The Stray Reader

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Author:	Olivie Blake
Genre(s):	➡️ Paranormal ➡️ LGBTQIA+ Romance ➡️ Urban Fantasy
Series?	❎ No
Goodreads Rating:	⭐ 3.82 (13.6k ratings; 3.3k reviews)
Personal Rating:	⭐ 4 / 5 Overall 🌶️ 0 / 5 Spice

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🛑 Spoiler Warning 🛑

I might be recounting events, characters, and themes so THIS MIGHT BE FULL OF SPOILERS.

If you’d like to read a review with the spoilers hidden, kindly scroll to the bottom to read my spoiler-free review in the ‘Recommendations’ section or head to my Goodreads post. You don’t need an account to read it. 🙂

BLURB

Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.

Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a shameless fraud, he isn’t entirely without his uses—seeing as he’s actually the godson of Death.

When Viola seeks out Fox to help her with her ghost-infested mansion, he becomes inextricably involved in a quest that neither he nor Vi expects (or wants). But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost love and an annoying dead body isn’t nearly as distinct as they thought.

🌟Review (4/5) 🌟

Surprisingly deep plot points converge these witty characters to create an absolutely wonderful story. I love it when it all comes together!

Plot

A vampire, a ghost, a demon, a reaper, an angel, a demigod, and Death’s godson walk into a gambling den.

There is a game that immortals play. It is played around tables that open at dusk, and close at dawn. The stakes are impossibly high, and yet laughably low. There is only one secret: the more you have to lose, the harder it is to win. There is only one rule: don’t lose.

It is amazing how a simple dilemma of a vampire realtor trying to sell a haunted house led to this surprisingly in-depth story. It’s basically a bunch of paranormal creatures full of angst acting cool around each other that eventually leads to unlikely friendships, romance, and family. Isn’t it fun to root for the misfits and realize that they were meant to find each other?

Although the plot revolves around Fox, each character gets their own limelight. Every time a character’s backstory enters the story is like a blindfold being removed. Slowly, the vision of what’s ahead gets clearer until it all makes sense in the end.

I love that each romance trope is different and that I felt the bittersweet moments from each of their unique situations. I relished the thought-provoking conversations about death and humanity. And honestly, the little touch of Death’s narration in the end moved me.

“Try not to take it personally when I see you again. It’s bound to happen, after all, and I’d like to be able to keep it friendly between us, if we can. We’re both simply fulfilling our purposes, aren’t we?”

– Death

To be honest, the game itself was pretty unamusing once I found out what it was. Also, I had to overcome the biggest plot hole in my opinion which is why would Death ever take someone for a godson if he was so against having feelings? But once I decided to let that go, I had a great time.

Characters

What really made me finish this book in one sitting are the characters. Each of them so distinct with their pasts that they feel real. Their banters don’t come across as disrespectful and degrading; they just emanate playfulness, and they play off each other so well.

“He’s very testy at the moment. I think it’s the caffeine.”

“He didn’t have any caffeine,” Vi said.

“Yes,” Cal agreed, “and I think that’s the problem.”

Even the side characters like the archangels gave their own distinct vibes.

Recommendation

If you’d like to see a variety of paranormal creatures make unlikely friendships and romance, by what feels like destiny, culminating in a deadly gamble, then I highly suggest checking out this book!

There are also interesting side characters like Death, the archangels, and various gods and goddesses across beliefs that add interesting flavors in the mix.

Most importantly, the plot won’t leave you wanting for more. Each character’s journey is like a thread that eventually wraps with each other creating a ribbon that neatly wraps everything together.

Favorite Quote(s)

“Wishes are darker things than we imagine; because they are so close to wants, and from there only inches from desires, and thus can so easily devolve headlong into vices.”

— Mayra Kaleka

“Time is always in motion, even if you personally opt to desist. Whether you come or go or leave or stay, time continues. People are left. People are found. To think that resigning yourself to permanence is permanent is already in error.”

— Brandt Solberg