Amber Benson

Calliope Reaper-Jones — (2009-2012) Publisher: Calliope Reaper-Jones so just wanted a normal life: buying designer shoes on sale, dating guys from Craig's List, web-surfing for organic dim-sum for her boss... But when her father — who happens to be Death himself — is kidnapped, and the Devil's Protege embarks on a hostile takeover of the family business, Death, Inc., Callie returns home to assume the CEO mantle — only to discover she must complete three nearly impossible tasks in the realm of the afterlife first.

Death's Daughter

She thought the devil wore Prada... until she met the real one!

Before I begin this review, a confession: I'm a sucker for any novel containing cute hellhounds.

Calliope Reaper-Jones is living the life of a typical New York office flunky, dealing with a diva boss, less-hunky-than-advertised blind dates, and a lust for designer clothes she can't afford. That is, until her father, who happens to be the Grim Reaper himself, is kidnapped and Calliope is swept back into a dangerous supernatural world she's spent her entire adult life trying to escape.

What follows is one part mystery, one part fairy tale. Callie must figure out who has absconded with her father, and why, before worse things happen. At the same time, the board of directors in charge of Death, Inc. have given Callie three nearly-impossible tasks to complete in order to come into the power that is her birthright. Callie has a complicated world of deities, demons, and bureaucrats to navigate, and not much time to learn the ropes. What makes me think of fairy tales, I think, is the way that Callie's success or failure in her tasks so often hinges on how she treats people along her journey.

I may be giving you, dear reader, the idea that this is a Very Serious Book. That would be a mistaken impression. While Death's Daughter contains themes that would be right at home in a very dark urban fantasy, Amber Benson keeps the tone light and chick-litty. Death's Daughter has its touching moments, but it also has a conversational writing style with plenty of humor, slang, and fashion commentary. For the most part, this works. An exception is Benson's use of "gonna" in narration. I'm just enough of an English nerd that it throws me out of the story every time she does it. (I don't mind it in the dialogue.)

Recommended if you're looking for a light, fun urban fantasy with a breezy style, a scene-stealing supporting cast, and great shoes. —Kelly Lasiter

Cat's Claw

Never wear your good shoes to Hell

In Cat's Claw, Amber Benson picks up right where she left off in the tumultuous life of Calliope Reaper-Jones: office drone, wannabe fashionista, and daughter of Death himself. As the novel begins, Calliope learns that her maybe-boyfriend Daniel may not be as dead as he seems, Cerberus wants a favor in return for the hellhound puppy Calliope stole, and her parents have enlisted an eccentric "aura specialist" to train her in magic. Of course, everything is even more complicated than it sounds, and soon Calliope is on a mission to right a wrong that dates back to ancient Egypt.

Benson paints a vivid picture of the strange locales to which Calliope travels. Purgatory gets its turn to shine here — I loved the Hall of Death — and so does the (very real) Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. We follow Calliope as she gets into potentially deadly supernatural trouble... and ruins her Missoni sweater beyond recognition.

Calliope can be a little annoying, mostly in her tendency to leap before she looks. There came a point when I wanted to shake her and say, "Don't make any more bargains without reading the fine print, and don't go off on any more wild goose chases when you're on a tight deadline!" Then again, she has good reasons to do these things, and she wouldn't be Calliope if she weren't impetuous at times! Just be prepared for a few "oh no, not again" moments.

The plot is byzantine — twisty to the point of being confusing at times with all its double- and triple-crossing. I'm still not sure I understand everything that happened! But it's fun, and has some heart-tugging moments as well. The characters are great (my favorites are Clio, Runt, Kali and, after this book, Cerberus). With its breezy tone and humor, Cat's Claw — like its predecessor, Death's Daughter — can be a delightful break from heavier, gloomier books. —Kelly Lasiter

Serpent’s Storm

Calliope Reaper-Jones’s life takes a turn for the grim in Serpent’s Storm, the third book in Amber Benson’s series about the daughter of Death. These books have always featured some serious content, and Serpent’s Storm still contains some humor, but overall this is the most serious Calliope book so far.

The beginning is a little annoying, with Callie in full-on flippant mode, bored with her boyfriend Daniel for a rather obnoxious reason. It isn’t long, though, before Callie’s life is irrevocably shaken up. Benson yanks most of Callie’s “security blankets” away in a cascade of tragedies and betrayals. Callie now has to take on great responsibilities while trying to figure out who is on her side and who is a secret enemy.

The character relationships are heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking; the tragic events in Serpent’s Storm hit both Callie and the reader pretty hard. In addition to the cast we know and love, Benson also introduces several new, quirky supporting characters and places them in the unique vistas we’ve come to expect from her.

The wrap-up of the main plot is satisfactory. Callie undergoes a large amount of growth, and develops into a stronger, more independent character who is ready for heavier responsibilities. The epilogue, though, is simply evil! It’s not a cliffhanger for the main plot, but it leaves a particular subplot hanging and readers longing for a happy resolution to that aspect of the story.

If you’ve enjoyed the Calliope Reaper-Jones books all along, you’ll like this one despite its darker tone; Callie goes through some changes but is still recognizably her endearing, snarky self. If you thought the first two books were a little too fluffy, Serpent’s Storm is just what you were looking for. There’s very little fashion talk, Callie becomes more mature, and the book explores some of the gloomier possibilities of a Death-themed series. —Kelly Lasiter