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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 đ
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 đ
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
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
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Homophobia, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
teslis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really loved the first book when I read it last year, but sadly this one didnât blew me away.
I do think Silveraâs language is quite easy which is something I liked last time, but now it just felt flat (?). I think the characters speech and actions feels unreal, but I do really like the plot and the thing with one of them dying.
I just had higher expectations and they werenât meet.
I have both books from âthe infinity sonâ which Iâm planning to read but be will see.
Took me 9 hours and 48 minutes
I do think Silveraâs language is quite easy which is something I liked last time, but now it just felt flat (?). I think the characters speech and actions feels unreal, but I do really like the plot and the thing with one of them dying.
I just had higher expectations and they werenât meet.
I have both books from âthe infinity sonâ which Iâm planning to read but be will see.
Took me 9 hours and 48 minutes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Death, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
emotional
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
disclaimer if youâve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: Youâre correct that I donât really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and donât like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyoneâs reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
As everyone knows, this is the prequel to TBDATE & it covers the first day that Death Cast launches, which is so intriguing because it rang true to how I thought our current society would treat the service too. There would absolutely be naysayers & doomsdayers galore! I felt Adam did an excellent job in illustrating the many emotions and wonders of the characters when it came to Death Cast's new service and what it meant for their lives.
Was I as wrecked as TBDATE? No, but that's because I fully knew what was coming. My dumbass really thought the title was clever and that the author was trying to trick readers and not actually a spoiler of how that book would end hahaha. However, I did get attached to and root for Orion and Valentino, two boys who deserved to be happy and healthy.
I listened to the audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. These books call into question how we shouldn't take our days for granted, and I love those reminders.
ALSO !!! Rufus + Mateo cameos?! Like are you kidding?! BE STILL MY HEART <3
As everyone knows, this is the prequel to TBDATE & it covers the first day that Death Cast launches, which is so intriguing because it rang true to how I thought our current society would treat the service too. There would absolutely be naysayers & doomsdayers galore! I felt Adam did an excellent job in illustrating the many emotions and wonders of the characters when it came to Death Cast's new service and what it meant for their lives.
Was I as wrecked as TBDATE? No, but that's because I fully knew what was coming. My dumbass really thought the title was clever and that the author was trying to trick readers and not actually a spoiler of how that book would end hahaha. However, I did get attached to and root for Orion and Valentino, two boys who deserved to be happy and healthy.
I listened to the audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. These books call into question how we shouldn't take our days for granted, and I love those reminders.
ALSO !!! Rufus + Mateo cameos?! Like are you kidding?! BE STILL MY HEART <3
"While Death-Cast can only tell someone when they will die, they can't predict how someone's life will change on their End Day. The Decker must make those discoveries themselves by living with the fullest of hearts, down to the last beat."
"I don't want to mistake another day as ordinary again."
"I understand that the person who gets the Death-Cast call isnât the only one dying. If you really hold someone in your heart, you die too."
"Life shouldn't be about to end before someone begins living."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia, Gun violence, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
erebus53's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
4.25
Adam Silvera's work is always an easy read for me. His niche is typically youth fiction telling the story of gay kids trying to find their way. He has a real fan following with his creativity and modern real-talk for teens. It's not going to be everyone's flavour, but it never feels forced. This is the second of his Die at the End books, and serves as a prequel for the first book. The story holds tension by being delivered in the first person in a chronological order, from different people's points of view. This is the second book I have read this week that introduces random characters with us not knowing at first that we are being woven into a tangled web of inter-related characters.
The tension in this book is interesting because, unlike the characters, we know that the DeathCast system (that warns people on their last day, that they are about to die), is real and works. Nobody can predict that there will be a hiccup on its first day of use and that some of the people who are going to die that day have not been told, and even that is only revealed to the populace half way through the day.
For those who have read the other book first, there are revelations that are very obvious (we know what the creative app programming endeavours of one character are likely to culminate in), and some things that are much less obvious, such as a character making a phonecall from a pay phone, which are going to be phased out and trashed shortly.
My absolute favourite thing about Silvera's imagined world is that he has replaced a leading popular fantasy franchise with something I can really totally get behind. The major popular magical fiction series in his world is called Scorpius Hawthorn; and it's a magical story with prophecies and wizards and things. There are major movie spinoffs and the child actors are treated wonderfully, getting to play and have fun around film-shooting in Brazil, while their special dietary needs and health are supported by caring handlers. The author of the original book series is Poppy Iglesias and she's a lovely caring person who is also a Queer Latina Trans-woman. I would love to live in this fantasy where the most popular magic franchise is also ethical.
This book is a serious tear jerker. It has homophobia in it. It has sex in it; there are condoms, explicit consent, and not a lot of other detail. It's there as a celebration of love rather than to be titillating. There is also domestic violence, and gun violence, grief about losing parents in the 9/11 destruction, and apocalypse cults, and scary dudes in skull masks. The intended audience is probably 14+ but mature readers younger or older than that will probably enjoy it. Some of the coincidences seem ridiculously contrived and unlikely, but that's just the style of story, and is similar to the other book as well. I was caught in frisson several times when reminded of things like 9/11 or when I realised that throw away details experienced by one character were more relevant to the story of another character.
Fans of the original book will likely enjoy this one as much.
The tension in this book is interesting because, unlike the characters, we know that the DeathCast system (that warns people on their last day, that they are about to die), is real and works. Nobody can predict that there will be a hiccup on its first day of use and that some of the people who are going to die that day have not been told, and even that is only revealed to the populace half way through the day.
For those who have read the other book first, there are revelations that are very obvious (we know what the creative app programming endeavours of one character are likely to culminate in), and some things that are much less obvious, such as a character making a phonecall from a pay phone, which are going to be phased out and trashed shortly.
My absolute favourite thing about Silvera's imagined world is that he has replaced a leading popular fantasy franchise with something I can really totally get behind. The major popular magical fiction series in his world is called Scorpius Hawthorn; and it's a magical story with prophecies and wizards and things. There are major movie spinoffs and the child actors are treated wonderfully, getting to play and have fun around film-shooting in Brazil, while their special dietary needs and health are supported by caring handlers. The author of the original book series is Poppy Iglesias and she's a lovely caring person who is also a Queer Latina Trans-woman. I would love to live in this fantasy where the most popular magic franchise is also ethical.
This book is a serious tear jerker. It has homophobia in it. It has sex in it; there are condoms, explicit consent, and not a lot of other detail. It's there as a celebration of love rather than to be titillating. There is also domestic violence, and gun violence, grief about losing parents in the 9/11 destruction, and apocalypse cults, and scary dudes in skull masks. The intended audience is probably 14+ but mature readers younger or older than that will probably enjoy it. Some of the coincidences seem ridiculously contrived and unlikely, but that's just the style of story, and is similar to the other book as well. I was caught in frisson several times when reminded of things like 9/11 or when I realised that throw away details experienced by one character were more relevant to the story of another character.
Fans of the original book will likely enjoy this one as much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Blood
1abookwormdiary_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? No
3.0
i liked this book but i could of just read they both die at the end w/o the prequel i feel like this book is better for people who already love these characters but ill still be reading they both die at the end after this cause i love orion and valentino
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, and Homophobia
a_alves00's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Gun violence, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
meeklovestoread's review
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I loved They Both Die At The End. One of my top reads ever and was definitely one of the books that got thinking about getting back into reading. So when I found out there was gonna be a prequel I got excited. And while I didn't like this better than the "first" book I still liked it nonetheless. It was a good book and had many heartfelt moments full of friendship, love, and family. It was what I expected and I wasn't disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Cursing, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Violence
rissaandherbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I loved this just as much as the first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical content, Domestic abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Gun violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Infidelity, Blood, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Violence
Minor: Physical abuse, War, Infidelity, Murder, and Vomit