Reaper #2497 is all of us when we have a task to do, but don’t want to do it. This book is the perfect amount of dark humor. I laughed out loud and enjoyed following “Steve” around, especially during his death reports.

I plan on reading the next book since The Reaper’s Quota ended on a cliff hanger. Thank you again to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book was a short, strangely dark, yet funny. I was left feeling all sorts of weird things.

I think the concept of the book was super interesting, and the ending was such a cliff hanger!! I’m curious as to house the next book in the series will progress from here.

The writing was intriguing and very reflective, but I think it was probably a good idea for the book to be as short as it was. It started getting a little repetitive towards the end, but again, that kind of went hand in hand with the nature of character’s plight.

I have mixed feeling about the book. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. 3/5

If you kill someone in this life, you’ll become a Grim Reaper in the next, taking life as you’re assigned and without remorse. Reaper #2497, or Steve as he was called in his past life, just can’t do it. He just can’t get past his remnant human emotions. Emotions he isn't suppose to have. No reaper is supposed to remember or have these feelings. But Steve does. He’s barely meeting his quota, and he knows the Boss is not happy, and when the Boss isn’t happy, you get executed. But what does that mean if you’re already dead?
The Reaper’s Quota by Sarah McKnight is a delightfully lighthearted perspective on death and what makes us human, and how our choices can affect our lives (or deaths). I fantastic blend of “1,000 Ways To Die” and “Office Space”, I would highly recommend this to fan’s of either. 4/5 Stars

Humorous, bittersweet, and human. This short novel tells about the job and humanity of a REAPER.
Meeting your assigned quota isn’t hard, but those extra Random Deaths are .
Steve, the Reaper has started having Human thoughts and feelings and his boss is not happy about it.
If you are not Squamish about this subject, you will enjoy this novel.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC. I do recommend.

Delightfully dark and humorous tale of one reaper who just needs more and questions everything, and doesn't really choose to fit in. Just like Jonathan Livingston Seagul but darker and with a scythe. Can't wait to see what happens next!

I wasn’t really sure what I would think of this but I’m really glad I had the chance to read it. It’s such a unique idea and I really liked the first person narrative. I’ll definitely be reading the next book.

A dark read full of sarcastic and dark humour. Well written and so original. Grim Reaper #2497 is not very good at his job and at risk of permanent execution. Too put it bluntly he is too empathetic with his victims. A fun read with a twisty ending which definitely left me wanting more.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I really loved the concept of this story but unfortunately I think it fell a little flat, the plot is very repetitive which is a shame because I think it had a lot of potential to be a wonderfully dark, comedic reflection on death and morality.

This book was okay. I love the idea of but it could have been done better. The story is ex-treme-ly repetitive. A reaper's perspective sounds so interesting but, unfortunately, Steve is just a regular old human in reaper form. And the reaper world itself is also pretty underwhelming and very much like our own.

The humour in the book is amazing. The sarcastic sense of humour from Reaper #2497 really shows the extent to which his humanity is still present and had me laughing at some many points.
I read this in 2 days and it was so enjoyable. The cliff-hanger has made me so excited for a sequel

I received this kindle book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Grim Reaper #2497 (a.k.a. Steve) doesn't like being a reaper very much. He only got the gig because he killed his business partner and then died decades later in Prison -- see, if you kill someone, whether accidentally or otherwise, you spend your eternal afterlife reaping the souls of other people, until your bones get so old they literally turn to dust.

Steve fulfills his assignments (terminally ill people or other people slated to die) reluctantly, but he hates having to meet his "random death" quota a.k.a the 30 random people that he has to kill, some of whom, without Steve's intervention, would have had long lives ahead of them. Since he hasn't been fulfilling his quota lately, he is called in front of the Big Boss and told that he has to randomly kill 30 people in 3 days, otherwise Steve will be executed. The book is basically about Steve going about this grim tasks.

I really loved "The Office" or "Office Space" feel of this book -- but instead of TP Reports, there are Random Death quotas. The reapers stand around the office water cooler "drinking" their Elixir (which they can't really drink because the reapers are literally just walking skeletons) and talking shop. Some reapers are sadistic, some are over achievers, and some, like Steve, do the bare minimum with a modicum of effort. Sitting above the minions, making sure the work is carried out, is the nasty boss with a bad attitude ready to drop the hammer at any moment.

How Steve orchestrates his random kills is borderline ridiculous, which brings some levity into what otherwise would be a somber set of circumstances. Despite the humor, however, it does get rather tedious after a while and I would have liked to have more substance to the story, which is why I'm only giving the book 4 stars instead of 5. The book is 90% focused on the background story of the people that Steve kills and the description of how they die and 10% focused on bringing Steve's story forward. The book ended with a cliffhanger, which I presume will pick up in a sequel -- though I think that the book was short enough that it could have been continued as a Part 2 to the same book.

If you're in the mood for something short and light, then this book is for you!

The Reaper's Quota is an original, sarcastic and enjoyable read. I was drawn to its unique plot of Grim Reaper #2497, who has to meet his random death quota. Plagued by human thoughts, every execution weighs heavy on him. Sarah presents a beautiful mix of sarcasm and emotions, and I devoured this book in one sitting. The world of Grim Reapers is nothing but fascinating and spellbinding. The death reports make me giggle! The ending is a memorable cliffhanger, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. A 5-star read all the way!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

This was a fun ride along with the main Reaper.
He just can't stop trying to figure out what his life was like before he died.

The fun qualifications to become a reaper after you die is that you had to have killed someone.
Either on purpose or on accident. no forgiveness.
You are assigned daily quotas and have to complete random death quotas as well.
All Reapers looks exactly the same: skeleton with scythe

you better be a good time keeper after you die
no body has missed a quota yet, so it is unknown what will happen

The premise of the story is what got me first interested in reading- reapers are just like anybody else; they have jobs and quotas to fill! I liked how the story flowed with our main character reaper being reprimanded for not meeting his month's quota. It was interesting to see how the random death's were chosen, and I thought the reports he had to fill out were hilarious. During this, the main subplot of him longing to be human again and wondering how to make that happen was genius! And the added element of a human woman he could actually talk to brought a hint of romance (and I didn't see it coming). I was on the edge of my seat wondering if he'd meet his quota, and if we would find out if he turned human, or found out how to. This book leaves us with a cliff-hanger and open-ended, and I saw that there is a sequel. I will for sure be checking out the sequel. I think this book would make a great comedic television show someday (in the vein of The Good Place), and it was a great palette cleanser for a horror fan (dark, but not too dark)!

I absolutely loved the dark humor in this book. It is a gory and gruesome story, so please be aware of that before picking it up, but a stunning story on how precious life is.

The Reaper's Quota is brillant!

Who thought that a Reaper would have a quota? Well they do!

This novel is a great take on what happens when death is at your door, but also, what and who is a Reaper.

A Reaper is a person who committed murder while still living. Upon their death they become Reapers. All memory of who they were before death is erased, or is it?

Reapers have rules they have to abide by and meet their quotas or else.... Oh and they also have a boss!

This novel follows Steve, a Reaper on his quest to meet his quota or meet his demise. Steve doesn't enjoy taking life and has to make the decision to kill or be killed.

A very heart felt novel focusing on the anguish of whose life to take while judging yourself doing it. A down to earth novel that will have you turning the pages and the ending will leaving you hanging!

Ready for book 2

A creative, well written novel that had me laughing and tearing up. The cliff hangar at the end had me wanting more! Genius!

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for making this review possible!

This was a fun and unique novella following Grim Reaper #2947 struggling with his humanity and fulfilling his role as a Reaper.

After reading some pretty heavy books recently it was nice to change it up with some dark humour and a shorter book. I loved the premise and found it was delivered really well by McKnight.

There is a sequel that has recently been published but I find I would have preferred it as potentially a standalone as the ending was just that perfect open-ended cliffhanger. Nonetheless I'll be picking up the sequel soon!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in return for my honest review.

The Reaper’s Quota is the first book in the Reaper Chronicles series by American author, Sarah McKnight. Grim Reaper #2497 is being pulled up by the Big Boss for not meeting his quota of Random Deaths. He’s completed his Assigned Deaths (old, sick, fatal accidents or suicides) but, with three days left in the month, still has thirty Random Deaths to do. He is solemnly reminded that Random Deaths are necessary to prevent the world from overpopulating.

Trouble is, #2497, or Steve (the name that just feels right to him), is troubled by very human feelings that seem to be absent in other Reapers. Whereas some Reapers take great pleasure in their job, Steve doesn’t enjoy taking lives at all. When he can’t avoid killing Randoms, he tries to find those that deserve it, or have only a short time left anyway. But the official warning means he has to get busy or he will be exterminated.

Being exterminated would mean he wouldn’t have to snuff out lives, but then he wouldn’t exist anymore; what he’d really like is go back to being human, to get another chance, to do it better this time. Because he thinks that last time, his wasn’t a good life, and killing his cheating business partner in a fit of anger was what made him a Reaper in the first place.

So he takes his scythe and reluctantly gets started on his quota of Randoms. During a break, another Reaper warns him that his thoughts and deeds are being monitored by the higher-ups, and a sneak peek at the files tells him he has been flagged as a problematic Reaper.

Then, while out looking for suitable Randoms, he encounters a human who can actually see him. After they each get over the shock, the chat they have is revelatory for both, and it makes Steve even more determined to find out how he can return to being human.

But then Steve breaks a Reaper Rule, intervening when another Reaper is carrying out Assigned Death tasks, something punishable by immediate extermination. But the result is totally unexpected, and has him challenging the Big Boss about their role. The Big Boss doesn’t appreciate criticism, and his next instruction reflects this.

It’s always fun to read a story with a quirky protagonist, and a Grim Reaper is certainly that. Despite being a murderer, Steve is the sort of guy you can’t help liking, or sympathising with his plight. McKnight gives him some wise words and insightful observations and, because he’s just bones, has him thinking things like “I think about biting my tongue to stop myself from saying anything more. Since I don’t have one, the words continue to spill out.”

Needless to say, the premise of the story dictates that the body count is high, with some very creative manners of death, and the cliff-hanger ending will have the reader appreciating that the sequel, Chasing The Reaper has already been published. Very entertaining!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Books Go Social.

Grim Reaper #2497 (or Steve as he prefers to be called) is struggling to make his monthly quota again. He has no trouble ending the lives of those who are dying from accidents, disease or famine but it’s the random lives he has to take every month that cause him problems. He knows the Reapers must harvest extra lives to help keep population growth under control, but it’s choosing who to take that he finds difficult. He’s already been warned by the Big Boss that his days as a Reaper may be limited if he can’t overcome his human feelings (which Reapers shouldn’t have) about which lives to take.

Darkly humorous, this novella is a delightfully fun read as Reaper #2497 goes looking for those most worthy of dying early and in inventive ways. He knows he is being watched by the Big Boss but can’t help letting his human feelings influence his choices. Just be warned –after finishing this, you’ll be left wanting to immediately read the sequel.

Well that was fun. Who knew a grim reaper could have such a sense of humour!

Grim Reaper #2497, who feels like his name was Steve when he was human, is behind on his quota of 30 random deaths. Failure to complete the required number of terminations will probably result in his own termination. He has also been warned to stop thinking about whether it would be possible to revert to human.

This was an enjoyable change of pace and I chuckled quite a bit, especially when reading Steve's Random Death reports. The story is really well told and you can almost hear the reapers' bones clicking and clacking as they bustle about headquarters. The book ends in a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to reading Book 2. This book was published in November 2021 and Book 2, Chasing the Reaper, was released recently.

My thanks to BooksGoSocial via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own.