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A review by goblin_reaper
Death Perception by Lee Allen Howard
4.0
“Singleton, you sure know how to bake ’em.”
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Huge thanks to Black Thorn Books for sharing the ecopy of this book in return for an honest review!
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When I was browsing through the Goodreads reviews of this book, a sentence from a fellow reader's review caught my eye—
"How do you review a book that is so catchy that your eyes stick to the paper and can't be freed?"
This is exactly how I felt when I sat down with a pen in hand and book open to review Death Perception. My thoughts were still swimming in the storyline, the ending and the gripping contents of the book; deep enough that I couldn't gather my thoughts to pen down even a single sentence. But now that I've entered the "reviewer mode", I'll just get started on talking (writing?) your ears off:-)
Nineteen-year-old Kennet Singleton lives with his invalid mother in a personal care facility. He works at the local funeral home as a cremator. However Kennet, with his dark past and turbulent present, has secrets— he has the power of discerning the cause of death by toasting marshmallows over their ashes (yep, marshmallows). It's all a weird hobby and a little fun time until his perception begins to differ from what's written on the death certificate… Kenneth must put his powers to use and bring the killer to light— before people start dropping like flies!
With jokes bordering on dark and a moral-Esque main character, the author portrays a unique plot line with brilliant writing.
As a regular reader and writer (an amateur one), what I've noticed is that authors, along with keeping the storyline and the characters alive, also have to make sure their writing (word orders, sentence formations, figures of speech and dialogues) is thriving too. I think Allen Howard manages this beautifully. His words have an intense feel to it and that made the story more effective in its context. However, I did think that when a character is toasting marshmallows, it becomes difficult to take him and what comes after a little more seriously. But by giving a powerful and mysterious rationale to a bonfire-side activity was very unique in its own way.
I loved how the author portrayed the male mc. From being naive and too trusting to being a little more clever and cautious— his character arc was very well written. It was beautiful how Kennet did not once lose his hope and still looked towards the light at the end of the tunnel even after being through so much, especially considering his upbringing.
“He once told Kennet that a professional always cleans up his own mess. On this point, he had to admit he was wrong.”
During the end of this chapter I had to take a moment or two to appreciate how ironic Grinold's fate was. He was the first one to succumb to his fears despite his previous attitude of "being raised right by a strong, powerful woman of a mother." I felt like it was a fitting ending for him.
The remaining proprietors of crime traveled in the same boat but in different directions. It was like all loose ends of Kennet's little town were neatly cut off. I loved how everything fell into place.
Kennet's love for his mother, Nathan's cologne, adorable yet grumpy old people and Wilkes' eccentric nature truly made this book memorable for me. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Recreational And Consensual Drug Use, Depictions of Domestic Violence.
This story revolves around the sum and substance of death, I recommend caution to those who are sensitive to such content.
•
Huge thanks to Black Thorn Books for sharing the ecopy of this book in return for an honest review!
•
When I was browsing through the Goodreads reviews of this book, a sentence from a fellow reader's review caught my eye—
"How do you review a book that is so catchy that your eyes stick to the paper and can't be freed?"
This is exactly how I felt when I sat down with a pen in hand and book open to review Death Perception. My thoughts were still swimming in the storyline, the ending and the gripping contents of the book; deep enough that I couldn't gather my thoughts to pen down even a single sentence. But now that I've entered the "reviewer mode", I'll just get started on talking (writing?) your ears off:-)
Nineteen-year-old Kennet Singleton lives with his invalid mother in a personal care facility. He works at the local funeral home as a cremator. However Kennet, with his dark past and turbulent present, has secrets— he has the power of discerning the cause of death by toasting marshmallows over their ashes (yep, marshmallows). It's all a weird hobby and a little fun time until his perception begins to differ from what's written on the death certificate… Kenneth must put his powers to use and bring the killer to light— before people start dropping like flies!
With jokes bordering on dark and a moral-Esque main character, the author portrays a unique plot line with brilliant writing.
As a regular reader and writer (an amateur one), what I've noticed is that authors, along with keeping the storyline and the characters alive, also have to make sure their writing (word orders, sentence formations, figures of speech and dialogues) is thriving too. I think Allen Howard manages this beautifully. His words have an intense feel to it and that made the story more effective in its context. However, I did think that when a character is toasting marshmallows, it becomes difficult to take him and what comes after a little more seriously. But by giving a powerful and mysterious rationale to a bonfire-side activity was very unique in its own way.
I loved how the author portrayed the male mc. From being naive and too trusting to being a little more clever and cautious— his character arc was very well written. It was beautiful how Kennet did not once lose his hope and still looked towards the light at the end of the tunnel even after being through so much, especially considering his upbringing.
“He once told Kennet that a professional always cleans up his own mess. On this point, he had to admit he was wrong.”
During the end of this chapter I had to take a moment or two to appreciate how ironic Grinold's fate was. He was the first one to succumb to his fears despite his previous attitude of "being raised right by a strong, powerful woman of a mother." I felt like it was a fitting ending for him.
The remaining proprietors of crime traveled in the same boat but in different directions. It was like all loose ends of Kennet's little town were neatly cut off. I loved how everything fell into place.
Kennet's love for his mother, Nathan's cologne, adorable yet grumpy old people and Wilkes' eccentric nature truly made this book memorable for me. I won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Recreational And Consensual Drug Use, Depictions of Domestic Violence.
This story revolves around the sum and substance of death, I recommend caution to those who are sensitive to such content.