Book 112, 2024
Reaper vs. Ripper by Stacey Rourke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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I finished reading Reaper vs Ripper late last night. It's the first book in the "Fear the Reaper" urban fantasy series by Stacey Rourke. The main character is Nyx, a former (fallen) angel who now is tasked with reaping the most evil souls.
Cast from heaven for opening the gate and allowing Lucifer access to the mortal realm, Nyx now serves as a reaper, hoping to eventually atone for her sin and be allowed to return to heaven. Her latest case has her going toe-to-toe with none other than Jack the Ripper. Nyx doesn't know his true identity and she doesn't care. All she wants is to purge his taint from the earth and consign him to the punishment he deserves.
This was an interesting story, although a mite too short for my liking. Not a whole lot of world building, and what we did learn was mostly through one flashback of Nyx letting Lucifer talk her into opening the gate for him. She's a compelling character. I was disappointed with the fact that we first meet Nyx as she's reaping the soul of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, and that scene was longer and more detailed than her ultimate showdown with Jack the Ripper.
Favorite line: I liked being underestimated; it made even the smallest accomplishments far more glorious.
The story had its drawbacks, but I found it enjoyable and would read more in the series. Four stars.