Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death

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!

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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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***

I'm drawn to stories about Death embodied, but I seldom come across a characterization that seems likely. Well, I think this is the likeliest so far.

Death is aloof and weird, doesn't comprehend the finite details of humanity, and yet, even after 200,000 years of obedience training, he's still a little curious. Questioning the strict edicts of the heavens leads to uncharacteristic spontaneity and doubt, trademarks of a mind ruminating on the way things have always been versus the way things could be.

This is a metaphysical and allegorical exploration of life, death, raw and uncomfortable tragedy, and love. It's a hilariously ironic, theologically obscure, bittersweet, and ultimately poignant story; one of those "thinking" fantasies that could just as easily put you off as totally enthrall. Since I have no way of knowing which way you skew on the philosophical, the abstract, and the morbidly unexpected, I'll just say:

To each their own.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Occasionally, I will stumble across a book that I was not expecting. That I did not know I needed. That before I knew it existed, my life was a little bit incomplete and yet I did not know it.

This is that occasion, and this is that book.

Summary (no spoilers)

When a long series of events involving a jelly donut and a chicken wing result in Death accidentally taking the wrong soul, his eons long existence flitting between frozen moments in time is forever altered by the most unlikely heroine; TaaTaas! waitress and walking tragedy, Molly Molloy.
Death has always followed Molly Molloy, but neither of them knew it. Now, fully aware of each other and the histories they share and do not, a love is sparked, a lifetime lived and an empty chest manifests a heart.

50% Good Omens, 35% Meet Joe Black and 15% anything by V.E. Schwab, this beautiful story is as bitter as it is sweet, poignant as it is light.

The character of Death (or "Dee", as our tragic heroine dubs him) is beautifully awkward and hilariously inept even after millions of years of existence. His delight in the world moving around him would make even the moist stoic of readers grin. Molly Molloy's heroine is such a force. I loved her so much. She was everything I've wanted other YA fantasy heroines to be. She's so real, from her brown hair to the stretch marks over her hips. We all have a Molly Molloy in our lives and we love her for her strength, pity her for her backstory and envy her ability to handle it all with grace.

This story would work in no one else's voice but Maria Vale's. Her whimsical style and descriptions flow so easily so as to make the reader just accept the odd and weird as normal and just RIGHT for this world and Molly and Death's story.

I loved this book so much. From the characters to the writing to the feeling in my heart when it was over, it was a bit like life; beautiful, a times heartbreaking, but oh so worth it and so worth sharing.

Hands down this is my favourite book so far this year. Such a fresh premise that slowly meanders allowing the reader to truly grow to care for these characters.
When Death makes a mistake it alters his reality as he finds his very existence becoming entwined with Molly who is definitely a lady who takes no prisoners !
This is a story of love and the author makes it funny, poignant, a little heartbreaking and most of all for this reader a story I will remember. The concepts surrounding humanity and the angels who are present in past, present and future was certainly unique with speech idioms that undoubtedly would give a sane person a headache ! However it didn't stop my love of these two characters and as much as I dreaded the end I do feel this story was beautiful in that it reminds us that life and love isn't always about the big things but a multitude of small everyday things that add up .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Molly Malloy and the Angel of Death is simply brilliant. It's funny, thought provoking, and absolutely beautiful. The book flows so smoothly, with the perfect pacing for a quick read, and the characters are written with such realistic humanity that I could not put this down. This novel celebrates the mundane and encourages you to embrace change, all while teaching you to treat every moment, big and small, as the adventure it is.

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.

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. ⁣
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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! ⁣
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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. ⁣
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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.