Review: Death Lies Between Us by Jody A. Kessler

Goodreads Summary:

Saving the life of someone you love should not be the worst thing you have ever done, unless you are an Angel of Death. Disgruntled with his position in the afterlife and conflicted by his feelings toward his new client, Nathaniel Evans forgoes the rules and saves nineteen year old Juliana Crowson from being hopelessly stuck in Forge Creek. This alters Juliana's destiny and she finds herself in a series of near death accidents. In the mountains of Colorado, Nathaniel comforts Juliana as she struggles to understand her paranormal abilities while coping with her brother's drug addiction. When an ill-tempered Native American Shaman teaches her the difference between ghosts and place memories, she decides she wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. Too bad she doesn't know that Nathaniel is part of it. Will fate bring these two together, or has Nathaniel made the biggest mistake of his afterlife?

Publication Date: March 1, 2013

Death Lies Between Us is an original debut that had me turning the pages until the middle of the night. Characterizations were superbly done and I really felt like Nathaniel, Jules and Jared jumped off the page. I’m a sucker for reaper novels and Death Lies Between Us is another one to add to my faves list.

The novel is told in both Jules and Nathaniel’s point of views, which gives readers plenty of insight from both characters’ perspectives. I also liked how the author paced the novel and how the mysteries unfolded in a gradual manner. The suspense was also well done because I kept waiting for something horrible to happen to Jules since Nathaniel was there to escort her to her death. Her brushes with danger made for some nail-biting scenes.

The author stands out from the YA paranormal romance crowd by adding in some unique aspects to her book. I especially loved the Native American mythology incorporated and really learned a lot from the sections that dealt with spirituality. The setting was also beautiful and added to the magic of the story.

YA is a tough genre for me to read sometimes because I love the books in it, but I’m always looking for books with crossover appeal. Luckily, Death Lies Between Us can be categorized in this way. I’d recommend the book not only to YA fans, but anyone who enjoys paranormal novels.

Rating: 5/5 Stars