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hyperashley's review
5.0
Organ Reapers is a very interesting urban fantasy book, it's like nothing I have ever read before. Shay West is a talented wordsmith. This is the first book I've ever read by her but I look forward to checking out her other works.
I'm not going to lie I was a little worried that I wasn't going to like this book. I don't usually read books that follow detectives because it reminds me too much of Law and Order but Organ Reapers was actually refreshing. I ended up loving the detectives and enjoyed seeing the other side of the law.
It followed two sets of people and even though sometimes that can be very confusing, it was very easy to follow. Eli usually works alone but just got assigned a new partner, Ava. He starts to fall for her but of course since they are both detectives he can't pursue her. I really liked their partnership, they complimented each other well. Tani and Keena are also work partners in a way but it's cute how much you can tell they like each other. In their world you can't show affection unless you are married (which they are not) so it's even cuter when they sneak a hand hold.
Eli and Ava are detectives that are trying to solve a string of murders. Tani and Keena are organ harvesters, in their world that is a sacred job. (They use magic to travel to this world to kill and steal the organs of innocent people, to save the people in their world.) When Ava and Eli start working these organ harvesting murders, things get weird because how can you catch someone that can travel to another world? After Tani and Keena get a job that involves the murder of a child they decide they can't do it anymore and they run away. After having visions from their Gods they know what they have to do. They end up teaming up with Eli and Ava so they can forever close the gates connecting the two worlds.
I loved Tani and Keena, especially when they came to this world to help Eli and Ava because their world is in the olden days. They still lived in the renaissance times, so it was cute when they tried to figure things out. I think the two worlds were blended together nicely. I've read books that tried to do something like this but it didn't work as well for them. This was a very good book and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.
I'm not going to lie I was a little worried that I wasn't going to like this book. I don't usually read books that follow detectives because it reminds me too much of Law and Order but Organ Reapers was actually refreshing. I ended up loving the detectives and enjoyed seeing the other side of the law.
It followed two sets of people and even though sometimes that can be very confusing, it was very easy to follow. Eli usually works alone but just got assigned a new partner, Ava. He starts to fall for her but of course since they are both detectives he can't pursue her. I really liked their partnership, they complimented each other well. Tani and Keena are also work partners in a way but it's cute how much you can tell they like each other. In their world you can't show affection unless you are married (which they are not) so it's even cuter when they sneak a hand hold.
Eli and Ava are detectives that are trying to solve a string of murders. Tani and Keena are organ harvesters, in their world that is a sacred job. (They use magic to travel to this world to kill and steal the organs of innocent people, to save the people in their world.) When Ava and Eli start working these organ harvesting murders, things get weird because how can you catch someone that can travel to another world? After Tani and Keena get a job that involves the murder of a child they decide they can't do it anymore and they run away. After having visions from their Gods they know what they have to do. They end up teaming up with Eli and Ava so they can forever close the gates connecting the two worlds.
I loved Tani and Keena, especially when they came to this world to help Eli and Ava because their world is in the olden days. They still lived in the renaissance times, so it was cute when they tried to figure things out. I think the two worlds were blended together nicely. I've read books that tried to do something like this but it didn't work as well for them. This was a very good book and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.
nnance's review
4.0
Original review posted at Crazy Cat Reads.
Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Crime mystery meets fantasy in Organ Reapers and this mash-up was a very enjoyable read! When you look at the title, you might think this story is full of blood and guts and gore, but to be honest, the descriptions of said guts (or lack there of) are actually quite minimal.
First we meet Tani and Keena, who end up being from another world and are called "Harvesters". They are sent to Earth to collect organs to bring back to their home world, which we never truly learn the name of.
We also meet Eli and his new, attractive partner, Ava Aguilar. The two of them happen to be the two detectives that get wrapped up in this bizarre case after investigating one of the murdered victims left behind by Tani and Keena. If you can't tell, these poor guys end up with a very frustrating case on their hands, given that their murderers aren't even FROM THIS WORLD. They also don't leave behind any evidence ... Most of the time.
I won't give anymore of the story away. You'll have to read it yourself to get the rest of what happens from there.
I liked the developments of the relationships for both Eli and Ava as well as Tani and Keena. However, my inner hopeless romantic also found herself extremely frustrated at times. Not in a bad way, per se. More often than not, as Eli dwelled on his thoughts of both his current situation and his previous situation I ended up usually shaking my Kindle and inwardly yelling something along the lines of "C'MON MAN, YOU DESERVE IT!" ... If I had yelled at my Kindle out loud, I'm certain I would have gotten strange looks from both the boyfriend and my cats.
Tani and Keena's relationship development was extremely slow throughout the book and I honestly thought they were incredibly adorable the entire time. They totally had a puppy love sort of relationship going on for almost the entire book. And yes, I am definitely calling murderers adorable, but you'll just have to read it to see why. Seriously. They're adorable.
Moving on from the romance aspect, I did find the main antagonist was pretty well developed and had just the right amount of batshit crazy to get under your skin somewhat early on in the book. I also loved that the author was able to portray Tani and Keena's confusion about Earth and how everything worked, including toilets. There was a fair amount of humor in the book that got a few chuckles out of me, but not enough that would distract from the story as a whole.
However, there were still a few shortcomings. I certainly would have liked to have learned MORE about Tani and Keena's world. I couldn't really decide on whether this was just an alternate universe of Earth that happened to be set in a sort of older time (with steampunk elements), or if Tani and Keena's people were even human. Apparently they appeared human enough since throughout a good portion of the book, Eli and Ava thought their perps were ON Earth, but were they actually human? I wish there would have been more explanations about this other world.
The ending also felt somewhat rushed to me. The suspense leading up to the final confrontation between everyone and the main antagonist was executed very well, but the actual defeat of the antagonist seemed too quick to me. However, at the same time I still enjoyed seeing that glimpse of his true character right at the end.It also got me thinking about how religion can affect - maybe even corrupt - an individual and twist their morals around so much that what they think they are doing right is actually evil in itself. It certainly reminded me of current events! The mention of these "dark gods" made me curious and I would have liked for that to have been expanded on as well as all of the other religious aspects of the fantasy world.
There were also some grammatical errors that I came across throughout the book that did bother me and bring me out of the story for a moment or two. But that's just my personal pet peeve. It happens.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. If you want something that definitely has a unique twist and an easy read to boot, I'd recommend this one!
Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
Crime mystery meets fantasy in Organ Reapers and this mash-up was a very enjoyable read! When you look at the title, you might think this story is full of blood and guts and gore, but to be honest, the descriptions of said guts (or lack there of) are actually quite minimal.
First we meet Tani and Keena, who end up being from another world and are called "Harvesters". They are sent to Earth to collect organs to bring back to their home world, which we never truly learn the name of.
Spoiler
It turns out that in some weird, almost twisted way, everyone on Earth has a person in this fantasy land that has matching genetics or something that will allow them to accept their organs for a life saving procedure. Unfortunately, this always happens to be a very important organ - a heart or lung, or BOTH kidneys, for example. So the Harvesters are tasked with the job of retrieving these organs in order to save their people's lives in their home world. Poor Earth people!We also meet Eli and his new, attractive partner, Ava Aguilar. The two of them happen to be the two detectives that get wrapped up in this bizarre case after investigating one of the murdered victims left behind by Tani and Keena. If you can't tell, these poor guys end up with a very frustrating case on their hands, given that their murderers aren't even FROM THIS WORLD. They also don't leave behind any evidence ... Most of the time.
I won't give anymore of the story away. You'll have to read it yourself to get the rest of what happens from there.
I liked the developments of the relationships for both Eli and Ava as well as Tani and Keena. However, my inner hopeless romantic also found herself extremely frustrated at times. Not in a bad way, per se. More often than not, as Eli dwelled on his thoughts of both his current situation and his previous situation I ended up usually shaking my Kindle and inwardly yelling something along the lines of "C'MON MAN, YOU DESERVE IT!" ... If I had yelled at my Kindle out loud, I'm certain I would have gotten strange looks from both the boyfriend and my cats.
Tani and Keena's relationship development was extremely slow throughout the book and I honestly thought they were incredibly adorable the entire time. They totally had a puppy love sort of relationship going on for almost the entire book. And yes, I am definitely calling murderers adorable, but you'll just have to read it to see why. Seriously. They're adorable.
Moving on from the romance aspect, I did find the main antagonist was pretty well developed and had just the right amount of batshit crazy to get under your skin somewhat early on in the book. I also loved that the author was able to portray Tani and Keena's confusion about Earth and how everything worked, including toilets. There was a fair amount of humor in the book that got a few chuckles out of me, but not enough that would distract from the story as a whole.
However, there were still a few shortcomings. I certainly would have liked to have learned MORE about Tani and Keena's world. I couldn't really decide on whether this was just an alternate universe of Earth that happened to be set in a sort of older time (with steampunk elements), or if Tani and Keena's people were even human. Apparently they appeared human enough since throughout a good portion of the book, Eli and Ava thought their perps were ON Earth, but were they actually human? I wish there would have been more explanations about this other world.
The ending also felt somewhat rushed to me. The suspense leading up to the final confrontation between everyone and the main antagonist was executed very well, but the actual defeat of the antagonist seemed too quick to me. However, at the same time I still enjoyed seeing that glimpse of his true character right at the end.
There were also some grammatical errors that I came across throughout the book that did bother me and bring me out of the story for a moment or two. But that's just my personal pet peeve. It happens.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. If you want something that definitely has a unique twist and an easy read to boot, I'd recommend this one!
anscha3000's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alyxandriaang's review
4.0
I think going inside a detective's mind and helping them figure out the mystery is the best point a view a book could ever present! Eli and Ava, two very ingenious detectives, work together on the same case to find the answer to a string of murders. What the author did well in writing this book was definitely making the characters believable and their present situation. It's either Shay West had a very in-depth life in forensics science, or just has a very vivid imagination. And probably even, say, a background in the police department (wink, wink). The story was believable without being too unreal.
From the gestalt (just by looking at the cover!), I expected a very subtle and dark piece about murder, however I didn't quite get that. And because of that I feel like this book leaned more on the science of it rather than the story, which is totally fine, but I would've liked to see more development of the story and plot throughout.
It was pretty fantastic that this book just so happened to come with a twist! We are sent to kind of another dimension and the crime scene follows us there! It was unique and definitely a big step up from shows like Criminal Minds and CSI: Miami. Like all other homicidal mystery novels, we see a build in the intensity of the cases and the murders. In this story, they just got wilder and really much more a pain to solve. You could literally feel the sweat dripping off the detective's foreheads!!
After reading this book, I feel educated enough to apply for a job as a detective! It's kind of like sitting in the backseat of a real life crime scene, in which you're helping to solve. We're up close and personal to a real detective. If forensics science and mystery is something that appeals to you, this book is a close match and a true simulation to what it's really like!
From the gestalt (just by looking at the cover!), I expected a very subtle and dark piece about murder, however I didn't quite get that. And because of that I feel like this book leaned more on the science of it rather than the story, which is totally fine, but I would've liked to see more development of the story and plot throughout.
It was pretty fantastic that this book just so happened to come with a twist! We are sent to kind of another dimension and the crime scene follows us there! It was unique and definitely a big step up from shows like Criminal Minds and CSI: Miami. Like all other homicidal mystery novels, we see a build in the intensity of the cases and the murders. In this story, they just got wilder and really much more a pain to solve. You could literally feel the sweat dripping off the detective's foreheads!!
After reading this book, I feel educated enough to apply for a job as a detective! It's kind of like sitting in the backseat of a real life crime scene, in which you're helping to solve. We're up close and personal to a real detective. If forensics science and mystery is something that appeals to you, this book is a close match and a true simulation to what it's really like!
joellyn's review
3.0
I received this book in exchange of an honest review.
I was a bit disappointed of this book, honestly, but still have thoroughly enjoyed it. Not the best book ever written, but good enough to keep me reading.
This is a urban fantasy/thriller/mystery novel. It's more focused on the fantasy elements rather than the mystery. If you're looking for some whodunit mysteries, then you'll be left disappointed. If you're someone who enjoys fantasy, then you probably might like it.
The premise and concept of the story did fascinate me at first, however, the plot wasn't well executed enough in my opinion. It isn't to say that it's poor but I think it's just not being used to its full potential. Despite that, the two worlds (the real world and the magical land) was portrayed very well and I was able to picture them in my head as I was reading.
I certainly have enjoyed reading about the characters especially Eli who's a detective. He gets irritated easily by trivial things but also a kind person who fights for justice. Ava, the pretty detective, gets paired up with him. And, oh gosh, whenever I read about them, I wished that I could be the matchmaker and be like: why don't you two just get together already!
On the other hand, Tani and Keena from the other world are also fun characters to read. The chemistry between them was so cute! I had quite a fun time reading about them when they were trying to escape their world. This other world which the author created is very well done and I very much enjoyed learning about it while reading.
Besides the plot, one thing that I'd complain is that it kinda dragged in some parts where I got a bit annoyed and frustrated. Other than that, the pacing was great and easy to follow.
A solid 3 stars for me. Honestly, a little disappointed as I set my expectations too high as well as some things that were left unexplored. Even so, awesome and likeable characters that you can relate to and can't help but love. Recommend it to fantasy lovers.
I was a bit disappointed of this book, honestly, but still have thoroughly enjoyed it. Not the best book ever written, but good enough to keep me reading.
This is a urban fantasy/thriller/mystery novel. It's more focused on the fantasy elements rather than the mystery. If you're looking for some whodunit mysteries, then you'll be left disappointed. If you're someone who enjoys fantasy, then you probably might like it.
The premise and concept of the story did fascinate me at first, however, the plot wasn't well executed enough in my opinion. It isn't to say that it's poor but I think it's just not being used to its full potential. Despite that, the two worlds (the real world and the magical land) was portrayed very well and I was able to picture them in my head as I was reading.
I certainly have enjoyed reading about the characters especially Eli who's a detective. He gets irritated easily by trivial things but also a kind person who fights for justice. Ava, the pretty detective, gets paired up with him. And, oh gosh, whenever I read about them, I wished that I could be the matchmaker and be like: why don't you two just get together already!
On the other hand, Tani and Keena from the other world are also fun characters to read. The chemistry between them was so cute! I had quite a fun time reading about them when they were trying to escape their world. This other world which the author created is very well done and I very much enjoyed learning about it while reading.
Besides the plot, one thing that I'd complain is that it kinda dragged in some parts where I got a bit annoyed and frustrated. Other than that, the pacing was great and easy to follow.
A solid 3 stars for me. Honestly, a little disappointed as I set my expectations too high as well as some things that were left unexplored. Even so, awesome and likeable characters that you can relate to and can't help but love. Recommend it to fantasy lovers.
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