Don't Fear the Reaper

by J.C. Murphey

Life as a college student is hard. Life is harder when a cult figures out how to bring about the end of days, and I happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Being "acquaintances" with a grim reaper may seem like it has benefits in that kind of situation, but I assure you it does not. Welcome to the end.

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia

288 pages, Paperback

Published December 11, 2023

Reviews

[Sarah]

dnf @ 31% (life is busy)

[Nym · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very impressed with this as a debut novel. As someone who has dealt with depression, I found Victor's beginning relatable. As someone who enjoys a story with kick ass women, I loved how the Grim Reaper was portrayed. Great character work and growth. If you are into fantasy, especially Grimdark, this is the story for you. The gloomy atmosphere mixed with the bad ass fight scenes will keep you on your toes

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grim reaper dystopian meets anime-esque vibes.
Slow burn / no spice in this book - only small hints
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I just finished and I'm beyond speechless and don't even have words right now but I will try....

I made multiple notes while reading this that I was having major anime vibes and I ATE IT UP. The transformations were giving me everything I needed. The host bond between mortal and death... PLEASE. So many little things. Even the mention of the reaper's robe name. QQ

The emotions I felt between "hell yeah!" and "noooo please" was wild. When you hit that realization to what is happening in the second part it's just oaifaosdhfiasdfjasdif.

It's so hard to find a book written well that gives me these vibes and I am obsessed. I hope more people read this and that the author writes more to this story or even other books like it.

As a side note to readers who are looking for content warnings:
There are a few darker topics, or situations people may find triggering, in this book that I will note. This might not be all of them, but ones that stood out to me.
Spoiler tag just in case: drug use/abuse, child death, cult, death, gore, suicide ideation, toxic/narcissistic family

[Fabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 waffles
•••••••••••
SPOILER FREE
•••••••••••
I could not tell where this story was going!
Just when I felt like I was falling into a rhythm it all got upended (not entirely in a bad way)
This story will keep you on your toes - my only real draw back was the similar names that got a little confusing especially in the second part.
••••••••••
This is a twist of genres that is well-blended to create a wild ride!

[Book.Dragon.Page1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a real surprise. I bought it because it has a beautiful cover and the blurb sounded really interesting. And the story was really original and interesting. Noira is really a kickass heroine and I liked the wordbuilding and the contrast between the first half of the book and the second half. I just didn't like Victor that much and don't get what Noira sees in him? Maybe that will be reveiled in a second book? Overall a really enjoyable read! Will definitely read book 2 because I'm really curious where the story goes! 3,5 stars.

[Spooky Little Book Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a unique premise. The first part focuses on the botched summoning where the cult inadvertently brings about the end of days. Even though it has its darkness and creepiness, to me the first part had more comical moments.

I was pretty annoyed with Victor honestly…but then Noira showed up. That’s when I really got into the story. All of the females in this book are bad ass! I freaking loved that the grim reaper, Noira is female and I really wanted more of her.

Part two is wildly different than the first part. It’s well over 100 years later and the demons have possessed almost all humans. It starts out with Vincent who runs into a scrappy woman named Sophie. She is really cool too. She truly holds no punches and is tough as hell. It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on in part two, but once it clicked it had my full attention once again.

There were plenty of fight scenes to keep me on my toes. There was also lots of witty banter which was a lot of fun. While there was flirting, it never got spicy or overly romancy (is that a word?) I would recommend if you enjoy dark fantasy and I would definitely read more from this author.

[Stefanie McLain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this seems to lead me to think it will be good. I was only sent the opener and first chapter though. Not sure where this story is leading and it not hooking me right away is why I have only given it three stars. Maybe if I have the chance to read the full story I will be able to give a better review.

[DaniV · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this one a 3.5 but I’m not sure how to do that on here so I gave it a 4. This book is outside my normal genre so keep that in mind. I really enjoyed the story. It kept me interested and wanting to know what happened next. I was a little confused while read though. I couldn’t visualize or understand the red threads. My brain just wasn’t comprehending that at all. The second thing was the time. Part 2 says over 100 years later then it said like 20 years later. So that was confusing to me as well. In part 2 the characters were going through abandon cars. If it was 200 years later wouldn’t the cars be mostly gone? If 20 years I would assume they would still be there. So that was a little confusing. My brain was so having trouble with victor and Vincent in part 2. I don’t think it was explained enough on what was actually going on. I’m assuming that it was kind of reincarnation but I could be wrong. Did I enjoy the story? Yes I did I loved the banter between all the characters and the storyline itself.

[Devi · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book had a ton of potential. I loved the premise, and apocalypse-type stories are always a favorite of mine. I'd love to see the world-building more hashed out. I think if this book were longer and allowed for more details on what happened after Victor died, and if there were more information on the cult and their motives, the story would feel more... complete, I guess?

In a few places it felt like the story skipped around A LOT. Albeit there is a 200-year time skip, which makes sense to move the plot along, but it felt really choppy.

One thing I hated, and I know not everyone will agree. The romantic bits felt extremely forced and too fast. Characters meet, I read a couple pages, and BAM they're in love. Also, I really feel icky about Noira having feelings for Victor. She knew him as a kid and then fell for him as an adult? It's just kinda ew to me.

[Johnna Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I have read so far I am loving. Their are a couple grammatical errors and not much description on characters looks. Character development is great. I can't wait for the next installment to see where the story goes!!!

[Halley Peagler · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

I absolutely loved this book. It was the perfect mix of these. The banter and dark humor had me laughing. Then my heart would get shattered to a million pieces.
I can’t wait for the next book 🖤.

[Victoria Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second book by this author, and I found myself not loving it as much as the first. This book was a unique take on the apocalypse, and has quite a few time jumps in it. The MMC is a bit of a doozy, and the FMC is badass. Together they work to overthrow one of the most powerful demons, who was responsible for the apocalypse. If you like post apocalyptic books, this is for you.

[Caratstick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the plot and character concepts. But the writing and character development were not as strong.

[Sarah Seelbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning it was kind of a bit confusing to me HOWEVER it kept me going back for more to understand and to figure out where it was going! it is creepy for sure in a good way for sure! I will for sure read anymore she puts out! Overall, I recommend this book and this author for sure! It kept you wanting more and on your toes for sure!!