Meh.

Before I say anything else, remember that a 2-star rating from me on Goodreads means what Goodreads says it does--it was okay. NOT terrible, just okay. Although it was quite violent and dark, I kept with this story because it had characters and a setting with a ton of potential. However, as the story progressed, it felt like the main focus was on that darkness, not on fulfilling the potential.

The writing is strong and evocative, and the storyline progresses quickly for the most part (the backstory on each new character is sort of dumped all in one go, but it's interesting backstory and presented almost as part of the narrative, so it doesn't really slow the story down). I think it suffers in audiobook form because there are a lot of fight scenes, which, when read, mostly become confusing rather than exciting.

All in all, it was not my cup of tea, but if you like darker themes, a bleak setting, and lots of action, you'll probably like this book.

Death comes for one who does not want to go. This one does the unthinkable, he trades his son for more living time. His son, Nathaniel, becomes Death's apprentice. He works happily beside Death, learning is trade until something becomes known that will force him to face what he wants to be. The devil has plans, his plans involved horrible torture, scarifies and a bleak future for the human world. His minions are ready to start a war, and Nathaniel may be the one who can change to outcome.
This is one dark, dark story. It started out slow with a nice urban fantasy feel then quickly dove into horror and stayed there for the rest of the story. It also took on a strong religious storyline at about the 1/2 way point. I was a bit miffed and felt like I was tricked into reading this religious fiction. There was suddenly "Devil, God, Angels, Hell..." What did I land onto a Hell and Brimstone church meeting ? So, with that being said I enjoyed the 'horror' of it it was wonderfully written. I did not enjoy the religious tone.

The characters were interesting, the plot was sub par...the action was great if not a llittle disorienting, and the ending was made me cry. I'd read the sequel should there ever be one.

This was a complete rollicking good time. No there's not stretches waxing poetics about life and the universe, though there are some interesting points of personal growth and determining what meaning your life will have, at the end. There's no pages upon pages of teenage angst despite a main character being 17. Instead the story is simply a lot of kick-ass entertaining action in a world in which most have given up. The people involved may not be always be the most idealistically moral, but they have purpose and a dedication to helping others, even as doing so facilitates revenge in one case. The characters are lots of fun, humorous when they need to be, and brutal in a world of brutality. Add in a supremely well-written Lucifer and the mythology here has depth without drowning. The only let-down is the fact that there's only this one book so far.

Most of the time, when I read a good book I appreciate the story that the author was able to create. On occasion, I read a book that has a poor writing style but a good story. I finish the book with only mild disappointment about the style and probably never read the books written by that author again. When I come across a book that has a great writing style, I almost always enjoy it regardless of the story (I've even read some textbooks that I enjoyed purely for the style).

Death's Apprentice is one of those rare books that has an amazing writing style as well as the story to do it justice. The authors didn't subject us to the emotions of the characters, but instead gave us an almost factual perspective of what was happening. Still, I found myself fascinated by the characters. Nathanial, an emotionless character in the end was the one who gave me the most emotional response. Hank, the character who was the most uncaring, ends up caring for the one who needs it most. Blake is so beaten, but he finds the strength to fight the most.

All of the characters were able to turn around and find their purpose, fighting for the lives of those they are protecting. It makes me feel hopeful.

Felt like it could have been shorter, like parts dragged on. Also a lot more religious reference than I care for, like in an over-the-top kind of way.

There was so much potential here but I feel like it fell sadly flat.