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

Great PNR!

I love PNR and truly enjoyed this original storyline and its fresh new twists. This was my first reaper storyline and I found it quite entertaining. I can't wait to read more!

The narration was fantastic. Sarah Colton gave a great performance, adding feeling and depth to each character. I was very pleased and would love to listen to more by her.

Overall, I thought this was a great NA read and would gladly recommend it to other PNR fans.

🎧AudiobookObsession

YA Paranormal Fantasy!

The Reapers (The Hunted Series, Book 1) is a ya paranormal/fantasy novel that is told in third person multi-pov with each chapter lists character who's thoughts are being voiced. The odyssey of the life of a grim reaper is told in a pie-in-the-sky kind of way. With a creative backdrop that is intriguing. As the story evolves it gets better & keeps you ontoes. Character's are well seasoned with detailed backgrounds & elements that tie them all together. I loved Nivian & Kain Evers character's & interactions. Darkness vs light, who's side to join, all unanswered questions in this unparagoned fantasy. A spoonful dose of romance infused with mystery, unveiling of secrets & a unimaginable twist. A fun & entertaining listen.

Narator Sarah L Colton enhanced the experience with a smooth pace and tone. Her performance brought pleasure to listening to this audiobook.

Looking forward to listening to the next audiobook in this series.

🎧 Audiobook Obsession

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"

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

One of the Most Creative Plots I’ve Read!

Wow! I never thought of the idea of humanizing reapers! This plot was amazingly creative, the characters were wonderful! Each had a unique background story! The narrators were fantastic and each were realistic. They all had a good flow! I loved book one! Now on to book two!

Good yet slightly lacking

My husband & I enjoyed this during our work commutes. Our opinions were very similar.

Narration was solid, no noticeable issues.

Average YA story. No real plot surprises, and unanswered questions might be covered in future book(s). Felt in a significant section of book, lead male was acting against established character; almost like story was written out of order.

Story should always trump narration, but that's not quite the case here.

#audiobookobsessionreviewer

GREAT WORLD...

The Reapers is taking a classic tale of the Grim Reaper, and turning it into a story of magic, mystery and above all else, love and romance. As reader, I fell in love with the story itself. Ali put her heart and soul into making this story come to life and she exceeded many expectations. I firmly believe she had proved herself to be one of the Greats. This was a geart listen and i can't wait for more of this series. 🎧AudiobookObsession

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.

the book was okay

I really couldn't get into it. I wanted to. unlike the beginning but ten it kind of fell off for me. the whole switching to multi pavs threw me off alot. the story line seemed great though.
had a lot of action and drama in it.

Great book

This was an interesting story with great characters and world building. The book is written on a unique concept and I will say that there are very few books written about grim reapers. With all the twist and turns in this book keeping you on your toes I must say the narrator did a good job with her performance.

The Reapers by Ali Winters

I always tell myself that I'm not into Fantasy genre but whenever I hear something this good I instantly forget that thoughts. This book is so wonderful and if you are not into Fantasy like me *snorts* you would still definitely like this.. it's action packed for me and definitely a five star read.

The narration by Sarah Colton in my opinion gave this book a more pleasant appeal by her wonderful voice.

Totally enjoyable and entertaining.. a must read or listen!


🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer

Great YA Urban Fantasy Romance

The Reapers, the first book in The Hunted Series, is an exciting YA Urban Fantasy. The storyline is well organized, light versus dark with mystery, twists, turns, and subtle romance. I liked the grim reaper concept, death with some gruesome implication, and the collection of souls. There is more than one reaper responsible for the delivery of the souls, they are charged with maintaining the balance.

The cast is excellent with distinct characteristics. The main character, Nivian, is a reaper, quite good at and very committed to her job. However, she is carious when it comes to humans, preferring to be among them. The story is interesting, the mystery keeps you engaged. Since the book is a series, it ends on a cliffhanger. Sarah L. Colton's narration is excellent. She gives life to the characters and the entire story.

🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer

Reapers AudiobookObsession

Wow! What a story! Oh my goodness! The narration of this story was superb, excellent, amazing and outstanding. And the story, there are no words to tell my fellow readers how AWESOME it is. I couldn't stop listening. I was up until the wee hours of the morning longing to find out what would happen next. The twists and turns had me glued to my seat, not wanting to move because I was in fear that I would miss something important. "The Reapers" has become one of my all time favorite audiobooks.


Ps: After listening to this, I bought all of the books in the series.

#AudiobookObsession

Enjoyable YA Fantasy

This story was unique and interesting. There was a romance aspect to the story but it was very clean and innocent making this a YA friendly book. The narrator was easy to listen too but her characters were a little flat. There wasn't a lot of distinction between them. Overall I did enjoy it and would consider listening to more in the future.

#audiobookobsessionreviewer

Generally Okay

2022 52 Book Challenge - Summer Genre Challenge - 16) Other Genre - I chose Paranormal Fiction

I really liked the general plot of this book, I thought it was quite interesting. There was also quite a few plot twists along the way that make it quite entertaining.

That being said, the characters were as dull as dishwater. How many times do I need to be told that the main character is small? I felt like I was reading Divergent, and I've never read that book. She also acts quite naively for being a centuries old being which, to me, was quite unbelievable. I had to stop listening a few times because what she was doing made no sense to me. The other main male characters, well to be honest, they all sort of blurred into one for me. Half the time, I couldn't actually differentiate which male character was in the scene because they all sounded exactly the same.

I'll probably try the next book to see if its any better because I do like reapers in fiction.

Good story, narrators voice a bit annoying

loved it but had to get used to the narrators voice, I found it a bit cringe worthy. But still enjoyed story line. Will look at the other books in series but narrator may put me off.

Excellent start to this series

The Reapers was a fantastic fantasy novel that had me hooked right from the start. It was fast paced and action packed and unlike anything I've ever read as this was the first novel I've read with Reapers.
The author did an excellent job with world building as she gave us a world that was easy to imagine. With well developed fascinating characters you will love, a plot that was imaginative and engrossing and quite a few twists and turns that will have you at the edge of your seat, this novel was an excellent start to The Hunted series and I would highly recommend it to all fantasy lovers.
The audiobook version was narrated by Sarah Colton who did a fantastic job with the characters, giving each one their own voice and personality. She brought the story to life and it was a pleasure listening to her narrate this novel.
AudiobookObsession

Amazing book to listen to

Love this book. Couldn't stop listening to it. Had to redo my review on it don't think it went though the first time but this audio is amazing and I highly recommend it big time.

I love reapers

I am loving the amount of reaper books available right now! The Reapers was a great. I liked Nivian, she was quirky, clumsy and very curious about humans, but had a huge heart. Kain was a fantastic character too, learning he is a hunter when all he has known is to be an ordinary human boy.
I enjoyed the storyline and the uniqueness of it, yes it may be another reaper book but it is different from others I have read. I was drawn in and could not leave until I had finished.

🎧 AudiobookObessionReviewer

Intriguing Story!

I loved Nivian's character and this book had me completely hooked wanting to see how everything would unfold for her. I can't wait to start book 2. Sarah L. Colton was a perfect narrator for this book.
🎧AudiobookObsession