The Reapers

The Hunted Series, Book 1

By: Ali Winters

Narrated by: Sarah L. Colton

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The balance of life and death must be protected at all costs.

Nivian had never failed to reap a marked soul. That is, until she meets Kain Evers, a Hunter and the only being on earth with the power to destroy her.

When Reapers start to go missing, the Balance is thrown into turmoil, forcing Nivian and Kain to trust each other as they search for answers. Which is no easy task as they fight the feelings growing between them.

As mortal enemies, they were never meant to work together, now they're forced to protect each other if they want any hope of righting the Balance before all is lost.

Unfortunately, to succeed, one of them must die.

Intense, gripping, and romantic, fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Bella Forrest will love The Reapers. See why listeners are calling it “a gripping tale!”

©2015 Ali Winters (P)2019 Ali Winters

Love this series from Ali Winters

I first discovered author Ali Winters and her amazing book, The Reapers, through posts from UTOPYA 2016. Everyone was buying this book so naturally, I had to check it out. I am very pleased to report that it did not disappoint.

Just this weekend I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sarah L. Colton. I loved reliving this story and meeting the characters all over again. Sarah brought the story to life. I love the voice she lends to Caspian. Very smooth and sexy!

Action packed with an underlying love story, The Reapers is a fast paced, fantastic story. You cannot trust anyone or take them at face value. Everyone has their own agenda. The fine line between the good and bad is very much gray and muddled.

I cannot wait to see where this series goes and if a certain reaper finds love.

Fun and Unique!

First off, I love stories that have to do with Reapers, so right off the bat, I was totally all on board for that! I found The Reapers to be unique and fun, and I enjoyed the whole premise for this book. The narrator did a great job too, so I'd recommend listening if you have the chance. Nivian is a Reaper, who despite living for a really long time, she is quite sheltered. She is one of many Reapers, who try to maintain the balance on Earth, and she is happy to do it. Nivian goes on a routine reap, but comes across a human that can see her, which is not a normal thing, so she goes to one of the Boss Reapers, Caspian, who she has a bit of a little flirtation with, and that is when she finds out that there are others out there, and they are called Hunters. Nivian is curious about this revelation and wonders if this human could be a Hunter, so she decides to follow the human. Kain is intrigued by some white haired woman he sees, but she keeps disappearing before he can talk to her, but something keeps putting these 2 into each other's paths. Both Nivian and Kain begin to discover the World they thought they knew isn't quite how they thought, and a lot of new information is discovered that could change both of their lives. Nivi is great! She is sort of clueless, but I found it adorable! Despite being around for a long time, she does act rather young, and she is still new to some of the ways of the human world. I liked both Kain and Caspian, and enjoyed Nivi's friendship with both of them. Kain is the type of guy that always looks for the best in people; even if they don't deserve it, and he is light-hearted and wants to help others. Caspian is a bit stoic, but he is a sweetheart with a soft spot for Nivian. I really enjoyed the bits of action and the world building. The story is surprising and I was entertained the whole time. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series because there is definitely a lot more story to be told!

Great Beginning & Unique

This was an great start to a new series! When someone’s death date is near, Nivian is there to collect their soul to keep the world in balance. Unlike other reapers, she like to spend her free time among the humans. I loved Nivian’s personality because she was so naive and curious, but wasn’t afraid to jump into action when needed. The world building of the reapers and their role in the human world were written very well and had a unique take on the subject. I liked that the characters, including reapers, hunters, and humans, were realistic and morally gray to where you have to figure out the light from the dark as the story moves forward. This book had many twists, turns, and a small love triangle with a war going on between reapers and hunters.
Sarah did an amazing job with this narration! I loved the emotion that she used in her performance to bring every character and the story as a whole to life.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
@AudiobookObsession

different twist on paranormal that I was looking f

Feedback

This was definitely an interesting story. It’s actually funny because I’ve been thinking I’ve want a grim reaper story and then I finally got one! I like the twists that this story provided - there were definitely somethings that I didn’t see coming. Winters provided a solid story and foundation for this world which kept me interested in the events. The pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning. I felt like I was reading the same recurring scene over and over with subtle variations. Then the plot finally picks up, and then it’s over. I feel like this story would have been more successful with the ending being a little less rushed and some of the beginning being removed. It had a good feel overall and I think the next book in the series will remedy some of the pacing issues, I hope.

I found the characters interesting. There were multiple POVs, and while most of them were necessary, I didn’t think they all needed to be. The book mostly follows Nivean, Kain, and Caspain - which were the main characters. Some of the shifts in perspectives seemed a little abrupt and I wish it would have flowed a little better. Maybe this could have been achieved with less POVs but regardless it didn’t help with some of the pacing issues stated above. I did enjoy the characters though. Nivean was fantastic and I loved her curiosity. It really added to her personality and I think one of the reasons she made so many of her choices in this book. Kain was naive to the world and his willingness to learn and accept Nivean for who she is was endearing. Caspain felt like a broken soul to me. Throughout the book more is revealed about all of the characters but Caspain’s backstory really connected to me and I just want him to be happy. I’m definitely intrigued on how their story is going to continue.

Final Thoughts

Overall, The Reapers by Ali Winters was an enjoyable read. This was definitely the different twist on paranormal that I was looking for and she really created a unique world. While the pacing had some issues, the story really gripped me and I was invested the entire time. Nivean, Kane, and Caspain were fantastic main characters to follow. Even though there are other points of views, these are the characters that really stuck out to me. The transfer from different points of views weren’t the best transitions but it did add some depth to the story. I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for a different paranormal read with a hint of romance.

Audio Review
NOTE: The narration does not affect my rating of the book
The audio was okay for this book. I felt like it could have been so much better. Sarah Colton didn’t do a bad job with telling this story but it felt a little flat. There was no real passion behind the words being spoken. If a character were to “exclaim” there was no telltale without the context. She wasn’t monotone throughout the book but there wasn’t the emphasis that I typically enjoy with my audiobooks. You could do the audio but I would probably recommend physically reading this story.


#AudiobookObsession

I LOVE IT

The Reapers is definitely different than anything I've listen to. I really enjoyed the mystery and discovery, learning who to trust, and what secrets there were to uncover. It was an exciting ride to be sure! I would absolutely pick up another of Ali Winter's works. She did a great job of revealing just enough at the right times, and keeping me hooked.

I also felt like the end was fairly rushed, especially with so much buildup to what was to come. There was a lot more potential there than what was used. Ali has a great story here, a really great foundation and idea, but I would like to see a lot more depth. Especially when it comes to understanding the powers, how they work, why the balance is so important, etc.

This could have easily been a five star book for me had those things I mentioned been taken into account. I know you can't please every reader. I get that. But, for me, these were the big issues. Another minor issue is that it really could use another look for editing issues, but that's not a huge deal as I didn't find it overly distracting or that it detracted anything from the read.

I'm going back and forth on whether I should give three or four stars here. On the one hand, I loved the concept and the characters and would love to read more in this series. On the other hand, it did fall short in all of the areas mentioned.

Plot. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars
Story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

Narrator.::Ali Winters
Betrayal of the story. 🥇 GOLD GOLD GOLD

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review"

Fresh Idea

I LOVE this idea. The author found something common in grim reapers but gave it a whole new spin. The world building is superb. That in itself makes me hooked. I can't praise it enough.

My only critiques would be with the audiobook narrator. To me, she didn't have much range in her voices. Everyone sounded the same. Even the males and females. The accents were good, but overall, the variations I love with audiobook narrators weren't there. I think that's what slowed me down, too. It took me a while to get through the story, and it didn't have to do with the story itself.

Besides the narrator, this book was a great introduction into the series. Highly recommend! I already have book 2 downloaded.

An interesting Concept

This is a story about Nivian, a reaper and Kain , a hunter. Hunters and Reapers are enemies but both are needed to keep the balance of life in the work. Kain does know he is a Hunter at first and sees Nivian doing some odd (reaper) things and follows her. Silas (Nivian's boss) gross concerned with Kain's behavior and makes him her next mark. A Mark is a human that is marked for death. Nivian and Kain form an unlikely friendship and a slow burn romance is brewing for them. Nivian and Kain have to navigate the work as lovers and enemies. I can't wait to see what is in store in the next book. Audio Obsession Review.

any thing but normal

Nivian is given a mark and when someone (Kain) sees her that shouldn't she was then given the task (mark) to reap Kain.

Great story

This was a new twist on the idea of reapers and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I cant wait to see where it goes next

The Reapers

Such an interesting storyline! Nivian’s next target for reaping is the mysterious human, Kain, that she is inexplicably drawn to. As the story unfolds, the twists and turns will keep you on your toes and looking for more!

I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series, written by Ali Winters and narrated by Sarah L. Colton.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.