Like teenage Ross, he’s the opposite of smooth, despite having popular Audie rooting for him to find a girlfriend. He’s kind of a young Ross Geller, bad hair and all, given his obsession with paleontology and crosswords.

Max is my sort of kid, in that he’s a total nerd. I’m sort of repeating myself here, but seriously if you love dark humor and you’re not reading Damico’s books, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?The big difference with Hellhole is that I simply didn’t emotionally bond with Max and the rest of the cast the same way I did with the people in Croak. Damico’s creative swears are still present, as are the snide pop culture reference, blissful nerdiness, and friendly misanthropy.

Though I didn’t like Hellhole as much as Croak, the humor is still most definitely on point. I think her style will appeal to those who enjoy Bryan Fuller shows (Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Hannibal) or similar off-kilter, darkly comedic programming. A bit sadly, Hellhole won’t be joining them on my eternal favorites list, but it’s still hilarious and dark and very Gina Damico.Damico’s humor is just so great. My expectations for Hellhole were sky high, because the Croak books are among my top favorites ever. If you have not read the Croak trilogy, you need to consider your priorities, because those books are so fucking amazing. I liked the narrator, some of the voices were irritating but I think that is because they were accurate representations of the characters.For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.For those who are not aware, Gina Damico writes some of the funniest and darkest YA novels today. This was a bad buy on my part and that's on me, but maybe I can save someone else the disappointment. I really kept thinking they would all just suddenly grow out of it when things got serious, but no, they never did. They never stop bickering and wise cracking and it really isn't ever cute or funny, just annoying. This book had so much potential, the premise is great if not entirely original, the plot itself is actually okay, but it is ruined by the fact that nearly every character is is an obnoxious child. It isn't so much fantasy about being a Grimm Reaper but a different kind of fantasy, the kind preteen and teens have about life as an adult: having a boyfriend, having cool friends that really make them feel like they belong to an exclusive group, and doing it all without parental supervision. Yes, I know it is YA, but this is juvenile even for YA.

Croak by Gina Damico