Emoji Review by Rebecca Dixon
I just finished ‘The Reaper’s Book’ by Stephanie Hudson! This is the third book in the YA ‘Afterlife Academy’ series (follows the Afterlife Saga)… and I have to say IT WAS AMAZING!!! 🤩🤩🤩
Ok first off, I’m not a third person POV gal. Years ago I read books in the third person, but these days, I LOVE a book in first person POV. I totally get why authors write in the third person though. I understand the advantages. But for me, I like to forget I’m holding a book while I’m reading. And first person POV really does that for me. So the fact that I still loved this even being third POV, says a lot! I also have to admit, that yes, the illustrations in all of the Academy books are truly exceptional. However, it wasn’t until THIS book that I was finally excited about them actually being in the book. Don’t get me wrong. They are beautiful. But in the previous books they reminded me I was holding a book. And again, I like to forget I have a book in my hands! However, in this book… they just added MAGIC to the book! They were so impactful and they really accentuated the story! I JUST LOVED THEM! 💜💜💜
Ok to the really good stuff! 😁😁😁
This book has incredible movement! I never expected it to go all the places it went! First off, it started RIGHT where Book 2 left off! I am a BIG FAN of that folks! 🙌 Nothing worse than having a cliffhanger at the end of one book and then the next book start after a time-lapse. So I loved loved loved that we went straight into the family drama and got immediate answers to the big WHYs. Why was Theo an orphan? Why did his parents never find him? Why didn’t they tell him who he was? Why were they still keeping it from him? YES folks! Answers are given! Then… oh my goodness I couldn’t believe this 😲… I had been reading all the Academy books hoping 🙏& wishing 🤞 for that moment when Ella meets Jared. And oh boy oh boy oh boy! We get it! 🥳🥳🥳
But not only do we GET THAT amazing scene from Theo’s & Amelia’s perspective, we get the follow-up scene! 😲 What scene may that be do you ask?! Maybe a certain scene with our hunky Vampire King and his rescue of his very own chosen! 🙌 The Transfusion Saga gave us a peak at this scene… but now we get it from Theo’s perspective! And let me tell you, it was worth the wait! My heart was so full & happy at this point and I thought surely, that’s it for this book! We couldn’t possibly get any more greatness, right??? I mean we also got to see Theo be a complete prince bada$s!! 🤺 Well ladies & gents, I couldn’t be more wrong! Whereas Book 2 left us with a parental cliffhanger for a certain heroic youngster, we get another shocker folks! (Ok so maybe the writing was on the wall … in Japanese teeheehee 😜… but talk about a great way to end the book!) And Stephanie Hudson, if you are reading this… you just added another alpha male to my hot 🔥 list. DID NOT EXPECT TO LOVE A REAPER! I have no idea he was meant to be hot… but he was hot 🔥🔥🔥! You hit another homerun girl!
So needless to say, I loved this book! BUT!!! I really think this book was extra incredible because of being invested in both Afterlife and Transfusion characters & scenes. It had that certain nostalgia to it that you get when you feel like your connected to a character and then you are along for the ride during their greatest achievements! One of those moments where your rooting 🙌, cheering 👏, and fist pumping 👊the air saying… atta boy!!
And with that…. Stephanie Hudson…. Atta Girl!!! 💪
