The Girl Who Cheated Death
A Supernatural Suspense Thriller
by Alan Baker
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Pub Date Feb 13 2019 | Archive Date Feb 06 2020
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Description
A horrific accident introduces a frightening supernatural presence into a young woman’s life, altering both her past and future.
Alexandra Drummond’s life is forever changed by a car wreck that kills her parents and sister. Ironically, recovering from her emotional and physical scars is not her biggest challenge. She is also haunted by Azrael, the angel of death.
On the morning of the accident, Alex watches as Azrael takes the souls of her family. And the visions keep coming. A man with oily black hair in a pinstripe suit appears to Alex in the hospital, outside her high school, and in the woods near her campsite.
She worries that she’s crazy, though Azrael appears to be just as threatened by her ability to see him. She confides in her doctor and friends and, while they appear to believe her, they are unable to help Alex banish death.
Midway through the book, the narrative takes an unexpected twist and Alex’s recovery is overshadowed by the realization that she could bring her family back to life. But Azrael is determined to stop Alex’s meddling and she must enlist the help of her remaining family and friends if there is any hope for success.
Advance Praise
"""The author’s plot twist is agreeably surprising and propels the supernatural story into the world of mystery"" -Kirkus Reviews
""This book is steeped in so much mystery and intrigue that it made it hard to put down. I kept trying to guess at what was going to happen, and then being totally bamboozled by the events that unfolded. Baker definitely knows how to throw unprecedented twists into the mix. I love that I was kept on my toes throughout."" --Bianka Walter, Onlinebookclub.org
""I read this book quickly, with plenty of mystery to keep me intrigued along the way. Given the extraordinary events that occur in Alex's life after the accident, it is difficult to work out what really happened to her and her family. Having the narrative told from Alex's point of view adds nicely to the confusion. The concept of reality in this book is somewhat fluid, which is great if you enjoy puzzling out a mystery, never really knowing where you stand until the end. I found myself guessing multiple potential twists which didn't end up happening."" --Josh Fee, Onlinebookclub.org"
Featured Reviews
Imagine being able to see the angel of death. It would be quite horrifying to see your family die before your eyes as it was. Imagine, in addition to that, seeing their souls being taken while you helplessly look on.
The Girl Who Cheated Death is about Alexandra Drummond, Alex to everyone else except her mother. She is a normal teenager. Actually, scratch that, she is actually better than most. At 18, she is still a virgin and is an amazing big sister to her 6 year old baby sister, Bailey Drummond. Her life is shattered by a car accident which takes the lives of her entire family. What makes it even more horrendous is that she was able to see the angel of death, Azrael, take the souls of her parents and sister. Realizing that she could see him, Azrael starts haunting her, popping up unexpectedly everywhere she goes. Fearful for her life, she tells her closest family and friends about what is happening. Eventually she realizes that this can work in her favour and she can actually use what is going on to get her family back.
Alex was quite likable. She was young but had her head on her shoulders. I liked how responsible she was even though her best friend, Kate, was the total opposite. There was a scene where a very attractive boy, Jeremy, learned just how responsible she was and I loved it.
The plot was interesting. However, when I realized just exactly what had to happen to get her family back, I found it unbelievable. Honestly, I felt like it was a bit of a reach to get to that conclusion.
Without giving away too much, I did not like the ending of this book. It felt like I put in so much emotions into this book only to come out feeling dissatisfied. I am sorry that I cannot go into further detail without giving away the surprise. Maybe a different reader will find the conclusion of this story to be suitable but I just found it irritating.
Violence: There is a car crash which is described in detail. It is actually made worse by the fact that there is a young child involved.
Sexual Content: Two scenes with very sexual behavior and other scenes with a lot of kissing.
Profanities: Mild
Religious Themes: The angel of death, Azrael is featured a lot in this book. There is also a lot of talk about the afterlife and spirits.
Drug Use: A scene with the use of marijuana
I love Angel stories, not the happy fluffy ones, the warriors of God type angels. With a little help from Supernatural I have no problem picturing Azrael in all his Angel glory. Alex is a great character – very unpredictable!
When i began reading this book, i wasn't too sure whether this book was going to be one that i would enjoy. I am not really a fan of paranormal stories, but 'The Girl Who Cheated Death' turned out to be a good read. So many twists and turns. There were parts that were a little on the slow side, but that aside, i would say it is worth a read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.
The rise of supernatural fiction that portrays angels as, not fluffy and kind, but as the instruments of god they were meant to be is quite good right now, so Ihave to admit, I was expecting a lot from this book. I'm a huge Supernatural/Lucifer fan, and read a lot of supernatural novels in general, so this book had a pretty high bar to meet. ANd it sorta did.
Firstly, the story centres around a young woman, Alex, who at 18, is the sole survivor and 'witness' to the death of the rest of her family in a car crash. I say 'witness' becuase she saw their souls being taken by Azarael, Who then proceeds to 'haunt' her.
There was a lot of promise in this book, and I did feel a bit cheated by the ending, if I'm honest, but it was a solid read.
Thank you to Netgalley and BooksgoSocial for a copy of the book in exchange for a review.
3.75 stars
I found this story to be an emotional roller coaster for me. Many times, I felt I related to Alex and her story. I cried many times while reading it and I must say that It often felt that her story was my story. That her joys and pains were mine as well. It was often a tough text to read as I have myself suffered great loss in my life barely a few months shy of four years ago. So yeah, for me that loss happened a short time ago so it was easy to feel the main character's loss.
Alex will discover many things in her short 18th year of her existance. She looses her family - her mother, father and baby sister - to a terrible car crash, but what she finds out after the crash will change her life forever.
Azrael, the angel of death, comes around like he has countless times in humanity, but this time, his work leaves a witness, one that he cannot accept is there.
For most of the story, we see Alex's task to find the truth, to save her family, and she finds the truth about what really is time travel and how she can twart the plans of the angel of death.
This book is written in the first person point of view, and it is written in Alex's point of view. Through it all, we go through with her the loss, the pain, the fear, the uncertainty. We also find out that what we might think is the truth, might not quite be the case.
Yes, Alex is the girl who cheated death, but at what cost?
This book follows Alex Drummond, a teenage girl and sole survivor of a terrible car wreck which killed her family. Now, she’s being chased by the angel of death. With the help of her friends, Alex begins to fight back, determined to defeat death.
Alex blames herself for the death of her family, since they were in the car because of her actions earlier that fateful day. She must battle her own feelings of guilt and grief, while simultaneously racing from Azrael, the angel of death. This book contains many religious themes and threads, which I didn’t mind. The religious element isn’t aggressive or “shoved down” anyone’s throat. Instead, it asks big questions and explores the answers in unique and unusual ways.
I found the tension to be a gradual and organic build throughout the plot. Some might find it a bit slow, but if it moved quicker, the character development would have felt forced. As is, Alex’s character arc develops in a believable fashion as her emotions tumble through the stages of grief. She proves to be a strong, dynamic young woman whose courage grows exponentially throughout.
I will note that the sexual assault scene happens in Act One, at a party Alex attends. The young man she’s with takes advantage of her, not rape, but still triggering. I mention this because while I typically pass on books containing this trigger, I would suggest anyone who might be affected to still give this book a chance because it’s such a powerful read, but to be aware of where the scene is in the book if they wish to avoid the details.
By the end, I was tearing up. There are a few moments where the believably of the character’s actions come into question, but I’m not to worried about that. It didn’t end as I predicted, or hoped, but it’s fitting to the themes of the books and ultimately, very satisfying. Please, give it a try!
The Girl Who Cheated Death by Alan Baker is a thriller which is very intriguing. The story is about a happy teenager, Alexandra who suddenly loses her family in an accident while she the lone survivor.
Alex starts questioning her own sanity when she sees a strange figure who goes around capturing souls from dying people. Nobody believes her story but finally she finds her friend Carl and Dr. Khan on her side. The frequent encounters from the Angel of Death Azrael scare her to death. Alex travels back in time when she accidentally changes an event in future. Eventually, she figures the reason behind the visits of Azrael.
Alex decides to bring her family back by changing an event in future. The story is a little complicated. The theory of Newcomb's paradox is applied in the story.
I enjoyed the story. I received the book's free copy in return for a review from #NetGalley. Thanks to #BooksGoSocial for sharing this book with me. The story, the female lead, the paranormal side and the suspense are a huge plus to this story.
The Girl Who Cheated Death, reminded me of the movie The Butterfly Effect. In the story Alex is tormented by the Angel of Death after she survives a crash which kills her family. The story was captivating and kept me reading until the end with unexpected twists. There were so many twists and unexpected things that the book kept you on the edge of your seat. Not to the readers: there were some mature content of the sexual nature and some violence. This book should not be read by immature readers just for this reason.
I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Because it is an unfinished copy, there were some print issues to be aware of. The first chapters are missing a few sentences and The TH is omitted from the beginning of words that begins with it.
was a good read was different than expected but definitely in a good way! would recommend it to fellow ya lovers!
‘She cheated death once. To bring her family back to life, she'll have to do it again.’
THE GIRL WHO CHEATED DEATH, the first book that I have read by Alan Baker, is a Supernatural Thriller wherein eighteen-year-old Alexandria Drummond's life is changed forever after a horrific car accident […]Alex watches as the Angel of Death, Azrael, takes the souls of her family and now it's haunting her.
This book thoroughly creeped me out, broke my heart, and brought me to tears more than once.
Admittedly, in the beginning, to me, Alex isn't a very likable character, but as the story progresses, you start to empathize with what she's going through.
The first half of the novel keeps you guessing, constantly wondering what's going to happen next. Unfortunately, the second half doesn't feel amped up anymore and slows down the pacing a bit, but that didn't prevent me from eagerly wanting to know how the novel ends – My Heart!
Thank you, NetGalley and Baker Venture Group Publishing, LLC, for loaning me an eBook of THE GIRL WHO CHEATED DEATH in exchange for an honest review.
If you were on the cusp of adulthood, and could see death, how would you react. This is how the entire book goes. What would you sacrifice for normalcy? Or for those you love? I'm not a fan of time jumps in stories, but this webs it all into more of what would happen if alternative realities.
Love wins in the end, even over death I felt. But, was death really the enemy? It seemed as surprised she could see it.
Alex decides not to give her soul to Azrael, the angel of death after an auto accident in which all of her family is killed. That one act, is the premise for the book The Girl Who Cheated Death by Alan Baker.
I loved the main character, Alex Drummond and her friends, Carl and Kate. They were very easy to picture and the author had no trouble expressing how good of friends they were. I wasn’t as fond of her uncle Rick and his wife. I’m not sure why, but they seem cold to me, and I don’t think that was the author’s intention. Dr. Khan was a fabulous character. I wish all doctors would actually listen and believe their patients.
The plot itself was a creepy, somewhat scary story. Occasionally, there was some confusion, but then the author would get back on track. I wasn’t expecting the complete turnaround about half way through the book, but the author made it work by the end of the story.
One of the things I liked about this book was the fact that the author kept the story moving. I was never bored, and I couldn’t wait to see how he was going to wrap the story up. The ending was a nice reward for finishing the book.
Thanks to NetGalley, Alan Baker, and Baker Venture Group, LLC for the opportunity to read and review this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book.
i really enjoyed reading this, it had a great suspenseful and spooky atmosphere. The characters were great and I really enjoyed the twist in the book.
An interesting read about The Girl Who Cheated Death and then has the God of Death creeping up on her. As I read along with her fear, I question how meticulous is this God that would not stop being in her mind/view? Really well done for the author to portray her fear and the support she received as a survivor. Might be a trigger to some individuals for the plot but it is a good read to explore the concept plot for what happens after death, or what is expected if you, well, managed to survive death.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for approving my request to read this book.