Death Cheater

Death Cheater #1

by Danielle Thorne

Athena Gray lives vicariously through her sister because people in general avoid her. Whether it's strange things like dead butterflies fluttering to life, or the time she saved her dying grandpa just by willing him to live, Athena knows that she is different. The only person who doesn't seem to think so is Dan, the most popular boy on Omega High School's baseball team. But even Dan can't understand the reason she acts haunted, until a spirit roaming the local historic burial mounds takes an interest in people Athena cares about.

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2012

About the author

Danielle Thorne is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of inspirational small town romance. She also writes historical romance and YA non-fiction. A graduate of BYU-Idaho and Ricks College, she has over twenty-five years of experience in her wordcraft. Danielle lives south of Atlanta, Georgia, with family, friends and felines. Find out more about her and her books at daniellethorne.com.

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This book was given to me for free by the author on a read-to-review basis.)

Athena Gray has a secret. Sometimes if she really wants something dead to live again, it will mysteriously come back to life. At first it was just dead bugs when she was a child, but then it was a bird, and most recently her grandfather.

Now though Athena has another problem. A mysterious man and his black dogs with red eyes are stalking her. 'Aero' as he calls himself wants something from her, and he'll stop at nothing to get it. When he kidnaps her boyfriend Dan, and threatens to hurt him unless Athena does as he asks, Athena has no choice but to agree.

Aero calls Athena a 'death cheater' and asks her to 'convince' someone to pass over. Apparently her gift is not a one-way deal, not only can she bring things back to life, but she can also cause things to stop living. Doing as Aero asks, she helps an elderly woman with cancer to pass over to the other side. But Aero won't stop at just one, he wants Athena to keep doing this, and again threatens to hurt the people she loves if she doesn't do as he asks.

Athena can't do it though, and she has to find some way to stop Aero, whilst protecting her friends and family. With tensions rising at home though, her grades dropping, and everyone staring at her at school, Aero is just one problem too many for Athena to deal with.


I really enjoyed this book, it was well written, had good pace, and kept the reader interested. I really related to Athena as a character, and really felt for her and the problems she was facing. It definitely reminded me of what it's like to be a teenager, and I really liked that she had her own way of saying things, eg: 'oh cheese!'

The storyline itself was intriguing, the idea of being a death cheater was original and not something that I have come across before, and the romance element was light and didn't overpower the rest of the book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes young-adult fiction, or books with a paranormal/fantasy feel.
A definite 8/10! Enjoy!
(Book length: 2257 Kindle locations)

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

: I found that this book was brilliantly written, it flowed very well and was by far an easy read. The book pulled me in right away and I couldn’t have asked for more. That’s what I like, when a book grabs my attention and refuses to let me go and this is exactly what this book gave me. It took hold of my attention and I hung on to the very last word, however..........

The rest of the review can be found in the amazing BTS emagazines.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love YA books and this is a great one. Great job Danielle! You are amazing.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[B.J. Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Athena Gray discovers she has the abilities she doesn't want. Dan, a handsome guy from school gets involved with her, and she's worried he'll be harmed. Their relationship almost dissolves after she returns a butterfly on display at his house to life. She didn't mean to do it, but she can't control her powers. There is someone who wants to control her for their use, and he threatens her family and Dan if she doesn't use them for what he wants. Will Athena be able to dislocate herself from his grasp before it's too late, or will Dan and her sister pay the costs? I don't normally read this type of novel, but I enjoyed this one.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This story had some unique elements. I liked the idea of the main character being able to see spirits and how she could comfort and help. I also liked some of the concepts of dark vs. light. There were a few things that were confusing and I didn't think were explained very well. But overall, I enjoyed it!

[CompassBookRatings · Rating 4 out of 5]

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