I found this series as I fell in love with the authors "Atlantis Grail" series (which was friggen amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it). Good lord this series was hard to get into. The first maybe twenty pages had sooooo much going on and soooo many characters to keep track of I was tempted to put it down and pick up something else to enjoy. But I stuck with it as I loved the Atlantis series and knew Vera Nazarian's book would pick up. I am very glad I stuck with it! I found Percy to be a delight- especially that frying pan to the head! Cracked me right up! I enjoyed the whole aspect of the dead not really dying and the descriptions of how they felt. I decided to buy the trilogy to finish the series and I'm glad I did! Vera Nazarian's ability to put a new spin on old tales is fantastic. I agree with another reviewer who said that Percy reminded her of Alanna from The Woman Who Rides Like a Man; strong, oblivious about herself, and confident with a streak of adventure.

A beautifully creative, lovely glimpse of what death could be if he were a person with feelings and a will. The story was slow to start and introduced so many characters in a short time that I almost gave up. I'm so glad I pressed on because the story turned out to be riveting! I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy!

This is a wonderfully written piece with beautiful diction, prose and characters. Not your typical "teen fiction" or "romance". This author has created a true female champion who reminds me of Tamora Pierce's Lioness in many ways. A very good read!

I consume books the way many consume junk food. But this book was difficult to get into. By the end of the book, I was finally invested in at least SOME of the characters. But only because I made myself finish the book. The number of characters and places and story lines introduced in the first two hundred pages were overwhelming. I kept thinking I needed to take notes, and that kind of kills the "reading for pleasure" aspect. I don't feel like the book really grabbed my attention until around the five hundred page mark. Before that, the reading was forced and mechanical, wondering if I should continue or just put it down. I'm glad I kept reading. And I do plan to purchase Cobweb Empire. But I'm hoping it will be easier to get into.

A powerful story along the lines of Death Takes a Holiday. As creepy and disturbing an opening as one can hope for, the story could easily be classed as horror. Yet, it is a story of redemption and second chances, of finding oneself under circumstances that are as strange as they possibly can be. The author touches upon themes of how the desire to hang on to power corrupts not only psychologically but physically as well, the desire to be accepted and useful, and that overriding desire to love and be loved. The politics are complex but not overly so. I liked the descriptions of what can happen should people be unable to die. And the ending will surprise as well as whet your appetite for the second in this trilogy. Highly recommended.