Summoned to Thirteenth Grave

Charley Davidson, Book 13

By: Darynda Jones

Narrated by: Lorelei King

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the final installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times best-selling paranormal series! 

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plane for eternity - which is the appropriate amount of time to make a person stark-raving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere hundred years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer. 

She’s missed her daughter, she’s missed Reyes and Beep, but now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil in this final smart and hilarious audiobook.

©2019 Darynda Jones (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Sad goodbye!

I have loved this series! I’ve laughed, I’ve cried! Loved the narrator. Darynda Jones has a quirky sense of humor that shines in this series! Very sorry this is the last but loved the way everything was resolved before the end!!!!

Bittersweet Goodbye

Once again Darynda Jones has shared the wonderful world of Charley Davidson with us. I have nothing but love for this series. So very sad to come to this the final chapter but can not wait until we get to see the world from Beeps eyes! I don't think there could be a better narrator for this series. She brings all of the characters to vivid life with her voice.

Not up to Charley Davidson Standards 😔

I've written this review three times. I think I'm going through the stages of grief. But now that I'm a bit more rational. Let me try again.

For those of you who like short and simple reviews: The book feels rushed and though overall not bad, it is didn't feel Charley worthy. Darynda has taken things to a new level with this series. Im not sure what happened here. Its filled with random side stories never brought up before and a lot of unnecessay deaths. The ending is bizarre and completely defeats the when purpose of what Charley and Reyes have fought for in the last 8 books. I know Darynda put a lit into this series, I would love to know the other ending she had written, because this cannot be what she envisioned when she started us on this journey.

Now for those of you who don't mind reading a bit more about this this so-called series finale... well here you go!

Hmmm... at first I was dumbstruck, speechless, and bewildered. If there was one more book in this series, then I'd tell you to skip this one. It felt as though the author was being rushed to put something out within a time frame. I have been with Charley for years. I feel like she and I are long distance besties who only see each other a few times a year. So knowing this was the last book, I mentally prepared myself to mourn her. I'd let this book sit in my audio library until I'd fully pumped myself up to say goodbye. But this is not the send off that Charley deserved. Needless to say that I was Slap-a-B*tch-Mad!

Then, I sat and I sat. I had a cup of French Vanilla and mauled over this book. It is definitely my least favorite book of the series, but as a good sport I'll start with the positives.

Well,... um... the only positive is that I missed Charley and I was so glad to hear Lorieli King bring her to life once again. And that's it for positives from me.

Let's imagine this elaborate meal someone was prepared with all extra goody specials like mashed potatoes, macaroni, peas/beans, corn bread, pies and so on... but there is no meat. And then when you uncover the last tray you find slices of SPAM. Now I'm not knocking SPAM... but the point is that you put all the effort, time, and love into the all the parts of the meal and when you get to the end, you get something that just doesn't fit. That is Summoned to 13th Grave.

All those random loose ends get a rushed and then an Elmers-glued together finish. Then some unnessary sprinkles of glitter is added on top. It's supposed to make it sparkle but instead it looks tacky. These story lines are just added out of no where... people die for no apparent reason... And then for the final scene I get SPAM instead of Turkey. What the F-bomb???

If you havent read the book go no further tgan this.... Spoilers follow...

All the ghost got closure except Angel who has been there since day one... Strawberry's brother dies and you only get 4 sentences about it... Rockets reunion was so bizarre and only to tidy stuff up.

Why didn't she call Ocsh to eat the souls of the two kidnappers???

Uncle Bob has a tremendous back story that was NEVER mentioned before, until now... it's ludicrous.

After leaving their kid, the first thing they do is make out... when has Charley been the kind of person that wouldn't mourn the fact that they won't be raising their child?

The more I type this up the more ticked off I get. I'm done. Thank you Lorieli King for an awesone experience. Bye Charley, I'll miss you. Your long distance bestie - Lexi

2 Stars 🌟🌟🌟- Decent book but not up to the regular Charley Davidson standard.

A Roller Coaster of Emotions for Grim Reaper Fans

How does one sum-up such a charming, wonderful, engaging series?
Darynda, you did Charley & the gang proud. You gave us some wonderful conclusions, some laugh-out-loud moments, interlaced with choking sobs, both of joy and delightful wickedness, and of sorrow & loss. Skillfully woven together, and incredibly, artfully narrated (Lorelei, you are incomparable)! But, but, but....the end of Charley & Reyes' story? I love where the story might go, yet I still feel a little cheated. So many things were lovingly explained and completed, yet others felt hastily and abruptly (unnecessarily?) concluded. And still, so many important ones are left hanging in our imaginations...I definitely look forward to seeing where you lead us next.

PLEASE MORE

I have truly enjoyed ever moment of this series please continue with beep story. I love the witty banter, the hot steamy true love of Charley and Reays, also the way the team pulls together to always come out on top. I will truly miss each and everyone of them. I have listen to this series at least three time. Truly sad it has to end. Lorelei King brought each character to life and would love to hear that she will be doing the continuation of Beep story if we are blessed to get one . Thank You Darynda Jones it has been a wonderful ride.

Good Ending

Good Ending to this series. I hope she will continue with the rest of the crew. Going to miss Charley and Reyes.

Don't want to say Good-bye!

Darynda Jones and Lorelei King have an amazing work chemistry - I love Darynda's writing and Lorelei puts so much effort into her characters personalities that you would think there was more than one narrator,

Truth be told I'd totally upset and heart broken that Charley and Reyes have come to their final chapter. I'm soooo in love with Charley's wit, sass, backtalk and pension for crazy ideas/plans both in her voice and inside voice that I'm sure we must be related at some point. ((6 degrees and all))

And then there is the delicious, sexy and strong Reyes. Through Darynda's, Lorelei, and Charley's eyes.....I've developed a serious candy crush on Reyes. Oh the places my mind could take this fictional character ; )

As Charley and Reyes attempt to figure out clues and why New Mexico is under attack I would have like to see Charley discover more of her powers she didn't know she had, that being said, I loved this last book in the series with it's HEA and pray to the caffeine gods that Darynda will do a spin off of this series.
I will miss Charley and Reyes.

A little aggravated

Great series but why did it have to end like that to me it wasn’t an ending for a series but for a book I’m disappointed that everything wasn’t cleared up and also the books were all about beeps big fight and then the end is nothing about that at all I did really like the book I just don’t feel this story should be the end the end should be about beeps big fight to save the world and all humanity.....

Disappointing

I have so many mixed feeling about the last Charley book. Mostly I’m disappointed. I think some things were rushed so much and others lingered. The action didn’t happen for a long time, and when it started it was ok, it’s over. Not a lot of details, unless you count the intimate encounters. Which overwhelmed the plot of this book. I don’t think the writing is comparable to the other books, which was witty, fun, and had some heat but had a nice balance. Clearly this is not the end of the story line, on how things ended. Some characters just disappeared, some died, some got a questionable ending. But Charley’s reactions did not add up to the Charley we’ve come to know from other books. Someone important to her died, and she was well ok you can pass through me if you want, no emotion. You know, that’s what this book is missing. Emotion from the characters. They were written flat and boring. I’m really disappointed in this installment. I usually love Ms. Jones’s books, so I was surprised.

It's over.....

Okay time to rant. So I like to think of this series as a note of what happens when the author falls in love with their character. I'll be blunt, I loved this series right through book 8, i would happily list up there with one of the greatest paranormal romance books ever written. Then book 9-13 happened and Mrs. Jones kept twisting the lore, characters, senseless drama and throwing in needless plot contrivances just to keep the story going. Hell even the comedy began to run dry and that was one of the things I liked most about the series. So what I am basically saying is the Charley, as much a I love her, segment of the story should have ended in book 8 and we should be one Beeb's story now. This is especially true since, despite having 5 novels the majority of characters have not further developed or changed and the plot, what plot there is, feels more like filler than anything.
Take Rias, sorry only listened to the books so I don't know how to spell his name, he went from being the son of the devil, to something else, to yet something else again, to yet something else yet again in the last novel. Once more whenever something bad happened in the first 8 books they had weight because a lot of those things were permanent, they effected things. However in the last 5 books, something bad happens and its typically undone by the end, unless it happens to Rias because more suffering for him for whatever reason. Honestly lady, if you like tortured heroes go read Styxx or Born of Legends by Sherryon Kenyon, she does it better, and the plots actually end instead of being dragged on and on and on and on and ......

I'm sorry for the rant like review but I couldn't hold it in anymore. In the end, if you've come this far you mind as well finish it. If you haven't, just read the first 8 books and stop, there really isn't anything afterwards worth listening to.

Yes yes I'm prepared for the hatred, bring on the down votes.