Thank you NetGalley and Wild & Ashe for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was interesting to say the least and when I picked this up there were some parts of it that I was not expecting. For the first ⅓ of the book I didn’t really know what was going on and was lost in the whole plot. However, the characters were likeable and they were 3-dimensional. If I were to describe this book as one word, I would say ‘obscure’. It’s not a bad book, just not my style.

The writing was a bit confusing sometimes and it took me a bit too long to figure out the tone of the book. Honestly, I picked this book because I love reading books about death personified but this death was very cringy and I wasn’t prepared for that. I think if I had known that the tone of this book was more zany/silly I would’ve known this wasn’t the book for me. I also had a hard time understanding Molly’s motivations if I’m honest. I did enjoy the sex scenes and some of the world building was interesting and fun to read. I think when marketing this book it needs to be made clear that this is not going to have vibes like more recent popular death personification books such as Belladonna or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. That’s what I was expecting from the title and honestly also the blurb didn’t help much either. This is a bonkers almost slapstick look at Death not really a clever morally gray Death like I’m used to.

In a Nutshell: The premise had potential, but something went wrong in the execution. I am still trying to figure out what it was!

Story synopsis:
Azrael, or Death as he is now known in the human world, made a mistake. When he had to take Molly Molloy’s soul, (she was supposed to choke over a chicken wing, you see?), he ended up patting her back and thus saving her life.
Mistake no. 2: Because of this near-death experience, Molly can now see him, talk to him, hit him. So even if he wants to set his mistake right (or rather, he has to do so as per his boss’s instructions), he can’t because she is always ready for him. And fed up of his interference.
Mistake no. 3: Death ends up falling in love with Molly. Now he doesn’t want her to die. Yikes! Talk about conflict of interest!
What will happen next?

Bookish Yays:
✔ The cover, the title and the blurb: 100% marks for each. I wouldn’t have picked up this book had all three not been so attractive!
✔ Great premise. I loved the promise of the blurb. It had so much potential, especially for comic and endearing moments. (It meets only a part of this, unfortunately.)
✔ Death as the lead character is interesting. This isn’t the first book I have read having a personified version of Death (My favourite is Death from the Sandman series, with Death from ‘The Book Thief’ coming a close second.) But this is the most humanised Death of the ones I have read. (Yup, I know it is an oxymoron.) Death here is an eccentric but loveable simpleton who adores Molly. (God knows why!)
✔ I also enjoyed the language and vocabulary. (This also makes me an odd one out because most reviewers seem to have hated the language!) The book has a nice mix of Latin and English, with Death’s grasp of English being quite questionable at times. Moreover, Death and his fellow Custodes from the upper realm have an eccentric way of speaking and of evaluating time. It adds a layer of fun to the story.
✔ There are plenty of humorous moments, courtesy Death and his poor knowledge of the human world.
✔ There are some thought-provoking points about mortality.


Bookish Nays:
❌ Despite the great beginning, the book gets quite weird very soon. I know that this is a fantasy, but surely fantasy also has some limits to what is logically possible. The ending is just bonkers!
❌ The writing feels quite flat. It’s as if we can see the characters but we can’t feel the characters. This is especially true for Molly. We know that she is a strong woman and has endured a lot, but I still couldn’t feel sorry for her because of the way she is written.
❌ There are random shifts in the point of view, with the narrative baton being handed over to a minor character for a few paragraphs. This breaks the flow of the story.
❌ Death’s portrayal is not consistent. He seems to be hyper-aware of a few human activities and totally in the blank about other things. Could he really be so naïve considering how long he has supposedly been in existence?
❌ I could not see the connect between Molly and Death. Molly’s ‘relationship” with Death felt more like Stockholm Syndrome. There’s no justification as to how she was fed up with him in one scene and romantically involved with him in the next.
❌ Molly meets people at two jobs, and yet we see her interacting only with Death. Surprisingly, it is Death who has more friends than her. Human interactions would have added some genuineness and balance to the plot.
❌ The final quarter strives to pack in as much as possible. The first three-fourth focusses even on moments (because Death is free only for moments), but the final quarter zooms by months and years like no one’s business.
❌ The humour feels very forced at times, almost like a standup comedian laughing first at their own joke in a bid to get the audience to crack a smile.
❌ <spoiler>The pregnancy and everything connected to it, right from conception to delivery. Don’t get me started on that! Without it, the book might have been a 3-star for me. But once this trope came in, there was no saving the story for me. </spoiler>

I ought to have loved the story for the quirky romance, but it just bored me after the first few chapters. I don’t DNF books easily, but I came very close to giving up on this one. I might have been a bit lax had it been by a debut author. (In fact, the writing style made me assume that it was a debut work!) But from an experienced writer, I expect more finesse.

The author describes this work as ‘an odd little book that fit nowhere.’ I agree. It attempts to be a mash of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett but ends up doing justice to neither. So I don’t know whom to recommend this novel to, or even if I should recommend it at all. Then again, we all do have different tastes. So it just might click better with you if you are a more patient and forgiving soul. Do check out the other reviews and take a call. But yes, if you are expecting a light paranormal romance because of that premise, this isnt the book for you.

2.25 stars.

My thanks to Wild & Ashe, LLC and NetGalley for the DRC of “Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This story is special. It's simultaneously funny and deeply poignant. I was laughing in the first half while being absolutely certain it was going to wreck me in the end. Friends, it did. In the best way.

The angel of death, Azrael, exists mostly out of time, only remembering the dead. Molly has lived her life just trying to make, even as those she cares about die. But Azrael notices Molly. And, stranger still, Molly notices Azrael (that's not supposed to happen!). And they just keep noticing.

Vale will tell you it's not a romance - how can there be an HEA if one half of the duo is immortal? - but it is very much a love story. And a duck out of water story. And a completely fascinating vision of the forces outside the mortal world.

It's sweet and strange and worth your time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly April New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

The premise of this book was fun and exciting which really drew me in. I think the execution was lacking for me. It was written in a way that was hard to understand, and there were jumps in time that made me confused throughout. The romance was quite sudden as well.
I did enjoy the characterisation of Death, I thought it was fresh and exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wild & Ashe, LLC for the eARC.

The synopsis of this novel held such promise.
And Molly herself was fun, but I just struggled with this book. The language felt off and confusing and I couldn’t navigate the world building. It had potential and unique premise but just wasn’t for me.

Maria Vale's The Legend of All Wolves series is undoubtedly one of the most refreshing and distinctive series about shifters out there. So, when I heard about her new book, Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death, I was ecstatic. But let me tell you, it is not your run-of-the-mill paranormal love story. This book is so much more than that. It delves deep into the meaning of life itself and leaves the reader with profound thoughts to ponder.

Kudos to Vale for taking a new direction in her writing. Death, the main character, is a fascinating and unique character that completely broke the mold. Unlike the typical broody and alluring grim reaper character in paranormal romances, Death in this book is truly one of a kind.

Admittedly, at the beginning of the book, I struggled with the complex English vocabulary, which was above my level. It took some time for me to fully grasp what was happening and relate to the characters. They weren't particularly likable at first, but as the story progressed, I found myself rooting for Molly and Death.

Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death is an unpredictable and humorous book that kept me on my toes. I had absolutely no idea what would happen next. Although the book had its challenges, I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and unique read.

2.7 Stars
One Liner: A commendable attempt

Azrael, aka The Death Agent, Grim Reaper, et al., has made a mistake. He was supposed to take Molly Molloy’s soul but ended up saving her from death due to chicken wings. Of course, the boss up there isn’t pleased and ordered him to set things right.
Molly may have had a hard life, but she isn’t going to let a bumbling Agent of Death take her life. Now that she can see and talk to him, she is determined to stay alive for as long as possible.
Interacting with Molly makes Azrael question a lot of assumptions… and he is falling in love with a human! But how will it end for them?
The story comes in the third person POV of the two main characters (with an occasional insight by another character).

What I Like:
The premise is intriguing, and so is the cover. In fact, I requested the book for the cover. So good!
Death, aka Azreal, is quite a delightful character. Not someone confident and rude but more like an enthusiastic young kid who needs constant supervision. This is rather fun to read, even if it gets exasperating in the second half.
Molly is a strong-willed character with a tragic past. She still retains her cheerfulness and loves bossing around Dee (Death). There are a few things I didn’t like about her, though these make her more ‘real’, I suppose.
The first 40% of the book is cool. Yeah, the writing is a bit different (complex). Still, it has some laughs and weird stuff going on. Entertaining too.
The setting isn’t explained, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you go with the flow. Sometimes, it’s easier to not wait for explanations and let the story go where it wants to. Yet…
The book sure has some introspective points about life, choices, changes, etc. However… (more in the next section).

What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Though a majority of the story is set in NYC, the setting up there and the role of other people (so many have names, but only a couple of them are recurring characters) isn’t fully explored. As someone who likes world-building, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the lack of details.
The last 30% of the book is boring. It takes the story forward at 8x speed to cover a huge timeline. However, I couldn’t stay invested in the plot and stop bothering. I just wanted the book to end.
The climax should have been powerful. It is set up to be. Though, for me, it ended up confusing. I read it twice to understand what happens. Somehow, the impact isn’t there.
In a way, the book should have been a novella. I didn’t like the preggs trope and the subsequent track. That’s where my interest started to dip. Since the concept isn’t explained much, this would have been more entertaining as a novella.
I like dark humor. I enjoy it in most books. Here too, I like it in some places. Yet, some of it (again in the second half) gets stressful. I sure don’t want to laugh when a woman literally has to run the household because her partner is not suited for pretty much anything. The said guy being ‘Dee’ doesn’t change things. Not really.

To summarize, Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death has an entertaining first half and a heavier second half with some weird stuff and dark humor thrown in. It has a bit of steam.
Thank you, NetGalley and Wild and Ashe, LLC, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

So... How to talk about this one. As Vale is quick to state, it's not a romance. It is a love story, though.

Death/Azrael/Neshama'le/Dee isn't exactly the Grim Reaper as you imagine him. Sure, he travels the world and collects souls from every dying person, but he wears thrift store t-shirts and a duster with tons of little pockets sewn into it to keep each soul safe. One day, he takes the wrong soul - and this puts him on a path that will change basically everything.

The important thing to know about this book is that the writing is extremely evocative - but of the normal, slightly disgusting parts of life we all experience but try not to think about. What, exactly, do we mean? Like the feeling of your legs sticking to a fake leather couch. Like the smell of fried food that gets stuck in your hair after you spend the day working at a greasy spoon. And the point (we think) is that these are all a part of life - things that Dee doesn't get to experience until he meets Molly.

If a book with slightly disgusting imagery, not a small helping of tragedy, plus a lot of gallows humor, this might be right up your alley.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Wild & Ashe, LLC for allowing me to read this book.

Summary: Death attempts to take a soul from Molly Molloy whose time is up. However, because of distracting circumstances, he takes Molly Molloy's grandmother instead. The head angels, Custodes, are upset with Death. They want him to fix his mistake. Death finds Molly again and at first Molly fights back; more and more times Death comes back and tries to take her soul, but eventually falls for Molly. He tries to find ways to save her from her ultimate fate.

This book gave me a Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, A. Lee Martinez feel. I enjoyed the quirkiness and humor throughout the story.

What didn't work for me was the writing. It was hard to get through. A 200 paged book should be something I fly through, yet it became a struggle after a while. I felt that the timeline went all over the place, weird words and lines were used, some side stories seemed irrelevant, and ultimately it "jumped the shark" for me when Molly became pregnant. Just too bizarre and honestly a runaway train of a story.

I so wanted to like this book based on the blurb and cover, but unfortunately like a lot of other reviewers, the writing style just didn't do it for me. I DNF'd at 10%.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was rough to read. Great concept but the character development needed work. Also wasn't a fan of the writing style.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).⁣

This book started out interesting and had my attention right away. Then it took a weird turn and lost me and I dnf. I tried to finish but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The concept behind Death was interesting and he was comical which I liked. But then it took a strange turn and scene with awkward descriptions and a scene with him and a catalog. Then the history the author tried to give was too much, at least for me, and was confusing and I didn’t really understand. At the point it lost me and I didn’t want to finish.

Definitely a more difficult read than usual. But overall, I found it a great comprehension exercise. This would put off most people as it takes a higher level of patience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wild & Ashe, LLC, and Maria Vale for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange of an honest review

unfortunately I DNFed

I was excited for the concept of the story I expected something similar to the show lucifer which I LOVED
but I was having a hard time with the writing style and keeping up with the story, death as a character started out comedic which I liked but then there were weird moment that I hated.

MOLLY MOLLOY AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH by Maria Vale⁣
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(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).⁣
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Death is an ageless, immortal being who for twenty thousand years has collected the souls of dying humans. Until, one day, a mix up results in him saving Molly Molloy—a waitress with dreams of becoming a paramedic—from choking on a chicken wing. ⁣
⁣
If you’ve ever read Mort by Terry Pratchett, this is what Mort would be if it were a contemporary romance. Unlike other similar romances, ordinary Molly is truly pretty ordinary, and Azrael/Death/Dee is as weird and alien as you’d expect an ageless being who has existed from the beginning of time to be. I loved the author’s writing style, her sentence structure was so fun and playful and I also felt like she had an amazing grasp on the medical side of things when it came to describing various deaths and other events (enough that I’m sure she or someone in her family has a medical background). That’s probably not important to most people but if you’re like me and medical inaccuracies bother you it can be quite the relief! ⁣
⁣
There are some bits I found a little icky, descriptions of Death’s body and bodily functions in particular, but these petered out pretty quickly. There’s also a trope I know a lot of people hate that I was initially uneasy about, but was really glad about the direction the story went. ⁣
⁣
Overall this is a really sweet, cosy love story that goes beyond the bounds of a typical romance and explores the years of life together, and the challenge of a mortal human and an immortal celestial entity in a way that most books of this genre don’t. I also loved Death, who is so innocent and gentle, fascinated by the everyday parts of human life and also so terrified by every terrible thing he has seen across the millennia. Truly a very different take on these sorts of stories. ⁣
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Thank you to NetGalley and Maria Vale for the ARC. This book is out on 4th April.

How....strange.
I like...think I get what this was trying to do; a humorous, off-beat, hijinks and chaos sort of set up. But, gosh it was just so cringey, I pushed through 50 pages purely so I had read enough that I felt I could voice a proper opinion on it.
It felt very flat which if I were to compare it to other novels in this writing style (not necessarily subject/plot) like The Princess Bride, Good Omens, 1000 Stitches, and Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faerires there is a glaring fault between intention and execution. Light fantasy and light fantasy rom-coms are having are having a great surge at the moment; they're fun, they're easy to engage with
I think it was just trying too hard to be that quirky fantasy book. The way the angels spoke in all tenses and collective 'we' voice was just headache inducing trying to decipher and follow for the most part. If you want Death to be this bumbling, can't spell in English, 'yuh-oh' type character you need to be doing more character exploring to explain to your readers why this 200k year old eternal being is like that or he just comes across as a joke. Same goes for Molly; she's this chip on her shoulder, no nonsense character but she's also just...there. Maybe you get a better impression of the leads later on in the book but why would I want to keep reading to get to that? You want to connect with characters early on so you're motivated to keep reading but just nothing was connecting here.

When I started this book, I had not the slightest idea what I was reading and my brain kind of felt like spaghetti. By the end of it, I was definitely more invested in the characters.
Molly & Dee really got my heartstrings.
I think the concept of the book is really interesting and different, but there was a lot of it that didn’t connect and made it more confusing to understand the seemingly more important parts/plots.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.
Really intriguing representation of Death and his journey of learning what it really means to love and be a human. I liked the narrative and the pacing of the story and I love that it wasn't a fully romantic novel. The romance was a core, but there was quite a lot developing around it, which made the story really interesting.