An awkward, blundering Death. An isolated, cynical young woman. Match made in Heaven! I really didn’t expect to enjoy this so much. Smart, witty, sad and hopeful….such a quick, fun read.

The Angel of Death has been at his current job for two hundred thousand in years and in all that time, he had not made any mistakes…mostly. When the angel also known as Azrael inadvertently takes the wrong soul and saves the life of Molly Molloy choking on a chicken wing, big changes start to happen for him. Molly, whose grandmother Death just took, has lost everyone in her life she loved including her parents, a boyfriend, and other grandparents. Now because of this strange occurrence, Molloy can see and talk to Death in a way only other mortals can right when they are about to leave this earthly plane.

Death is a rather self-effacing being; he is often in trouble with the celestial bosses. Death lives in a shabby apartment above a Popeye’s almost bumbling around his job, stealing food, and trying to shape himself into looking somewhat human. Those in the upper reaches that Death answers to are less than pleased with his monumental mistake of letting Molly live despite her number being up so to speak. Molly is a hardworking young woman spending several hours a week working in a brestaurant while studying to be a paramedic.
Dee, as Molly calls him, spends more time following her around while not always being helpful with his interruptions. Whenever they are together, time freezes and occasionally Molly does things that stop Death from his intended job. Death is a surprisingly humble being who has little to no social skills and is clearly very lonely. He must deal with some very oddball and demanding Powers That Be, who are strange and at times confusing celestial bosses in charge of what happens to souls, known to them in the pejorative term “rags.”

Although Death had been exposed to incredible numbers of people in their last moments and those around them, he has never really understood living until Molly came into his existence. Death’s only friend until now was Miriam (Hebrew for Mary), the Queen of Heaven. As he and Molly spend time together, Dee begins to reevaluate all he has been taught about humans; he is a very solitary being and that the only true joy he knows is being with her.

This metaphysical fiction has some humorous as well as poignant moments, and admittedly, some that are a tad confusing, in a richly imagined story especially when Death tries function in the human world. Fans of Ms. Vale Legends of All Wolves series will fine this tale quirky and quite a departure from those other stories, but with the same well-crafted and unique writing style.

thank you netgalley for providing an ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.

I chose this book based off the cover at first. I like the way it looks and its actually really pretty. I read the description and it was a bit interesting so I thought Ill give it a chance. The description fell a bit flat for me but I could see where it was going. The writing style is a bit weird personally thought. Nothing grammatically wrong but they seem a but off. Hopefully they can do a reread one more time to fix those little things because it made it a bit difficult to read at some points. I enjoyed deaths character a lot but he fell flat in some sections. i understood why he viewed humas the way they were but i wished it was described differently if that makes sense. then the pregnancy trope. personally I hate that trope it ruins the book and the characters for me and it just like ruins the plot line when it was going well. 3.5 stars

Death had always been a large part of Molly Molloy’s life, but she didn’t realize that one day he would save her life. Death lived since the beginning of time without ever knowing Molly’s name, while remembering the names of those she lost. Once he knew her name, he didn’t want to forget it.

I really enjoyed this story’s commentary on life, love, and immortality. It made me laugh, cry, and feel grateful for the unknowable amount of time in this life and the next that I will get to spend with my husband.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Maria Vale does weird very, very well. Her otherworldly characters aren't just not-human, they are BAFFLED by humans. This book is no exception. I loved it in all its quirky, messy glory.

If you're a romance reader, Maria has been very clear: Death is immortal and Molly is not. However, I would argue that there is a lovely supernatural get-out-of-HEA-jail-free card built into the end.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't expecting a love story when picking this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was sweet and well thought out and didn't act as the entire focus of the story. Instead, it felt more like a coming of age for Death, who learns firsthand how to really be human. This different approach to portraying Death was a breath of fresh air and so well executed, I'm so glad I chose this book. There are dark moments which are well balanced with light-hearted scenes, hope and heartbreak, and you really get to see Molly and Dee grow throughout their story.

I really had no expectations going into this book other than the author stating that it wasn't a romance. It is a book about life, death, and everything in between. But at the heart of the book, it is a love story between two people who don't quite fit in where they are. Molly has been stalked by Death her entire life and it is only fitting that Death be her endgame in the romantic sense. This book had so many nuanced sentences that reminded me of zingers that Terry Pratchett delivered in his satirical works and there were numerous times, I had to put it down to reflect on what I just read. I was brought to tears each time Molly and Death had a quiet moment to reflect on what it means to be human and the simplicity of life's little things.

I recommend this book to anyone who needs a reminder of what it means to be human.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the arc for review purposes.

This was so good. I fell completely for the characters. This was stunning. I loved it!
I just reviewed Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale. #MolllyMolloyandtheAngelofDeath #NetGalley
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I'm a big fan of Maria Vale's werewolf romance series so I was excited to pick up this book. This was definitely different, and one thing Maria Vale does really well is different. I definitely wouldn't call it your regular paranormal romance, and while it deals with love, it also deals with a number of serious, and sometimes difficult topics. There are funny moments, and heartbreaking moments. It may not be for everyone, but if you want to read something different that makes you think, this book is that. There were some moments I didn't enjoy but overall, I enjoyed the concept and the quirky and different execution.

*Received an ARC for an honest review* When I first read the synopsis of this book I was very intrigued. As I started to read the book, I truly wasn’t sure what to make of it, and it took about a good quarter to about half way through the book to really get into it. The interactions between Death and his …. Peers, for lack of a better term, threw me off I think. I don’t know what it was about it. I found the interactions between Death and Molly interesting, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Molly at times in the beginning, she kind of grew on my towards the middle and end. The author is right, this is not really a romance, based of the end of this book. I kind of felt like Part 2 of this book was filler, it kind of made the story drag. I can kind of see why it was needed, but, ugh I found myself kind of skimming it. This book was just kind if middle of the road for me, Not awesome but not bad either, and not was I was expecting.

I had high hopes for Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death by Maria Vale. Sadly they were dashed pretty quick. I went in expecting a fun romantic romp with Death and ended up confused, annoyed, and bummed. Yes, I know in a book where Death is the main character mortality is a theme, but there are ways to make it palatable and this wasn't it.

Despite some moments of humor and cuteness, the writing and general vibe of the book killed it for me. Add in some weird assault-y stuff and the dreaded accidental pregnancy trope and this just flopped. Why in the world is there an accidental pregnancy in a story about Death and a woman he's supposed to reap?? Just why??

With a plot that sounded made for me it somehow quickly turned into everything I can't stand. Death was too childlike for a being so old, the writing was confusing, and again...pregnant?? Like what?

I'm sure it will be some folks cup of tea but this book just wasn't for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.

Death makes a mistake when he takes Molly Molloy's grandmother instead of Molly herself. When he goes to remedy the mistake, he finds she can see him and talk to him. As he tries to work to get her soul, he ends up falling in love with her.

I thought this book had a lot of promise, especially after the first little bit when Death and Molly meet. I don't think it lived up to that first bit though after that. I think maybe if this had been a novella it would've been more successful.

I’m going to be honest that I would definitely have dnf’ed this book in the first few pages if it wasn’t an arc.

I’m pretty sure there were quite a few grammar errors and the writing was extremely confusing and in a very strange style - packed with unnecessary details and worded in a confusing way - someone else said in their review that it made them question their grasp on the english language and I think that just sums up the writing style of this book perfectly
Another problem with the writing is that towards the middle/end of the book there started being loads of time jumps which made it difficult to keep up with and the reader miss out on a lot of character development. Furthermore, the romance between the two characters felt kind of underdeveloped - it felt like the main character just suddenly stopped disliking the love interest and the romance just happened abruptly without any development.
Also, sometimes it just randomly switched povs without telling you which got very confusing, and sometimes random stuff would happen and the next chapter would skip over it / act like it hadn’t happened - it felt like the author was just thinking of random things to fill the story with.
To add on, the world building was confusing - there was some but not nearly enough that everything was extremely confusing and it was difficult to know what was going on or what other characters were talking about at certain points.
Another thing is there was this line repeated throughout the book that I think was repeated to much and I found a little cringey - every few chapters you would read ‘yuh-oh, they thought, this is going to be trouble’ and I know that may not seem that bad but to me it just gives me disney channel vibes - reminding me of when a character says something like ‘he’s right behind me isn’t he’.
Furthermore, there were many scenes that felt unnecessary, added nothing to the story and were very weird.
For example, there was this whole weird description and references throughout to how death like made his own penis and then cut off two parts of it and put them on his belly to make love handles and that just made me uncomfortable. There was also this one scene where the other angels kept pulling at it while he told them to get off and I really think that was not needed and unnecessary. There was no point of including a sexual assault scene in this book - one that made the sexual assault seem like it was a ‘joke’ when really SA is a serious problem and shouldn’t be used for comedic value. This scene added nothing to the story also, and could trigger victims of SA so I think it should be edited out.
Another unneeded chapter that happened is that death had to pretend to pee in a urinal and his ‘pee’ was like hydrogen and it ended up breaking the urinal and the urinal exploded. This scene was then never mentioned again and I think it was very unnecessary to the story.

Overall I think this book should go back to the draft as it wasn’t very good

A new dimension in paranormal romance.
A wounderful blend of superbly written funny moments and human tragedies.
The story is observant, intelligent, witty, and heart-wrenching. And you can't help but live through its highs and lows.
Makes you laugh and makes you cry. Makes you greedy for more.

The main characters are relatable and wonderfully portrayed.

Death saves Molly Molloy's life by mistake, adding to his list of failings and shortcomings.
Molly struggles through, if not to say with life, but she won't allow tragedies and loss to beat her down.
Their chance encounter sparks a love story of epic yet human proportions.
The caveat?
Molly is mortal. Death is not.

This is one of the rare books you find and will treasure forever.

***Thanks to Netgalley for this superb ARC***

The blurb intrigued me as there is a personification of Death (Dee) in this novel, who takes people’s soul by touching their belly button. The story starts when he is supposed to take Molly’s soul, but instead he takes her grandmother’s life. The relationship of the two characters evolves and thus follows a love story.
I liked Molly and Dee's discrepancy. While Molly has a sharp tongue, Dee is more awkward and naïve, making you grin easily. Death may have been there for 200,000 years; he does not know how to interact with the living which makes some scenes very funny, like the one with the policemen and the bacon.
Here are some quotes/scenes that made me smile:
“I wan to she yu something rilly rilly cool that will make evereethng cleer. Meet me at […] Bleker and Hutson at 19:48:16:456,
Deth
Ps
Pls don be lat”

“It makes me feel very… very shaky and spicy.”
“Angry, maybe?”

“I just used spit and polished” (taking about the dishes)
“You what?”
“I’m perfectly sterile.”

Apart from that, I found this novel disappointing. I mostly liked the funny things Dee said but I didn’t really connect with the story and even if I was trying my best to enjoy it, deep down, I just wanted to get rid of it. I am not saying that this book is bad, I don’t think that, but even if the concept is original, it’s not the kind of book that I find memorable and that I often think about.
I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a trope that I don't like and I would have preferred the book without.
I think I have now read 150 books in English but sometimes I still struggle to understand, and I am sure that sometimes I just don’t understand. However, this book was another level, some passages just didn’t make sense to me. If English is not your first language, beware, you’re very likely to struggle.
To sum up, I found this book funny but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC. This review is my own opinion.

My goodness.

I have read many, many books. Out of all of the many books I have read, this has to be my favorite by far. The characters are so full, so lively, it's like they are real and true people. I absolutely love the writing style as well, it's so matter-of-fact and makes me feel like I'm the narrator.

I honestly can't get over how much I love this book, I wish I could forget it just to read it again and have those first-time feelings!

For me, this feels like a book that truly gives you hope, especially at the end. It's just lovely and I sincerely hope everyone gives it a read. I very rarely buy books as I'm not one to read something a second time, but I will be purchasing this book so I can reread, and read and read.

Thank you so much, Maria Vale, for writing this book. I am obsessed!

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for eARC for an honest review.

I loved loved loved the concept of this book, and I did finish the books but like some of the other reviews I really struggled with some of the writing style and some of the terminology. Definitely not for me unfortunately, I would say if you struggle with the book for the first 30-40 pages it most likely won’t be for you either

I really did try to like this book but it was NOT for me. Let’s start with what I did like though:

The premise was cool and I enjoyed Death’s character for the most part. Death and Molly’s dates to the movies and such were cute and it was clear that Death really cared for her.

What I did not like:
Death’s childlike view on what humans do and act like. He’s been amongst them for eons surely this isn’t the best he could do. The language was also so confusing. I understand why it was written that way and why characters talked that way but I could not for the life of me get into it. Molly’s choices were poor at best. THE PREGNANCY TROPE WAS AWFUL. I just truly don’t understand that. The heavy heavy theme of mortality was tough to read through.

At the end of the day it just was not for me and I was expecting more of a romance but got a book about mortality.

I will start off by saying that I mistakenly thought it was a romance. That does *not* color my review or rating, but I will say I was sad to hear it was not when I started reading reviews.

Now I will start off by saying I think this is purely a matter of personal reading taste. Maria Vale is a wonderful author, who clearly knows how to write an engaging story. Her writing style is solid...but not something I personally enjoy reading. It was a struggle reading any part that was not just the two MCs talking. The other characters had weird ways of talking, which is explained but doesn't make it any easier to understand. I just want to enjoy the book I'm reading, so if I have to think too much about what someone is trying to say...it's not much fun anymore for me.

I actually would likely buy this for a few people I know who are non-romance readers. And who like reading more classic books with big words you have to look up and hidden meanings. People who look at reading as this brain exercise activity. But sadly, this one didn't work for me and my "I read to escape and relax" brain.

3.5/5

What an unusual story but in a good way!

It’s quirky and so different to any book I’ve read about death as the main character.

I loved azrael’s naiveness. His character is almost like an alien not really sure how most things work in the human world but he’s existing in the world to do his job as the passer of souls.

My favourite highlighted quotes on my e book are all related to azrael being childlike as heck without realising it.Molly was a loveable character too, she was strong willed and I adored that about her.

If you’re looking for a fun love story about death as the main character, this is it.