Death's Daughter (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Buffy fans will go wild!

SHE WAS TARA ON BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

Now she’s the author of Ace’s hottest new series— killer novels featuring Calliope Reaper-Jones, who doesn’t want to be daddy’s little girl anymore...

Calliope Reaper-Jones so just wanted a normal life: buying designer shoes on sale, dating guys from Craig’s List, web-surfing for organic dim-sum for her boss...

But when her father—who happens to be Death himself—is kidnapped, and the Devil’s Protege embarks on a hostile takeover of the family business, Death, Inc., Callie returns home to assume the CEO mantle— only to discover she must complete three nearly impossible tasks in the realm of the afterlife first.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ace (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016944
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016945
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,939 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Haven't we had enough of shallow, whiny heroines?, April 27, 2009

By	Jennifer "tenshineko" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This book embodies the worst characterizations of the current genre. The main character is an airhead who has no sense of focus (who the heck starts letting their attention wander while being STRANGLED?), whines incessently, and is breaking down in tears every other page. She doesn't do ANYTHING right, and yet somehow things turn out ok - through the intervention of others. Even the puppy is more effective at accomplishing tasks.

I honestly felt that the author was simply throwing in random events to make the story more interesting, but did not succeed in distracting from the extreme shallowness of the main character. It defies belief to say that after only 3 years of a forgetting charm and "normal" life (which was much more shallow than a normal life imho) she was that ignorant about her supernatural roots...especially when she claimed to excel at English - which would give her more exposure to literature and basic mythology.

I also did not understand why she was so attracted to every male she encountered. It was inexplicable when she hated a guy one moment and then was wildly attracted and hoping he'd kiss her (even while thinking he was a a**hole) the next. She then goes on to explain that the reason is that society has two opposing ideas of women not being TOO easy, yet not being a prude, so she can't make up her mind. Talk about rationalization.

The story seemed to hop around quite a bit, and the heroine is simply NOT likeable. She's less endearingly persistent and more stupidly stubborn in the pursuit of her goals. She seems to be proud of being the shallow ignoramus that she is, and yet is offended when no one takes her seriously. On top of that, she doesn't actually accomplish anything - it's all done by someone else. There is no build up to the discovery of the villain, and I really felt that it was lacking in development altogether - both story and character. I just don't see any appeal in this story, and was close to throwing it in frustration. This one is going straight to the "donate" pile.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Entertaining Heroine's Quest, February 24, 2009

By	Theresa (heartland) - See all my reviews

"DEATH" is a corporation and Calliope-Reaper Jones wants no part of it. Her dream job involves Prada bags, Dior shades and sleek ensembles fit for runways and awards shows. Not, to her chagrin, googling organic Dim Sum for her boss, the VP of Sales at House and Yard Inc., who is desperately trying to keep up with the Joneses. (No relation) Thanks to a faun named Jarvis and an enchanted cupcake, a "forget spell" is broken and Callie hears her unwanted destiny calling. The Grim Reaper, AKA Callie's father, has mysteriously disappeared and her entire family is facing certain doom. Callie is persuaded to `temporarily' accept the one job she had spent years happily avoiding: stepping into her father's shoes as President and CEO of DEATH Inc. But, as with most things in life, being the Reaper isn't as easy as it seems. There's a Board of Directors to appease by way of completing three virtually impossible tasks and, among other obstacles, a hunky protégé of the Devil hot on her not-so-stylish heels.

What follows is an extraordinary journey into a mystical/magical universe filled with a rich cast of characters pulled from Mythology, Religion and the author's vivid and endearingly goofy imagination. While the premise is -somewhat- familiar, especially to fans of Joss Whedon's, "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER", this urban fantasy clearly illustrates Benson's own unique, witty perspective on the trials and tribulations of one ordinary girl's typical hopes and dreams getting hijacked by this crazy thing called life -or in Callie's case- death.

Amber Benson is no stranger to the world of developing original fantasy adventures. Partnering with author, Christopher Golden, the duo created an award winning web animation series for the BBCi titled, "GHOSTS OF ALBION", and novelized the series for Del Ray books. Like Calliope, Benson has been given three tasks, novels in this case, to prove her worthiness as a solo author. The protagonist and her ever growing posse of misfits are sure to capture hearts and imaginations (as it has mine) and leave readers anxious to devour the complete "Thrill-ogy". Hopefully, this highly entertaining chick lit series will continue well beyond its initial three novels. To the author: Mission accomplished in one go!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars pretty boring, March 31, 2009

By	M. Au "May Wang" (MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I hope I don't get flog for this, but this book is pretty boring. The heroine is a spoil brat who keeps whining throughout the book. For someone who grew up in a magical environment, she knows next to nothing about it, and then acts bitchy when someone does try to give her some help. I just can't sympathize with her. The plot is pretty tangle up, where sometimes the heroine just run around like a chicken with her head cut off. But the most confusing is the author incorporating several mythologies together, hindu and greek and who knows what else, to create this confusing world.

I don't recommend this book. I'm done with this series and with this author. I made the mistake of buying it new. Borrow from the library if you can because I'm donating my copy to my library.