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lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have had this book on my shelves for a few years and finally decided October was the perfect time to enjoy it.
"Life Is Short and Then You Die" is a collection of short stories that follows a myriad of different teenagers and their first exposures to murder. Some of the teens actually commit murder, while some are only a witness to a grizzly crime.
By far, my favorite story in this anthology was the first one. In the first story a girl realizes she has been murdered, and she quickly discovers her death was because of someone very close to her. The reader gets to follow her down a rabbit hole of remembering so that she can figure out who betrayed her and why. This was such an engaging story, and a great kick off for this type of anthology. Reading from the perspective of a ghost while they try to piece together their death was heartbreaking. I was so invested in figuring out what happened.
Most of the other stories I did not find nearly as captivating, but I had a fine time reading them. I think part of the problem for me was that a lot of the stories are very short, so as soon as I was getting interested in the story, it was over. It is a true skill to write something terse, but powerful. I would have much rather had a handful of short stories that were fleshed out more.
I did appreciate that this collection really encompassed all different angles of murder. As a reader, you can read from the perspective of a murderer and from the perspective of someone witnessing a murder. Each story is so unique and attempts to tackle a different angle of the crime of murder.
Overall, this was a fine read, and I recommend it to anyone looking to read a YA take on murder.
"Life Is Short and Then You Die" is a collection of short stories that follows a myriad of different teenagers and their first exposures to murder. Some of the teens actually commit murder, while some are only a witness to a grizzly crime.
By far, my favorite story in this anthology was the first one. In the first story a girl realizes she has been murdered, and she quickly discovers her death was because of someone very close to her. The reader gets to follow her down a rabbit hole of remembering so that she can figure out who betrayed her and why. This was such an engaging story, and a great kick off for this type of anthology. Reading from the perspective of a ghost while they try to piece together their death was heartbreaking. I was so invested in figuring out what happened.
Most of the other stories I did not find nearly as captivating, but I had a fine time reading them. I think part of the problem for me was that a lot of the stories are very short, so as soon as I was getting interested in the story, it was over. It is a true skill to write something terse, but powerful. I would have much rather had a handful of short stories that were fleshed out more.
I did appreciate that this collection really encompassed all different angles of murder. As a reader, you can read from the perspective of a murderer and from the perspective of someone witnessing a murder. Each story is so unique and attempts to tackle a different angle of the crime of murder.
Overall, this was a fine read, and I recommend it to anyone looking to read a YA take on murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Child death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Gore
jlaz_13's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Confinement, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Dementia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship
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