The Aussie Zombie

Croak was a book that kept popping up on my radar, but it was only when I was looking for a fun audiobook that I finally grabbed a copy. I'm often a little wary of 'humourous' YA books, not because I've had bad experiences but I'm always worried I just won't find them all that funny.

But now that I have finished Croak, I don't think it really should be singled out as a 'humourous' book - it's definitely funny in a very dark way, but it also has a mystery element that turns it into more than a parody of the paranormal.

Lex is one of my favourite characters of the past few months - she's smart, abrasive and has no fear of saying what she really thinks, but she has a fantastically sarcastic sense of humour which I absolutely loved. She uses her mouth to cover up the fact that she is actually quite self-conscious and insecure, and that makes her instantly relatable. I also loved her fearlessness - she finds out rather abruptly that her uncle is a grim reaper and she's now a junior reaper and takes it all completely in her stride.

Her reaping partner Driggs was the perfect match for Lex - their banter and pinching-hair-pulling-punching-flirting was funny and realistic - I loved that this book didn't fall into the trap of making the female character weak at the knees when a boy she likes comes along - instead, Lex fights it, both figuratively and literally.

The actual plot of the story is far more serious than I thought it would be too - and another pleasant surprise because it is quite dark and provokes quite a lot of discussion among the characters - I don't want to give away spoilers, but I really liked the way the subject was handled - seriously rather than flippantly as it might have been in another book.

This series has a great reputation, and for a very good reason - Gina Damico has created a fantastic character in Lex, an intriguing plot and some dark, sarcastic humour to top it off. I've already got Scorch on audio and ready to go!

The Audio Version

The narration of Jessica Almasy is a perfect fit for Croak. She does a fabulous job in bringing the characters to life without the need for extreme inflections, and her tone is perfect, particularly in portraying Lex.

Read more of my reviews at The Aussie Zombie