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Immortal Companion #1
Manipulating the List
Katherine Sheppard is the exception to the rule. That is, as long as she continues to run from the law; murder innocent people; and manipulate the Collector’s List�
Shouldn’t be hard, right?
Since the tender age of six, Katherine has always loved to hear Jonathan’s nightly stories about tracking, stalking, and collecting his victims. She’s even had the privilege of watching souls transition into the afterlife, led by the hand of the Collector to their paths where angels or demons escort them home. It has been an unwavering friendship that has flourished for sixteen years. That is, until an unexplainable twist in circumstances causes Katherine’s name to appear on the Collector’s List.
Oh, but do not mistake this as an end, this is just the beginning. Katherine refuses to hand over her soul quietly and Jonathan will stand beside his friend, feeling the bitter sting of helplessness as he realizes that he might possibly be the cause of her demise. So now a new relationship unfolds between them, one of checks and balances, hints, clues, and mysteries, where the two, despite their now forbidden friendship, will work together to manipulate the List.
But just as resolute, the law won’t stand idly by as Katherine assists in the deaths of others. Every form of law enforcement is preparing to conduct a global manhunt to bring her to justice. Nor will the Creator of the List tolerate a friendship that goes completely against his rules. The collections continue to increase in difficulty, pushing Katherine into an irreversible life of crime where the only possibility of escape is her own death. Yet Katherine, as impassionedly determined as a trapped animal trying to escape its captor, will stay the course in her fight to overcome Heaven, Hell, earth and � the Collector.
Shouldn’t be hard, right?
Since the tender age of six, Katherine has always loved to hear Jonathan’s nightly stories about tracking, stalking, and collecting his victims. She’s even had the privilege of watching souls transition into the afterlife, led by the hand of the Collector to their paths where angels or demons escort them home. It has been an unwavering friendship that has flourished for sixteen years. That is, until an unexplainable twist in circumstances causes Katherine’s name to appear on the Collector’s List.
Oh, but do not mistake this as an end, this is just the beginning. Katherine refuses to hand over her soul quietly and Jonathan will stand beside his friend, feeling the bitter sting of helplessness as he realizes that he might possibly be the cause of her demise. So now a new relationship unfolds between them, one of checks and balances, hints, clues, and mysteries, where the two, despite their now forbidden friendship, will work together to manipulate the List.
But just as resolute, the law won’t stand idly by as Katherine assists in the deaths of others. Every form of law enforcement is preparing to conduct a global manhunt to bring her to justice. Nor will the Creator of the List tolerate a friendship that goes completely against his rules. The collections continue to increase in difficulty, pushing Katherine into an irreversible life of crime where the only possibility of escape is her own death. Yet Katherine, as impassionedly determined as a trapped animal trying to escape its captor, will stay the course in her fight to overcome Heaven, Hell, earth and � the Collector.
- GenresFantasyParanormal
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
K.B. Lever
3Ìýbooks41ÌýfollowersA life full of love, laughter, and curious twists and turns has brought K.B. Lever to a life of success, happiness, and fulfillment of her many passions!
Currently, the author lives in North Carolina with her family and works as a Paramedic for a large municipality.
Currently, the author lives in North Carolina with her family and works as a Paramedic for a large municipality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 19, 2013
First of all, I’d like to disclose that this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I’m open to new reads and I happen to like the premise of this one. Minus the cover, not really eye-catching. To be honest, sometimes book covers influence the way I prioritize my top tbr.
Anyway, this book takes the grim reaper stuff to a whole new level. This is a story about Jonathan and Katherine.
A story about the weird friendship between a boy who collects souls based on a list AND the one girl who could manipulate the said list.
At first, this book seriously gave me the headache.
Okay, I know how the Collector works, but I felt confused as hell with all this manipulating mumbo jumbo. It was stated that �by the end of the given timeframe, a name on the list would have to be collected.�
If that’s the case, and the Collector has been doing this for decades, then what’s the point of Katherine tracking those victims? Should handling those victims on a silver platter to the Collector actually manipulates the list?
So I read on. Wondering how the heck could I actually ever enjoy reading this book.
I don’t know why I aggravate myself by reading a book out of my genre but since I was the one who requested this book for review, I thought I should give it a try and keep an open mind. Fortunately, that wasn’t very hard to do because the writing style was really good.
When finally:
Hah! After that admission, I actually sighed with relief. At least, I know that the stuff which was initially bothering me will be resolved somewhere in the book. I just have to be patient.
And I’m glad I did.
This is one of those books that won’t grab your attention in the beginning. If I’ll be perfectly honest, the first few chapters were a total yawnfest.
But when things picked up, it would freaking pull you at your collar � happened just after the first two hunts, when the MC was running away from everyone. Dang! A girl on the run! By that time, I’m finally acknowledging the fact that the author has some serious writing skills. Why! She just amped up the suspense factor!
So obviously, I thought this was turning to be a pretty, exciting read.
I was wrong.
Another bad thing happened. I don’t have anything against Australians but I got bored again � this time, because of too detailed Australian back stories. It’s one thing to engage in a chat with a cab driver, but to have him recap the whole story of something he actually witnessed back in the day -- again, TOTAL YAWNFEST.
My relief totally disappeared because of one unrealistic romance found in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I love whirlwind romances. But for me, it just didn’t work with this one. It was hurried, and I even thought the romance was done as an afterthought.
Honestly, the story could do well without the said romance. (Or maybe it’s just me hoping for some twisted sense of fate that Jonathan the Collector and Katherine would get it on. Oookay, scratch that. That would be really gross because technically, )
Oooh, but the irony.
And then BAM! It was finished. I’m like, seriously that’s it?? Good thing there’s a sneak peek for Book 2. Some things just needed to be cleared up before I can move on with my reading.
Overall, for a debut novel, this was a decent read.
I’m open to new reads and I happen to like the premise of this one. Minus the cover, not really eye-catching. To be honest, sometimes book covers influence the way I prioritize my top tbr.
Anyway, this book takes the grim reaper stuff to a whole new level. This is a story about Jonathan and Katherine.
A story about the weird friendship between a boy who collects souls based on a list AND the one girl who could manipulate the said list.
"This was going to be the beginning of our new friendship; a friendship where he would give me clues to find his next victim and then my race would ensue to find them before the collection time so that he could bypass collecting me."
At first, this book seriously gave me the headache.
Okay, I know how the Collector works, but I felt confused as hell with all this manipulating mumbo jumbo. It was stated that �by the end of the given timeframe, a name on the list would have to be collected.�
If that’s the case, and the Collector has been doing this for decades, then what’s the point of Katherine tracking those victims? Should handling those victims on a silver platter to the Collector actually manipulates the list?
So I read on. Wondering how the heck could I actually ever enjoy reading this book.
I don’t know why I aggravate myself by reading a book out of my genre but since I was the one who requested this book for review, I thought I should give it a try and keep an open mind. Fortunately, that wasn’t very hard to do because the writing style was really good.
When finally:
�I didn’t know what interfering with the Collector’s list was going to do to me.�
-Katherine
Hah! After that admission, I actually sighed with relief. At least, I know that the stuff which was initially bothering me will be resolved somewhere in the book. I just have to be patient.
And I’m glad I did.
This is one of those books that won’t grab your attention in the beginning. If I’ll be perfectly honest, the first few chapters were a total yawnfest.
But when things picked up, it would freaking pull you at your collar � happened just after the first two hunts, when the MC was running away from everyone. Dang! A girl on the run! By that time, I’m finally acknowledging the fact that the author has some serious writing skills. Why! She just amped up the suspense factor!
So obviously, I thought this was turning to be a pretty, exciting read.
I was wrong.
Another bad thing happened. I don’t have anything against Australians but I got bored again � this time, because of too detailed Australian back stories. It’s one thing to engage in a chat with a cab driver, but to have him recap the whole story of something he actually witnessed back in the day -- again, TOTAL YAWNFEST.
My relief totally disappeared because of one unrealistic romance found in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I love whirlwind romances. But for me, it just didn’t work with this one. It was hurried, and I even thought the romance was done as an afterthought.
Honestly, the story could do well without the said romance. (Or maybe it’s just me hoping for some twisted sense of fate that Jonathan the Collector and Katherine would get it on. Oookay, scratch that. That would be really gross because technically, )
Oooh, but the irony.
And then BAM! It was finished. I’m like, seriously that’s it?? Good thing there’s a sneak peek for Book 2. Some things just needed to be cleared up before I can move on with my reading.
Overall, for a debut novel, this was a decent read.
January 10, 2013
This is out of my usual reading genre, but I loved the cover and the romance tag too. I was into it by the first chapter. I won’t go on about the plot because it will have to be read to feel it. The main character is Katherine, and she is the only one who can see Jonathan, aka the Collector. When she is only six she witnessed her fatally ill Aunt be lead to heaven by him. It is explained as in a way that is not scary, not dark, but very intriguing. This quote got me to gasp and it was on page #6 “I had no idea that I was the only one who could watch him collect souls, converse with him, or see the final transitions of their souls into the afterlife.�
As the years go on Katherine is really the only friend that Jonathan has and she cares very deeply for him. Every couple of chapters you are brought into a “new� story line about who will be collected. I will tell you each story line is very different and one did scare me, but I am over 40 and sleep with a night light on. I couldn’t put it down! As for Katherine, she is very likable as Jonathan’s best friend. You would think she would not seem well adjusted but she is. When Katherine tries to manipulate the list she finds herself on, she meets Jennifer. This is by far the best story within the book. Jennifer is having Katherine photograph her at her party that was supposed to be her wedding. She found her boyfriend Jeremy Hopewell cheated on her. So Jeremy ‘s girlfriend is Ashley and poor Jen finds out Ashley is pregnant. So she has been dealt a really poor hand, but is optimistic. Here is Katherine’s dilemma, What does she do when she finds Jennifer’s name on the list? At this point, just read and DO NOT put it down.
Very fast paced and what I loved was how Katherine had no fear of The Collector. Their friendship grew for 16 years. It is a game of manipulation and survival. The best best best part was a sneak peak chapter at book 2. Mercy that made me happy!
Get the book here:
Please visit the author’s web-page:
Also, please visit the following pages: Facebook Immortal Companion Series page �
Become “friends� with the author on facebook. �
Some great quotes:
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 6 | Loc. 188-90 |
I had no idea that I was the only one who could watch him collect souls, converse with him, or see the final transitions of their souls into the afterlife.
==========
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 74 | Loc. 1275-77 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 08:41 PM
I just couldn’t see it. There was nothing fascinating about what I’d done. No love story, no high intensity robbing, and especially no tough and rugged appearance.
==========
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 118 | Loc. 1962-68 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:19 PM
“April 28th 1996. The day changed the lives of every Aussie in Australia. No one ever understood the events or what it takes to drive a twenty-eight-year-old man to go out and maliciously murder and injure over fifty people � his friends, family, and townsmen. This man, this Maxwell Cooper, supposedly had been contemplating this plan of attack for years. Not even his family or his live-in girlfriend knew what he had been planning.
==========
- Highlight on Page 123 | Loc. 2046-48 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:21 PM
I was sitting on the edge of the car seat. I didn’t want my ride to end. It was all so exciting. I had never been one interested in history, but he was so animated and made such a great storyteller it made every word, every step very exciting.
==========
- Highlight on Page 140 | Loc. 2285-87 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:32 PM
I had three thousand dollars left, after paying for the room, my food, and some casual every day clothes. I still had plenty of money to have a proper send-off. I suddenly had nerves of steel, nerves I had never known before. This was the end, but strangely it felt like the beginning.
==========
- Highlight on Page 172 | Loc. 3110-12 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:17 PM
While my description leaves a little to be desired, it was nothing less than amazing to get to hold it, examine it, and see it in its natural habitat instead of some attraction at an exhibit.
==========
- Highlight on Page 180 | Loc. 3301-7 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:22 PM
“Some one-thousand burials took place ‘ere from 1833 to 1877; the majority of them convicts or former convicts. Originally, the convicts were denied the right to have gravestones placed and the only way their graves were to be marked was by the mounds of dirt they were buried under.
==========
- Highlight on Page 182 | Loc. 3392-98 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:26 PM
His mother wept for days, non-stop, begging him not to go. After all, how could a child of only sixteen with but two weeks of training defend their lands? But Thomas was ready. He stood proud in his new uniform, a size slightly too big, looked his mother in the eye and said ‘no son hath more love for thy mother than me. Dry your eyes before I leave and wish me well on my journey
As the years go on Katherine is really the only friend that Jonathan has and she cares very deeply for him. Every couple of chapters you are brought into a “new� story line about who will be collected. I will tell you each story line is very different and one did scare me, but I am over 40 and sleep with a night light on. I couldn’t put it down! As for Katherine, she is very likable as Jonathan’s best friend. You would think she would not seem well adjusted but she is. When Katherine tries to manipulate the list she finds herself on, she meets Jennifer. This is by far the best story within the book. Jennifer is having Katherine photograph her at her party that was supposed to be her wedding. She found her boyfriend Jeremy Hopewell cheated on her. So Jeremy ‘s girlfriend is Ashley and poor Jen finds out Ashley is pregnant. So she has been dealt a really poor hand, but is optimistic. Here is Katherine’s dilemma, What does she do when she finds Jennifer’s name on the list? At this point, just read and DO NOT put it down.
Very fast paced and what I loved was how Katherine had no fear of The Collector. Their friendship grew for 16 years. It is a game of manipulation and survival. The best best best part was a sneak peak chapter at book 2. Mercy that made me happy!
Get the book here:
Please visit the author’s web-page:
Also, please visit the following pages: Facebook Immortal Companion Series page �
Become “friends� with the author on facebook. �
Some great quotes:
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 6 | Loc. 188-90 |
I had no idea that I was the only one who could watch him collect souls, converse with him, or see the final transitions of their souls into the afterlife.
==========
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 74 | Loc. 1275-77 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 08:41 PM
I just couldn’t see it. There was nothing fascinating about what I’d done. No love story, no high intensity robbing, and especially no tough and rugged appearance.
==========
Manipulating the List (The Immortal Companion Series) (K.B. Lever)
- Highlight on Page 118 | Loc. 1962-68 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:19 PM
“April 28th 1996. The day changed the lives of every Aussie in Australia. No one ever understood the events or what it takes to drive a twenty-eight-year-old man to go out and maliciously murder and injure over fifty people � his friends, family, and townsmen. This man, this Maxwell Cooper, supposedly had been contemplating this plan of attack for years. Not even his family or his live-in girlfriend knew what he had been planning.
==========
- Highlight on Page 123 | Loc. 2046-48 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:21 PM
I was sitting on the edge of the car seat. I didn’t want my ride to end. It was all so exciting. I had never been one interested in history, but he was so animated and made such a great storyteller it made every word, every step very exciting.
==========
- Highlight on Page 140 | Loc. 2285-87 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 09:32 PM
I had three thousand dollars left, after paying for the room, my food, and some casual every day clothes. I still had plenty of money to have a proper send-off. I suddenly had nerves of steel, nerves I had never known before. This was the end, but strangely it felt like the beginning.
==========
- Highlight on Page 172 | Loc. 3110-12 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:17 PM
While my description leaves a little to be desired, it was nothing less than amazing to get to hold it, examine it, and see it in its natural habitat instead of some attraction at an exhibit.
==========
- Highlight on Page 180 | Loc. 3301-7 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:22 PM
“Some one-thousand burials took place ‘ere from 1833 to 1877; the majority of them convicts or former convicts. Originally, the convicts were denied the right to have gravestones placed and the only way their graves were to be marked was by the mounds of dirt they were buried under.
==========
- Highlight on Page 182 | Loc. 3392-98 | Added on Tuesday, January 08, 2013, 10:26 PM
His mother wept for days, non-stop, begging him not to go. After all, how could a child of only sixteen with but two weeks of training defend their lands? But Thomas was ready. He stood proud in his new uniform, a size slightly too big, looked his mother in the eye and said ‘no son hath more love for thy mother than me. Dry your eyes before I leave and wish me well on my journey
January 8, 2013
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
When I started this story I was only going to read a few chapters. Before I knew it I was so far into the story I couldn't put it down until it was done. And the cliff hanger at the end!!! I can't tell you about it or it will ruin the story for you! Lets just say that this is one of the best paranormal stories I have read in a long time. It is unique, has well developed characters and really does pull you in right from the start.
To witness death over and over at the hands of a collector is something that no child should have to face. Yet the main character in this story, Katherine, has seen and been part of Jonathan's collections since he found out she could not only see him but could hear him. But soon the collections take a twist when she finds out her name is on the list. What would you do if you knew that it was either you or someone else standing between life or death? This story actually shows you one version of what a woman finding herself on the list for collection will do and will go through when she is given the date of collection and what the name of the other person who could save her life is.
I can't wait to see the future stories in this series! Amazing and well written story.
When I started this story I was only going to read a few chapters. Before I knew it I was so far into the story I couldn't put it down until it was done. And the cliff hanger at the end!!! I can't tell you about it or it will ruin the story for you! Lets just say that this is one of the best paranormal stories I have read in a long time. It is unique, has well developed characters and really does pull you in right from the start.
To witness death over and over at the hands of a collector is something that no child should have to face. Yet the main character in this story, Katherine, has seen and been part of Jonathan's collections since he found out she could not only see him but could hear him. But soon the collections take a twist when she finds out her name is on the list. What would you do if you knew that it was either you or someone else standing between life or death? This story actually shows you one version of what a woman finding herself on the list for collection will do and will go through when she is given the date of collection and what the name of the other person who could save her life is.
I can't wait to see the future stories in this series! Amazing and well written story.
January 5, 2013
I am glad this was one of the books that started off my new year! The story line was AMAZING! I enjoyed the suspense, romance, tragedy, and complexity of this book. I do not want to divulge too much information, but this story is all about realistic, survival of the fittest choices. Katherine Sheppard, the main character in the book, has been surrounded the majority of her life by the grim reaper or "The Collector" as she calls him. She witnesses the passing of people throughout her childhood, and somehow finds herself in a friendship with the very person who collects their souls, Jonathan. As Katherine becomes an adult, she is forced to make some very hasty and rash decisions. Will she make the right choices? This book is very fast paced and brilliant! Throughout her journey she is presented with friendship, love, and betrayal. The ending will leave you coming back for more. I am so excited to see what happens in the second half of this series. I am sure we are in for some more twists and turns along the way! With all that being said, I highly recommend this book to other readers! K.B. Lever is by far one of my favorite authors of the year so far!
September 10, 2012
This book joins the short list of books in my life that once I started it it took over my life until I finished it. Seriously it was maddening every time I sat it down it teased me until I came back to the adventure. I am almost embarrassed to say it took me under a day to read it even though it says a lot for the book itself. I am counting down the days until the adventure continues again in the second book.
January 8, 2013
This is probably a 4.5 star book actually. This was an innovative, original, intriguing book. Someone mentioned this was a series and I hope it is! I would of given 5 stars if it wasn't for the extensive detail about Australia. It was just too much. The characters were great and the plot was exciting. That was quite the ending!
September 24, 2012
K.B. Lever has created an innovative story that is filled with many surprising plot twists and turns. Very imaginative, fast paced,and with amazing attention to detail, this author keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last written word. A goodread.
November 14, 2020
I’ve had this on my kindle forever. I am sorry that I let it take up that much space in my life. There were moments when I thought the story might be good, but it just went off on weird descriptions of things that didn’t need descriptions. The writing seemed very formulaic, the conversations were forced, and the plot was ridiculous. How many times could she get so lucky? I definitely won’t be following it up with second book even though it left on an cliffhanger.
March 16, 2013
Like, wow! This book right here will make absolute certain that I never read another self-published book for a very, very long time. I was lured in by the blurb but the blurb and the book are two very different books, apparently.
I'll give the warning that I might just stalk away mid-review to come back when I'm less angry. That's a little heads up, kk?
I thought this book would be more like this: she makes a friend with a reaper and when her name comes up, she tries to save those above her name to "cheat" fate. No. That was just the logical way to look at it, but this book isn't logical, in any sense.
I could've gone with that if this was in the normal story format (aka, an actual story) but it wasn't. This is all told. Up until I threw up my hands in defeat we had MAYBE a third of a page of actual events. Everything else was just massive info dumps, one right after the other.
So we start off with one massive info dump about the MC (Kathy). The author tells us her WHOLE life. We see her first meeting with this reaper when she was six (her aunt died in the park -- for all the info dumps, I wish he would've at least attempted some fact checking... A woman dying of cancer isn't going to spend an hour a day outside, much less with children.)
Anyway, we're told she's all 'eh' about it. After more boring facts, we learn this reaper sneaks into her bedroom every night from age 6 to her mid twenties to tell her every conceivable fact of the people he's been reaping. And, naturally, the MC takes it all in and only, in her twenties, feels like there's something odd about this. The author tells us (with delight almost) that she's helped him pick his next victims and everything.
Besides the occasional nightmare, the author doesn't actually tell us much and it left me feel very sick to my stomach. A grown man visiting a child every day of her life is like pedo-bear creepy.
And then we're told about the one case she feels anything about which is the reapers case. I'm all >___________> about the nightly visits but I'm hoping we'll start the actual fucking story now.
But I was wrong because now we have the whole, very long life story of the reaper. The author starts this story BEFORE HE WAS EVEN BORN. Did you know the reaper was a premie? I do. And then we go on to hear everything else that's befallen him. When he dies (because both are idiots -- you don't think a man dragging a bloody suitcase is cause for alarm? Why, thanks for taking yourself out of the gene pool...), I was cheering. Woohoo! Pedobear is dead!
We learn that his list then has two names. Kathy and some other guy. He's supposed to reap her. What? So this is where I logically assuming, if there was two names on the list and one was above hers, that she'd try to save the guy before.
No. Out of no logic known to man, she decides the best way to save herself is to help him reap the others on the list. Because, you know, when you want to blend in with the crowd, the best way to do it is kill everyone around you. Then you'll really blend in.
Still. I was hoping for some actual events to happen. We have a short paragraph of a scene about this war-torn fireman carrying out a kid from a burning building (and this is the guy above her) so I'm like ACTION! LOOK! PEOPLE ARE LIKE WALKING AND THERE'S NOT INFO DUMPS AND --
Fuck. I was wrong. We get another whole life info dump on him and everyone surrounding him (including the full life story of the girl he's just rescued.) This time the author peppers his prose why pointing out the obvious (like the pregnant woman who was having contractions -- yeah, he even timed them for us -- that he felt necessary to tell us she'd be having a baby soon.)
But we're getting action, right? RIGHT? The next paragraph of action we get is (after being told she's been following him) that she gets out of the car and throws herself to the ground to have a fake seizure. He comes to her aid and is reaped thirty seconds later.
But don't worry. We're treated to move of his after life via info dumps.
Moving on, Kathy feels guilty. The reaper tries to give her clues for his next reaping but whew! When it seemed like there might be actual action in hunting this down, we find out that that isn't necessary. Because the reaper set up a whole meeting between her and his next reaping. Gosh! Reapers today are all so considerate!
And I was scared there for a moment, because the reaper hadn't info dumped this next victims entire life. Will there actually be action? My heart stutters at the thought!
But my heart panicked too soon for the moment she steps out of the car, a random stranger comes up to her and info dumps the next victim's entire life. Whew! Aren't random strangers that bump into you so gosh darn helpful these days?
I tried but I couldn't finish. Just shot me please! Dear god!
I'll give the warning that I might just stalk away mid-review to come back when I'm less angry. That's a little heads up, kk?
I thought this book would be more like this: she makes a friend with a reaper and when her name comes up, she tries to save those above her name to "cheat" fate. No. That was just the logical way to look at it, but this book isn't logical, in any sense.
I could've gone with that if this was in the normal story format (aka, an actual story) but it wasn't. This is all told. Up until I threw up my hands in defeat we had MAYBE a third of a page of actual events. Everything else was just massive info dumps, one right after the other.
So we start off with one massive info dump about the MC (Kathy). The author tells us her WHOLE life. We see her first meeting with this reaper when she was six (her aunt died in the park -- for all the info dumps, I wish he would've at least attempted some fact checking... A woman dying of cancer isn't going to spend an hour a day outside, much less with children.)
Anyway, we're told she's all 'eh' about it. After more boring facts, we learn this reaper sneaks into her bedroom every night from age 6 to her mid twenties to tell her every conceivable fact of the people he's been reaping. And, naturally, the MC takes it all in and only, in her twenties, feels like there's something odd about this. The author tells us (with delight almost) that she's helped him pick his next victims and everything.
Besides the occasional nightmare, the author doesn't actually tell us much and it left me feel very sick to my stomach. A grown man visiting a child every day of her life is like pedo-bear creepy.
And then we're told about the one case she feels anything about which is the reapers case. I'm all >___________> about the nightly visits but I'm hoping we'll start the actual fucking story now.
But I was wrong because now we have the whole, very long life story of the reaper. The author starts this story BEFORE HE WAS EVEN BORN. Did you know the reaper was a premie? I do. And then we go on to hear everything else that's befallen him. When he dies (because both are idiots -- you don't think a man dragging a bloody suitcase is cause for alarm? Why, thanks for taking yourself out of the gene pool...), I was cheering. Woohoo! Pedobear is dead!
We learn that his list then has two names. Kathy and some other guy. He's supposed to reap her. What? So this is where I logically assuming, if there was two names on the list and one was above hers, that she'd try to save the guy before.
No. Out of no logic known to man, she decides the best way to save herself is to help him reap the others on the list. Because, you know, when you want to blend in with the crowd, the best way to do it is kill everyone around you. Then you'll really blend in.
Still. I was hoping for some actual events to happen. We have a short paragraph of a scene about this war-torn fireman carrying out a kid from a burning building (and this is the guy above her) so I'm like ACTION! LOOK! PEOPLE ARE LIKE WALKING AND THERE'S NOT INFO DUMPS AND --
Fuck. I was wrong. We get another whole life info dump on him and everyone surrounding him (including the full life story of the girl he's just rescued.) This time the author peppers his prose why pointing out the obvious (like the pregnant woman who was having contractions -- yeah, he even timed them for us -- that he felt necessary to tell us she'd be having a baby soon.)
But we're getting action, right? RIGHT? The next paragraph of action we get is (after being told she's been following him) that she gets out of the car and throws herself to the ground to have a fake seizure. He comes to her aid and is reaped thirty seconds later.
But don't worry. We're treated to move of his after life via info dumps.
Moving on, Kathy feels guilty. The reaper tries to give her clues for his next reaping but whew! When it seemed like there might be actual action in hunting this down, we find out that that isn't necessary. Because the reaper set up a whole meeting between her and his next reaping. Gosh! Reapers today are all so considerate!
And I was scared there for a moment, because the reaper hadn't info dumped this next victims entire life. Will there actually be action? My heart stutters at the thought!
But my heart panicked too soon for the moment she steps out of the car, a random stranger comes up to her and info dumps the next victim's entire life. Whew! Aren't random strangers that bump into you so gosh darn helpful these days?
I tried but I couldn't finish. Just shot me please! Dear god!
January 13, 2013
The author of this novel sent it to me for an honest review and since that is what I aim to do with these reviews, I felt that I could honour her wish.
This book was written by K. B. Lever and is about a young woman named Katherine who, throughout her life, keeps coming into contact with the Collector. Suddenly, after her name appears on the Collector's list, she becomes a killer at the age of twenty-two, in order to manipulate the list. She soon realise that she must assist in the deaths of others to bypass her own fate.
The plot of this story is what drew me to it in the first place and it definitely didn't disappoint! Although some aspects of the story were a little bit unrealistic (like managing to get from the US to Australia, purely through hiding and distracting security), I think that the concept of the Collector and the idea of manipulating the list is really interesting and definitely holds the reader's attention. I found that I didn't want to put this book down and when it ended I immediately wanted there to be a sequel (which there will be!). Some of this story was a little disturbing, particularly the murder scenes, but I think that this was entirely necessary to add a sense of urgency to the protagonists situation.
The characters were entirely believable and likeable. I really liked Katherine because although at points she was emotional, I think that her strength carried this story forward and most of the things that she did were the most logical steps. I also really liked the Collector as he had a believable and yet tragic background and this made me sympathize with his situation a lot more. The other characters, such as Liam, the love interest, were well-rounded and each one added to the story.
The writing style was suspenseful and interesting, not too simple, yet easy to read. I read this book in just over a day as it is quite short, and I think that the writing style really pushed the story forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and exciting and made you want to keep turning the pages. I would give this 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely keep an eye out for the sequels.
This book was written by K. B. Lever and is about a young woman named Katherine who, throughout her life, keeps coming into contact with the Collector. Suddenly, after her name appears on the Collector's list, she becomes a killer at the age of twenty-two, in order to manipulate the list. She soon realise that she must assist in the deaths of others to bypass her own fate.
The plot of this story is what drew me to it in the first place and it definitely didn't disappoint! Although some aspects of the story were a little bit unrealistic (like managing to get from the US to Australia, purely through hiding and distracting security), I think that the concept of the Collector and the idea of manipulating the list is really interesting and definitely holds the reader's attention. I found that I didn't want to put this book down and when it ended I immediately wanted there to be a sequel (which there will be!). Some of this story was a little disturbing, particularly the murder scenes, but I think that this was entirely necessary to add a sense of urgency to the protagonists situation.
The characters were entirely believable and likeable. I really liked Katherine because although at points she was emotional, I think that her strength carried this story forward and most of the things that she did were the most logical steps. I also really liked the Collector as he had a believable and yet tragic background and this made me sympathize with his situation a lot more. The other characters, such as Liam, the love interest, were well-rounded and each one added to the story.
The writing style was suspenseful and interesting, not too simple, yet easy to read. I read this book in just over a day as it is quite short, and I think that the writing style really pushed the story forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and exciting and made you want to keep turning the pages. I would give this 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely keep an eye out for the sequels.
April 9, 2013
A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and away we go�
Let me start off by saying that even if I hadn’t been given this book to review, I would’ve picked it up anyway by the cover alone. There’s something haunting about those blue eyes, something that prompts you to turn the pages, to find out what list, who’s manipulating who or what and why. Unfortunately, however, beyond that, I didn’t find much to keep me anchored to the story.
It’s not that I didn’t like it—it’s a unique one---a young woman named Katherine Sheppard befriending Death as a child, not really understanding it until she’s older, kind of like having a mobster for a parent. But the writing didn’t seem consistent. There were a lot of repetitive sentences. The jump in age for our female protagonist was so abrupt that I felt like I’d missed something and I couldn’t really develop a feel for her. In fact, as the story went on, I found myself not liking her more and more. Even when she finds out who Death is and how he works, she doesn’t seem to take it very seriously. It becomes a game that she plays rather selfishly.
There’s a lot more focus on the characters Death is collecting rather than the story itself and its heroine—if that’s what you can even call her. I actually found myself liking those people more than Katherine. They had more dimension, more depth to them. They were likeable and you felt bad for them for reasons I won’t say in case any of you want to read it.
Overall, I give this book two and a half stars out of five. In most cases, Lever’s writing flows nicely and it’s so obvious that she has talent. But the book needs some editing to deal with those repetitive phrases and also to flesh out the main character. Secondary characters should never be more interesting than the main one.
Let me start off by saying that even if I hadn’t been given this book to review, I would’ve picked it up anyway by the cover alone. There’s something haunting about those blue eyes, something that prompts you to turn the pages, to find out what list, who’s manipulating who or what and why. Unfortunately, however, beyond that, I didn’t find much to keep me anchored to the story.
It’s not that I didn’t like it—it’s a unique one---a young woman named Katherine Sheppard befriending Death as a child, not really understanding it until she’s older, kind of like having a mobster for a parent. But the writing didn’t seem consistent. There were a lot of repetitive sentences. The jump in age for our female protagonist was so abrupt that I felt like I’d missed something and I couldn’t really develop a feel for her. In fact, as the story went on, I found myself not liking her more and more. Even when she finds out who Death is and how he works, she doesn’t seem to take it very seriously. It becomes a game that she plays rather selfishly.
There’s a lot more focus on the characters Death is collecting rather than the story itself and its heroine—if that’s what you can even call her. I actually found myself liking those people more than Katherine. They had more dimension, more depth to them. They were likeable and you felt bad for them for reasons I won’t say in case any of you want to read it.
Overall, I give this book two and a half stars out of five. In most cases, Lever’s writing flows nicely and it’s so obvious that she has talent. But the book needs some editing to deal with those repetitive phrases and also to flesh out the main character. Secondary characters should never be more interesting than the main one.
March 16, 2013
3.5 stars
Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Also part of a blog tour!! Head over to and check it out!!
Manipulating the List is the story of Katherine and Jonathan. A story about the weird friendship between a boy who collects souls based on a list and the one girl who could manipulate the list when her own name sneaks into it.
I actually enjoyed reading about Katherine's childhood and how she befriends Jonathan aka The Collector. But the story soon begins to fall. I started losing interest in the collections taking place. But soon it starts picking up when Katherine is supposed to hunt down a couple and their unborn baby. Oookkaay.
We figure out who is to be collected and how the collections take place. And she soon finds her way to Australia tracking yet another victim on the list lest she herself becomes the next one to die.
The premise for the book is really intriguing. Becoming friends with the guy who you watch collecting your aunt's soul? Yeah, I'd definitely run the other way.
The cover could do some changing. Sadly I'm one of those people who is influenced by a pretty cover. *hangs head in shame*.
The story has continuous highs and low's not really holding my attention. The introduction of the love interest in the second half perked my interest and had me reading though it could have been a little more developed.
What I loved :
*Jonathan's story.
*Jennifer and the collection.
*Liam, Katherine Aussie beau.
*The ending of the story.
There were a few missteps but there are always going to be highs and lows in anything but for a debut novel, this one is certainly promising.
Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Also part of a blog tour!! Head over to and check it out!!
Manipulating the List is the story of Katherine and Jonathan. A story about the weird friendship between a boy who collects souls based on a list and the one girl who could manipulate the list when her own name sneaks into it.
I actually enjoyed reading about Katherine's childhood and how she befriends Jonathan aka The Collector. But the story soon begins to fall. I started losing interest in the collections taking place. But soon it starts picking up when Katherine is supposed to hunt down a couple and their unborn baby. Oookkaay.
We figure out who is to be collected and how the collections take place. And she soon finds her way to Australia tracking yet another victim on the list lest she herself becomes the next one to die.
The premise for the book is really intriguing. Becoming friends with the guy who you watch collecting your aunt's soul? Yeah, I'd definitely run the other way.
The cover could do some changing. Sadly I'm one of those people who is influenced by a pretty cover. *hangs head in shame*.
The story has continuous highs and low's not really holding my attention. The introduction of the love interest in the second half perked my interest and had me reading though it could have been a little more developed.
What I loved :
*Jonathan's story.
*Jennifer and the collection.
*Liam, Katherine Aussie beau.
*The ending of the story.
There were a few missteps but there are always going to be highs and lows in anything but for a debut novel, this one is certainly promising.
January 13, 2013
I really enjoyed this book .... much more than I had anticipated. The story was pretty unique and not like anything I have ever read before. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this series and would recommend it to anyone who likes Young Adult fiction.
I can't WAIT for the rest of the series!
I can't WAIT for the rest of the series!
January 21, 2013
While I thought the story idea for this book was very unique and original, I was not a fan of the actually story. The beginning was excellent, and throughout the book, the author did have a distinctive voice, but the plot seemed a bit all over the place the more I read. The main character starts out very strong. She's a very independent woman, and besides having Death as a best friend, she's fairly normal seeming. However, as she goes through all these steps to change the list, I don't feel any real motivation from her. Yes, she is doing crazy things in order to live, but does she just want to live so she doesn't die? What is holding her to her life? What is she fighting for that she would risk so many people's lives? When she meets her romantic interest, I thought he was going to turn out to be a killer, and not the collector kind. Their 'love at first sight' romance did not seem to fit the main character's personality, and the man came on so strongly I very quickly suspected he was mentally unstable.
I did sense that the author has a lot of potential, and the writing was not bad at all. I just think a different plot line with a more focused main character would improve a lot.
I did sense that the author has a lot of potential, and the writing was not bad at all. I just think a different plot line with a more focused main character would improve a lot.
March 5, 2013
I was given this book by the author in exchange for a review. The concept is enticing and I really looked forward to reading the book. I enjoyed the story but wish the primary characters had been more developed. I actually felt that I knew many of the other characters much better. Throughout the entire middle of the book I wondered what Katherine really did in her life and what she would do with the rest, if allowed. The author has an exceptionally fine tuned talent (even in a debut novel)for descriptive narrative and I could "see" what Katherine was seeing and experiencing. However, these descriptions of the second collection scene and her subsequent adventures in Australia seemed to become more important than the actual premise of the book. I also felt that the romantic interest introduced late in the book needed more development. Irrespective of what I think are more lack of experience issues, I most certainly will read the second in the series because of the ending of this book (what happened?) and because I truly enjoyed this author's writing style. She is definitely someone to watch.
January 11, 2013
I received this book from the author for an honest review. I am an avid reader and LOVE all genres so I was
extremely excited to be a part of this. My honest opinion of this book is.....just WOW!!! I loved it!!
Manipulating the List had me hooked from the very beginning!! I love how the backstories of the characters are
told to allow personal connections to be made. Jonathan's character pulled on my heart strings and his hero
complex totally drew me in. I wondered about Katharine the entire book. What will she decide to do? Will she make the right choices? Will this "game" ever end???? What a creative, sitting on the edge of my seat (or bed) plot! I love how the twists and turns continued even when I thought I had it figured out! I would never have guessed that K. B. Lever was a first time author! I love how a love story was included into a mystery/ suspense story line. I found myself at the end desperately wanting to know what happened and eager for book 2! Great job and a MUST read. I also admire the author's creative style that reaches readers of all ages! Amazing!!
extremely excited to be a part of this. My honest opinion of this book is.....just WOW!!! I loved it!!
Manipulating the List had me hooked from the very beginning!! I love how the backstories of the characters are
told to allow personal connections to be made. Jonathan's character pulled on my heart strings and his hero
complex totally drew me in. I wondered about Katharine the entire book. What will she decide to do? Will she make the right choices? Will this "game" ever end???? What a creative, sitting on the edge of my seat (or bed) plot! I love how the twists and turns continued even when I thought I had it figured out! I would never have guessed that K. B. Lever was a first time author! I love how a love story was included into a mystery/ suspense story line. I found myself at the end desperately wanting to know what happened and eager for book 2! Great job and a MUST read. I also admire the author's creative style that reaches readers of all ages! Amazing!!
January 12, 2013
My Review:
I received this book from the author to give an honest review.
WOW! First let me say I have never read a book like this before! I was hooked from the beginning, and I honestly did not want to put this book down at all. I have to say at the end that was a surprise I totally did not see coming!
I enjoyed reading the back stories that was given on each character and the stories of the people that were collected! K.B. has a wonderful imagination and for her to be a first time author she has got this in the bag.
I really enjoyed reading about Jonathan and I actually felt really sorry for him as he had to collect souls though I did enjoy how he tried to keep Katherine from being collected. My heart broke to hear Jonathan's story as he told Katherine.
This story line was amazing! There is romance, suspense, twist and turns, tragedy all rolled up into one.
This book is a great YA! I LOVED reading this book, I can not wait to read book two!
I received this book from the author to give an honest review.
WOW! First let me say I have never read a book like this before! I was hooked from the beginning, and I honestly did not want to put this book down at all. I have to say at the end that was a surprise I totally did not see coming!
I enjoyed reading the back stories that was given on each character and the stories of the people that were collected! K.B. has a wonderful imagination and for her to be a first time author she has got this in the bag.
I really enjoyed reading about Jonathan and I actually felt really sorry for him as he had to collect souls though I did enjoy how he tried to keep Katherine from being collected. My heart broke to hear Jonathan's story as he told Katherine.
This story line was amazing! There is romance, suspense, twist and turns, tragedy all rolled up into one.
This book is a great YA! I LOVED reading this book, I can not wait to read book two!
January 25, 2013
Manipulating The List was brilliant, I didn’t want to put it down for a moment. The story starts off with Katherine a young girl of six seeing her aunt who was ill with leukaemia dies in the park and a man in a black hoodie take her aunt to a beautiful garden. Throughout her youth the man in the hoodie visits her and they get very friendly. Katherine calls him the Collector as he collects people who are to die. He tells her stories of the lives of the people who are about to die and lets her pick which name is next on the list. Then one day when Katherine, who is now in her twenties learns more about the Collector, and sees that her name is on the list. So now she has to basically put other people who are on the list in front of her to save herself. She is now manipulating the list.
This was a fantastic read, completely unique from what I have read before. I was completely hooked. The story is really fast pacing and kept me completely hooked.
This was a fantastic read, completely unique from what I have read before. I was completely hooked. The story is really fast pacing and kept me completely hooked.
February 18, 2021
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a bit like a watercolour painting on a plastic canvas. It's picturesque and beautiful, but vague. The cover is misleading. Most of the time I didn't quite get where it was going.
This is a story about Jonathan and Katherine. ever since Katherine was a young girl, she have a friendship with The Grim Reaper, the collector, Jonathan, who collects souls based on a list.
There is some tension throughout the narrative, I wanted to know what was going to happen, but it was just really hard to get into the story.
It's well written, though. The writer has a talent for writing. Too bad most of the plotline didn't make me care enough and by all these unnecessary information, eliminated my opportunity to enjoy the story.
This book is a bit like a watercolour painting on a plastic canvas. It's picturesque and beautiful, but vague. The cover is misleading. Most of the time I didn't quite get where it was going.
This is a story about Jonathan and Katherine. ever since Katherine was a young girl, she have a friendship with The Grim Reaper, the collector, Jonathan, who collects souls based on a list.
There is some tension throughout the narrative, I wanted to know what was going to happen, but it was just really hard to get into the story.
It's well written, though. The writer has a talent for writing. Too bad most of the plotline didn't make me care enough and by all these unnecessary information, eliminated my opportunity to enjoy the story.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
February 15, 2015DNF so I'm not going to rate but I'll give a mini review. I read about 35% before I gave up. First off, i really couldn't understand what this book was about. It seemed to be one long voice over about the girl's relationship with the Collector. When her name came up on the list, she was supposedly trying to 'manipulate' it so she wasn't collected, but maybe I missed something because I didn't see how finding other people on the list should have made any difference...seriously did I miss something? Also, it was just unbelievably boring.
January 7, 2013
Wow! You really got to give this a try. A fun, quick read and well worth it. I thought a few lines might have been a little cheesy and was starting to suspect the protagonist would become a wimpy female relying on some romantic interest to save her. Far from it. I'm hooked. When do the other books come out!?
January 10, 2013
This book was great. Once I started reading I couldnt put it down. It was short but just the right length to read in one sitting. It was captivating right from the very beginning when it describes how she first meets the collector and how their odd relationship develops. The end had a clever twist, which I just love in books.
January 9, 2013
very good book
Read
January 26, 2023dnf
March 13, 2025
First and foremost I do think that Manipulating the List was a really great attempt for a debut novel. The core premise of the story was an interesting one. As a child the main character Katherine befriends the embodiment of Death, or The Collector as she calls him. What a wonderful grain of sand around which to build a pearl of a story. I rather enjoyed the first part of the book, reading about a little girl growing up around death, and speculating about the kind of long term effects of such a childhood would have on someones adult life.
Then we skip to Katherine all grown up and my disbelief which up until now has been pretty well suspended is starting to waver unsteadily above my head. The annoying thing was that it wasn’t the fantastical elements of the narrative that weren’t sitting well with me, it was the mundane. Katherine is now 22 and working as an attendant in a bowling alley, a job she herself describes as �..A job that I hated to go to that didn’t pay enough..�. How in the world did she manage to BUY a house? In this economy?! At 22??? Anyway, I digress.
I was still enjoying this book up until about chapter 7, this is where it really starts to fall apart for me. The story eventually takes her to Australia, Port Arthur in Tasmania to be exact. I feel in the spirit of full disclosure I should mention at this point that I am myself Australian. The next half of the book reads like a tourism guide, with some pretty heavy handed stereotyping and only light smatterings of actual plot.
Immediately upon arrival in the country Katherine is bombarded with an extremely long and detailed recounting of the Port Arthur Massacre of 1996 from a bizarrely forthcoming taxi driver. What all of this has to do with the plot I will never know. However I was willing to give some kudos to the author for what must have been a length researching session...that was until I myself did a quick Google search on the topic and discovered that the entire thing had been lifted almost word for word from a Wikipedia page, the only things that were changed were the names of the people and places…For something that had literally nothing to do with the story whatsoever. Mind boggling stuff.
The rest of the book descends into what I would describe as reading someone’s vacation journal, until about the last 20 pages or so where we finally get some plot again, which feels incredibly rushed and slapped together compared to the painstaking and lengthy detail that was just given to a great number of things that had very little bearing on said plot. The cliff-hanger ending was more of a Huh? moment. And if it weren’t for the excerpt from the next book of the series after that, it would have been a What the Hell Did I Just Read? moment
As a whole it wasn’t a bad read, as I said the premise itself is a good one and the character of The Collector and his back story I really enjoyed. First person narrative can be tricky to pull off at the best of times, and I’ve definitely seen it done a lot worse. For a debut novel the writing style is actually pretty good, and will probably get better as the series goes on. However the character of Katherine is a bit one dimensional and at the end of the book I was no closer to really having a good idea of who she was, or why I should care if she lives or dies. Which being a story about life and death it seems important that I should care.
Then we skip to Katherine all grown up and my disbelief which up until now has been pretty well suspended is starting to waver unsteadily above my head. The annoying thing was that it wasn’t the fantastical elements of the narrative that weren’t sitting well with me, it was the mundane. Katherine is now 22 and working as an attendant in a bowling alley, a job she herself describes as �..A job that I hated to go to that didn’t pay enough..�. How in the world did she manage to BUY a house? In this economy?! At 22??? Anyway, I digress.
I was still enjoying this book up until about chapter 7, this is where it really starts to fall apart for me. The story eventually takes her to Australia, Port Arthur in Tasmania to be exact. I feel in the spirit of full disclosure I should mention at this point that I am myself Australian. The next half of the book reads like a tourism guide, with some pretty heavy handed stereotyping and only light smatterings of actual plot.
Immediately upon arrival in the country Katherine is bombarded with an extremely long and detailed recounting of the Port Arthur Massacre of 1996 from a bizarrely forthcoming taxi driver. What all of this has to do with the plot I will never know. However I was willing to give some kudos to the author for what must have been a length researching session...that was until I myself did a quick Google search on the topic and discovered that the entire thing had been lifted almost word for word from a Wikipedia page, the only things that were changed were the names of the people and places…For something that had literally nothing to do with the story whatsoever. Mind boggling stuff.
The rest of the book descends into what I would describe as reading someone’s vacation journal, until about the last 20 pages or so where we finally get some plot again, which feels incredibly rushed and slapped together compared to the painstaking and lengthy detail that was just given to a great number of things that had very little bearing on said plot. The cliff-hanger ending was more of a Huh? moment. And if it weren’t for the excerpt from the next book of the series after that, it would have been a What the Hell Did I Just Read? moment
As a whole it wasn’t a bad read, as I said the premise itself is a good one and the character of The Collector and his back story I really enjoyed. First person narrative can be tricky to pull off at the best of times, and I’ve definitely seen it done a lot worse. For a debut novel the writing style is actually pretty good, and will probably get better as the series goes on. However the character of Katherine is a bit one dimensional and at the end of the book I was no closer to really having a good idea of who she was, or why I should care if she lives or dies. Which being a story about life and death it seems important that I should care.
January 13, 2013
In my younger days, there was an amusement park just over the Canadian border on the northeastern edge of Lake Erie. One of Crystal Beach's attractions was a roller coaster called the Wild Mouse. It had little 2-seater cars, and didn't move at an incredible rate of speed. Its attraction was its sudden, last minute turns � you' d come to the end of the track, feel like you're about to go over the side, and suddenly the car would veer 90 degrees. And before you could get too comfortable, it would happen again.
The ride is gone now � the whole amusement park in Crystal Beach has been replaced with condos. BUT decades later, I get occasional reminders of the Wild Mouse, most recently while reading “Manipulating the List�, the first novel in K.B. Lever's Immortal Companion series. Ms. Lever takes some pleasure in showing you exactly where she's going to take you � and then veering away in a totally different directly at the last possible second.
There are a lot of books featuring some sort of Grim Reaper / Angel of Death these days � but I haven't as yet encountered or heard about one with the characteristics of “The Collector�. (This review will be intentionally vague on this and similar points to remove anything that might be a spoiler.) There are books with friendships between earthly and paranormal beings, but how many date back to when the human had barely started attending school?
The author, through her protagonist and main character Katherine Sheppard, takes us on an interesting journey (literally and figuratively). First-person narrative can be a challenge for an author � the voice has to be that of the character, the experiences cannot deviate from what the character can know, and the plot has to be constantly driven forward. Ms. Lever does not yet handle this with the dexterity of Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan or Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford. However, she manages the task better than other first-time authors that I've read, and I would certainly anticipate that further books in this series will be even more accomplished in this area.
I'm not revealing too much in stating that some of the action takes place in Australia. I wasn't entirely happy with this section of the book. The dialog � intonation, slang, etc. - never gave me the feeling like we had shifted away from the locations and characters that our protagonist encountered in the Carolinas. I'd like to be able to distinguish a dockworker from a college dean simply by some dialog, without even having a physical description of the characters or their environs.
And the ending � I felt like I was back on the Wild Mouse, and I took another sudden turn � only there wasn't any track in that direction and my ride came to a VERY sudden, unwelcome, and painful end! Thank heaven the author softened the discomfort by including a short blurb from the upcoming second book in the series!!
And yes, the strengths of this book certainly overcame its flaws, and I am looking forward to the second book in K.B. Lever's Immortal Companions series � and hope it gives me a second ride on the Wild Mouse.
DISCLOSURE: I was provided with an electronic version of this book directly from the author, with my commitment to read and provide an open & honest review.
The ride is gone now � the whole amusement park in Crystal Beach has been replaced with condos. BUT decades later, I get occasional reminders of the Wild Mouse, most recently while reading “Manipulating the List�, the first novel in K.B. Lever's Immortal Companion series. Ms. Lever takes some pleasure in showing you exactly where she's going to take you � and then veering away in a totally different directly at the last possible second.
There are a lot of books featuring some sort of Grim Reaper / Angel of Death these days � but I haven't as yet encountered or heard about one with the characteristics of “The Collector�. (This review will be intentionally vague on this and similar points to remove anything that might be a spoiler.) There are books with friendships between earthly and paranormal beings, but how many date back to when the human had barely started attending school?
The author, through her protagonist and main character Katherine Sheppard, takes us on an interesting journey (literally and figuratively). First-person narrative can be a challenge for an author � the voice has to be that of the character, the experiences cannot deviate from what the character can know, and the plot has to be constantly driven forward. Ms. Lever does not yet handle this with the dexterity of Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan or Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford. However, she manages the task better than other first-time authors that I've read, and I would certainly anticipate that further books in this series will be even more accomplished in this area.
I'm not revealing too much in stating that some of the action takes place in Australia. I wasn't entirely happy with this section of the book. The dialog � intonation, slang, etc. - never gave me the feeling like we had shifted away from the locations and characters that our protagonist encountered in the Carolinas. I'd like to be able to distinguish a dockworker from a college dean simply by some dialog, without even having a physical description of the characters or their environs.
And the ending � I felt like I was back on the Wild Mouse, and I took another sudden turn � only there wasn't any track in that direction and my ride came to a VERY sudden, unwelcome, and painful end! Thank heaven the author softened the discomfort by including a short blurb from the upcoming second book in the series!!
And yes, the strengths of this book certainly overcame its flaws, and I am looking forward to the second book in K.B. Lever's Immortal Companions series � and hope it gives me a second ride on the Wild Mouse.
DISCLOSURE: I was provided with an electronic version of this book directly from the author, with my commitment to read and provide an open & honest review.
April 5, 2013
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
'Manipulating the List', is a paranormal, young/new adult story. In it, a form of the Grim Reaper is a young boy named, Jonathan. Jonathan died tragically and became the collector of souls in the after-life. He follows a list to know whose soul to collect next.
When the heroine of the story, Katherine, is six years old, Jonathan befriends her. He visits her every night to tell her stories about the people who's souls he collects. This goes on for years, until one night, he tells her that she's the next soul on his list. She begins assisting in the deaths of the people who follow her on the list so that she can put off dying, thus, manipulating the list.
I think the concept of this story is very original and I was really looking forward to reading it. I thought the idea behind the list was intriguing, especially having a human being privy to it. Unfortunately, I found the beginning to be pretty confusing and I wasn't really sure how Katherine avoided dying by helping the next people on the list, die. There's also a lot of back story which, though interesting, kind of dragged in places.
The book picked up about a third of the way though and I was again intrigued by the possibilities. Once again, though, I found myself wondering how and why things actually worked the way they were. I kept expecting that maybe Jonathan and Katherine would get together romantically but, by the time she's on his list, she's in her twenties and he's, just a kid. I thought, well maybe he'll 'grow up' somehow but it never happened.
I really try to keep an open mind with paranormal books as they're mostly based on legends and pure imagination. The imagination part of this story is terrific and so is the writing. I didn't find typos or errors, either, which is unusual lately. I guess the story just didn't catch my interest. That's not saying it's a bad book, just not my cup of tea.
I am looking forward to reading more from this K.B. Lever. Though I wasn't really into this particular story, K.B. is very talented and the next book may be the one that captures me.
'Manipulating the List', is a paranormal, young/new adult story. In it, a form of the Grim Reaper is a young boy named, Jonathan. Jonathan died tragically and became the collector of souls in the after-life. He follows a list to know whose soul to collect next.
When the heroine of the story, Katherine, is six years old, Jonathan befriends her. He visits her every night to tell her stories about the people who's souls he collects. This goes on for years, until one night, he tells her that she's the next soul on his list. She begins assisting in the deaths of the people who follow her on the list so that she can put off dying, thus, manipulating the list.
I think the concept of this story is very original and I was really looking forward to reading it. I thought the idea behind the list was intriguing, especially having a human being privy to it. Unfortunately, I found the beginning to be pretty confusing and I wasn't really sure how Katherine avoided dying by helping the next people on the list, die. There's also a lot of back story which, though interesting, kind of dragged in places.
The book picked up about a third of the way though and I was again intrigued by the possibilities. Once again, though, I found myself wondering how and why things actually worked the way they were. I kept expecting that maybe Jonathan and Katherine would get together romantically but, by the time she's on his list, she's in her twenties and he's, just a kid. I thought, well maybe he'll 'grow up' somehow but it never happened.
I really try to keep an open mind with paranormal books as they're mostly based on legends and pure imagination. The imagination part of this story is terrific and so is the writing. I didn't find typos or errors, either, which is unusual lately. I guess the story just didn't catch my interest. That's not saying it's a bad book, just not my cup of tea.
I am looking forward to reading more from this K.B. Lever. Though I wasn't really into this particular story, K.B. is very talented and the next book may be the one that captures me.
May 3, 2013
Manipulating the List (Immortal Companion #1)
I received a free copy, in exchange for a review.
Katherine, since a little girl had a friend. This friend would tell her stories, of other people's lives. She once watched him perform his job, that of a Collector. A Collector of souls, to help transition them to the next level. He explains that he receives a list, of names(s) and a date, for the collection to take place. Life continues on like this, Jonathan coming over at night, for his nightly bedtime stories, until Katherine, in her twenties is told shocking news; she has appeared on Jonathan's list. What is to happen is an interesting story of if you knew when you were going to die, but could sacrifice someone else's life, would you?
'It was overwhelming; the Collector's story, his list, our new arrangement, what I was going to have to do from this day forward...all of it.
"Scott Michael O'Connell," I said aloud, the realization setting in that he would be my first victim. There were only two names on the list and the other, my name, obviously wasn't an option. I repeated the name over and over in my head. Something didn't sit right with me, the name sounded vaguely familiar.'
I will have to say that this has easily become a new favorite series for me! I like taking a classic story and adding a twist. Both characters were really well developed and what happens is not where I thought the story would lead to. Cannot wait to read the next one!
I received a free copy, in exchange for a review.
Katherine, since a little girl had a friend. This friend would tell her stories, of other people's lives. She once watched him perform his job, that of a Collector. A Collector of souls, to help transition them to the next level. He explains that he receives a list, of names(s) and a date, for the collection to take place. Life continues on like this, Jonathan coming over at night, for his nightly bedtime stories, until Katherine, in her twenties is told shocking news; she has appeared on Jonathan's list. What is to happen is an interesting story of if you knew when you were going to die, but could sacrifice someone else's life, would you?
'It was overwhelming; the Collector's story, his list, our new arrangement, what I was going to have to do from this day forward...all of it.
"Scott Michael O'Connell," I said aloud, the realization setting in that he would be my first victim. There were only two names on the list and the other, my name, obviously wasn't an option. I repeated the name over and over in my head. Something didn't sit right with me, the name sounded vaguely familiar.'
I will have to say that this has easily become a new favorite series for me! I like taking a classic story and adding a twist. Both characters were really well developed and what happens is not where I thought the story would lead to. Cannot wait to read the next one!
January 31, 2013
Manipulating the List by K. B. Lever
Rating 4****
This book was received from the author for honest literary review.
Katherine always knew she wasn't an ordinary child. As long as she can remember, the Collector always came to visit her. He told her stories of his life. He told her the stories of those who were on his list. Now, the Collector haset it be known....Katherine is on the list.
The list contains names of people who's time in this life has run out. It takes everything Katherine has to avoid being the Collector's next victim.
This is an excellent debut novel. The story grabs you from the beginning and you simply cannot walk away. As Katherine is a child in the beginning it makes her that much more loveable. While the reader may not agree with some of the things she is forced to do, everyone can relate to the fear of life and death. The characters are multi-faceted and deeply developed. I honestly didn't know whether to love or hate the Collector.
The plot itself is fast moving and has no trouble both engaging a reader and holding the readers attention. The editing is superb and I found no grammatical errors. Overall a very strong start to a series that should go very far. It is a suspense thrill ride with a paranormal overtime that I recommend for readers 14+. I am interested to see where the author takes this in book 2.
Rating 4****
This book was received from the author for honest literary review.
Katherine always knew she wasn't an ordinary child. As long as she can remember, the Collector always came to visit her. He told her stories of his life. He told her the stories of those who were on his list. Now, the Collector haset it be known....Katherine is on the list.
The list contains names of people who's time in this life has run out. It takes everything Katherine has to avoid being the Collector's next victim.
This is an excellent debut novel. The story grabs you from the beginning and you simply cannot walk away. As Katherine is a child in the beginning it makes her that much more loveable. While the reader may not agree with some of the things she is forced to do, everyone can relate to the fear of life and death. The characters are multi-faceted and deeply developed. I honestly didn't know whether to love or hate the Collector.
The plot itself is fast moving and has no trouble both engaging a reader and holding the readers attention. The editing is superb and I found no grammatical errors. Overall a very strong start to a series that should go very far. It is a suspense thrill ride with a paranormal overtime that I recommend for readers 14+. I am interested to see where the author takes this in book 2.
March 28, 2013
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group Lovers of Paranormal.
The first chapter was pure magic - the book took off with a bang, and I was in love with it quickly! It was hauntingly written in such a beautiful way. The idea behind the plot was intriguing, and I couldn't wait to delve further into the story. I had high expectations going in, which were met enough for me to like and enjoy the book but not enough to love it.
After the first chapter, I couldn't decide if I enjoyed the way the story was being told or not. At times I wasn't interested enough in the history of some of the minor characters, although later I understood why some of those histories needed to be included. I think I wanted more action from Katherine and the Collector. I also needed to know more about Katherine and her history since she's the main character. I hope in the second book to learn more about her and care about her. While reading at times I found myself not really rooting for her to live - sometimes there was something about her that made her seem selfish to me.
Be prepared for an abrupt and shocking ending - you must have the second one on hand to begin reading right away! Otherwise, you're going to drive yourself crazy until you do. :)
The first chapter was pure magic - the book took off with a bang, and I was in love with it quickly! It was hauntingly written in such a beautiful way. The idea behind the plot was intriguing, and I couldn't wait to delve further into the story. I had high expectations going in, which were met enough for me to like and enjoy the book but not enough to love it.
After the first chapter, I couldn't decide if I enjoyed the way the story was being told or not. At times I wasn't interested enough in the history of some of the minor characters, although later I understood why some of those histories needed to be included. I think I wanted more action from Katherine and the Collector. I also needed to know more about Katherine and her history since she's the main character. I hope in the second book to learn more about her and care about her. While reading at times I found myself not really rooting for her to live - sometimes there was something about her that made her seem selfish to me.
Be prepared for an abrupt and shocking ending - you must have the second one on hand to begin reading right away! Otherwise, you're going to drive yourself crazy until you do. :)
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