History Literature / Croak

A YoungAdultLiterature series by Gina Damico about a [[UsedToBeASweetKid juvenile delinquent]] who gets [[OffToBoardingSchool sent to stay with her uncle]] in an effort to rehabilitate her. Unbeknownst to her parents, however, her uncle is actually a GrimReaper and the town of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Croak]] is actually a [[CelestialBureaucracy town housing and regulating their jobs]]. Lex goes on to make friends and enemies, Kill people, and stand at the center of the most chaos the Grimsphere has faced in centuries.

* CelestialBureaucracy: While it's not quite a ''celestial'' bureaucracy, the town of Croak does run the Grim Reapers, which is [[ReligionIsWrong as close as this universe seems to come to a god]].

%%* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler: Pip's climbing ability.]]
%%** And in case you forgot from an early scene, [[spoiler: Lex's EscapeArtist abilities get her out of captivity in the climax]].

* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: Driggs. His parents were incredibly abusive, and his father intended to kill him after Driggs fought back by breaking his nose, but he managed to grab the gun out of his father's hands and knock him down. He killed his mother first, [[BoomHeadshot one right between the eyes]]. And then his father, one in the head and four elsewhere on his body.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Zara, who wants to rid the world of murderers, rapists and other criminals.]]

%%* MomentKiller: Mort for Lex and Driggs, in the OverprotectiveDad variety of this trope.

%%* OverprotectiveDad: Mort to Lex, despite being her uncle.

!This series contains examples of the following:

* [[spoiler: AngstySurvivingTwin: Lex to Cordy after book one.]]

* AbusiveParents: Almost every Grim comes from this type of household.
* AddictiveMagic: [[spoiler: Damning is this. Lex admits that it feels good and only Damning inanimate objects isn't satisfying.]]

* BarredFromTheAfterlife: This is [[spoiler: Lex's/Zara's]] power, in a nutshell.
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Zara gets Lex to unlock her Damning power by killing her twin sister.]]
* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler: Lex's natural abundance of Killing power is actually a result of her power to Damn souls.]]

* ChekhovsGun: Hey, remember [[spoiler: the nest in that tree in a town where no animals will live]]?
* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler: Pip's climbing ability.]]
** And in case you forgot from an early scene, [[spoiler: Lex's EscapeArtist abilities get her out of captivity in the climax]].

* CoolOldGuy / CoolOldLady: Corpp and Pandora.
* {{Delinquents}}: Every Grim becomes this when they come into their powers.
* {{Descriptiveville}}: Croak, DeMyse, Necropolis...

* [[spoiler: {{Fingore}}: The Wrong Book can only be read right by Grotton--specifically, when he waves his hand over it or holds it. Since he refuses to let them read it freely, Pip and Bang decide to cut off his finger and put it in a jar so they can hold it by the book whenever they need to read it.]]
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Zara.]]
* GoodParents: Mr. and Mrs. Bartleby, mostly.

* MamaBear / PapaWolf: Corpp, Pandora, and Mort all fall into this category at one time or another.

* MomentKiller: Mort for Lex and Driggs, in the OverprotectiveDad variety of this trope.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: [[JustifiedTrope Somewhat justified]] in that they're basically extensions of powers the characters already had.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: Lex accidentally gives Zara the power to Damn people.]] And again when [[spoiler: Lex accidentally gives Norwood the power to Damn.]]
* OffToBoardingSchool: The kick-off for the whole series.
* OverprotectiveDad: Mort to Lex, despite being her uncle.

* ShipperOnDeck: Pandora for Driggs and Lex.
* SignificantAnagram: [[spoiler: "Bone the sick scythe bandit" can be rearranged to spell "the cabin beyond the sticks".]]
* TeamMom / TeamDad: Ferbus calls Corpp their "collective grandpa." His wife Pandora also qualifies.

* VigilanteMan: [[spoiler: Zara]], before suffering [[spoiler: MotiveDecay]] due to [[spoiler: Damning being addictive]].

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Zara, who wants to rid the world of murderers, rapists and other criminals.]]

* YouDidntAsk: This is literally [[spoiler: Pip's]] explanation as to why he didn't tell anyone about his [[LeParkour climbing skills]].

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: A justified example with some of the Grims, as staying in the Ether too long messes with hair follicles.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: Lex accidentally gives Zara the power to Damn people.]]

* RandomTeleportation: The [[BlessedWithSuck downside]] to Crashing.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: {{spoiler: Zara, who wants to rid the world of murderers, rapists and other criminals.}}
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Zara, who has silver hair.

[[spoiler: AngstySurvivingTwin: Lex to Cordy after book one.]]

* MismatchedEyes: Driggs.