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tvintrs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
The book follows two young men in New York who meet for the first time on the eve of Death Cast's first day running
I really enjoyed the concept of Death-Cast and the legal and ethical implications it would have on the world, and was interesting to see how it impacted the fate of Valentino at the end. I do, however, wish we as an audience had come to know more about the workings of the company. Perhaps this is explored in a later book, or perhaps it is left as a mystery, either way the concept was an interesting read.
Ultimately, I feel as though for me this was a 3 star read. It was quick and easy, but I struggled at times with the dialogue of the younger characters (perhaps just as I am not American so the slang/nicknames at times just felt too foreign or forced (O-Bro particuarly)) which was a little grating. I also felt it was a little rushed and didn't fully invest in the relationship between Orion and Valentino, not helped I think by the fact I found Orion to be not a super likeable character - I'm not sure why. The ending I feel should have left more of an impact, but I didn't feel it myself. Other than being happy for Gloria's newfound hopeful freedom, anyway. I feel like it would have a better impact on a younger audience and do feel the themes in the book are very worth exploring. I look forward to reading more of Adam Silvera's writing in this universe.
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Homophobia
starstrays's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Terminal illness and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence
cogowno's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Murder and Death
Minor: Homophobia
clovetra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
now i will start this off by saying out of the two currently published books in the death-cast series, this one is the best. ill be real tho and say its not by much.
ill say that i find silvera's writing style a bit... repetitive? not saying its shit because it very much is not shit!! its just not something i prefer
like every so often an inspirational phrase like "im going to live my life, even if i die" or some shit is said and i want to put the book down from annoyance.
help this sounds so mean I DONT MEAN IT TO ðŸ˜
i will say orion & valentino are cute, and the added suspense surrounding the validity of death-cast is a nice added feature! i found with the other book in this series, i did not find myself experiencing any tension because you knew the main characters were going to die. i liked the added concern regarding if death-cast is legit or not! i mean it kind of was in vain and i knew that deep down but its fine i was delulu.
what else? most characters felt shallow to me, but i will say i did love love love gloria's story. valentino & orion i was a bit meh on.... but i liked seeing joaquin as well.
i don't know i think im not the target audience for this book. and that's ok! not every book is made for every reader! i held out hope that me not liking [book:They Both Die at the End|33385229] was isolated to that story and my feelings didn't extend to silvera's other stories, but sadly it did :(
i could see myself reading the third instalment of this series, but other than that sadly i don't think i'd enjoy his other works. to me, they read quite surface level, are repetitive & i find the tone and pacing quite uncomfortable. for me.
i hate writing negative reviews
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death, Murder, Medical content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
personofro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The first one, They Both Die at the End, was great and had exciting potential. I wanted to learn more about the creation of Death Cast, and experience what it was like for the first Deckers.
Instead I heard about an elusive secret and mistake that was put in there. I understand no such thing exists but I would like a hint, at the very least, about the mistake? Twelve people who paid, apparently large amounts of money, to sign up but never got a call. Which is frustrating, but we also know from the creator's chapters he spent, I believe, around a decade? What happened?
Other than that, the two main characters Orion and Valentino have maybe six conversation topics:
1. Being gay.
2. Parental issues
3. Heart(organ) issues
4. Valentino's modeling
5. Orion's short story's (Which aren't much talked about other than his supposed talent and his whole life being one big, short story. Mostly only his POVs.
6. Their names (That one time + all the "I love your name"s
Boring, and I could barely stand the love-at-first-sight trope.
Pros? Loved the side stories. Seeing and hearing about/from child Mateo and Rufus was great and puts it all into perspective. The Rolando and Gloria side story? My favorite and I'm so happy Gloria got away and sad Pazito had to go through that.
Sad and happy? Were not feelings I experienced for the main two at all. I was so disconnected to their characters I began to think of them as the side characters, the supposedly side character chapters were intersected by Orion's and Valentino's.
Overall: Would not recommend, but I know I didn't listen to the warnings.
Moderate: Homophobia
gabe_escobedo's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Grief
bbelitz's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Homophobia, Gun violence, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
mari_universe's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Car accident
sorcha's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Violence, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
harrietta_xx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness and Homophobia