Unfortunately, like many of my rereads this year, I've spotted more than a few problems with it, that I somehow missed on my first read (was I doused in that black widow spider silk, Amnesia, too?).
The ableist R-word is said twice - this is a 2012 book, there is no excuse. Most of the characters are fun, hilarious and endearing, although they are petty, catty, jealous, childish, territorial and conservative people (the main, important characters who get the most page time are also white). Plus it feels like the author was trying too hard to make them like 'Buffy' archetypes, and the snarky humour isn't always placed in the most suitable and appropriate situations. I don't understand why Lex, the hardened and cynical loner protagonist, would fall in love with Croak and feel like she belongs there and gets along with everyone, when most of the time she is treated like a suspicious outsider, a freak, and eventually a criminal suspect.
There's the implication that murder is the absolute worst thing that a human can do - that makes them "real monsters" - and that rape and even child molestation belong in the same category of crimes as theft and fraud. A child abuse victim is vilified. 'Croak' is no stranger to un-self-aware girl-on-girl hate over a boy, feminine shaming, and slut shaming, either. Nor is it above perpetuating, unconsciously or not, stereotypical nuclear family dynamics (Lex's father is cool, calm, collected and reasonable, and her mother is fretful, overbearing, and bakes cookies. SERIOUSLY?)
Then there's the romance: I was not into it this time. It has nothing to do with how Lex and Driggs literally, physically hurt each other at the beginning - in fact, between these two OTT hotheads in a story and setting like this, with a tone like this, it actually comes across as legitimately funny - and their banter is witty and creative most of the time. It's just that their constant bickering and hostility towards one another can get too much after a while. Even boring and predictable. The biggest damage of all is when Driggs calls Lex an abomination and a freak (page 201), and had clearly thought that of her (and thought her to be dangerous and untrustworthy) throughout the rest of the book; this explosive deliverance comes right before the two think about making out for the first time, and Driggs never apologises to Lex, as far as I remember. Also, it is revealed at the very end that he is a creepy stalker, and always had been. Effing wonderful. I seriously don't buy that they are true, loving soulmates.
I hate Ferbus. He's a pillock. A gigantic prick. A useless, hypocritical wannabe Ron Weasley, with nary the same charm, humour, and courage. And I'm quite disappointed that he will never in this series come out of that closet he is so obviously in, where he suffocates in Narnia.
Some padding and meandering from the murder mystery plot is present throughout the middle and near the end, as well.
I just don't think I want to revisit this world and series - not when I would have to deal with the childish, pathetic rakes and Creatures of the Black Lagoon that are Norwood and Heloise (who really despise kids, specifically Junior Grims, for no explained reason). And knowing how this mess will end.
Sorry, I guess I'm giving up. But I'm glad to have experienced 'Croak' all the same. It's a novelty: a YA series starring a female protagonist with a dark side, who's a real antiheroine, and where there's no love triangle (unless you count the Lex-Driggs-Sofi triangle, which is so minor, extraneous and forgettable you wonder why it was included in the story in the first place); it definitely has that going for it.
Final Score: 3.5/5
P.S: How did I ever miss that the girl on the cover looks nothing like how Lex is described in the book? Personally, I prefer the unique and cool semblance of cover girl.
P.P.S: On page 199, Driggs says that Lex is an adult and so her parents should let her do whatever she wants, and let her live wherever she wants. Um, she's sixteen. Not an adult. Even by the standards of Croak and the Grims, she and all the other Juniors are kids. I know Driggs has lived in Croak for years and is fairly ignorant of how the outside world works, but this is never pointed out. So I'm left stunned and confused by that statement he makes.
P.P.P.S: AAAAAAAAAAAAAND the book contains the classic 'released/let out a breath I/she didn't know I/she was holding' line. That takes a large amount of marks off it instantly.
Original Review:
Premise: Teenage girl Grim Reaper.
Stop right there. You've already won me over.
'Croak' is a story about sixteen-year-old Lexington Bartleby, who after beating up more of her fellow school students (not shown, but the book cuts to the chase) is forced to move away for the summer to her uncle's farm, to learn to appreciate life and hard work.
Uncle Mort actually lives in a strange town called Croak, which Lex learns is home to higher-up and trainee soul reapers, or "Killers". Uncle Mort wants Lex to continue the family business, for he trusts in her capabilities.
As it turns out, she is a natural born Killer, and quite powerful. Is this a reason for her anger issues in the past two years? (She used to be very well-behaved.) Just how powerful is she? And Lex is not an ideal role model - she's practically a delinquent - so how far will she go with her powers, by her own choice?
I will list all the things that 'Croak' by Gina Damico is. It is:
1. One of the funniest and most fun books I've ever read, YA or otherwise. Seriously, the dialogue is a hoot!
2. Clever and creative. One road in the spooky town is called 'Dead End' among other humourous names for its streets and local hangouts. The afterlife depicted is both awe-inspiring and funny as... heaven.
3. Simply written and fast paced. The style is slick and punchy, if such words can be used to describe prose.
4. Great for 'Harry Potter' fans or for anyone who wants to move on from it.
5. Home to funny and complex characters. Lex is cartoonishly aggressive. But she is snarky and very witty, and gets called out on her behaviour, unlike another heroine in a YA book I won't name (*cough*EyesLikeStars*cough*). She is aware of her own flaws, and despite her violent tendencies she really is like a normal teenage girl, and she can kick butt all the way to Kingdom come. Driggs, her roommate living with Uncle Mort as his "pool guy", is probably the only boy I know, in both fiction and real life, who likes the film 'Titanic'. He's overconfident, but he's as full of snark, flaws and of a short temper as Lex, and they get along splendidly together. Their relationship is given time to develop before it becomes something more than teasing and petty squabbling and them being one another's emotional and physical punching bags. Other characters like Uncle Mort, Zara and Elysia are also interesting and likeable. They all serve a purpose to the story - which is both a mystery and a coming-of-age journey for Lex.
6. A mixture of black comedy and just plain dark storytelling. Really, the descriptions of the dead bodies that Lex encounters in her "Killing" errands are gruesome. There is horror here, as well as moral issues presented: such as letting a murderer go free to kill others, as the reapers' only job is to collect souls to send to the afterlife in a bank vault (just roll with it) in the Croak town. This YA novel has a backbone, as well as fully-realised and inventive world building.
7. Something that can be imagined as an anime while reading, especially during the over-the-top violent and/or hilarious moments (in the first chapter, Lex's mother ties her to a chair with rope just so she would have no choice but to sit down and listen to her parents - classic).
8. A first in a series, so there are as many unanswered questions as there are answered ones, and there are - big shock - secretive adults. While some mysteries are obvious, 'Croak' is still a gripping read, as it keeps you wondering HOW Lex and her friends are going to get to the bottom of a plot involving mysterious deaths occurring unnaturally around the world.
9. Above all it's, surprisingly, very touching and sad. The climax is bold, and leaves me wanting more. Things get more intense and dramatic - Lex will have to make genuinely hard decisions that affect not only herself, but the people she has learned to appreciate and love.
10. And it's everything I didn't get from Rachel Vincent's 'My Soul To Take' - for reasons listed above.
What 'Croak' is NOT:
1. A YA novel that uses a love triangle to try to create conflict and drama (no love triangle exists here - yey!).
2. A YA novel with a weak and dumb damsel-in-distress heroine. Lex can take care of herself and does have common sense. And slight spoiler: when she is held captive at the end of the book, she saves herself; with no external help from others. No male love interest or father figure to come and rescue this girl!
3. Something to miss.
So there are my reasons for loving 'Croak'. If they sound good to you, give it a read. I'm sure it'll entertain you as much as it did me.
Final Score: 5/5
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