*This review was read and written honestly and voluntarily. Possible spoilers ahead.

Where do we go when we pass?

17-year-old Shawn Turner figures that out when he wakes up with no memory… in a box being escorted by a stranger in outdated attire. As Shawn questions the stranger about what is happening, he notices he has no pulse.

He is, in fact, dead.

Thankfully, he is not the only one trying to figure out what the heck is happening. He bands together with a group of teenagers who are forced to become reapers and collect souls.

The First Assignment is where stories like A Deadly Education, Pennyroyal Academy, and Supernatural collide. So get ready for a teen-angst story unlike anything you’ve read before.

About The First Assignment

There’s nothing like a story where the character wakes up not knowing where they are. After purposefully not reading the synopsis for this book (which I sometimes do), I was happily shocked to find out the main character, Shawn Turner was experiencing an unfortunate fate.

You would think being dead is the worst-case scenario here until poor Shawn learns that he, and many others, are doomed to start a new career as reapers at Wayward Academy.

But when a fellow potential reaper has a meltdown at orientation and rushes the stage in protest, everything gets a little bloody. Shawn realizes this is definitely not the place he wants to be, and yet, the only other way out is a second death, which he is just not ready for.

After signing a 25-year contract, he starts interacting with “grounders,” (those living above ground), finding he is completely invisible to all of the living (with exceptions). But on All Hallows Eve, he accidentally stumbles (literally) into a young living woman, Cirie, and it turns out he’s not all that invisible.

Will Shawn carry out his duties as a reaper or use his new afterlife existence to make an impact?

Kelly’s Honest Review

The First Assignment is an exciting paranormal fantasy that ropes you in from the very first page. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel because the storyline was so unique. Being a suddenly dead 17-year-old kid who was now forced to collect souls really had me feeling bad for Shawn.

I particularly like stories with a lot of tension, and this book was not a disappointment. Page after page, I was constantly worrying about how Shawn was going to overcome his situation and how many obstacles would be thrown his way.

The great balance of dialogue and details really helped me feel like I was part of the story. And when it came time for the new reapers to carry out tasks to ensure their survival and prove themselves, I was on the edge of my seat.

There were a few places where the sentences were a bit clunky, and some details (like reapers being able to eat, feel physical exhaustion, or be basically corporeal) didn’t seem like “practical” things for a reaper to experience. But then again, this is a young adult fantasy and paranormal fiction novel.

I was also happy to learn this was part of a series and that he is already working on book two. With that, I very much look forward to reading the following books in this series.

Kelly’s Favorite Quote

“Shawn thought their movements were going to be slow and robotic, but they moved easily, like lava that hadn’t cooled yet.”

“What does one usually do after they collect a human soul?”

“Standing across from her was a bearded, six-foot-two boy, who looked like he’d eaten a whole Thanksgiving feast and then went to his neighbors to get seconds.”

“But death was inevitable: it moved through everyone.”

Book Cover Rating

This cover is clean and stunning.

The skull and cross bones, the scythe, and the graveyard are all telling of YA paranormal and fantasy without it being overwhelming visually. The choice of font also fits in really with the theme. I also love how the colors aren’t too bright, but they’re just bright enough to make it stand out.

I would definitely pick this up in a bookstore and look forward to seeing the covers from other future boos in the series.

Overall Rating: A

Other Publishing Information

• Date Published: 10/11/2022
• Self-Published
• ISBN: 979-8-218-07918-5
• YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal, YA Urban Fantasy
• Part of a Series: Book 1

More from the Billy Kramer

Billy Kramer was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. After attending Grand Valley State, he went on to work in advertising before pursuing his dreams of becoming a writer. Living outside of Detroit, he makes puns to annoy his friends and family while thinking of the next twist in his series.

Learn more about Billy on his website.