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tvintrs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- 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 First to Die at the End is a book with an interesting premise and a diverse cast of characters. On the face of it, it seems like a pretty long book clocking in at 550 pages in the hardback edition but it reads quickly and the constant changing of POVs used within the story help to keep the pace strong throughout.
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(a Service which calls people in advance to let them know that they would be dying within 24 hours of the call.) Orion, a native New Yorker, meets Valentino - an aspiring model, new to NY - and they become fast friends when they find out that it is Valentino's ''End Day'' and he would soon be dying. The friendship between the boys is quite sweet and seeing Orion doing everything he can to give Valentino the best last day is admirable and inspiring. However, I couldn't help but feel that there was a lot crammed into the 24 hours the book takes place through, which sometimes left it feeling rushed particularly in regard to the relationship between the boys and Valentino's offer of giving his heart to Orion (literally, as Orion suffers with cardiac myophathy and is also on somewhat of a life timer.) It felt, to me, a little manipulative given that Valentino probably shouldn't have been making such descisions in the state he was in, but it did help to highlight the ethical questions around Death Cast such as what is ethically correct when it comes to a Decker wanting to organ donate.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Homophobia
starstrays's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence
deardionysus's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship
fpcat99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Murder
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
let's not talk about how long it took me to finish this ok
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
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
Content Warnings
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
sorcha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
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
purplee_rain89's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Just like the first book, this story was so heartbreaking, yer incredibly beautiful. I really loved the way it was written; I felt like I was in the situations the characters were in myself and was really able to feel with them. Orion and Valentino's love story might be tragic but in contrast to the first book, it was so beautiful to see one of them live on with the help of the other. I also love how Adam Silvera portrayed the concept of "change the things you can and accept the things you can't change" perfectly, e.g. with Scarlett not being able to see Valentino for one last time and his parents never truly accepting him and loving him as they should. But he still got all the closure he could from their last phone call and the fact that both Scarlett and Valentino found a family with Team Young had something really hopeful about it and I'd like to think that they ho on to heal from his death together.
Another great thing was all the connections you had to the first book! Like Valentino and Orion meeting the younger versions of Rufus and Mateo and even Rufus family, especially his mom who obviously played a big role. Plus, Dalma being the creator of the Last Friends app was beautiful as well.
Just like with the the first book, I found this story to be really inspiring and somewhat motivating to think of life differently and not take it for as granted as we're used to. It really is a whole different perspective to see life through the eyes of someone who knows their death is basically around the corner and it gets you to think about your own views and how maybe you shouldn't wait to do the things you want to do. You need to actually LIVE and to be alive for as long as you can. I could go on and on about how beautiful I think these books are but I'd never finish, so just a huge thank you to Adam Silvera for writing these amazing stories (and also for all the queer and Latino representation in it) <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Outing, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Misogyny, and Gun violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
iamaprettyflower's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Murder
hello_ned's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Yet again with a heart breaker. This story doesn't focus on the characters growing, but rather just telling the story of two star crossed lovers. These stories deserve to be told, even if we know how it ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
simonstays5's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Violence