How to be Death
Authors: Amber Benson
PRAISE FOR
serpent’s storm
“Delightfully charming. Calliope Reaper-Jones is hysterical. One can’t help but root for her to get the man, save the world, and get her heart’s desire in the process. This character-driven addition to the Reaper-Jones series is truly fantastic.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Amber Benson shines through her novel and entices readers. Calliope’s personality is genuine, and readers will definitely love her.”
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Nocturne Romance Reads
“A thoroughly enjoyable, imaginative book, well-realized in both concept and execution.”
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Assignment X
“Fast-paced but filled with humor and pathos. A powerful, action-packed thriller.”
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Genre Go Round Reviews
“Benson has brought the series to a new, impressive height—dark, startling, and [with] plenty of shocking surprises. Urban fantasy fans should not miss this fantastic series.”
cat’s claw
“Callie bounces from twist to twist as she explores Benson’s richly imagined world, where multiple mythologies blend and the afterlife is run as a corporation.”
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Publishers Weekly
“An entertaining, frenzied fantasy frolic that will have the audience laughing at the chick-lit voice of the heroine, who is willing to go to heaven on a hellish cause.”
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Genre Go Round Reviews
“Benson is back with a second helping of her refreshing take on death and purgatory… Callie’s offbeat humor and viewpoint guarantee a madcap romp.”
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RT Book Reviews
“A fun, snappy read to the tune of a chick-lit writing style, set in a colorful supernatural world. It’s a charming mesh of several myths with an unconventional modern-day twist that hosts a cast of quirky, likable, and diverse characters.”
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Fantasy Dreamer’s Ramblings
“Sustains the style and pace of
Death’s Daughter
but adds deepening characterization.”
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The Monthly Aspectarian
death’s daughter
“Amber Benson does an excellent job of creating strong characters, as well as educating the reader on some great mythology history … a fast-paced and very entertaining story.”
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Sacramento Book Review
“An urban fantasy series featuring a heroine whose macabre humor fits perfectly with her circumstances. Sure to appeal to fans of Tanya Huff’s Vicki Nelson series and Charles de Lint’s urban fantasies.”
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Library Journal
“A beguiling blend of fantasy and horror … Calliope emerges as an authentically original creation … The humorous tone never gets in the way of the imaginative weirdness of the supernatural events.”
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Locus
“In
Death’s Daughter
, Benson provides a fun romp that defines the rules of an exciting new universe you’ll be champing at the bit to dive back into time and again. There’s action; there’s intrigue, redemption, an adorable hell puppy, and even a hot guy or two. What more could you ask for?”
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Buffyfest
“Amber Benson writes an amusing, action-packed, chick-lit urban fantasy loaded with more twists and curves than a twist-a-whirl … Filled with humor and wit, this is a refreshing, original thriller as double, triple, and nth crossings are the norm.”
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Genre Go Round Reviews
“With a creative story line as proof, Ms. Benson adds writing to her ever-growing list of talents. Set within an intriguing paranormal world,
Death’s Daughter
unfolds a seductive tale of power and deception. A great start to a series that will be easy for readers to get hooked on.”
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Darque Reviews
“Opens the door on an intriguing, fully thought-out universe, with a likable main character and the potential for mayhem around every corner. It’s a lot of fun.”
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Fangoria
“A lively and funny story packed with nonstop action … Benson’s flair for combining mythology and pop culture to create laugh-out-loud characters and incidents strongly reminded me of Esther Friesner’s
Temping Fate
.”
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The Green Man Review
“Callie is sarcastic, smart-mouthed, and overwhelmed. I liked her a lot! I found this to be an amusing book from start to finish. It was refreshing to have a lighthearted but still-suspenseful paranormal come on the scene. The mythology and settings were unique and creepy (my favorite) … Callie’s voice was spot-on for a twenty-four-year-old assistant living in New York who is suddenly dropped into the middle of Hell. I have a feeling this is the start of a series, so I will be eagerly awaiting more adventures of Callie, Clio, and Runt the hellhound.”
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Night Owl Reviews
“Amber Benson has created a brash, sassy heroine oozing attitude as she deals with family, business, an angry goddess, zombie armies, and betrayal in this imaginative blend of assorted mythologies. The snappy dialogue keeps pace with the quick pace while providing a fun touch of self-deprecating humor. It should be interesting to see where Benson takes Callie next.”
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Monsters and Critics
“‘Multitalented’ doesn’t begin to cover the gifts of former
Buffy
TV-alumna Benson. Her quirky, cranky, and humorous heroine leads readers on a wacky first-person adventure through Hell. Great supporting characters and wild antics keep the pace brisk and the humor flowing.”
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RT Book Reviews
Ace Books by Amber Benson
DEATH’S DAUGHTER
CAT’S CLAW
SERPENT’S STORM
HOW TO BE DEATH
death
AMBER BENSON
ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
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(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
HOW TO BE DEATH
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with Benson Entertainment, Inc.
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Ace mass-market edition / March 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Benson Entertainment, Inc.
Cover art by Spiral Studio.
Cover design by Judith Lagerman.
Interior text design by Tiffany Estreicher.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
EISBN: 9781101560426
ACE
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
death
