Scythe Does Matter

#2 in The Reluctant Reaper series

by Gina X. Grant

Age: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Format: Ebook, 200 pages
Published On: July 15, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star
Source: Edelweiss

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First Sentence: Sybil ordered Dante to go find me a glass of water, then plunked down on the bench beside me, her leg brushing against mine.

Summary

Kirsty’s afterlife gets even more Hellish in this second installment of The Reluctant Reaper series when her soul-stealing ex-boss targets her beloved aunt. Her only chance to stop him? Becoming a Reaper herself. Fortunately, her hunky new boyfriend, Italian-poet-turned-Reaper Dante Alighieri, is there to help.

Still trapped in the bureaucratic inferno known as Hell, Kirsty d’Arc redoubles her efforts to escape back to the Mortal Coil when she learns Conrad is after the soul of her beloved aunt. To save Aunt Carey, Kirsty must enroll at the Reaper Academy and earn a scythe of her own. Studying topics like Exor-scything 101, Riding the Death Cycle, and Reincarnation for Dummies is strange. But then, so are her classmates: a fallen angel, the Death Valley girls, and Kali—the ancient god of death, destruction, and those little earring backs that always go missing.

Now time is running out thanks to a temporal crisis she may have accidentally created. Can she graduate, rescue her aunt, take down Conrad, and save Hell and every other dimension—before the clock stops ticking?

As the saying goes in Hell, “Be careful what you wish for; it just might get you!”

~ taken from Amazon

My Thoughts

Scythe Does Matter is sequel to Gina X. Grant's wacky urban fantasy debut The Reluctant Reaper. It can not be read as a standalone and you need to be familiar with events in The Reluctant Reaper to be able to follow what happens. I know that some people do not mind reading series out of order but I think here it's simply not possible, especially since the book is short and there is no time to get to know characters who were previously introduced.

In The Reluctant Reaper we explored hell together with Kirsty as she get to know the rules of afterlife. Now in Scythe Does Matter Kirsty decides that she will deal with Conrad (her evil boss who set her up) personally by becoming the member of Hell's SWAT team, Swiss Guard, customs agents and bounty hunters. In other words, Kirsty enrolls at the Reaper Academy.

When I found out that Scythe Does Matter is going to be about Kirsty attending school for Grim Reapers. I was super excited. The nerd in me was delighted to read about various classes she will be attending and I could not wait to learn what ideas Gina X. Grant had about reaper's education. Kirsty's first glance at the curriculum was promising:

• Reap What You Sew: Styling your robe.
• Stick Handling: You and your scythe.
• Death Coaching: Don't be the rude of all evil.
• etc.

But when classes actually started the description was pretty boring (like actual school). Almost all events happened at class held by one teacher and other fun classes and wacky subjects were neglected and not described. New fellow students appeared as side characters, but even though we had Indian goddess Kali and fallen angel, I missed Char, Claire Voyant and others.

With romance between Dante and Kirsty still without a spark for me and a little bit dull classes at the Reaper Academy, Scythe Does Matter was a lot less wacky and funny than The Reluctant Reaper. Still it resolved some issues and Kirsty's problems with Conrad also developed in an unexpected way. I am hoping that the big finale in Esprit de Corpse will make it worth my while.

In The End...

If you have read and liked The Reluctant Reaper, you probably can't wait to find out what happens next so there is no need to recommend Scythe Does Matter to you.

For those who like urban fantasy about afterlife set in hell with a lot of grim reapers, demons and heroine who likes to talk in puns, The Reluctant Reaper series might prove to be quick, light and fun read for you.

All Books in The Reluctant Reaper series

The Reluctant Reaper - my review Scythe Does Matter - Expected pub. date: July 15th, 2013