…What, you really expected me to read some other book next? NOT WHEN THE HUMAN IS COMING OUT TOMORROW, MY FRIENDS. I MUST BE PREPARED. *coughs* But in all honesty, after the cliffhanger of THE FATE, there really wasn’t anything else I wanted to read more than this. We take the reins behind Michaela, the Reaper friend of Penn’s, for this book. Cool! This was going to be awesome!
…Oh, poor naive me. You thought you were getting something resolved.
Michaela was one of my favorite sideline characters from THE FATE, so I was more than happy to pick up with her. The first few chapters recap the end of Penn’s tale–just from Michaela’s perspective–which is a very nicely done thing. (For people who didn’t read the first book mere hours before this one. But whatever.) She has dire news for Penn about Kismet, and it’s not something that can wait.
I don’t want to go into too much detail, since I don’t want to spoil either this book or THE FATE, just in case you’re reading this before you read FATE (what are you doing; please stop), but let’s just say it jumps in with both feet and hits the ground running. We get much more depth into the Reapers and how they work, how the concept of Hell is managed in this world, and a very dark look at what some will do when pushed too far. What we find out about Kismet is rather nail-biting, and not entirely resolved by the end, but we’ll see how that goes. (I’d love to say I refuse to believe that Kismet is stuck, but…a bunch of books lately have stabbed me in the heart and laughed, sooooo…)
Plus we get to see something dramatic/bad/brilliant happen to Webber. God I hate Webber so much. SO much. …have I mentioned I hate Webber?
I’ll admit to seeing at least half of the final twist coming, though the second half was more of a surprise. Given all of the hints dropped about the character in question, it stands to reason that we’d find them exactly where we do. As for the second half…I will be VERY interested to see how that pans out, and to find some explanations as to how it is possible.
…and then the ending. Ms. Erickson, queen of the Very Dramatic Cliffhanger. I told her and I’ll tell you all. I got to the end of the book, and assumed it was the end of a chapter. And then I turned a page, and got ending notes. I threw up my hands in shock, my Kindle getting tossed into the air and a few feet away down the couch, as I said–aloud, and with some good volume behind it, “WHAT? NO, THAT CAN’T BE THE END, DAMMIT STEPHANIE I AM MAD AT YOU *fumbles for phone* I’M GOING TO TELL YOU ON TWITTER HOW MAD I AM AT YOU.” My parents watched on in complete confusion. This is what I get for reading while visiting.
It does make me incredibly glad that THE HUMAN is scheduled to come out tomorrow, May 29th. If I’d had to wait as long as others… I shudder to think. I would be so unhappy. From the small part I saw at the end of REAPER (no I didn’t read the extra chapters at the end; I’d just be a tease to myself) it looks like the perspective is going to change by chapter, but I think is both an excellent idea, and likely necessary for what this book is going to need to do. There is a lot happening, and many plots to weave together, and I don’t think one person can cover it all.
I’m excited. Very few books make me anticipate release dates. It’s nice to have this spurring me on. You’re lucky, Ms. Erickson. I don’t have much spending money…but there’s no way I’m waiting on this. It’ll be worth the price, no matter what the price may be.
Rating: ***** (Highest Recommendation)
I am not lost... 