Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

47 reviews

cams_shelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"Life shouldn't he about to end befor someone begins living." (pg. 419)

ADAM SILVERA!!! He's done it again. Never have I cried so much over a book series—makes sense because no other book series I've read has centered around death but I digress. I will admit, I was much more attached to Rufus and Mateo (Roof will always be my favorite character w/n this duology)

but that doesn't mean I didn't cry over Valentino’s death.

I think I cried less because it's a more beautiful and hopeful ending than TBDATE.

While Valentino dies, Orion gets to live on with Valentino’s heart.

As much as I hate Mr. Silvera for making me cry, all in all, I enjoyed this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Terminal illness

heckingchonk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is my Roman empire. I've yet to emotionally recovered from reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse

nightowlreader46's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death, Homophobia, Car accident, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Cancer

fatfatrat's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Murder

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book is touching and sweet and incredibly sad all at once. I enjoyed this prequel as it provided some clarity for things that happened later on down the line. I felt like the characters are all written very distinctly so the shifting perspective is never confusing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, and Death

quinniantheduck's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content

aliveandnotlovingit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

heartbreaking to read, i love Adam Silvera and how his writing connects readers to his characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Chronic illness, Gun violence, and Terminal illness

amyhasel's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Medical content, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Homophobia

9/11 content

lucyford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Whew. I just finished the book and that was one of the best endings I’ve ever read. Although I found myself comparing this book to They Both Die at the End pretty often, and while I probably enjoyed that one more, this book is so much more inspiring and completely changed my perspective on life (again). It’s really one of those books that makes you sad but you’re okay with it because everything really is gonna be okay. I’m so thankful I read this  

and I’m ready to live for all the Valentinos that haven’t lived enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Medical content

Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Homophobia

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

After reading and loving "They Both Die at the End" years ago, I was super excited to get a new story set in this near future world.
"The First to Die at the End" follows Valentino and Orion, two young men who meet on the day Death-Cast launches, technology that alerts you if you will die within the next 24 hours. Valentino is excited to start his life over in New York City with his twin sister. He was not super interested in signing up for Death-Cast, until his sister almost dies in a car accident. Now he wants to know if his end is coming. Orion does not want to sign up for Death-Cast because he needs a heart transplant, so he already knows his death is imminent. When Death-Cast goes live at midnight, one of them gets a call, and they decide to live one more day together, even though they know how their story will end.
It was really interesting to get more of an origin story for Death-Cast because I think it opens up more discourse about whether this technology is really as great as the creators hope it is. On the one hand, knowing when you will die will definitely light a fire under you to live like it is your last day. However, it can also make your last day completely unbearable because you will inevitably keep waiting for death. I think this idea makes for a great story, but I definitely hope this technology remains as fiction.
Adam Silvera has an amazing ability to write characters that I absolutely swoon over. Both Orion and Valentino are such good-hearted people, and even though I knew the ending from the beginning, I held out so much hope that their story would be happy. Maye Death-Cast has some errors and will be inaccurate at launch.
Orion and Valentino were perfect for each other. They were the person the other needed and I loved seeing them support each other through 24 hours. Their's was a love story that I ached for.
I 1000% will read more from Adam Silvera in the future, and I hope he writes more of this Death-Cast world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Homophobia, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual content