Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: graphic depictions of death, mentions of suicide, abuse and domestic violence, death

This beautifully written horror novel follows the story of a young boy called Sonny, who has recently lost his father and thus his will to live. He struggles to live with himself, and as he is barely managing to cope, he encounters the Grim Reaper, a poetry and cigarette-loving junkie that has a deep obsession with junk food. Sonny has then been deemed the next successor of death, and together they face the struggles and tasks necessary for Sonny's rise as the new Angel of Death.

Personally, the concept of this novel had me intrigued immediately because I have always loved literature that focuses on the personification of Death. I adored the lyrical feel of this novel, and I think that the author did a magnificent job of exploring the themes of grief and loss. This novel was genuinely so interesting, that it truly did pain me to give it a 3.5 star rating, rounded down. I wasn't a huge fan of the way that the Grim Reaper was characterized, as it felt a bit unnatural at times and his quirky nature was quite jarring to everything that was happening in the novel at the time. Also, sometimes the pacing felt a bit too slow, and when it sped up, I felt some holes in the narrative flow of the plot, but that was just my personal opinion. The end was really heartfelt, and I was flipping the pages back and forth because I could not believe how quickly it was wrapped up, and I was desperate for it to be drawn out just a bit more. These are just my minor complaints, and the reason why I was not able to give this novel the solid 4 stars that I felt it deserved, even though I truly did enjoy it thoroughly.

Overall, this novel felt a lot more philosophical and mature, but that was what I truly enjoyed. Even though my rating is only slightly above average, I would still highly recommend anyone who loves the deeper humanization of Death and the Afterlife, to definitely pick up this novel, as it is a very enjoyable read. I felt chills throughout, so that purpose was definitely fulfilled, and I am so disappointed that I could not enjoy it so much more, but I am still grateful to Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this wonderfully crafted horror story.

I didn't really go into this one with a lot of expectations, merely impressions about what this book was about and how much people seemed to enjoy it. For those that have read it, it seems pretty universally well liked.

I wish I could say that I'm in the majority, but unfortunately, I didn't really get any enjoyment out of this book. The first chapter where you learn how the Grim Reaper becomes Death was really engaging and interesting, but after that, it's hard to care about the characters and their motivations. Everyone in this book (including Death) seems pretty selfish (which I think is directly correlated to their individual grief and traumas) and the book didn't really lead to a compelling resolution in my opinion. It wants to be edgy, it wants to be literary, and I think it fell short of both. This was disjointed and I left the experience feeling worse than I did when I started it. The narrative lacked focus for me and just really missed the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Albatross Book Co. for the eBook version of this.

A Fig For All The Devils is a unique, and surprisingly inspiring read which takes on an adventure with Sonny and the grim reaper himself. This novel was equal parts charming and gruesome, with clever writing. You can tell Fritz did very much enjoy telling this story. I recommend A Fig For All The Devils for horror lovers who also seek elements of human experience like the merit of death or whether life is worth living.

I like a good horror novel about the complexities of grief and death and the human struggle that characters go through. Unfortunately, throughout A Fig For All the Devils, I was never able to fully immerse myself into the world that the author was creating, nor did I end up feeling much for any of the characters. This made it a fairly superfluous read for me. Much of the text is lovely, and there's some interesting illustrations, but beyond that I probably wouldn't pick this one up again.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Albatross Book Co. and Netgalley**

A book that has many facets to it - certainly not what one expects from the name and graphics.
Very brutal at times, certainly thought provoking and dream like or maybe crazy at others
Its a good book, takes time to read, but satisfying when finished.

When Sonny’s dad dies, he sees Grim Reaper by his bed. When his mom says they are moving to Tilamook, Oregon he’s not happy about it and when she starts dating an evil man name Eugene he has an even less enamored with the situation. The only bright spot he finds is Jesse and her father the local pastor when he starts to see a big moth pop up every where he goes he is perplexed but when he sees the Grim Reaper in the woods and he starts talking to him while eating M&MsSonny is scared at first but then maybe… Just maybe the Grim Reaper may have solutions to all his problems. I really enjoyed this book I gave it five stars because I loved Sunny💕 I really enjoyed this book I gave it five stars because I loved Sunny and his kind heart. I felt so bad for Jessica but I’m so happy with the ending of this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves horror and coming of age stories. I was given this book by Ned Galli and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any grammar or punctuation errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I didn't know what to expect from this book but it was so much better than I thought it would be. It was such a brutal and raw look at death an how it affects humans and why. It was so original and unique. I really enjoyed it.

Wow, definitely not what I expected! I honestly liked this storyline and little nuggets of wisdom throughout. I appreciated the authors take on humanizing death. Focusing not only on the uncommon perspective of beauty but also addressing all the raw, unresolved ugliness physical death actually brings to peoples lives due to our limited understanding of life itself. Great read, thanks Netgalley for copy!

The Reaper himself has picked you to take his place. Do you think you’re ready? Sonny was a boy who was ready to be done with his life. After meeting the Reaper, who is there to make Sonny the next Grim Reaper, Sonny isn’t so sure he’s ready to end his life. Reaper trains Sonny about dying and death, which Sonny will use in his choice to continue to live or take the Reaper's place.

I have to say this is a weird book. Along with this having grammatical errors, there are some areas that I thought shouldn’t belong.

There are elements to it that didn’t make sense to me AT ALL. There’s a single page about snakes, which was confusing to read as it was completely out of left field. I liked the actual storyline of the book, but how it was gone about is something that I didn’t care for.

However, there is a humor element in this book that I did enjoy. I liked that the Reaper wasn’t seen as this looming, scary giant that many people think of him as. Instead, he’s portrayed as someone that could be from the 21st century.

Overall, this book was a lot harder to get into and I basically read it to finish it. This isn’t a book that I’d read again.

Absolutely loved the cover and writing. So much of this was or could have been phenomenal if Death weren’t written so….immaturely I guess? He felt like he was meant to be quirky and, for me personally, I don’t enjoy when Death is written that way. I definitely see why people love it and would recommend to quite a few of my own friends, I know they’d love it.

Ever heard of "Boy meets world"? Well, let me talk to you about ‘Boy meets death’. After the loss of a relative, Sonny, a Thirteen years old abused, grief-stricken boy, unexpectedly meets the Grim Reaper. It turns out, death isn’t as scary as you’d imagine when he is a sarcastic, junk food loving, poetry reading, cigarette-addicted, almost-a-1000-years-old entity. Everything and everyone needs a beginning and an end, even death.

To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. The synopsis got me interested, but I don’t usually read horror stories… And it turned out to be a great surprise, something I didn’t know I needed! "A fig for all the devils" is a profound story taking us in a journey through grief, sometimes dark but with philosophical and poetic twists that made me love this book!

Trigger warnings: deals with abuse, death, mutilation, suicidal thoughts.

A Fig For All The Devils
by C.S. Fritz
Description
An abused, grief-stricken, and impoverished Sonny has all but given up on life. That is, until he meets death, by way of the Grim Reaper. The Reaper, a junk food-loving, poetry reading, cigarette-addicted entity, has no time to waste as he searches for a suitable successor who would become “Death” for the next millennium. By training the boy in the ways of death and dying, Reaper grooms his young apprentice and through suspenseful and horror-laced events, he unknowingly gives Sonny something he never intended: A reason to live.

This is beautiful, wicked, and full of maybe the beauty of death? It has humor and will stay with me. Well done for a twist on death and life.

A Fig for all the Devils
By cs fritz
TW: Graphic Death, Infant Death, Suicide
The Grim Reaper has been on the job for the past thousand years. He'd like to retire, but to do so, he needs to find a suitable replacement.
After losing his father to suicide, Sonny is trying to navigate life. Sonny has always been poor, so he was no stranger to struggling. Grieving the loss of his father, compounded with his everyday struggles are causing him to become extremely depressed.
Sonny and his mom relocate to Oregon, where things are both better, and worse for him.
The Grim Reaper comes calling for Sonny, but not in the traditional way. He let’s Sonny know that he wants him to replace him as Death. The only thing is, Sonny has to make a decision quickly.
I liked the idea of this book, that the Grim Reaper wants to be able to retire, for good. I think this book really did a good job of tackling grief. The author also did a great job of capturing the teenage angst and mood swings that seem to be every teen’s constant companion.
The chapters are short. The illustrations, there are a handful, I felt were well placed within the story. There’s a Dickens vibe in parts of the book.
I found the ending of the book to be, much like a Hallmark movie. For me, this was a but disappointing. There were also quite a few extra words and misspellings in this version.
Overall, I’d rate this a 4.5/5. I would read it again, and will definitely recommend it.
I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this ebook, in exchange for an honest review.

A Fig For All The Devils was such an unexpected and enjoyable read. This is a story about Death searching for his successor and thinking he found the perfect replacement in Sonny. This book has elements of horror, humor, grief, and powerful life lessons. I loved Death’s character, I thought he was hilarious, but agree with other reviewers that there could have been more development in Sonny and Death’s relationship. However, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

This is one of those books I’d been dying to read.
Synopsis: An abused, grief-stricken, and impoverished Sonny has all but given up on life. That is, until he meets death, by way of the Grim Reaper. The Reaper, a junk food loving, poetry reading, cigarette-addicted entity, has no time to waste as he searches for a suitable successor who would become “Death” for next millennium.

What I appreciated:
🖤 Visually interesting. Sectioned with varied chapter numbering, interesting quotes, and beautiful illustrations. It’s a whole experience.
🖤 The relationships. I liked watching the relationship that was building between Death and Sonny - someone so old and so young and for such a complex purpose. The relationships between children and their parents - strained, basic needs, flawed, and also complex.
🖤 At least one twist that I didn’t see coming, but felt was terribly impactful.
🖤 Gray. The use or color (or lack of).

I wish I could have heard more of the dialogue that would have taken place between Death and his potential successor. I mean, if your going to make a 1000 year deal I think a lot more discussion would be taking place. What would that back and forth really be like - what knowledge or horrors exchanged, what new food would the reaper show up with, what questions would/should Sonny have asked? I just imagine the Reaper would have 1000 years of personality ready to share.

I realize in reflection it’s a story about grief and redemption, letting go and moving on, and I think if you’ve experienced loss and had to find the strength to overcome you may appreciate the hopeful way this ends after loss and struggle. But I admit I’m not a forgiving person and while I appreciate that some characters got their appropriate end (Eugene) I think the author was kind to wrap up the story giving some their second chance even if they didn’t deserve it. Maybe that is exactly how life works - we get the chances we don’t always deserve for a chance to do better.

A very interesting book on death and how grief affects people.

I thought the horror elements were really well done, as were the characters.

I do think it could have spent more time on the relationships between characters and the abuse sonny suffered.

Short, punchy and impactful.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A meaningful, poetic book about grief. It is the perfect mixture of horror and emotions. It portrays how the meanings of life, death, and grief are dealt with differently from one person to another. The grim reaper had me laughing out loud at 3 am. I did not expect his character to be funny and wise, I thought he will be more like "life is meaningless go die so I can take your soul". The book gets very intense from the first page until the last one without leaving space to catch your breath. I cried a lot at the end. One of the best books I've ever read.

“A Fig For All Devils” was a well written, moving, funny, sad, gory, and not at all expected novel. A young Sonny loses his dad. Death, a quirky, junk food loving, cigarette smoking grim reaper is looking for someone to take over. They may just be what each other needs. Go into this as blind as you can. I promise it’s the way to go.

***Thanks Netgalley and Albatross Book Co. for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review***

3.5 stars

Overall the horror was sublime and the relationship between sonny and reaper were charming, but the entire book needed a good clean-up/edit. Would still recommend though!

This was a story of grief and loss, and a boy's new BFF, who just happens to be Death. Very well written, and full of beautiful prose. I very much liked this novel. A little on the short side.