*REVIEW* Early to Death, Early to Rise

Synopsis:

Seventeen, dead, and in charge of heaven's dark angels—all itching to kill someone.

Madison Avery's dreams of ever fitting in at her new school died when she did. Especially since she was able to maintain the illusion of a body, deal with a pesky guardian angel, and oh yeah, bring the reaper who killed her to his untimely end. Not exactly in-crowd material. It's amazing that her crush, Josh, doesn't think she's totally nuts.

Now Madison has learned that she's the dark timekeeper, in charge of angels who follow the murky guidelines of fate. Never one to abide by the rules, she decides it's time for a major change to the system. With the help of some unlikely allies, Madison forms a rogue group of reapers who definitely don't adhere to the rules of the heavens.

But as she grapples with the terrifying new skills that come with being a timekeeper, Madison realizes she may not be prepared for what lies ahead—unless she gets some seriously divine intervention.

Early to Death, Early to Rise is the second book in the Madison Avery Trilogy by Kim Harrison and it does not disappoint! The story picks up with Madison learning how to handle her responsibilities as the new dark timekeeper, while finding a way to change a system that has been the same for thousands of years. Change like that does not happen easily, and Madison and Co. are in for quite an adventure!

This book deals with an ultimate dilemma: Fate or Choice. The seraphs give Madison a chance to prove that the dark reapers can work with the light reapers to give fractured souls the opportunity to make a different, better choice, a choice that can affect their future fate by stopping the horrible chain of events that have been foretold. Is there a way to save these souls that does not involve blind guardianship or early scything? Madison sure thinks so and she will go to great lengths to see it come to fruition.

I really enjoyed this installment, even more than the first one! I like Madison a lot and I'm impressed with her determination to enact major change to a system as old as time. For someone thrust into the position, she sure has some lofty goals! In addition to Madison, this series has some great characters. My favorites are Barnabas and Nakita, two reapers who are going through some major changes themselves. I'm really curious to see what happens with them as they continue their journey with Madison. As Nakita points out at one point in the book, Madison has a way of changing the people she comes in contact with and the angels are not immune to this.

Middle books of a trilogy sometimes struggle, but I was impressed with Early to Death, Early to Rise. While I thought that the plot could have been progressed a bit more, I was pleased with where things ended up and will be reading the third and final book, Something Deadly This Way Comes this weekend. If you're looking for a fun, quick, and entertaining read, this series may be for you. Check it out, it's definitely worth a look. Happy Reading! *XOXO*