Book Spotlight - The Reaper by Jamie Woodhead

Tobias Peters was human until the day he died, trying to save his best friend. Upon the moment of his death, an angel appeared and asked him a favor from God.

“Become the Angel of Death.”

So begins Tobias's long journey through time until the day he falls in love with a mortal. They have a son together, but Tobias's wife is burnt at the stake for the crime of witchcraft and his son goes missing, lost in Time itself.

Tobias is drawn to a young man named Harvey White. Together, they quickly discover that all is not well with the world. The Demons are trying to free Evuhl from its Seal, to bring chaos and destruction to the world. It is up to the Angel of Death to make sure that doesn't happen.

Jamie Woodhead was a reader and a writer from a very young age. He wrote The Reaper, his first novel, as a teenager. The imaginative fantasy novel was released by Oaklight Publishing. Jamie currently resides in Sheffield, England, and is working on his next novel.


 My Thoughts:

The Reaper is the story of the Angel of Death, told unlike any other version you will ever read. In this book, Death is humanized at the same time that he is immortalized. Born a regular man, Tobias chooses to take on the roll of the Angel of Death when his best friend is the first mortal to die. He survives for countless years, but still manages to cling to his humanity. He falls in love and has a child, both of which are lost to him around the time of the witchcraft trials.  In the present time, he still searches for his son and grieves for the wife he lost even as he fulfills he daily duties of severing souls. Strangely enough, Tobias finds himself drawn to a job as a high school teacher, and there he begins to find clues to the family that he lost. But it may be too late for a family reunion, because Demons are on the prowl. They intend to release Evuhl from captivity and bring about an early Armageddon. Only The Angel of Death has the power to defeat the demons, but will his family and friends pay the ultimate price.

While I was reading The Reaper, I was amazed at how many elements of mythology and religion the author was able to blend into this novel. You will learn about pagan magic, meet archangels, encounter ancient deities, travel through time, see heroes achieve immortality, and so much more.  The story is fast paced and exciting with surprises around every corner, and a cliff hanger ending that will leave you wanting more. This is a wonderful novel and a fun read. When you consider that the author was only a teenager when this book was penned, you can only expect the next book in the series to be even better.