THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT

Kramer makes an impressive debut with a twisted tale of a teenager who wakes up to find himself in an elite academy of grim reapers.

Seventeen-year-old Shawn Turner doesn’t remember dying. But when he suddenly finds himself at Wayward Academy for training on how to become a reaper of souls, he’s forced to admit that he is, in fact, deceased: “This time Shawn didn’t need the grip of the gate to stop the blood flow in his body, because not only did Shawn not know where he was; he had no heartbeat.” As he struggles to adjust to his new role and surroundings, he makes fast friends with Quintin “Q” Prodit, Maple Collins, and Jay Musters. Wayward Academy teachers instruct the group on how to properly collect souls. Once given a name and approximate time of death, they must retrieve the glowing orb above the dead body to make sure the deceased moves on to the “next phase”—otherwise, they will turn into a ghost. But when Shawn is confronted with collecting a living person (called a “grounder”) named Cirie who can see him in the mortal world, the newbie reaper questions whether he can actually save his charge instead of ferrying him to his final resting place. But Shawn and his new friends must decide whether they’re willing to pit themselves against the other reapers to take a stand and save a soul. Kramer’s keen eye for detail makes this novel a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit occasionally gruesome, tour through the underworld. Whether it’s descriptions of ghostly horses (“In contrast to the horse’s dark coat were bones visible on the side of its face and yellowing with decay. Where the right eye should have been was an empty socket that had skin flaking off like a bad case of dandruff”) or depictions of suicide, heavy themes often mix with lighter moments. All of that makes for an action-packed yet thoughtful novel that both young adults and adults can enjoy. A cliffhanger ending brings hope for a sequel.

Deft pacing and engaging characters make this an intriguing exploration of life, death, and all the choices in between.