Once Dead, Twice Shy

Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

Madison Avery series

ISBN# 978-0-06-171816-8

Available now

Published by HarperCollins

Format: HC, 232 pages

Genres: YA, fiction, urban fantasy

This book is Kim Harrison's first full-length entry into the YA genre. Although how Madison Avery ended up in her current predicament is covered pretty well, if you want all the details you'll have to read the short story in the anthology, Prom Nights From Hell. If you were hoping for a YA version of The Hollows you will be sorely disappointed since Harrison has taken this opportunity to, once again, test her world-building skills.

Madison Avery is neither alive nor completely dead due to her luck of claiming a reaper's amulet, the same reaper that killed her and tried to take her soul. Since then she's learned there are dark and light reapers, dark being the side that killed her. With the amulet providing the semblance of a body and Barnabas, the light reaper who was supposed to save her, fudging everyone's memories she has been able to return to her life. There is always a catch though. There is always the chance of a dark reaper coming after her, and she can see things humans can't, like black wings (scavengers). During battle with a dark reaper they find out that Madison has Kairos's amulet, which Barnabas says can't be true. Kairos is the dark reapers' time keeper and boss so why would he have come after a human soul himself? Now that Madison and her amulet have been recognized it isn't long before Kairos is back on her trail, and doesn't seem to care who or what gets in his way. Is it just coincidence that Barnabas and his boss left her alone with only a very new guardian angel for protection right before he showed up?

This book was pretty good despite some corniness near the middle concerning G.R.A.C.E.S. (Guardian, Reaper-Augmented Cherub, Extinction Security). Turning actual words into weird acronyms does nothing for me personally, and they always sound corny. Didn't the first Artemis Fowl book have one for E.L.F./E.L.P.H.? I only read the first book so I can't really remember. So, I was distracted by the acronym silliness and my interest waned, but then the last 60-70 pages came a long and made me want to get my hands on the sequel. Those last pages reveal a plot twist and start a philosophical debate that left me deeply satisfied and wanting more. In all this isn't a fantabulous book, but it looks to be the start of a very original, and what could end up being a fantabulous series. If you're looking for a new denizen of the supernatural to read about grab this book.

Zhye