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A review by tashasbooks
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
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? It's complicated
5.0
Oh my gosh, I love this book. It's been a couple years since I read the first Deathcast book, They Both Die at the End, so I wasn't sure if Silvera's writing was as good as I remember. If anything, I love this book even more than the first one.
This is a prequel in the Deathcast world that follows Orion and Valentino. It is the very first night that Deathcast will launch and Valentino and Orion both attend the premiere party in Times Square. Orion has been suffering from a debilitating heart condition and he loves the idea that he doesn't have to worry each day that he is going to die from his condition. Valentino has just moved to New York City and is excited to finally escape his homophobic parents and pursue modeling.
One of them gets a call that tells them they will die that day and it sets off a chain of events where Valentino and Orion spend the day with each other and fall in love. And honestly, you can feel it. I know a lot of criticism is that they cannot fall in love in a day, but these two spend their time talking about their lives and what is important to them and doing things together that they've never done before. Valentino helps Orion face his family's deaths from 9/11 and Orion helps Valentino feel loved.
This book is just so emotional and the reason I love it so much is the themes it covers and explores. The idea of what would we do if we knew our it was our last day to live? And if we're told we're going to die, how does that change our actions and eventual cause of death? It explores grief and acceptance. With it being the first day of DeathCast, I felt the plot was stronger because they didn't know for sure if they would die. It's such a raw and beautiful book and I got extremely attached to the characters and their connection.
I also felt the other POVs added even more to the story and how they interconnect. I felt they were written even better than the first book and their individual stories were just as heartbreaking. We finally got a bit more insight into DeathCast but we still don't know exactly how they predict the deaths. (In the bonus content of this one, Adam Silvera said we will never know because he feels it distracts from the overall purpose and content of these stories).
Of course, the ending made me absolutely sob. These books are so sad, but the purpose is very clear about how to live life to the fullest.
This is a prequel in the Deathcast world that follows Orion and Valentino. It is the very first night that Deathcast will launch and Valentino and Orion both attend the premiere party in Times Square. Orion has been suffering from a debilitating heart condition and he loves the idea that he doesn't have to worry each day that he is going to die from his condition. Valentino has just moved to New York City and is excited to finally escape his homophobic parents and pursue modeling.
One of them gets a call that tells them they will die that day and it sets off a chain of events where Valentino and Orion spend the day with each other and fall in love. And honestly, you can feel it. I know a lot of criticism is that they cannot fall in love in a day, but these two spend their time talking about their lives and what is important to them and doing things together that they've never done before. Valentino helps Orion face his family's deaths from 9/11 and Orion helps Valentino feel loved.
This book is just so emotional and the reason I love it so much is the themes it covers and explores. The idea of what would we do if we knew our it was our last day to live? And if we're told we're going to die, how does that change our actions and eventual cause of death? It explores grief and acceptance. With it being the first day of DeathCast, I felt the plot was stronger because they didn't know for sure if they would die. It's such a raw and beautiful book and I got extremely attached to the characters and their connection.
I also felt the other POVs added even more to the story and how they interconnect. I felt they were written even better than the first book and their individual stories were just as heartbreaking. We finally got a bit more insight into DeathCast but we still don't know exactly how they predict the deaths. (In the bonus content of this one, Adam Silvera said we will never know because he feels it distracts from the overall purpose and content of these stories).
Of course, the ending made me absolutely sob. These books are so sad, but the purpose is very clear about how to live life to the fullest.