L.S. Murphy

This has been on on my wish list since the moment I saw it a few months ago. It had an interesting premise and the cover alone caught my attention. Our main character Quincy, is in for the shock of her life. She is to be a reaper, but it isn’t really the glamour life she is used to and wants nothing to do with it.
Quincy is the normal popular high school girl. She can have any guy at school, but she doesn’t go for the popular guys, which is problematic for her popular reputation. She can be selfish, and annoying at times. I know you are probably thinking did I like her at all. Yes, I certainly did. I can’t blame her not wanting this life. (reaper). Quincy’s growth was delightful to follow. She learned a lot and became quite a enjoyable character.
Ben is the love interest of Quincy, and he was one that I wanted to root for. He was labeled as the bad boy and there were so many rumors about him, but Quincy never listened to them. He was protective, and seemed to really care for her. I think I liked everything about him. Their relationship was sweet and believable.
The world building was a little slow, but I enjoyed it anyway. Being given the background of Quincy’s family history kept me interesting, and I did want to see how she turned out. Would she accept this life or not? The secondary characters were interesting and some had a role in her growth. The writing was easy to follow, and learning how the Reapers came to be was fascinating. The Reapers themselves were intriguing and I really did enjoy the entire story. It took a little time for Quincy to learn there is more to life than popularity, but she turned out to be a wonderful heroine.
Reaper is a fairly quick read, with great characters, heart breaking moments, romance and an ending that left me satisfied. This is definitely worth picking up.… (más)

I received Fortune: Lost and Found as a member giveaway on LibraryThing. It's a horror anthology centered around the theme of greed. Not a bad topic for horror. The twelve authors in this book each approach it in his or her own way, exploring what their characters will do for money, power, voices from the past, or even a good night's sleep. On the whole, Fortune: Lost and Found is a decent read, with most of the stories being well-written and interesting. My favorite, by far, is Brent Michael Kelley's "A Friend in Paga," but I also really enjoyed Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi's "The Rules" and Christian A. Larsen's "The Plagiarist's Wireless." "Down the Pan" by Phil Hickes was also fun. While I rate the book fairly low, these stories and a couple others make up for the weaker ones. It's worth checking out. 2.5/5… (más)

Reviewed by: April
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Reaper by L.S. Murphy is a unique YA paranormal story that grabbed me from the very beginning and hooked me until the surprise ending.

Imagine suddenly learning that you are predestined to become a Reaper – aka Death and still being in High School and thinking that your life is looking pretty darn good. One day as you are going about your everyday life, everything and everyone freezes around you and a stranger suddenly appears before you with a big dog, claiming that he is there to show you what is to become of your life. Your future is no longer your own and you find yourself being zapped from death scene to death scene. All a bit of a shock, to say the very least. All of this – and so much more – is exactly where Quincy finds herself one day.

I have to say that it took me a while to like Quincy. In the beginning she seems very self-centered and worries only about being in the “in” crowd – no matter how much it hurts others and how much she loses her true self to have that status. She and her friends are incredibly shallow, mean and just not someone I would want to be around. It was for these reasons that I could not fully find myself caring for her or connecting to her. As the story goes on and she learns some tough lessons in life, I found myself liking her more and caring about her. The character that I really loved was Ben, who is known as a scrub – the lowest of the low on the school social ladder. His kindness, compassion, loyalty and attitude are commendable and highly attractive.

Reaper is a story with twists and turns and I often found myself trying to figure out who could be trusted and who could not be. I think that this story personifies much of the personalities, trials, tribulations and attitudes of teens in today’s society. L.S. Murphy does an excellent job of creating a realistic story and then adding the aspect of the fictional paranormal/Reaper twist to it. We also get the pleasure of meeting Destiny and Fate, neither of which I was too impressed with.

The ending was a bit of a surprise to me and one that left me satisfied. The romance was heartwarming and the character development of Quincy was excellent and one that I greatly liked. All in all, I feel that Reaper is a very unique and highly creative story. I have read my share of both YA and Paranormal (both of which I love) and in all that reading, I have never come across a storyline quite like this. It is nice to get my hands on something different that kept my attention, was a fast read and one that evoked several levels of emotions within me. I greatly look forward to reading more work by L.S. Murphy and recommend Reaper to those who enjoy YA Paranormal!

Favorite Quote: “Well, that’s you, not me.” Anger snaps any calm I had when the conversation began. “No way I’m dating Robert Hardin.”
“Not a bad idea, Q-Tip,” Ben Moorland whispers as he pushes between us. His musky aftershave leaves a trail into the classroom.
“Scrub.” Jordan sneers toward his T-shirt-clad back.
“Don’t call him that,” I whisper, unable to voice my true opinion loud enough for her to hear me – she wouldn’t understand.”… (más)

I found this to be an entertaining and well-written collection. While the writing styles are all completely different, they share the common theme of Fortune. I was intrigued by the way each author interpreted this theme.

The standouts for me were Down the Pan by Phil Hickes, Trabajando Alegre by Wednesday Lee Friday, and Twisted Words by Andrew Stockton. This is not to say the other stories were faulty in any way. I didn't find one bad or even mediocre story in the bunch. The three I mentioned were the ones I connected most with. The writing styles hooked me from the start, and story themes stuck with me long after I'd finished each of them.… (más)