Unchosen by Michele Vail

Author: Michele Vail
Title: Unchosen
Series: The Reaper Diaries #2
Publication: October 29, 2013
Publisher: A Freeman Publication
Source: Blog Tour

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
I thought the worst of my reaper training was behind me… turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong. 

Molly Bartolucci has done a lot of growing up but after being accused of using illegal magic at her school for necromancers, reaper-in-training Molly is treading lightly. As the destined leader of Anubis’s Chosen, she needs to study hard, train harder, and stay out of trouble. 

Uh, right. 

It doesn’t help that she’s feeling more than academic about her melt-your-bones hot reaping instructor, Rath. And if her relationship drama isn’t enough to drive her over the edge, she has to deal with mother issues, nosy little sisters, suspicious friends, and an unnamed force stalking her at school. 

Then her family is attacked, and her bio-dad ends up comatose in the hospital. Now, Molly has to uncover who’s trying to hurt her loved ones—and all without the help of Anubis.

Molly is the chosen one to lead the prophesied war against the god Set, who is now locked up in the underworld. She's keeps having visions of him escaping and that troubles her because she isn't ready to be the warrior everyone expects. The pressure to keep her secret from her friends is weighing heavily on her and as more of her time is designating to train, study and prepare for the Kebuchet challenge, she begins to notice them distancing themselves from her. Molly has so much on her plate between balancing her friendships and her blooming feelings for her trainer Rath; she'd think the gods would give her a break. Yet as her prayers remain unanswered...someone tries to send her a message, they want her dead, now. So many secrets surround her and she must find a way to decipher them before it's too late and all is lost. 

I like that Molly isn't the damsel in distress but the hero, well one that's gradually puzzling out the mess that she's inherited from both her parents. She tries hard to keep her composure but it's easy to tell that being a reaper scares her yet she wants to win. Her nemesis Clarissa and her father have it in for her to lose the challenge to become the rightful Kebuchet; however Molly proves that she is a formidable opponent for the title. Her Aunt Leila keeps trying to warn her about impending danger yet she's also bound to Set. Molly has to find a way to save her soul before it's too late. She has to rely on those that she's been neglecting to figure it all out but they are willing to help her discover the truth especially her reaper trainer Rath. He's mysterious and kind of yummy and I'm curious how the romance between the two will work out. Overall, Molly may be a pawn in an impending war but I think she'll figure it out. She's persistent and brave, which makes her an intriguing character. 

Favorite Quotes
"Don't give your trust to just anyone. Let them earn it."

"love is not earned, damn it.It's a gift"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michele Vail is the author of The Reaper Diaries, a young adult paranormal series set in the modern world with a zombie twist. The stories center on 16-year-old Molly Bartolucci, a reaper-in-training who's learning to deal with love, destiny, and death.

Michele Vail is the pen name of national bestselling paranormal romance author Michele Bardsley (who also writes thriller mysteries under Michele Freeman). The Reaper Diaries consist of three books: Undeadly, Unchosen, and Unbroken.

www.michelevail.com | www.thereaperdiaries.com

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Undeadly by Michelle Vail

Author: Michele Vail
Title: Undeadly
Publication: November 20, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Source: Around the World Arc Tours

Synopsis
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.



Thoughts:A world where zombies’ walking around is normal....uh, I'll pass. This is crazy, crazy but comical. People have the right to takes someone who is dead be it a spouse or whatnot and have them zombified. O_o Okay, so Molly is special, on her 16th birthday she is visited by Anubis, who asks if she will serve him and thinking it's just a normal dream, she says yes. Then, things get really weird her friend, Rick has a freak accident where he dies but something even stranger happens, she brings him back to life but he just doesn't seem the same, a reaper named Rath appears and for whatever reason she can see him. On top of all of this she learns a heartbreaking secret about her family that changes everything she knows about her life and how she feels about her future. Now, in a whole new world at the Nekyia Academy she must embrace her destiny or fall at the feet of those out to see her fail.

At first this book through me for a loop, I have never read anything like it. Zombies that live with people as the norm and people that have the powers to raise the dead integrated into a society that is aware of their existence...double odd. Molly's sister is an advocate for zombie rights, which I thought is hilarious. Zombie rights, yeah! What seems interesting is how the author integrates zombification with Egyptian lore, which made me think mummies. I was intrigued by the history of the different heka powers. In the beginning, I did feel bogged down in all of the information on why this world is this way but once the action started, things progressed much better. Molly has a snarky wit about her and it made her seem more real and I think I like her character but we shall see if I love her in the next book. 

The story is okay and the concept has piqued my interest. The writing is fine though I felt the pace in the beginning lagged just a tad but picked up a quarter of the way in and that's when all the fun really started to pop off. The characters are unusual but intriguing and I await the next piece to the puzzle. Because there are a lot of things, I want to know and hope that they are answered soon. I also look forward to some romance between Molly and a certain hot reaper. Overall, this is good story about family, death and destiny.