About the Book
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Author:
- Kim Harrison
Cover Story: Body Bag It
BFF Charm: Maybe
Talky Talk: For Serial
Bonus Factor: World Building
Relationship Status: This Book Is My Cousin’s Boyfriend, And I Hung Out With It While She Was Visiting…
Cover Story: Body Bag It
Would ANYBODY actually say, “Oooh, love that cover!” I mean, for real.
The Deal:
Madison is dealing with being dead, and fulfilling her role as the Dark Timekeeper: sending dark angels to scythe those whose souls are about to take a turn they would never return from — killing the body to save the soul. But Madison doesn’t believe in fate, and if she has to be the Dark Timekeeper, she’s going to do it her way. So she’s decided to try to change the mind of the ‘marks’ and lead them away from making the choice that would irreparably damage their soul, or cost them their life. And she has to do all of this while trying to be faster than the Light Timekeeper, and keep him from sending a guardian angel to said ‘mark’ to prevent their death, and allow them to go about their nefarious way. AND if she can just figure out how to work her amulet, and find her body, so she can come back to life, she’s so outta there. She thinks.
BFF Charm: Maybe?
I really can’t judge whether I’d eventually give Madison my charm, or not. I mean, I feel like I just met the girl, stop forcing me into a commitment I’m not ready to make! GEEZ!
Swoonworthy Scale: 2
There’s a teensy-tinsy little bit of swoon here, and it’s nice. But I think there might be more to come in following installments.
Talky Talk: For Serial
So I was about half way through this book before I realized it was not the first one in the series, and was relieved, because I kept thinking that it seemed a bit disjointed. Harrison introduced Madison in a collection of short stories called Prom Nights From Hell, then in her own book, Once Dead, Twice Shy. Erm, I think things would have made a LOT more sense if I had read those. However, I actually really appreciate that Harrison didn’t over-explain the situations and world she covered in the previous installments. It’s a pet peeve of mine to read through the paragraphs/pages/chapters of books in a series that are devoted to recapping what happened in the previous books. This book is what it is, and reads like any fun serial. Therefore, like any serial, you only get a small chapter in the overall story; it’s easy and quick and doesn’t require much thinking. AND it has enough plot and excitement that I couldn’t put it down once I got about three-quarters through.
Bonus Factor: World Building
Harrison’s new take on light and dark angels, time keepers, and guardians is well constructed and refreshing. And she gets to give us little bits of new information with each installment!
Relationship Status: This Book Is My Cousin’s Boyfriend and I Hung Out With It While She Was Visiting…
I probably wouldn’t have ever hung out with this book if it weren’t visiting with my cousin from Michigan, but I had a good time getting to know it a little bit over the weekend, and found myself a little sad that it lived so far away. At least I can rest assured that my cousin is in good hands…
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my review copy from HarperCollins. I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!). Early to Death, Early to Rise is available now.
