"Grim" by David Cinnella delves into supernatural suspense with a grim bargain at its core. The premise is intriguing, blending both horror and philosophy. The book highlights the lengths someone will take to protect the ones they love, even if it means hurting others along the way. Although I enjoyed the philosophical undertones of the book, at times the pacing did feel a little slow. Overall, Grim is a thought-provoking supernatural tale that raises compelling questions about loss and sacrifice.

The plot is interesting. I've always been fascinated by the grim reaper. But the execution is more to the fantasy side than horror. And the characters need a bit of developing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinions.

More fantasy than horror. A intriguing book about how truly careful every decision you make is. Its a good adventure for sure. And mentally creepy

I did not understand this book at all. Gabriel Matthews can see the Grim Reaper. He saw him when is father died and when his mother is dying, he makes a deal for her recovery. Gabriel will giver the Reaper 100 souls in exchange for his mother's health. My problem was I did not care about any of the characters.

This was my first book by David Cinnella. Horror is a new genre to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect! The plot was definitely good and is this book exciting to see the lengths people go for their loved ones. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

its a dark supernatural, mystery, thriller, with a couple of dark themes such as illness, death and bullying. Gabriel, who when he was an angry, bullied teenager, becomes friends with someone only he can see, and the person ended up being the grim reaper and he then made a deal with the grim reaper. If he wants to save a life, he has to take a life, and when his mother gets cancer he tries to find a way to save both his mother and himself.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC it was an interesting, unique read.

Gabriel Matthews has always been able to see the Grim Reaper when death is near. Silent and imposing, the Reaper has lingered as a terrifying yet fascinating figure in the teen’s life. 
Until now.
When unexpected tragic news arrives, the Reaper offers Gabriel a terrible choice, one that demands everything he has to give, and that will thrust him into a nightmare far worse than he ever imagined.

An Interesting if predictable take on the Grim reaper. I did enjoy even though I kept finding myself losing interest now and then as the story slowed.
It wasn't the best horror story I have yet read this year but it is worth giving a chance if you don't like your horror too gory or bloody.

Recommended for young adult audiences or those new to the genre. Published date FEB. 26, 2025
Thanks to @netgalley and Book Whisperer for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The premise of Grim was intriguing and any book featuring the Grim Reaper is usually a hit with me.

A teenage boy making a deal with the Grim Reaper to spare his mother’s life should make a gripping story but I had to force myself to keep reading. I found the majority of the characters, especially the main character, unlikeable and I really couldn’t get invested enough to care what happened.

Although I didn’t I’m sure there will be a lot of people who will really enjoy this book.

Excellent! It had a good pace, interesting characters and I loved the premise. Would definitely read other books by this author!

This book had a lot of potential... Interesting concept However it really fell flat towards the middle and I just found myself wishing it was done.... The ending didn't redeem it...

I really wanted to like this book. The description sounded so interesting, and I wanted to learn more about the Grim Reaper. However, I got 25% of the way into it and couldn't finish. The writing was juvenile, and the dialogue was trite. The main character, a boy who starts in elementary school, didn't speak at all like a small child. And when he gets to high school, it felt more like how a middle aged man who wasn't cool assumed "bad kids" spoke and acted. The parents were... lacking. Conflicts felt forced and contrived, and I wanted the grim reaper character to be more somehow. Maybe it got better, but I could not bring myself to spend more time on this story.

Because children can see otherworldly creatures due to their innocence, Gabriel found it easy to see the shadow that hung around when someone passed away. He was too young to understand what he was seeing and the entity could not speak. Gabriel eventually realizes he is communicating with the Grim reaper. I had some very mixed feelings while reading this book. I guess I had questions as to why Gabriel could see the Grim reaper but not anyone else. He almost seemed to like being friends with Grim. Once his mom became sick, the reality of what Grim did was weighing on his mind. The contract, once laid out, should not have been offered to a child. Manipulative behavior was constructed as a way to help instead of being what it was…a trap. Unfortunately for Gabriel he did not know the full scope of what he was about to do and the consequences of his choice. This book was very dark and bleak.

First off Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book to read.

To look at the cover of this book I wasn't a 100% sure this would be my thing.  But as I continued to read about gabe his "friends" and the story around his family. And the situation he found himself in I found myself hooked. I'm yet to read a story like this, the concept of death and the grim reaper I found interesting. I wanted to know what would happen to Gabe and Irene (his mum). I would recommend this story to others. Thank you David for writing a genuinely interesting and fascinating read.

Well, it is an interesting topic, which has also been used quite a bit. While I was trying not set myself up for any reconceptions, it was difficult not to compare the book to Mort, Scythe Trilogy or The Reaper Chronicles.

Out of all them, this one is probably the darkest and most depressing. Not necessarily in a bad way. It's a dark topic and even though authors often want push for humour way of looking at it, there is also a different side to it. I couldn't say that it was my favourite of the similarly themed reads... it went on a scale of "okay". Not bad, not brilliant either.

The chosen language is easy to read, so unless you're bothered about constant gnawing doubts, self guilt and other morale issues plaguing the main character, you probably will breeze through it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to review.

3.5 stars

This was an interesting read! I haven't read many books dealing with the grim reaper, so this one felt pretty unique to me.

Unfortunately this one was just okay. It was pretty slow at the start, but got a little more interesting as it went along. It felt a little more 'thriller' than horror, so that took away from the story a bit for me, as I was expecting more horror.

Overall though, pretty interesting and worth a read.

This book had me at the edge of my seat, very good, twists and turns. Will be ordering this book for my collection.

I liked the book. I thought the plot and characters were interesting. I found it less horror, and more dark suspense? I think the premise is interesting though and it was enjoyable.

Grim by David Cinella
3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐

Gabe sees a black hooded figure constantly lingering around him after his father's death. He's the only one who can see it. He is bullied a lot in school so he befriends the figure, or the Grim Repear himself. Now Gabriel is all grown up but the repear still as his friend. Until one day he receives a devastating news. Then me makes a deal, with the death itself to undo the happenings. But what would this deal cost him???
For the plot, it wasn't exactly horror like, but it did question a lot of moral values of the characters. How far can one go to save the person they love. It was really interesting to read how Gabe's choice affected him and what happened of him. A 4 for the plot.
For the characters, I love Gabe's development. As the story progresses we see how he loses all his human morals to reach his one goal.

Overall it was a good read with excellent pacing, story development and the overall theme and idea, putting yourself into Gabe's shoes gets you thinking.
Thanks yo Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc.. sorry im reviewing a bit later than anticipated .. life does that sometimes.

It was a very interesting series of events. Some things i guessed but the ending, as per usual cuz i cant predict everything, was kinda unexpected but i loved it. It reminded me of death note and when a monster calls when i started reading it .. i love both so i continued reading with ease. The clues and nuggets dropped in sugarcoated the unexpected ending. I was still shocked but not really surprised either. It felt good to have a well rounded ending. I like those. Feels like huge full-stop yk?

Recommend!! Hoping everyone that reads this enjoys it like i did, if not more.

ARC Review ✨️

♡Gabriel & the Reaper♡

Grim is a fascinating dark tale. The author was not wrong when they said the writing would haunt you! I completely love that!! I'm a horror fanatic, so the darker the better! 😈🖤

Gabriel can see the Reaper whenever death is near. He's always kept to himself until one day he gives Gabriel a choice. The cost is ultimately his humanity. Gabriel quickly finds out that death isn't the scariest part, but instead, it's only the beginning of where horror truly lurks.

The writing and the character building were written flawlessly. The whole concept around this book was highly intriguing. The suspense that kicked in when you know there's about to be a major plot twist was perfectly executed. I highly recommend this story to any fans of the horror world!

Thanks so much to the author, Book Whisperer, and Netgalley for the ARC!