excited. I mean, reapers AND zombies? Does that not sound awesome enough? Unfortunately, Undeadly ended up disappointing me. I’m honestly not sure whether to give it a 2.5, 2.7, 3, or what. I just had so many mixed feelings throughout reading.
One of the main problems I had with Undeadly was our MC, Molly. Molly was supposed to be sixteen, but she acted and talked like a twelve year old. I’m not kidding. Throughout the whole book she said things like, “OMG, Whatevs, Hoo-kay,” and to the point where it just annoyed the crap out of me. She was immature, whiny, and just a brat. Did she change towards the end? Kind of… She didn’t make me completely fall in love with her, but she was bearable.
The rest of the characters were just flat. I had trouble telling everyone a part because we were introduced to so many people. Rath, I saw could’ve had some real potential to become a great love-interest, or maybe even just a friend, but he was barley in the book. He was one of the few characters that actually had a personality and one that I liked, but we barley get to see any of him. I’m not even sure where Rath and Molly stand now.
The whole reaping and zombie business was definitely a plus for me. The beginning did have a bit of an info dump and I found myself having trouble comprehending everything, but I did develop somewhat of an understanding as the story progressed. Everything about this whole reaper/zombie world was complex, fascinating, and something completely new and fresh.
The plot, unfortunately, was just all over the place. I found something fascinating, then I found it boring, I started to like the story, and then back to disliking, and so on and so forth… The first 100 pages was all about leading to Molly saving her boyfriend from dying, and it all just seemed like a waste to me, especially considering this book was only 250 pages. And then everything after that was just… messy. It went to one dilemma to another and I just couldn’t figure out what the main plot was.
Overall, Undeadly had a lot of potential but just ended up being disappointing. The characters were unrealistic and cliché and the plot was cheesy to the point of being eye-rolly. Although, Undeadly does have its moments where I found myself glued to my seat, taking everything in, and it was interesting enough for me to finish everything. And even though Molly came off as immature to me, she still made an entertaining narration that kept my attention. I don’t feel right giving Undeadly a 2, but I don’t think it was good enough to be a 3 either so I’ll just settle in the middle with 2.5/5. If you like light and fun reads, with a fascinating world, then you might just like Undeadly.
An ARC was provided by Harlequin via Netgalley
dnf
June 8, 2016I just really don't want to waste my time with this anymore.
November 13, 2012
Three Stars: A book rich in Egyptian lore and mythology.
Molly is attempting to make it through another boring day at work. She works for her father at his business that specializes in creating zombies. When one of the client's mistreated zombies tries to eat her, she decides to call it a day! Luckily on her way home, the hot football player with whom she has been flirting offers her a ride. She invites Rick inside and they are on the verge of lip lock when her dad bursts in and interrupts them. Rick with his polished manners calms her father and assures her that he will make good on that kiss tomorrow at her sixteenth birthday party. He does indeed come through with a mind bending kiss, but right after he mysteriously falls, smacks his head and dies.....Molly without thinking uses her new found reaper abilities and grabs three parts of his soul, as two more wriggle away, and thrusts them back into his body. Obviously, with missing soul parts things are bound to get weird....Will Molly learn to wield her Reaper powers?
What I Liked:
*I appreciated the way this book opens up and thrusts me into Egyptian mythology. I enjoyed learning about the different abilities of reapers and the way the various parts of the soul can be used to reanimate a corpse. Grabbing one part will create a zombie, a servile creature that must be fed and cared for. Another portion of the soul will make a ghost, while others are used to make ghouls and shadow slaves. I really liked the spin Ms. Vail puts on zombies, ghosts and ghouls. Her world populated with all these dead servants is imaginative and fun.
*I like that this book utilized the Egyptian mythological gods Anubis and his adversary Set. I always enjoy reading books that use mythology and I enjoyed the way it was all incorporated into the story. I can tell Ms. Vail spent some time researching the Egyptian history to craft this book. Truly, learning about the different parts of the soul and how the reapers can use them was fascinating as well as the Egyptian beliefs.
*I loved the Ghoul Henry. He is a butler, servant who is bound to serve Molly. This guy is uber cool and I liked that he was not creepy and scary like ghouls I have encountered in the past. I thoroughly enjoyed him, and wouldn't mind having my own personal ghoul.
And the Not So Much:
*I did not enjoy Molly's character. She came across as immature and irritating. I realize I am not the target audience, but I found her use of slang and teen speak over the top annoying. She tries to be flippant and snarky and what happens is it is so overdone that it becomes like fingernails grating across a chalkboard. Her constant use of phrases like "whatevs" just don't work. There is a fine line when it comes to snarky, and this is an example of it going too far and becoming irritating.
*Unfortunately, the story line in this one is all over the place and it is not cohesive. I was frustrated at how choppy the read was. There are so many questions and hardly any answers....for instance what happened to Molly's mother and aunt? What does it mean for Molly to be Anubis' champion? I was left with a whole mess of unanswered questions after this one, not to mention a cliffhanger ending.
*This book has a lot of predicability as well as the worn out mean girl theme. I was not surprised at all with the revelations at the end, it was fairly obvious as to who was stealing the souls. The whole situation with Rick was a fizzle as well.
*Finally, the other thing that I did not like was the way Molly treated her father once she learned some family secrets. Yes, I understand her being upset but her behavior was troubling and I was disappointed that there was not any reconciliation in this book.
Undeadly is a book that immerses you into a world with zombies, ghosts and ghouls who are servants for the living. This book is rich in Egyptian mythology and presents an entertaining and creative look at spirits and the spirit world. This book does have some flaws including an over the top, dramatic and somewhat immature heroine, but it does present some fun ideas. I am hoping that the sequel will tighten up and continue with some of these unique concepts.
Favorite Quotations:
"Not feeding a zombie isn’t like not feeding your cat. He. Will. Eat. You. And your cat."
"I’d brushed my teeth twice and refrained from food and drink. Because I wanted our first kiss to be perfect—you know, without Doritos taint."
"I wasn’t model-thin, because I was raised in an Italian family whose motto was, “If you’re not eating, you’re dead.”
"A girl could only do so much wrong during one day. My conscience was being stabbed by too many guilt knives."
"Sometimes, you choose your destiny, sometimes it chooses you, and sometimes ... it’s a little of both."
I received a copy of this book as part of a promotional tour. I was not compensated for my reviews and all opinions expressed are my own.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Molly is attempting to make it through another boring day at work. She works for her father at his business that specializes in creating zombies. When one of the client's mistreated zombies tries to eat her, she decides to call it a day! Luckily on her way home, the hot football player with whom she has been flirting offers her a ride. She invites Rick inside and they are on the verge of lip lock when her dad bursts in and interrupts them. Rick with his polished manners calms her father and assures her that he will make good on that kiss tomorrow at her sixteenth birthday party. He does indeed come through with a mind bending kiss, but right after he mysteriously falls, smacks his head and dies.....Molly without thinking uses her new found reaper abilities and grabs three parts of his soul, as two more wriggle away, and thrusts them back into his body. Obviously, with missing soul parts things are bound to get weird....Will Molly learn to wield her Reaper powers?
What I Liked:
*I appreciated the way this book opens up and thrusts me into Egyptian mythology. I enjoyed learning about the different abilities of reapers and the way the various parts of the soul can be used to reanimate a corpse. Grabbing one part will create a zombie, a servile creature that must be fed and cared for. Another portion of the soul will make a ghost, while others are used to make ghouls and shadow slaves. I really liked the spin Ms. Vail puts on zombies, ghosts and ghouls. Her world populated with all these dead servants is imaginative and fun.
*I like that this book utilized the Egyptian mythological gods Anubis and his adversary Set. I always enjoy reading books that use mythology and I enjoyed the way it was all incorporated into the story. I can tell Ms. Vail spent some time researching the Egyptian history to craft this book. Truly, learning about the different parts of the soul and how the reapers can use them was fascinating as well as the Egyptian beliefs.
*I loved the Ghoul Henry. He is a butler, servant who is bound to serve Molly. This guy is uber cool and I liked that he was not creepy and scary like ghouls I have encountered in the past. I thoroughly enjoyed him, and wouldn't mind having my own personal ghoul.
And the Not So Much:
*I did not enjoy Molly's character. She came across as immature and irritating. I realize I am not the target audience, but I found her use of slang and teen speak over the top annoying. She tries to be flippant and snarky and what happens is it is so overdone that it becomes like fingernails grating across a chalkboard. Her constant use of phrases like "whatevs" just don't work. There is a fine line when it comes to snarky, and this is an example of it going too far and becoming irritating.
*Unfortunately, the story line in this one is all over the place and it is not cohesive. I was frustrated at how choppy the read was. There are so many questions and hardly any answers....for instance what happened to Molly's mother and aunt? What does it mean for Molly to be Anubis' champion? I was left with a whole mess of unanswered questions after this one, not to mention a cliffhanger ending.
*This book has a lot of predicability as well as the worn out mean girl theme. I was not surprised at all with the revelations at the end, it was fairly obvious as to who was stealing the souls. The whole situation with Rick was a fizzle as well.
*Finally, the other thing that I did not like was the way Molly treated her father once she learned some family secrets. Yes, I understand her being upset but her behavior was troubling and I was disappointed that there was not any reconciliation in this book.
Undeadly is a book that immerses you into a world with zombies, ghosts and ghouls who are servants for the living. This book is rich in Egyptian mythology and presents an entertaining and creative look at spirits and the spirit world. This book does have some flaws including an over the top, dramatic and somewhat immature heroine, but it does present some fun ideas. I am hoping that the sequel will tighten up and continue with some of these unique concepts.
Favorite Quotations:
"Not feeding a zombie isn’t like not feeding your cat. He. Will. Eat. You. And your cat."
"I’d brushed my teeth twice and refrained from food and drink. Because I wanted our first kiss to be perfect—you know, without Doritos taint."
"I wasn’t model-thin, because I was raised in an Italian family whose motto was, “If you’re not eating, you’re dead.”
"A girl could only do so much wrong during one day. My conscience was being stabbed by too many guilt knives."
"Sometimes, you choose your destiny, sometimes it chooses you, and sometimes ... it’s a little of both."
I received a copy of this book as part of a promotional tour. I was not compensated for my reviews and all opinions expressed are my own.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
July 19, 2014
More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives
This book had a very Vampire Academy or Covenant Series feel to it; except this book has reapers with an Egyptian mythology twist to it, and then add in some zombies and you have the makings of a good book. This story was very fast paced and has numerous twists and turns. It is tough to decide who to trust and I think this series has a lot of potential.
Our heroine Molly is very much a sixteen year old; and it shows. She can be incredibly whiny at times and has an extreme case of “why me”. However, that being said, it also makes her character believable. It is clear that she is a sixteen year old who has been thrown into circumstances that are out of her control and she is clearly in over her head. Also I found her to be a bit too trusting when it came to certain things. With all that said she does do her best to deal with the circumstances and when the time comes she does what needs to be done.
My favorite character was Rath and I really wished that he had more of a presence throughout the story. He was incredibly snarky and witty and he always had some sort of comment when it came to Molly. However, he was also there when she really needed him. There isn’t much more about him I can say, because I still feel like I don’t know him all that well. I am hoping to see much more of Rath in the coming novels.
One issue I had with this book is that I think it could have been longer. The story felt a bit rushed to me and I would have liked some points to have been expanded upon. There was a good amount of secondary characters that I would have liked to learn some more about. I would have liked some relationships to be expanded upon and I would have liked to learn more about the school’s society. The first hundred pages or so contains a lot of background and explanations for the world created, however after this the plot moves along as a brisk pace and events happen one after the other. Also, it did not help that there were two main storylines put into a relatively short book. I would have liked an additional hundred pages to this book to fully expand on certain aspects. Also, I was able to figure out a good chunk of the ending, but this may be just because I read too much.
I really enjoyed the world Michele created in Undeadly. The way she intertwined Egyptian mythology with necromancy was great. In this world zombies and spirits are normal. To the point where people have pet zombies, an aspect I found to be quite entertaining. The Nekyia Academy is much like any other school for the paranormal, so it provides a great setting for mystery and fantasy. The writing style really embodies a teen’s mind. This is something I think readers are either going to love or hate. Personally, I did not mind it, but it did take a little bit of adjustment.
The ending to this book clearly sets up the next novel in the series, and while it is frustrating it is also effective. I am now dying to know what happens and wondering when I will be able to get my hands on the next book. I really believe that this series has a great amount of potential. There are so many characters and aspects that I would love to learn more about. I am intrigued by this world and this school and I would really like to learn more about Rath.
All in all, Undeadly is a quick read in a very fun world of zombies and necromancy. I think paranormal fans will really enjoy Molly’s journey and be eager for some more.
*I received a copy of this book as a part of the blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review
This book had a very Vampire Academy or Covenant Series feel to it; except this book has reapers with an Egyptian mythology twist to it, and then add in some zombies and you have the makings of a good book. This story was very fast paced and has numerous twists and turns. It is tough to decide who to trust and I think this series has a lot of potential.
Our heroine Molly is very much a sixteen year old; and it shows. She can be incredibly whiny at times and has an extreme case of “why me”. However, that being said, it also makes her character believable. It is clear that she is a sixteen year old who has been thrown into circumstances that are out of her control and she is clearly in over her head. Also I found her to be a bit too trusting when it came to certain things. With all that said she does do her best to deal with the circumstances and when the time comes she does what needs to be done.
My favorite character was Rath and I really wished that he had more of a presence throughout the story. He was incredibly snarky and witty and he always had some sort of comment when it came to Molly. However, he was also there when she really needed him. There isn’t much more about him I can say, because I still feel like I don’t know him all that well. I am hoping to see much more of Rath in the coming novels.
One issue I had with this book is that I think it could have been longer. The story felt a bit rushed to me and I would have liked some points to have been expanded upon. There was a good amount of secondary characters that I would have liked to learn some more about. I would have liked some relationships to be expanded upon and I would have liked to learn more about the school’s society. The first hundred pages or so contains a lot of background and explanations for the world created, however after this the plot moves along as a brisk pace and events happen one after the other. Also, it did not help that there were two main storylines put into a relatively short book. I would have liked an additional hundred pages to this book to fully expand on certain aspects. Also, I was able to figure out a good chunk of the ending, but this may be just because I read too much.
I really enjoyed the world Michele created in Undeadly. The way she intertwined Egyptian mythology with necromancy was great. In this world zombies and spirits are normal. To the point where people have pet zombies, an aspect I found to be quite entertaining. The Nekyia Academy is much like any other school for the paranormal, so it provides a great setting for mystery and fantasy. The writing style really embodies a teen’s mind. This is something I think readers are either going to love or hate. Personally, I did not mind it, but it did take a little bit of adjustment.
The ending to this book clearly sets up the next novel in the series, and while it is frustrating it is also effective. I am now dying to know what happens and wondering when I will be able to get my hands on the next book. I really believe that this series has a great amount of potential. There are so many characters and aspects that I would love to learn more about. I am intrigued by this world and this school and I would really like to learn more about Rath.
All in all, Undeadly is a quick read in a very fun world of zombies and necromancy. I think paranormal fans will really enjoy Molly’s journey and be eager for some more.
*I received a copy of this book as a part of the blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review
September 21, 2015
I have to say, this book was basically a half-hearted rendition of the House of Night series. (Jacquelyn, you say, you're always slamming book reviews that compare books to other books. Aren't you being a hypocrite? The answer is - in my opinion - no. The book reviews I always judge are the ones that compare one little aspect of the book to that of another book - usually one that's more popular - and call the book unoriginal because of it. In this case, this book was pretty much the same thing with a few variations. So I think I'm innocent.) Anyway, yeah. I didn't love the House of Night series, so the fact that this was more or less a replica of it didn't provide many bonus points. This book was also very cliché. That, added to the House of Night "archetype", included (in no particular order):
1. The elite academy thing
2. The "I'm in love with my instructor" thing
3. The "my old boyfriend showed up at my new school" thing
4. The "I accidentally turned my old boyfriend into some anomaly/evil thing" thing
5. The "my first friend is a 'Southern belle' with the most annoying dialect" thing
6. The "there's a really mean girl at my new school that hates me for some reason" thing
7. The "my first friend saved me from the really mean girl and that's how we met" thing
8. The "my first friend introduced me to all of her friends and I was instantly a part of their 'gang'" thing
9. The "something strange started happening at my new school and it corresponded with my appearance so everyone suspects it's my fault" thing
10. The "oh crap the strange happenings are actually my fault" thing
11. The "my secret biological parent is actually a god or some important person" thing
12. The "because of that (^) I'm a rare occurrence that is the only one who can save the earth" thing
13. The "I'm a big deal but I'm not going to tell my friends because I'm afraid they'll judge me so lying is definitely the better way to go" thing
14. The "the reader has NO idea what is going on after the 5/7 mark of the book"
15. (this isn't a cliché but did anyone else notice that all the significant boys' names started with 'R'? I did.)
I didn't expect to have that long of a list, but does that prove that this book actually isn't original? I did, actually, like a few aspects of the book, though. The necromancer/reaper/ghoul/Egyptian mythology world was cool, but I wish it had been more elaborate. I hated the attempts to be wise in this book. Like,
Molly, at the beginning was super annoying and shallow, from the fact that she considered "fragrant" an impressive vocab word (not to be all nose-up about my own extensive vocabulary) to the fact that she CONSTANTLY said "whatevs". But I was optimistic and I was like "well, at least she'll have some good character development." Apparently this is why I'd make it better as a pessimist. Surprise, surprise, she didn't really change that much. Rath by himself was okay, but since he had the confusing relationship with Molly, that kind of tainted my opinion on him. I really liked Rennie and Henry, though. I don't even know why. I guess they were just the most chill.
At first I was thinking, "oh wow, this book isn't great, but the constant mystery/confusion is the only authentic part of this book. And is provides some incentive to read the next books." But the "cliffhanger" was so unremarkable that I'll just pass.
1. The elite academy thing
2. The "I'm in love with my instructor" thing
3. The "my old boyfriend showed up at my new school" thing
4. The "I accidentally turned my old boyfriend into some anomaly/evil thing" thing
5. The "my first friend is a 'Southern belle' with the most annoying dialect" thing
6. The "there's a really mean girl at my new school that hates me for some reason" thing
7. The "my first friend saved me from the really mean girl and that's how we met" thing
8. The "my first friend introduced me to all of her friends and I was instantly a part of their 'gang'" thing
9. The "something strange started happening at my new school and it corresponded with my appearance so everyone suspects it's my fault" thing
10. The "oh crap the strange happenings are actually my fault" thing
11. The "my secret biological parent is actually a god or some important person" thing
12. The "because of that (^) I'm a rare occurrence that is the only one who can save the earth" thing
13. The "I'm a big deal but I'm not going to tell my friends because I'm afraid they'll judge me so lying is definitely the better way to go" thing
14. The "the reader has NO idea what is going on after the 5/7 mark of the book"
15. (this isn't a cliché but did anyone else notice that all the significant boys' names started with 'R'? I did.)
I didn't expect to have that long of a list, but does that prove that this book actually isn't original? I did, actually, like a few aspects of the book, though. The necromancer/reaper/ghoul/Egyptian mythology world was cool, but I wish it had been more elaborate. I hated the attempts to be wise in this book. Like,
Sometimes, you choose your destiny, sometimes it chooses you, and sometimes . . . it's a little of both.I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth.
Molly, at the beginning was super annoying and shallow, from the fact that she considered "fragrant" an impressive vocab word (not to be all nose-up about my own extensive vocabulary) to the fact that she CONSTANTLY said "whatevs". But I was optimistic and I was like "well, at least she'll have some good character development." Apparently this is why I'd make it better as a pessimist. Surprise, surprise, she didn't really change that much. Rath by himself was okay, but since he had the confusing relationship with Molly, that kind of tainted my opinion on him. I really liked Rennie and Henry, though. I don't even know why. I guess they were just the most chill.
At first I was thinking, "oh wow, this book isn't great, but the constant mystery/confusion is the only authentic part of this book. And is provides some incentive to read the next books." But the "cliffhanger" was so unremarkable that I'll just pass.
January 23, 2013
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Harlequin TEEN and Netgalley.)
16-year-old Molly is a necromancer. She brings dead people back to life by turning them into zombies! The zombie’s owner must then care for them. They can do menial jobs, but they are stupid, and you must keep them well-fed with Ghoul-aid, or they will eat you.
At Molly’s 16th birthday party, a strange man turns up who only she can see. He gives her some cryptic clues about who and what she is, and then Molly’s very new boyfriend Rick suddenly collapses and dies. Seeing a glowing ball of light, Molly grabs it, and manages to stick half of it back inside Rick. He then wakes up, and everything is okay (yeah right).
Molly is in for a shock though, when her maternal grandparents turn up, tell her that her future is to be a reaper, and ship her off to a boarding school for Necromancers.
What is Molly’s real destiny though? What problems is she about to encounter in her new school? And why the hell has Rick followed her there?
Let’s just start by saying that I was warned about this book! I’ve read several reviews where people haven’t liked it, but I had a review copy – so I read it.
This book starts with an entry from Molly’s reaper diary, and it is exactly what everybody said that it was – a massive info dump. Lots of blah, blah, blah about reapers and gods and all kinds of crap. To be honest I can’t tell you what any of it really was, because it turned me into a zombie just reading it. This really was like reading an encyclopaedia – ridiculously dull, and mind-numbingly boring, and unfortunately we were treated to another 2 or 3 of these entries later on in the book, which I have to say, I just skipped. I just couldn’t drag myself through them.
Once we get to the real story this is better thankfully, although Molly is pretty immature, and seemingly giddy over this boy Rick. When Rick suddenly dies on her, she grabs part of his soul and squishes it back into his body. I mean what the hell was she thinking?
Then we get the requisite ‘your father isn’t your biological father’, which seems to pop up in every other book at the moment, and Molly goes off to this reaper school. Once Molly is at the new school, the book improves considerably – although admittedly this is 50% of the way through.
The story actually seems to get a bit better here though, there are fewer info-dumps, and stuff actually happens. How the hell Molly doesn’t find it odd that Rick turns up is beyond me though. Who thinks that the boy they’ve kissed like once, is going to fly miles away to visit them at their new school? Weird, and dense.
Plus,
There was a bit of excitement at the end, and unfortunately the book does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger (thanks for that). I did think that the book was a bit better by the end though, and the writing style kind-of reminded me a bit of the ‘House of Night’ series.
Overall; This book had some massive flaws, but the second half wasn’t too bad. I’d suggest that this is maybe targeted at a younger age group though – maybe 12-year-olds?
6.5 out of 10.
16-year-old Molly is a necromancer. She brings dead people back to life by turning them into zombies! The zombie’s owner must then care for them. They can do menial jobs, but they are stupid, and you must keep them well-fed with Ghoul-aid, or they will eat you.
At Molly’s 16th birthday party, a strange man turns up who only she can see. He gives her some cryptic clues about who and what she is, and then Molly’s very new boyfriend Rick suddenly collapses and dies. Seeing a glowing ball of light, Molly grabs it, and manages to stick half of it back inside Rick. He then wakes up, and everything is okay (yeah right).
Molly is in for a shock though, when her maternal grandparents turn up, tell her that her future is to be a reaper, and ship her off to a boarding school for Necromancers.
What is Molly’s real destiny though? What problems is she about to encounter in her new school? And why the hell has Rick followed her there?
Let’s just start by saying that I was warned about this book! I’ve read several reviews where people haven’t liked it, but I had a review copy – so I read it.
This book starts with an entry from Molly’s reaper diary, and it is exactly what everybody said that it was – a massive info dump. Lots of blah, blah, blah about reapers and gods and all kinds of crap. To be honest I can’t tell you what any of it really was, because it turned me into a zombie just reading it. This really was like reading an encyclopaedia – ridiculously dull, and mind-numbingly boring, and unfortunately we were treated to another 2 or 3 of these entries later on in the book, which I have to say, I just skipped. I just couldn’t drag myself through them.
Once we get to the real story this is better thankfully, although Molly is pretty immature, and seemingly giddy over this boy Rick. When Rick suddenly dies on her, she grabs part of his soul and squishes it back into his body. I mean what the hell was she thinking?
Then we get the requisite ‘your father isn’t your biological father’, which seems to pop up in every other book at the moment, and Molly goes off to this reaper school. Once Molly is at the new school, the book improves considerably – although admittedly this is 50% of the way through.
The story actually seems to get a bit better here though, there are fewer info-dumps, and stuff actually happens. How the hell Molly doesn’t find it odd that Rick turns up is beyond me though. Who thinks that the boy they’ve kissed like once, is going to fly miles away to visit them at their new school? Weird, and dense.
Plus,
There was a bit of excitement at the end, and unfortunately the book does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger (thanks for that). I did think that the book was a bit better by the end though, and the writing style kind-of reminded me a bit of the ‘House of Night’ series.
Overall; This book had some massive flaws, but the second half wasn’t too bad. I’d suggest that this is maybe targeted at a younger age group though – maybe 12-year-olds?
6.5 out of 10.
November 3, 2012
HOLY ANUBIS! HOLY NECROMANCERS! HOLY ZOMBIES!
Undeadly is the first book set in this trilogy and what a bang it was. I can't stress to you enough what a great read this was for me. It had everything in it from Necromancers, Zombies, and Gods. What more could be in one book and set the record high this book did. Man when I started reading it I was hooked right from page one. I really loved how the author built this world up.
All Molly wants to do is blend in at school. She does not want to be popular and she does not need a lot of friends. She has a crush on Rick who is the schools hottie and wants to date him. She also wants to keep the fact that she is a zombie raiser a secret. She knows that this is going to be hard and as her 16th birthday approaches she finds it hard to juggle all these things. Then the unthinkable happens and Rick dies and Molly raises him from the dead because she loves him and wants to be with him. Wrong thing to do because when she turned 16 her powers increased and she never realized it until she raised Rick from the dead. Man what is she going to do now. She knows she has made a huge mistake because you are never to interfere with the Gods and when it is time to die you are supposed to die.
Then the God Anubis chooses Molly to be a Reaper. Lord have mercy she just about dies because she knows that when Anubis chooses you personally you have to have done something exceptionally. With joy and fear she accepts Anubis's decision to become a reaper. But as she will find out being a reaper is hard because she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper Rath and boy oh boy she knows she is dead meat. With that oops done she is shipped off to the Nekyia Academy by Anubis to learn how to reap. When she arrives there is excited until she finds out who her teacher and mentor is. Yes you guessed it is it Rath and boy does he act like he hates her guts because of what she did. Learning from Rath though is a gift and she will soon find out why. As part of her training her first task is to reap Rick the boy she loves. Will she be able to do it? What will happen if she decides not to? Will Rath punish her or will Anubis destroy her?
If that is not the worst part of being at the academy she learns that the students are being affected by something or someone. They are in a catatonic state and they are acting very weird. The academy is not sure what is going on but there is some suspicion going around that Molly might be the cause of the students acting weird.What is a girl to do? This is a must read! Come along for the ride with Anubis and Molly and Rath!
Undeadly is the first book set in this trilogy and what a bang it was. I can't stress to you enough what a great read this was for me. It had everything in it from Necromancers, Zombies, and Gods. What more could be in one book and set the record high this book did. Man when I started reading it I was hooked right from page one. I really loved how the author built this world up.
All Molly wants to do is blend in at school. She does not want to be popular and she does not need a lot of friends. She has a crush on Rick who is the schools hottie and wants to date him. She also wants to keep the fact that she is a zombie raiser a secret. She knows that this is going to be hard and as her 16th birthday approaches she finds it hard to juggle all these things. Then the unthinkable happens and Rick dies and Molly raises him from the dead because she loves him and wants to be with him. Wrong thing to do because when she turned 16 her powers increased and she never realized it until she raised Rick from the dead. Man what is she going to do now. She knows she has made a huge mistake because you are never to interfere with the Gods and when it is time to die you are supposed to die.
Then the God Anubis chooses Molly to be a Reaper. Lord have mercy she just about dies because she knows that when Anubis chooses you personally you have to have done something exceptionally. With joy and fear she accepts Anubis's decision to become a reaper. But as she will find out being a reaper is hard because she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper Rath and boy oh boy she knows she is dead meat. With that oops done she is shipped off to the Nekyia Academy by Anubis to learn how to reap. When she arrives there is excited until she finds out who her teacher and mentor is. Yes you guessed it is it Rath and boy does he act like he hates her guts because of what she did. Learning from Rath though is a gift and she will soon find out why. As part of her training her first task is to reap Rick the boy she loves. Will she be able to do it? What will happen if she decides not to? Will Rath punish her or will Anubis destroy her?
If that is not the worst part of being at the academy she learns that the students are being affected by something or someone. They are in a catatonic state and they are acting very weird. The academy is not sure what is going on but there is some suspicion going around that Molly might be the cause of the students acting weird.What is a girl to do? This is a must read! Come along for the ride with Anubis and Molly and Rath!
December 24, 2012
Who knew reading about Egyptian mythology, reapers, necromancy, ghosts, and zombies could be so much fun! Well, heck, if you haven’t read debut author Michele Vail’s butt-kicking new series, The Reaper Diaries, yet, you wouldn’t know, now would you? Not to be confused with The Vampire Diaries. No, no, no, this is a new kind of awesomeness all on its own. But let me assure you, this is the first book in a splendid new series you don’t want to miss out on. It’s way better than its blurb promises it to be. Imagine having a ghoul as a butler, who obeys your every command (and he can braid your hair like a pro). Got you curious? You haven’t seen anything yet.
I know I’ve said this a million times before, but for those new to my reviews, one of my pet peeves in books are weak, whiny female characters. Luckily, this is not the case and Molly’s character is really great. She’s strong, smart, fun, has a snarky sense of humor, and tackles her fears head-on. It was easy to step into her shoes, as well as those of all the supporting characters – most of them likeable, and a few not so much, and immerse myself in Molly’s utterly fascinating world, which – I might add – changes drastically after the events at her sixteenth birthday party. For those of you who, like me, are attracted to books with bad-boy characters, “Undeadly” has a seriously yummy one who goes by the name of Rath. The chemistry between him and Molly is tangible, and their contemptuous bantering elicited a good chuckle from me every so often.
Two more things I really loved about this book is that, one, there’s no love-triangle (thank goodness!), and two, there are so many twists, secrets and revelations it will make your head spin - but in a good way. It certainly kept me turning the pages in a frenzy to find out what happens next. After the second chapter I simply gave in and lost myself in this wonderful book, and before I knew it, I finished it in the space of a couple of hours. Just so you know, this one has a cliff-hanger ending, but fortunately book two is on its way.
“The Reaper Diaries” is definitely a series with attitude that is sure to generate a huge following. It will not surprise me if this is made into a hit tv series. It has so much promise and potential, and the author’s writing style is fresh and unique. I highly recommend this book as a must-read - as in place this right at the top of your to-be-read list, without delay. “Undeadly” deserves far more than a mere five stars. Yep, it is that good, and makes my list of most unforgettable books read in 2012!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I know I’ve said this a million times before, but for those new to my reviews, one of my pet peeves in books are weak, whiny female characters. Luckily, this is not the case and Molly’s character is really great. She’s strong, smart, fun, has a snarky sense of humor, and tackles her fears head-on. It was easy to step into her shoes, as well as those of all the supporting characters – most of them likeable, and a few not so much, and immerse myself in Molly’s utterly fascinating world, which – I might add – changes drastically after the events at her sixteenth birthday party. For those of you who, like me, are attracted to books with bad-boy characters, “Undeadly” has a seriously yummy one who goes by the name of Rath. The chemistry between him and Molly is tangible, and their contemptuous bantering elicited a good chuckle from me every so often.
Two more things I really loved about this book is that, one, there’s no love-triangle (thank goodness!), and two, there are so many twists, secrets and revelations it will make your head spin - but in a good way. It certainly kept me turning the pages in a frenzy to find out what happens next. After the second chapter I simply gave in and lost myself in this wonderful book, and before I knew it, I finished it in the space of a couple of hours. Just so you know, this one has a cliff-hanger ending, but fortunately book two is on its way.
“The Reaper Diaries” is definitely a series with attitude that is sure to generate a huge following. It will not surprise me if this is made into a hit tv series. It has so much promise and potential, and the author’s writing style is fresh and unique. I highly recommend this book as a must-read - as in place this right at the top of your to-be-read list, without delay. “Undeadly” deserves far more than a mere five stars. Yep, it is that good, and makes my list of most unforgettable books read in 2012!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2012
Undeadly is another book where I think the sequel will be stronger than the first one. Michelle Veil has created a very unique spin on the whole idea of reapers and that spin is what kept me glued to the pages. I am still really new to the whole reaper world but I have to say that I am very impressed with the Lore that has been woven into this story. The gods that are used make for a very interesting twist and I am very curious how it will play out.
Undeadly is your basic boarding school, new girl, special powers, mean girl story. What makes this book different than most is that .zombies and reapers are well know by everybody and it is not uncommon to see a zombie walking down the street with its owner for lack of a better word. I wasn't expecting that to be a part of the story as most of the paranormal I read now these kinds of things like zombies are hidden from the human world. It was a nice touch in my opinion to have everything out in the open. So in this world we have Molly who has just turned sixteen and has discovered that she has been chosen to help Anubis, the God of Death. This is not something to take lightly and after certain events happen at her birthday party she decides that the safest place for her is at a boarding school for people who are necromancers. I really liked Molly as a character, but I wished she would have been toned tone a bit. I think in the sequel we will see her mature a bit more and I think that will help her become more likeable. The secondary characters played their part pretty well and I am very interested in seeing more about Rath (the maybe love interest) and Rennie. I think they will both play huge roles and they stole my interest from the start. I will say I was a little bit upset by Rick and I wished things would have been different for him His whole part in the story seemed a little off to me but I think he was there to show what Molly could do so I guess he played his part.
As far as the story there is one there, but it gets kinda lost among all the other stuff. I would have liked to have seen a tighter plot line because the authors ideas were really interesting and honestly some of the best I have seen in awhile. I am really hoping that the sequel will focus more on the reapers and what Molly is supposed to do instead of the typical boarding school like and side stories.
I enjoyed the story I saw behind the scenes and I hope that Ms.Veil brings it to the forefront in the sequel.
Undeadly is your basic boarding school, new girl, special powers, mean girl story. What makes this book different than most is that .zombies and reapers are well know by everybody and it is not uncommon to see a zombie walking down the street with its owner for lack of a better word. I wasn't expecting that to be a part of the story as most of the paranormal I read now these kinds of things like zombies are hidden from the human world. It was a nice touch in my opinion to have everything out in the open. So in this world we have Molly who has just turned sixteen and has discovered that she has been chosen to help Anubis, the God of Death. This is not something to take lightly and after certain events happen at her birthday party she decides that the safest place for her is at a boarding school for people who are necromancers. I really liked Molly as a character, but I wished she would have been toned tone a bit. I think in the sequel we will see her mature a bit more and I think that will help her become more likeable. The secondary characters played their part pretty well and I am very interested in seeing more about Rath (the maybe love interest) and Rennie. I think they will both play huge roles and they stole my interest from the start. I will say I was a little bit upset by Rick and I wished things would have been different for him His whole part in the story seemed a little off to me but I think he was there to show what Molly could do so I guess he played his part.
As far as the story there is one there, but it gets kinda lost among all the other stuff. I would have liked to have seen a tighter plot line because the authors ideas were really interesting and honestly some of the best I have seen in awhile. I am really hoping that the sequel will focus more on the reapers and what Molly is supposed to do instead of the typical boarding school like and side stories.
I enjoyed the story I saw behind the scenes and I hope that Ms.Veil brings it to the forefront in the sequel.
December 13, 2012
For this review and more visit my blog
Undeadly was packed full of potential, the idea is awesome and refreshing, the storyline good and entertaining but it just lacked something.
As I said, I really liked the idea. This is the first time I have read a book about zombies, necromancers, Egyptian mythology and high school. It was very new and the way it played out was very interesting.
I also liked Rath, he is a male character I can easily get behind and I wished there was more of him, hopefully there will be in the next book. I enjoyed all the secondary characters as well, all the ghouls, ghosts and gods. It all really came to life for me.
My main issue with this was Molly. I didn’t hate her but didn’t like her either. She was vain and quite full of herself which was irritating. She also talks in some type of teen speak and says stuff like ‘gigging up my ju-ju’ which is, again, irritating. What does that even mean?!
Also there was this ginormous cliff-hanger. I am not a fan of cliff hangers like this one, I like a little bit of closure at the end of each book in a series, enough to mark the end of the book and potential start of another. I like a book to feel finished. This ended on such a big cliff-hanger that it felt almost incomplete.
Despite my issues with this I do believe this is the start of a series with great potential and I will definitely be checking out the next book in the series.
Undeadly was packed full of potential, the idea is awesome and refreshing, the storyline good and entertaining but it just lacked something.
As I said, I really liked the idea. This is the first time I have read a book about zombies, necromancers, Egyptian mythology and high school. It was very new and the way it played out was very interesting.
I also liked Rath, he is a male character I can easily get behind and I wished there was more of him, hopefully there will be in the next book. I enjoyed all the secondary characters as well, all the ghouls, ghosts and gods. It all really came to life for me.
My main issue with this was Molly. I didn’t hate her but didn’t like her either. She was vain and quite full of herself which was irritating. She also talks in some type of teen speak and says stuff like ‘gigging up my ju-ju’ which is, again, irritating. What does that even mean?!
Also there was this ginormous cliff-hanger. I am not a fan of cliff hangers like this one, I like a little bit of closure at the end of each book in a series, enough to mark the end of the book and potential start of another. I like a book to feel finished. This ended on such a big cliff-hanger that it felt almost incomplete.
Despite my issues with this I do believe this is the start of a series with great potential and I will definitely be checking out the next book in the series.
April 17, 2013
This book was surprisingly good. I loved the whole eygptian mythology adaption in the story. Im defenitely going to be reading the next book in the series. Just two little problems I had with the book and these were
- It came across a little over-sarcastic at times and that made the main character look a little childish and immature at times.
- second problem was the book was too short and therefore a little rushed at times.
Characters
I loved Barbie and the rest of Molly's new friends at the academy. And OMG Henry!. I loved him. He reminded me of someone but I can't put my finger on it. He was so sweet and just plain loveable. He's defenitely one of my favs in this book.
As for Rick, I didn't like him. Like AT ALL. Before I even meet him in the book, I knew I would hate him. And when I did meet him my suspicions were confirmed. I know that some girls would like this type of guy but to me he came of as a sleeze.
So it would be pretty obvious that I'm on team Rath. Rath Rath Rath. What can I say? He remends me of 2 of my all time fav book boyfriends. If you mashed Dimitri Belikov and Patch (Hush Hush), Rath would be the result. He's hot.sexy, serious and yet Humourous and everything I could want in a book Boyfriend. My only problem with him is that we never really saw much of him. I loved the intense moments between him and Molly. Plus I love his name.
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one
- It came across a little over-sarcastic at times and that made the main character look a little childish and immature at times.
- second problem was the book was too short and therefore a little rushed at times.
Characters
I loved Barbie and the rest of Molly's new friends at the academy. And OMG Henry!. I loved him. He reminded me of someone but I can't put my finger on it. He was so sweet and just plain loveable. He's defenitely one of my favs in this book.
As for Rick, I didn't like him. Like AT ALL. Before I even meet him in the book, I knew I would hate him. And when I did meet him my suspicions were confirmed. I know that some girls would like this type of guy but to me he came of as a sleeze.
So it would be pretty obvious that I'm on team Rath. Rath Rath Rath. What can I say? He remends me of 2 of my all time fav book boyfriends. If you mashed Dimitri Belikov and Patch (Hush Hush), Rath would be the result. He's hot.sexy, serious and yet Humourous and everything I could want in a book Boyfriend. My only problem with him is that we never really saw much of him. I loved the intense moments between him and Molly. Plus I love his name.
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one
November 11, 2012
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy See site review for similar titles
I’m split right down the middle with UNDEADLY. I loved the Egyptian mythology based world that included reapers, zombies, and ghosts. The pacing was excellent especially the chapter endings which made it nearly impossibly to put the book down. And there were numerous surprise twists. What was less enjoyable was Molly.
As a protagonist, Molly had a very strong voice. Unfortunately, it was hard to stomach for most of UNDEADLY. She’s very young, very self-absorbed, and very annoying. Every other page it was ‘whatevs’ or ‘hel-lo‘. She only sixteen, but she came across more like a petulant eleven year old. It’s a testament to the plot and pacing that Molly didn’t completely ruin the book. About halfway through, she seemed to tone down the more annoying aspects of her personality, but she still cast and unfortunate cloud over the book.
UNDEADLY has potential with strong world building, unique Egyptian mythology, and an exciting and fast-paced narrative. If only the protagonist had been more palatable. The character of Molly makes this a read that will likely only appeal to younger tweens. The Reaper Diaries continues in 2013 with UNCHOSEN.
Sexual Content:
Kissing
I’m split right down the middle with UNDEADLY. I loved the Egyptian mythology based world that included reapers, zombies, and ghosts. The pacing was excellent especially the chapter endings which made it nearly impossibly to put the book down. And there were numerous surprise twists. What was less enjoyable was Molly.
As a protagonist, Molly had a very strong voice. Unfortunately, it was hard to stomach for most of UNDEADLY. She’s very young, very self-absorbed, and very annoying. Every other page it was ‘whatevs’ or ‘hel-lo‘. She only sixteen, but she came across more like a petulant eleven year old. It’s a testament to the plot and pacing that Molly didn’t completely ruin the book. About halfway through, she seemed to tone down the more annoying aspects of her personality, but she still cast and unfortunate cloud over the book.
UNDEADLY has potential with strong world building, unique Egyptian mythology, and an exciting and fast-paced narrative. If only the protagonist had been more palatable. The character of Molly makes this a read that will likely only appeal to younger tweens. The Reaper Diaries continues in 2013 with UNCHOSEN.
Sexual Content:
Kissing
August 15, 2012
I received an advanced copy of this book to read, not knowing beforehand what it was about. This is only the second book with a zombie paranormal storyline that I have read. The first one was alright, I really do prefer my vamps, but this one was great! The book is definitely YA and the language and sarcasm is geared towards that market, but don't let that stop you you closet YA reading adults out there. This book is highly enjoyable and has plenty of twists, romance, and action in it for all lovers of paranormal stories. I am going to definitely be recommending this book to my library patron, I know the teens are going to love this book, and I recommend it to you too. It is a well written book with a great plot and I can't wait to read the next one in this series. Well Done!
April 14, 2016
I read Undeadly a few years ago and totally forgot to review (oooppppsss). Undeadly is one of the books I constantly refer to in library lessons when we cover our Zombie Reading Theme (yes, I know cool right?). Undeadly shows the depicition of zombies as they would appear using magical abilities to return the dead to the world of the living. However, all actions have consequences as we soon discover.
The use of Egyptian mythology provided a unique basis for the story and the characters were compelling. I did find the narrative a little disjointed but it did nothing to affect my overall enjoyment of hte story.
An interesting concept I'd like to see how it develops.
The use of Egyptian mythology provided a unique basis for the story and the characters were compelling. I did find the narrative a little disjointed but it did nothing to affect my overall enjoyment of hte story.
An interesting concept I'd like to see how it develops.
Want to read
October 26, 2011This sounds good! And it's going to be released on my birthday!!
Want to read
December 13, 2011Okay, this book sounds kind of cliché, especially with the whole boarding school thing, buy it also sounds freaking cool. I can't wait.
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