I absolutely loved this quirky original debut novel from Veronika Dapunt. 'Death' needs a break after millions of years of welcoming souls to the Other Side. Her sister 'Life' doesn't think its a good idea - anything could happen whilst Death is off duty.
But once a substitute Death has been recruited, the original Death is given a human body and set up with a job in a London lawyers' office. The team are amazed at their new recruit's knowledge and skills - she can read ancient languages, recall obscure facts about how people have died, and so much more. When the company is asked to work on a seemingly random death, 'Death' instantly knows that this is an unplanned death, and not in the universe's Master Plan. She also knows that if unplanned deaths are taking place, it can only be a handful of 'people' causing the deaths.

Its funny, its utterly original, its very well written - I adored it.

DNF. I'm not sure what it was, but I just could not get into this - and I gave it a while to try and grab me. I picked it up and put it down again, never quite enticed enough to return to the pages to figure out what was going on. In theory, I love the concept, it's a fascinating thing. But I just felt like there were so many plot strings, so much being thrown at me without being explained or justified as part of the plot that it just began to fall apart. It was like trying to build a sandcastle with dry sand - disappointing and leaving you searching for something wet (where on earth is this metaphor going...?). I might return to it in the future, but it just didn't sit properly with my reading tastes right now.

This is an unusual story written from the viewpoint of Death, AKA the Grim reaper, who decides to take a sabbatical from her intense work to experience life as a human.

Aided by her sister Life she takes the form of a young woman who lives in a tiny flat in London and has a promising career in criminal law.

However being a human is more complex than she realises and Life has also given her feelings, which is very confusing, especially when she becomes close to Marco, who just happens to be very good looking!

Unfortunately her holiday is disrupted somewhat by some unexplained deaths, which are not of the Plan and she is compelled to find out what is happening. Is the Temp not doing his job correctly while she is away or are there more evil things underway?

This story is an interesting take on the concepts of life and death but I must admit it was a little too fantastical for me towards the end. A fun read though!

I was sent a copy of Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt to read and review by NetGalley. I loved this book! It is very entertaining and has a good amount of laugh out loud moments. The characters, some of them quite unexpectedly, are very believable and the premise of the story is quite unique – although having Death as a physical character isn’t new in itself. The whole gamut of emotions is included in the story and I’m hoping that some of the characters will be taken into future books. I will certainly be looking out for more titles by this author regardless.

A very enjoyable read. Death, a female, wants a holiday so comes to London to live with humans. She wears outlandish bright colours to counteract the human image black cloak and scythe. Unplanned deaths happen so Death investigates. He meets the Vice President for Pandemonium & Perdition (Satan) and the Human Communication Director (Jesus). Death sees life on Earth from a different perspective to humans.

Although I took a little while to get into the book, it was funny, inciteful and absoluely crazy. I can't wait to see where Dapunt takes the reader next.

This book was so much fun! It gave me lucifer (the tv show) vibes which I love. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book so quickly, I struggled to put this down! I love the plot and the mystery - it wasn’t too heavy. It made me feel every emotion! Such a great read!

Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for a review.
I really don’t like to cry at books – in fact, I avoid books where I think I might cry – but there’s one thing about a book that makes you cry: it clearly had a massive impact on you.
This is the story of Death, only she is not a dude with a scythe and a black cloak – or only sometimes. I love the idea of Death being personified, and it works really well here. A few years ago, I read a book called Mrs Death Misses Death, and I loved the concept, although I don’t think it was as well executed as it could have been. This book takes a similar concept – Death, personified in an unexpected way – but this one is brilliant. The whole thing works.
So, Death – being the creature that everyone in existence fears – fancies a break and is given some time off by the Boss (God), and a human body by her sister, Life. She comes to London, gets a job, a flatmate, and an eccentric fashion sense. Only, there’s something suspicious going on, and she feels honour-bound to investigate. We follow her and the people she meets as they figure out what’s going on.
The character of Death is endearing, and the fact that everyone hates or fears her makes you feel sorry for her! But all the characters are pretty great. My favourite, other than Death, was definitely Garm, her beagle. I’d rescue her too.
If you have knowledge of Christianity, this book will make the most sense to you, as there are cameos from both Satan and Jesus – although possibly not in a way that those with a strong belief will approve of. But it is very gentle and inoffensive. I think both those with no belief, and those with some, will enjoy this book.
It is a strongly plotted novel with a brilliant sense of humour, and even though it is a debut, it really doesn’t feel like one. This is accomplished and unputdownable.
My only slight criticisms are: the use of Americanisms – this is clearly a British book, set mainly in London, and we just don’t have parking lots – and occasionally it’s hard to tell who is speaking, and you have to re-read to work out who said what. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to everyone!

I loved the character of death and her obviously very dark humour.
It's a fun read, I just found that with it being a rather mixed genre that it could get a little muddy plot wise.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

I’m clearly in my quirky books about death era after finishing Masters of Death and Veronica Dapunt’s offering Death and Other Occupational Hazards was just what I needed to scratch the itch.

The first thing I loved was death being a women with a fun sense of style 💜the second was I love the voice of the character who is above humanity but still floundering at the start with the mundane. Plus we are investigating the unexplained deaths that were not by her which was an intriguing premise.

This is the perfect read for those looking for something different, fun and fast paced.

Refreshing escapism and wildly entertaining, 'Death and Other Occupational Hazards' will keep you dancing attendance as Death battles with life on earth and her sister, Life, not to mention intriguing murders - people who weren’t on her list for transportation …
Slick and sassy, madly comic, but make sure your heartstrings are primed for ‘unexpecteds’.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards is Veronika Dapunt’s debut novel which blends multiple genres including, fantasy, mystery and comedy.

The story follows the personification of Death, who is sent to Earth on a mission to uncover the truth behind a string of “unplanned” deaths. To solve the mystery, Death must take on a human job and find the cause in person.

The book is brilliantly written, with world-building that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I especially loved the fresh, imaginative take on the concept of death. She’s full of curiosity and warmth, and as she experiences her first real human connections, we get to witness meaningful character arc.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free gifted digital copy of this book!

This fun novel shines a new light on Death, making her a hard-working supernatural entity who just needs a break from work. Things get weird when she decides to do something about her burnout and go human for a while. Someone starts killing people who aren’t even on the list, and it's up to her to figure out what's happening. It’s a great mix of mystery, laughs, and some real feelings.

This take on Death is great. She’s full of life, cares about nature, and feels human connections for the first time. Her tricky relationship with her sister Life adds some nice flavour. There is also a little bit of romance thrown in! This book blends genres while making you laugh and think about the bigger picture of life. It’s a good read that'll stick with you after you're finished.

Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bantam Books UK and Veronika Dapunt for the ARC.

"Her job is to die for. Literally.

After all, who better to investigate a murder than Death herself?"

I was excited to pick up this read but unfortunately it didnt live up to my expectations. I think I mostly struggled with how the book was written. I just couldn't get into the narrative at all unfortunately.

It seems like overall this book is getting a lot of positive feedback so I do think that it's a me problem and not the book itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

What a great book! I laughed, I gasped (especially at the end of chapter 29), I cried in a good way (mainly at the end and during chapter 30). This Death is a brilliant character, she makes wry observations about humans but many of these observations are quite thought provoking.

I love the way the author deals with The Boss, the VP, Jay and Life. Funny but not irreverent and I just loved the effect Jay has on people, quite moving and affirming really.

Apart from the excellent characters, the story is intriguing and I did not guess who was behind the Unplanned Deaths. As i was reading, I wondered how it would all pan out, especially given Delara's love for Marco but the ending is so good, it is the choice I would have made, or maybe I would have gone for the flowers, but for a while there I did wonder if love conquers all.

This is one of the best and most enjoyable books I have read for a while, a nice change from deep, meaningful literary books filled with melancholy and angst.

Death is not a figure in black carrying a large scythe, it a woman who needs a holiday. Her sister, Life, who she has a fractious relationship with, organises a body, job and flat in London for Death’s sabbatical. But in her job as with a legal firm the case she is on is the death of a young man, not one she recognises and she should, after all she is Death and responsible for All deaths.
This needs investigation.
A really enjoyable book, very quirky and different. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

New Review - Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the debut novel for @vmdapunt and my first @netgalley review. I cannot thank @penguinukbooks enough for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book before its release. If you are a fan of dark comedic humour, then this is the book for you. Death and Other Occupational Hazards draws you in from the first page written from the view point of Death herself "Have you ever felt like, despite your best efforts to be considerate and helpful, no one appreciates you".

Death is fed up of always being pictured as a skeleton in a black cloak with a scythe and is determined to change this. She asks the boss if she can come to Earth on a sabbatical, but just as she starts to enjoy her vacation, everything starts to go horribly wrong with unplanned deaths occurring to throw everything into chaos. Can she work out who is causing these events and why? Throw into the mix some human emotions and a hot parasitologist, and the result is an absurdly good page turner that will have you wanting more.

Due to be released tomorrow, what are you waiting for?

#newrelease #newbook #books #bookreview #bookworm #bookstagram ##pageturner #readingtime

When Death immerses herself in the real world, things start to go wrong. Someone is murdering those not on her list. She finds herself needing to investigate what is going on. Will she find who is responsible before it is too late?

I like the concept of this one as it sounded fresh and original, as well as slightly quirky. This was certainly intriguing and different, however I found that it was less thriller-ish than I thought it would be and more of a mash up of fantasy, comedy, romance with a mystery element. I enjoyed some of the humour but struggled to form a connection with the characters or overall storyline, meaning it was hard to stay invested. I definitely appreciate what the author has created but this wasn’t a favourite genre for me. Even so, I can see this being a popular read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Death, fed up of the black sack and sythe, believes it needs a little research holiday. After getting a temp to cover her duties, she ends up in London. Her sister, Life, has found her a shoe box bedroom in a tiny flat and using the name Delara Donn she finds a job as a papralegal.

Then the unplanned deaths begin to happen. This is not good. Instead of cutting short her sabbatical she decides to investigate. This causes conflict with her sister and with The Boss, not the one at the law firm but he real Boss.

There is a little romance which, I must admit concerned me and brought me out of the story for a while but Dapunt contro;ls the narrative so well that Marcus' presence does not feel forced.

An intersting debut novel, Favourite character, Garm.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love that death in this book is taking a break as a human woman on earth. That in itself is a great story. Then add in some mystery, office politics, sibling rivalry and romance.
It's as much about life as it is about death. I liked how death was changed by the humans that she met. It's an amusing book even though there is obviously a darker side

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A lot more than I thought I would, to be honest. It's a bit of a mix - a funny supernatural murder mystery. It has an outstanding premise - what happens when Death takes a holiday in London? Or sabbatical, in her words. I loved that Death is female, and reading about her exploits, learning how to be a human and how to exist in the human world was funny and endearing. When she realises that there are Unplanned Deaths happening, meaning outside the Plan she adheres to, she starts to investigate, with the help of her will they/wont't they friend Marco and her sister Life, placing herself and her loved ones in great danger. She even adopts a little dog that she frees from a horrible environment, and quickly falls in love with her while realising the wonderfulness that are dogs.

My emotions were all over the place while reading this book. It was funny, intriguing, dramatic, mysterious, devastating and heart-wrenching, all inside 384 pages. I can't wait to read more from this author.