It is very rare for a book to make me feel so deeply the grief of a lost loved one, the slow, step by step journey out of depression and apathy, the rejection of family, the joy of being with loving friends, the hopelessness of a lost cause, the hope of a better tomorrow, and the sorrow and brokeness of one who is scared of losing everyone they love. Reaper is a triumph, a book that for me has catapulted the Cradle series from very, very good to an all time great.