Croak [Paperback]

Gina Damico (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 20, 2012 | Series: Croak

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate
New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of
dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is
much dirtier than shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the family business.
She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by
reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can’t stop her desire for
justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to
stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with
her reaper skills?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Exclusive: So You Want To Reap Some Souls: A Grim's Checklist

by Mort Bartleby, Mayor of Croak

Think you've got what it takes to be a Grim? Well, you, my friend, are delusional. But for the moment, let's pretend that you're remotely qualified to join the ranks of the Grimsphere. Before you set out on your first shift you must take stock of your supplies, as there are a few things no Killer or Culler can reap without:

Scythe

Made out of rock, gem, or mineral, each handheld scythe is tailored specifically to the Grim who wields it. The Swiss Army Knife of the Grimsphere, your scythe will allow you to gain access to the ether, instantly travel across the country, and breach the space-time continuum faster than you can say "space-time continuum."

Standard issue black hoodie

Lightweight, durable, thermoregulated, and stylish, the black hoodie is the Grim's uniform of choice. Not only is it comfortable, but its pockets can hold dozens of souls. Plus, it makes a statement. (That statement is: I kill people.)

Vessels

You're going to need something to put all those souls in. (You didn't think you'd just shove them into your hoodie pocket like loose change, did you? What is this, amateur hour?) Vessels are the best tools for the job--small white orbs spun from the fibers of a black widow spider; they're strong enough to protect souls from the harshest conditions.

Cuff

A metal band worn around the wrist that is used to communicate with other Grims. No touch screen, no ringtones, no apps. Just cold hard iron.

Your partner

Reaping souls is a two-person job. The Killer releases the soul from the dead body, and the Culler collects that soul and places it into a Vessel. You partner is the person you will be with for ten hours a day, seven days a week. You will get to know them better than anyone you've ever met. You will be able to finish each other's sentences. You will know what the other person is thinking before they think it. But you will not fall in love with them. No matter how dreamy their eyes may be.

And above all, a strong stomach

I'll not mince words. As a Grim, you will see decapitations. Disembowlings. Amputations. Explosions. Cancer. Drownings. Fires. Car wrecks. Poison. Stabbings. And more blood than you've ever thought possible.

So. You in?

Review

Praise for Croak

 

"Go ahead and die laughing, knowing that the safe transport of your mortal soul will be the summer job of a sweetheart teen with godlike power and discipline problems. A lot of books make me wish I could live within their pages, but I wouldn't mind dying in this one."
—Adam Rex, author of Fat Vampire

 

"Creepy and hilarious."
—VOYA, 4Q, 5P

 

 

Praise for Scorch

 

"An amusing blend of whimsy and humor with serious drama and blood."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Characters are always as clever as we wish we were. . . . An irresistible blend of impending doom, irreverent humor, hormone-fueled make-out sessions, and creative world-building make this sequel stronger than its predecessor and will leave readers dying for the next book."
—School Library Journal

 

 

Praise for Rogue

"A gut-wrenching, laugh-out-loud, gritty, honest and brave ending to an appealing trilogy."
—Kirkus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; 1 edition (March 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547608322
• ISBN-13: 978-0547608327
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked an interest in wildly improbable bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker and breadmonger. Croak is my first novel. I live in Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies.

Check out my website at www.ginadami.co

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My summer vacation - the Grim Reaper version March 7, 2012

By beckygardens TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Lex's family cannot deal with her anymore, she's angry, lashing out (figuratively and literally getting into fights), her school wants to expel her, her classmates are afraid of her, and Lex doesn't even know why she's acting so horrible. Her parents solution is to send her to her Uncle Mort's for the summer. Lex leaves her twin sister and parents reluctantly, only to find out Uncle Mort is a lot stranger than anyone realized.

The story could be cheesy, grim reapers in training, death, souls, the afterlife, but instead Gina Damico has created an interesting world, one in which Lex finally fits in, after a few false starts. The supporting characters are interesting and well fleshed out, from Uncle Mort (who has a lot more back story that will probably come out in sequels), to Driggs, and the other reapers.

Croak is full of dark humor but without falling into the usual traps of teenage romances and girls suddenly finding they have magical powers without consequences. Teens and older people will enjoy this book. I left it in the bathroom and my 56 year old husband read it and enjoyed it. The writing is good enough to appeal to a broad audience age wise, using unusual surroundings and making the supernatural believable.

The book does end on a cliffhanger, but it was complete enough, it wasn't one of those "she's hanging off the mountain" perils of Pauline cliffhangers, just a larger arc that will continue into the second book. I will definitely be buying book two. I went to the author page to see if Ms. Damico had written any other books but she hasn't, I hope she is a fast writer, can't wait to find out what happens next in Croak.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite 2012 debuts! June 26, 2012

By Nori

Format:Paperback

Upon opening this book, I soon learned there would be special powers, twins, a kick-butt main girl character, upstate New York (where I went to college!), and so many just plain awesome things that I knew it would be hard for me not to like it. I don't think it has the most appealing cover, and the more I read the book, the more the cover made sense, but still...It's not a cover that will draw you in immediately at the book store, which is sad because I really feel like this book should get more attention that it does.

It's about Lex, a girl famous in her school for being sent to the principle's office, or I guess even more famous for hitting people. She's gotten into a lot of fights at school, is disrespectful to just about everyone, and for some reason she just doesn't know why. She used to be normal, and then one day she just cracked and broke away from everything that was normal to wear black hoodies, beat people up, and sarcastically comment on everything. And this is different. Normally a person who's not crazy, can at least guess as to why they act the way they do. And if they don't, they can lie to themselves or make excuses for why they do certain things. Lex has no clue and never really lies to herself, or even makes excuses for herself. She just acts awful, and well plain doesn't know why.

Her twin sister and her mother and father love her to pieces, and really try to help her, but it's decided in the beginning of the book that Lex needs to spend the summer with her Uncle Mort, in upstate New York, where hopefully a more rural lifestyle can work to turn her around. Lex hates this plan. And so does her twin. While her twin gets that something is wrong with Lex, she's also the only one who doesn't seem to be so bothered by her....

When Lex get to her uncle's it soon becomes painstakingly clear that Croak is no ordinary town; it's actually run completely by reapers. At first, Lex thinks her uncle is crazy, but then she comes to love the guy. She loves learning that there is a reason for her sudden change in attitude. And she comes to realize that she's really good at reaping, better than almost everyone. She also makes a lot of friends in Croak and fits in with other teens who all do what she does. The only difference is all the other teens don't have loving families. Croak is sort of their rescue and Lex stands out a little because she has a family who expects her to return to them after summer ends.

Also living with her uncle, is the adorable Driggs. Driggs is her partner. In reaper teams, there's the killer and there's the culler. The killer touches an already dead body and releases its soul. Cullers collect the souls and bring them back to Croak or other reaper towns where they are then released into the afterlife. Lex is so clearly the killer. The only issue is that Lex feels pain with each kill and no other reaper does. She also has a strong urge to go after the bad people she sees on her missions to release souls. Why should she let murders get away? She also seems to be more talented than anyone else. She's stronger and she soon realizes she can also set things on fire...

With special reaper abilities that no one else seems to have, the important job of releasing souls, a cute reaping partner, drinking, new friendships, jellyfish, giant spiders, family drama, and then all of the action packed mystery of a reaper serial killer, Lex's summer is anything but boring.

I loved the strangeness/quirkiness of this book. Damico has such a unique voice. The writing style of this book reminded me a lot of the writing style of the movie "Juno." The humor and sarcasm are unique. The strange inventions, jellyfish, crazy dead people in the afterlife, and all of the weird fun stuff used to build such a different world, were amazing! The town was kind of like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, but with a dark, supernatural twist. And really, I don't think I could compliment the town of Croak any more. Everything from the small characters like bartenders to the drinks with magical qualities to them, to the scythes was just so creative and so well planned out.

I'm not going to lie though; it took me a little while to get used to what I'm calling the book's quirkiness. At first I wasn't sure I liked it. It originally kind of felt like the author was trying too hard to sound different. But eventually, I just got so caught up in the story that I can't imagine the author having any other voice. I put a post-it on this scene:

"Well," their mother said after a moment, "I think that's wonderful. You seem to be doing marvelously, you haven't gotten into any trouble, and you made friends with a chicken!" She beamed at her daughter. "What a wonderful opportunity you've had, Lex"(223).

And I guess out of context that might be a weird passage to highlight, but it was just timed so perfectly. I could just imagine in her mother's high-pitched, over-the-top enthusiasm for something her daughter completely just made up on the spot.

I give this one a 10/10. It was just so creative. The writing was excellent. The characters were amazing. I'm looking forward to book 2. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars ...A juvenile delinquent is now in charge of harvesting your immortal soul... Huzzah!... March 4, 2012

By H. Bala TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

If you need to catch a breath after epic YA reads like THE HUNGER GAMES and READY PLAYER ONE, if you're looking for something lighter in tone, maybe something fraught with the sassy, then Gina Damico has got the remedy. CROAK is her debut novel, and it's promising enough that I'm down for its upcoming sequel (titled SCORCH).

Damico takes a huge risk that readers won't sympathize with her central character, and, no, I'm not sure the risk pans out. 16-year-old New Yorker Lex Bartleby is hard to like. Once a straight A student and sweet and sunny, two years ago, unfathomably, she underwent a troubling change. Today, in her austere black hoodie, Lex terrorizes her fellow students as the school bully. When her latest transgression (biting a classmate) lands her in the principal's office, her parents have had enough. They ship Lex off to upstate New York to stay at her weird Uncle Mort's farm for the summer, hoping that hard work will impact her positively.

Except that farming isn't Uncle Mort's occupation. In the peculiar village of Croak, which happens to be a portal to the Afterlife, Mort is only one in a thriving population of Grim Reapers, and he aims to groom his niece in the family business. Luckily, Lex already has a black hoodie which, as it turns out, is the everyday uniform of a Grim.

Apparently, nursing anger management issues qualifies one for the Junior Reaper gig. One is even handed a mystic scythe. Lex learns she has an affinity for extracting a soul from its corpse. And, to her surprise, she finds herself fitting into Croak's unconventional community and bonding with her teenaged peers, all of whom are Junior Grims harboring a troubled past. And what's YA lit without teen romance?... Lex is partnered with an aggravating (but cute) boy named Driggs who shares lodgings with her at Uncle Mort's. He's the Culler to her Killer (FYI: a Killer separates the soul from the body; a Culler gathers the soul). Driggs and Lex's often chippy interactions provide some of the more entertaining bits in the book.

Gina Damico keeps the morbidness at bay by infusing a playful tone into her narrative. I liked her fun take on the Croak bureaucracy and her playful vision of the Afterlife or, rather, the atrium to the Afterlife (mortals aren't allowed past the atrium). But Lex's summer on-the-job training isn't just frolic and good times and a platform for a gradual attitude adjustment. One day Lex and Driggs stumble onto an unknown serial killer within their ranks, a Grim without morals who takes pleasure in murdering victims who weren't yet destined to die.

As the town of Croak continues to be confounded, the serial killer amps up his activity and begins to target the Grims themselves. The writer presents an intriguing character beat for her protagonist. When it's revealed that the killer is going after mortals who have committed deplorable crimes, Lex is torn. Her thirst for justice compels her to reluctantly admire the mysterious serial killer. But how far will she take this admiration?

The writer lulls you with her easy-breezy writing. I wasn't ready for when she tightens the screws late in the game, when the bright and upbeat tone gives way to dramatic plot twists. Your heart may even break a bit. Gina Damico's first YA novel may at times suffer a bit from a case of being too cute. But, ultimately, CROAK is a nice read. You'll chuckle and probably roll your eyes. Hopefully, you'll also appreciate Damico's neat worldbuilding and perhaps even admire her rampant and unapologetic pun assault. And, near the end, she may upend you. During the final 34 pages, $#!+ got real! It's certainly driven my interest level way up, and now the sequel Scorch can't come soon enough. Read more ›