Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Naomi Grim Blog Tour hosted by IFB Tours. Click here for the full tour schedule.
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Title: Naomi Grim
Series: The Silver Scythe Chronicles #1
Author: Tiffany Nicole Smith
Release Date: September 29th 2013
Publisher: Twisted Spice Publications
Source: Review copy
Synopsis
The assignment:
Collect lifestones from humans after they die.
Rebellious, sixteen-year-old Naomi craves a normal life, but unfortunately, she's a Grim by birth. That's right, she sees dead people and hoards their living essence in a stone. Not a fun occupation.
In order to be good at her job, she must live among human teenagers for weeks at a time. But Naomi soon becomes attached to the kids she's been assigned to watch over. And knowing that these teens are gonna die under less than ideal circumstances, she has the opportunity to prevent their deaths from occurring. Only one big problem - interfering with death is the worst crime a Grim can commit. If she intervenes, she'll put herself and her family in danger.
Naomi must make the hardest choice of her career, go against the sacred covenant or watch her new friends walk blindly to their deaths.
Only one thing is for certain - Naomi has a grim knack for finding trouble and she's about to break all the rules...
Life and death
Naomi Grim is the kind of book that made me realize I wanted something I didn't even know I wanted. Or maybe I just didn't know how to put it into words. Either way, this was a read that had me thinking beyond the story about life and death and the bigger picture which led me to absolutely love this story. A book is special to me when it can not only give me an escape from reality for a while but also give me much to think about. Naomi Grim is special to me.
Naomi - most compassionate Grim ever
Naomi is a character I could relate with, and she asked questions I would ask if I was in her shoes - things like why is there a lower class of Grims who are allowed to die when there are plenty of lifestones to go around and why is it so terrible to feel sad when someone dies, especially if that person dies a horribly violent death or is really young? She has thoughts and feelings that cause other Grims to look down on her, especially her older brother, Bram. She's expected to just accept things the way they are, and I love that she doesn't.
The brother
Bram was a character I couldn't stand as harsh as that is to say. He's Naomi's older brother and is so full of himself, thinking he should just get away with whatever he wants. He's the favorite son of their father, and I could see why - Bram and his father are just alike - both power hungry and willing to suck up to their boss. It's sickening really. Naomi is the opposite of Bram so everything I love about Naomi is everything I don't like about Bram.
Family life as a Grim
Naomi's parents brought out different reactions in me - I loved her mother but wasn't fond of her father. Naomi's mother understood her the best, but they didn't get to spend much time together being called at different times on assignment. Her father was power hungry and only cared about moving up to the next class. The amount of time he spent sucking up to the top Grim and the research he constantly did was all in an effort to snag a privileged life for him and his family. I suppose if I had an unlimited amount of time to live, maybe I would want the same thing. I'd like to think not though.
Grim customs
The customs of a Grim created by Smith is not only imaginative and creative but also believable. Grims live by stricter laws than humans do in some ways. For example, parents choose who their children marry, and tattoos are forbidden and seen as body mutilation. I was surprised at some of the the laws and regulations they must live by. I didn't think Grims would have some of the beliefs and laws they did.
Overall
Naomi Grim was a story that stole my heart from the beginning, and one that I won't be forgetting any time soon. If you're looking for a young adult paranormal novel that isn't about vampires, I highly recommend this one!
My Rating:
Tiffany Nicole Smith resides in South Florida where she enjoys teaching as well as writing middle grade and young adult fiction. Tiffany enjoys reading and watching horror, action, and fantasy movies - all of which inspire new story ideas. Be on the lookout for upcoming releases.
Author Links
Blog Tour organized by:
Thank you, Shane, and thanks so much for working with me this week! :D
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