So Shall I Reap

by Kathy-Lynn Cross

There is no protection from the Unseen.
Las Vegas, Nevada can't contain Alexcia Crystalline Stasis, who is living the ideal teenager's dream as the school's elite socialite. That is, until a fatal car accident changes everything. Now Alexcia’s emotions are on the verge of combusting. As if mourning the loss of her boyfriend isn't enough, she is also dealing with extreme night terrors that leave her wondering if she just might need to be fitted for a straightjacket.
Tevin isn't your normal daemon. He's the leader of his clan, and he also happens to be a very active Grim Reaper. He never wanted to be charged with babysitting the one girl who can sway Creation’s Balance. Tevin has known and kept Alexcia safe most of her life. Now that he has to become even more personally involved in her protection, Tevin finds himself having a hard time separating his sworn duty and pure curiosity. What does make Alexcia tick?
Will Tevin be able to keep Alexcia safe from the Unseen? And will Alexcia’s emotions eventually help Tevin attempt to understand what being human is all about? Or will the entities and assassins’ of the Unseen get what they want … her dead.

This book has been rated using the Clean Teen Publishing Disclosure System. All scores are out of 5. For more details please visit the their website. www.cleanteenpublishing.com

Violence - 5
Language - 5
Romance / Sensuality - 1
Drugs / Alcohol - 3

This Book Is Part Of A Series

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

Paperback

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

I have resided, in the heat of Las Vegas, NV for the past thirty-nine years. Fifty-two years young, married for twenty-nine years, to my Split-Apart. I finally took my passion for writing seriously in 2012. My first story was published in 2015.

I love rose red and use it in everything, hence the bottle-blonde with red highlights. If my fingers are not busy writing mayhem, you will find me baking or hanging out with my family. When I need to recharge, I'll make a mug of vanilla coffee and curl up with another book from my TBR list.

My goals are simple; my passion is to be a 'Storyweaver', not a teller. I want to weave you (the reader) into my stories, not to escape, but have a sense of belonging. So Shall I Reap, Book One The Unseen Series is the beginning of Tevin and Alexcia's journey. I hope you will enjoy their journey as both of them share their POV of the story with you. See you in the Unseen.

Scythe ya later! x.x

Reviews

[Courtney Toohey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death is a volatile entity. We all like to ignore its impending presence until that one moment arrives when death is all that’s left. For humans, or vessels as they are referred to on the other side, death is but an instant. It is not a state of being, but rather a transitional second, which takes the soul from one form to the next. For Ashens, or Grim Reapers however, death is not only their lives but their livelihood.
Tevin is an Ashen. As a member of the House of Space his only purpose in his immortal existence is to harvest the souls of each human vessel as their time comes so that their soul can be returned to the River Styx. This is done so that the Creator can sustain the cycle of life, humanity, and the rejuvenation of every soul. The House of Space is but one of three houses, all of which play their part in the balance of the universe. So when Tevin is sent to harvest a soul in Nevada, he has no reason to think it to be any different than any other harvest. However, in but a few short moments, everything Tevin ever knew about himself and his place within the realms is challenged by the existence of one vessel. One soul. The soul of Alexcia Crystalline Stasis.
Alexcia has always been special. Her parents have always told her how unique and valued she is, but she believed this to only be the sentiments of two very loving and doting parents. Yet she soon discovers that her true nature exceeds everything she ever thought possible of herself and challenges everything she ever believed. Alexcia is a Child of Balance, born of Angel, Daemon, and Human decent. With this birthright comes a great deal of supernatural abilities, but brings about an even greater deal of clout. Soon, each of the houses in service to the River Styx will compete for her soul, and Tevin, who once believed himself to be just another Ashen, is swept up in her journey, leaving them to traverse each conflict in tandem.
Kathy-Lynn Cross has absolutely outdone herself with this book. After the first few pages, I found myself transported to a masterfully structured universe which houses some of my new favorite characters. Her vocabulary in this work is impeccable, and the skill with which she describes even the smallest of details really brings each moment to life with palpable reality. I could see every fixture and noticed every shade in the spectrum Lynn described as she painted her stunning world for the reader to enjoy. The precise way that she kept with the theme of death in the character’s demeanor and colloquial slang was the greatest thread which bound the story together in uniqueness. The characters were each well-developed and showed tremendous growth in their own journeys, a journey I felt that I experienced right beside them.
Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This was such a charming and inventive read and I cannot wait for the next book to be released. Cross is most certainly an author to watch, as I believe there is only greatness in store for her and her phenomenal work.

[Maribel Platypire Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

I want to start off by stating that the prose in this story is absolutely phenomenal. It's been a while since I last read a story where the words blend together beautifully and vividly make you visualize and even imagine what something sounds like. For example, this is a passage that jumped out at me while I was reading:

"Taking another deep drag, I let the smoke dance inside my mouth for a while. It flowed in and out, nice and slow, with the smell of nicotine lingering like a presence.

An ambulance screamed as it came closer, its sirens blaring in a shrill panic."

You go from one thing that sounds smooth and even and then you read something that jars you from that easy flow and I just love that. To me, as a reader, that is something that makes reading interactive and makes me want to read more of the story because the prose makes me feel and experience the events and surroundings. I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself at all, but I'm going with it. And that quote is just at the 3% mark.

Now, if we are talking about characters, Alexcia is not a favorite of mine, which is odd since the protagonists are usually my favorites. I have to side with Tevin and say she is reckless with her life and constantly puts herself in harm's way, whether it's on purpose or accidentally still remains to be seen. The reapers are interesting characters, and I specifically want to know more about their world, and more about Alexcia's dad, Max, and Tevin.

The reason this book is not receiving 5/5 platypires is because I was a little confused at the beginning when it was Alexcia's POV. There were some scenes where I could not tell if she was remembering something, like a flashback, or if it was the story being told in real time. If it was just one or two scenes, I wouldn't have even mentioned it, but it happened more than a couple of times at the start of the story. But, other than that, I really enjoyed reading So Shall I Reap and I look forward to the sequel whenever it becomes available. So Shall I Reap gets 4/5 Platypires!

[Jenny Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wonderful story full of angels, daemon's, grim reapers, and bridge crossers, and one child, Alexcia, which I love the name.

My genre is YA Paranormal and I just had to get my hands on this book and read it, because the cover and the synopsis was so catching. When I first started reading the story, I had trouble getting into the book and connecting with the characters in the story, and felt as if the book was too slow for my reading style.

Half way through the book, things started to pick up and got better and I just couldn't put the book down. I loved the characters in the story. Especially the connection between the grim reaper, Tevin and a young girl named, Alexcia Crystalline Stasis, and Tevin's soul purpose to keep the girl safe from all the other Unseen who want to take her life before she is ready to decide.......Decide what, you ask? Read the book and find out.

I recommend this story to any YA Paranormal readers, though, I do suggest if you feel as I did about the beginning being to slow and unattached, keep reading and give the book the benefit of the doubt, because it does pick up and will not disappoint you. 3 star review.

REVISED REVIEW:
I loved this book the first time it was published and I still love it even though it has been re-released.

The characters were phenomenal. The fight that Alexcia put up within herself kept me turning each magical page. I also loved the battle that Tevin faced during this story too. Both characters are strong willed and I believe that there is a link between them that will become stronger and that something magical will happen. I felt a connection with these characters.

The story-line was incredible. Though most of the story is more informational and goes into detail and explains things, but it is not overdone. The author did a fantastic job of setting up each scene so that we got a clear picture of what we were reading. I loved the shocking events, the heartache, the love, and the overall weaving of the story. I was completely addicted and couldn't put the book down. I am excited to see where the next part of this adventure takes us. Highly recommended.
5 Stars

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a dark, unique novel! Kathy-Lynn Cross creates a mesmerizing mythological world in this book. From angels and demons, to grim reapers and bridge crossers, the world the author creates draws on several mythologies, expertly weaving them into a stunning story! And not only is the world she creates amazing, but she brings in compelling characters.

Alexcia is a strong, rebellious teenager who has a secret. Every night in her dreams, she battles the same creatures, fighting for her life and her sanity—nearly losing both repeatedly. What she doesn’t know is that the creatures from her dreams are real, as is the danger.

Tevin is a reaper—Alexcia’s reaper. When only a child, Alexcia’s name came up to be reaped, and Tevin had the job to collect her soul. But as she lay in the hospital, something extraordinary happened—she looked at him and called him by name. Stunned, the reaper couldn’t bring himself to collect her soul and instead found himself protecting her.

I love how Kathy-Lynn portrays this grim reaper! So often in paranormal books, the author attempts to humanize paranormal creatures—making them more human than otherworldly. Kathy-Lynn doesn’t do this. Instead, she paints a clear picture of a creature quite inhuman, with little compassion or empathy—except when it comes to Alexcia. Tevin finds himself compelled to protect her. He is the type of character I adore!!!

I loved this book from cover to cover. The story is compelling, and the characters are even more compelling! Kathy-Lynn Cross is a brilliant author and I look forward to reading more from her. I would recommend So Shall I Reap to all who love paranormal books, and aren’t afraid of things that go bump in the night.

[Tricia Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

In So Shall I Reap, you meet a reaper named Tevin who is fated to reap souls from human vessels for eternity. Before you start to feel all sad for him, stop. He seems ninety-nine percent fine with his existence, after all, he does get to live forever. But Tevin meets Alexcia, a special vessel, near death at the age of six. Although his orders are clear, Alexcia’s mother makes a deal with Tevin and he not only skips his duty but promises to keep Alexcia from harm. The story cuts to Alexcia at fifteen. Haunted by nightmares, she seems to stumble through her days, barely coping. I don’t like spoilers so I will leave you with that intro into the Unseen series! I love that Kathy-Lynn creates such unique characters! The characters emotions are raw and real and suck you into their world. I cried for Alexcia and am cheering for Tevin!

[Melanie Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tevin is an Ashen, a grim reaper in our terms, who encounters a girl by the name of Alexcia and learns quickly about the significance her existence carries, a "Child of Balance." They are powerful on their own, but naturally, Alexcia is an even more special version of one. Not only does he then get roped into watching and protecting her, but he feels something he didn't realize he could feel the more time he spends doing the duty: a semblance of humanity. What's worse is that Alexica is danger prone, therefore making Tevin believe that he is truly the world's most irritated baby-sitter.

THIS STORY.

This novel hit all of the right notes from sarcasm, wit, sadness, and several bits of happiness. Alexcia's character is danger prone, yes, but you can see that even she can take responsibility when the time comes for it (for example, coming clean to her deceased boyfriend's parents at his funeral). She is like any teen that is acting out in a way, but also trying to move through life her own way. What I enjoyed most is Tevin's moments of feeling human, as it were. While irritation and envy seem to be normal for the Ashen, it is interesting to see jealousy and such as well. What Alexcia goes through after the crash too is quite relatable; the emotion of why me, I was responsible for this, and so on is masterfully done for the reader to feel it all.

This was a very quick read for me and I'm excited that the second one was just released. I look forward to seeing how Tevin and Alexcia continue their fate entwined paths together.

[Michelle Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Readers Favorite

Balance is what the world is based on. In So Shall I Reap, we are introduced to the world of the Unseen, those on both sides as they work to keep the balance. Those on one side, the House of Dark, usually called grim reapers, take the souls as someone dies and return part of it to the River Styx to keep in flowing, the other part they give to the bridge crossers, part of the House of Light to be recopied again at a later time. It's all a cycle that bears no emotion, and happens time and time again each day. Until the day that a reaper named Tevin is sent to collect the soul of a six year old girl, Alexcia. The problem is that Alexcia is able to see him, this has never happened to him before, and after a fierce fight with Razor, the bridge crosser, Rae-Lynn, Alexcia's mother explains to Tevin that Alexcia is the Child of Balance and makes him promise to keep her safe. Author Kathy-Lynn Cross gives an amazingly complex story of a family, trying to protect their daughter, getting some things right and some things wrong. A grim reaper protecting the life of a child, which is against everything he is about, and the House of Light doing everything in its power to claim her.

Author Kathy-Lynn Cross has labeled So Shall I Reap as the first book in a series, which is good because this book ends on a huge cliff-hanger of an ending. You really only get to originally meet the characters when Alecxia was six and then we spend a couple weeks with them the month before her sixteenth birthday. As a reader, you get Alexcia's view of what is going on, and then you get Tevin's, and neither have all the answers. It seems that Rae-Lynn and Max have kept a number of secrets from them both, from Alexcia in efforts to protect her, and from Tevin, to allow him to discover it on his own and not to influence fate. There is no sex or real violence, but there is teenage drinking. It is a great read for all ages. Enjoy.

[Reader's Hollow · Rating 4 out of 5]

**We Received a Copy of this Book in Exchange for an Honest Review**

Reviewed by Jessica @ The Reader's Hollow Blog


I really liked all of the background world building. Sometimes it felt overwhelming but it didn't feel like an info dump. It kept making me want to learn more.

Alexcia is a headstrong teenager who is spoiled and vain. The long descriptions of make-up, clothes and application of both were a bit much, for me in the beginning but it revealed a lot about her character.

Then on the opposing end, Alexcia revealed herself as being quite admirable. She knew what she wanted and didn't allow peer pressure to guide her decisions.

The author wasn't afraid to expose a regular, troubled teenager. It wasn't teen angst so much as it was rebellion. Alexcia is a nicotine addicted, heavy drinker. To balance it all out, she also writes poetry and dreams of daemons.

The middle of the book became a little slow as Alexcia groped for a new beginning and her parents, in their wisdom *sarcasm*, continue to stifle her knowledge of the river Styx and the creatures that haunt her. Tevin is an interesting Reaper. It was a neat sidestep from the traditional to have a Reaper crave burgers, cigarettes and use a cell phone. The injection of something so modern in an old idea was a lot of fun to read.

By the end I think I'd hoped for more discovery on Alexcia's part but it's a solid start to a series and a really interesting world that I fell for.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastic introduction into various entities such as bridge walkers, elementals, daemons. I love how they all have their parts to play in this book and that they cross over into earth where the vessels (humans) live.

Tevin is a grim reaper and he is his clan's leader. He has bound himself to a contract to protect teenager Alexcia from harm which basically has him and his clan babysitting the girl who seems intent on getting in harms way.

Alexcia is your average teenager, she is dating the most sought after guy in the school, she gets to come and go as she likes due to her parent working habits. Alexcia is totally unaware of the power she holds, a power that is growing.

We have the pov from various characters which makes the story interesting but I have to say it took me a long time to actually get into the story. I felt that there were certain parts that went on way too long, almost like there was a need to find more words to make the chapter fit a specific number required. Please note that this is my personal opinion and do not let it stop you from reading the book because once you get into it you can lose yourself to it. By the time I got to the end I was looking forward to the next book which I will be reading.

[Kathy Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! As a 40 year old mom, I find myself reading what my kids are just to make sure it's appropriate for their age, and this time I found one I told them THEY have to read! I couldn't put this book down. I was hooked on the story line, characters and plot when she would post little teasers on her Facebook page. As soon as I finished I had to send a message to Kathy-Lynn and ask her how long she was going to make us wait for book 2! You know its a good book when you are missing the characters while waiting for the next book. I was fascinated with the way she portrayed death and the grim reaper. Especially Tevin. He is not your traditional reaper who comes to kill and has no feelings or personality, he has both and his feelings for Alexcia have me wanting more of him, wanting to see what he will do with these new human feelings that have him confused. I can imagine falling in love with this character as the series goes on. I actually had to read this one twice and into the first few pages the second time it hit me: This would make an awesome show on the CW.

Great read and I highly recommend getting your hands on this book!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly Amazing!
I love this book! The story is so intriguing and entrancing that I was drawn right in and read the book all the way through. Thank goodness that I had the time because I'm pretty sure that if I had to put it down I would have been thinking about the story, longing to get back to reading. I did miss out on some sleep but it was totally worth it. I bought a copy for my teen daughter and she loved it as well, and now her friends are all lining up to borrow it. I am a true lover of all things paranormal and I had to order a paperback copy of this book and it will will be sitting on my bookshelf and I am sure I will be revisiting it while I impatiently wait for book 2. I have also grabbed Twists in Time which is an anthology that features this author. This book has the best of everything, Angels, and Demons and Reapers, and a unique look into the age old tale of their existence. I definitely recommend this book and can't wait to see what the next book holds for us. I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Brittany | BookRamblings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a great concept for a story and the plot was ready for some great twists. However, it took me a while to get into the story and connect with the characters. For some reason I didn't like Alexcia so I found myself putting the book down regularly to take a break.

With that being said, I did get hooked about halfway through and I think Kathy did live up to my expectations during the final part of book one. The monsters were different from your average YA book and that definitely Intrigued me!!

I will be continuing the series but I just hope the pace is increased and the plot is thickened a bit more. Im glad I read something new and I am interested to explore any new worlds Kathy has invented as it was an interesting concept. Happy reading :)

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for a honest review.**

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest complaint is the age of the female main character. It might be just me but I wish she had been 17 going on 18 instead of 15 going on 16. While I know a lot of young teens do, I wish the author had made her just a couple years older if she is going to be frequently smoking and drinking and dressing provocatively.

[Yara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it enough to be a little curious about what happens next to the two main characters. However, this story was a tough read- the way the author introduced all her mythology/ lore was very choppy and at times confusing. The ending was too abrupt for me. It was quick reading though.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 2 out of 5]

"So Shall I Reap" is an ambitious beginning of what promises to be a unique series.

Read full review in the 2015 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Belinda Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a very great book and I cant wait to read book 2

[Kathryn Synoracki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Can't wait for the next book in the series! I love the twists and turns in this book! It just kept me wanting more!