Scorch by Gina Damico

It’s not easy being a teen Grim Reaper, and it’s especially harder for Lex—not only does she have the strange and feared ability to Damn souls, but she also inadvertently transferred that power to Zara, a Grim turned psychopathic, murdering outlaw. Now it seems that everyone in Lex’s new home of Croak can’t stand the sight of her. But there’s no time for Lex to wallow, because Zara is on a killing spree, Damning criminals and innocents alike with no intention of stopping—unless Lex agrees to cooperate with her. The last thing Lex wants is to help Zara, but after control of Croak shifts to a couple of hotheads and Zara’s threats keep getting closer to home, it looks like Lex doesn’t have very many alternatives. But if there’s one thing Lex knows, it’s that she’s going to give Zara exactly what she deserves—and that no matter what happens, Lex’s not going down without a fight.

Croak was a bundle of thrilling, raucous fun, and I am happy to say that its sequel Scorch carries on much in this spirit. From the opening pages on, I was enthralled with the dynamics of life in Croak, Lex’s characteristic sharp wit, and anticipation of all the drama and excitement yet to come. Damico really does a fantastic job with the plot here; it’s well structured and full of suspense and surprises—enough to keep any reader thoroughly engaged from start to finish. To top that off, Damico reveals a lot of juicy details about Lex’s abilities and the more sinister side to Grim history, which I absolutely loved, even if I didn’t always enjoy how some of these details snuck up on me. In all, I was completely entertained by Scorch and will be hanging in suspense until I can read what comes next in Lex’s story.

Fans of Croak will not want to miss its awesome sequel in Scorch, nor will readers who also enjoyed Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride and Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.

Rating: 4.25

Review copies from publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and ALA