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A review by nickartrip102
Till Death by Kellan McDaniel
3.0
I requested and received an eARC of Till Death by Kellan McDaniel via NetGalley. I mean gay vampires? I don't read much YA fiction these days, but I was definitely drawn to this book and had to check it out. Howard is waiting until he can escape the confines of his high school. He doesn't fit in there and prefers to spend his time volunteering with the elderly at a nursing home where he encounters a strange, handsome teenager. Or who appears to be strange, handsome teenager. George is facing the loss of his partner, James, after twenty years together. George and James met when they were teenagers, but lost track of one another until they reconnected in their early sixties. Now James is slipping beyond George's reach, because George is a vampire. Immortal. Forever trapped in the body of a nineteen-year-old.
The second chapter of this book absolutely stole my heart and sold me on this story. No offense to the first chapter, which was a wonderful introduction to Howard, but the second chapter of this story really sunk its teeth into me and refused to let go. The emotional hook, the impending devastation between George and James, sealed my investment in Till Death. The way McDaniel peels back the layers of their history gave them added depth without being overly maudlin and the way their story plays out reflects a very issue that the queer community has been faced with — the disenfranchisement of a partner based on homophobic legality. I think there’s a political awareness to the story that is both important and necessary.
Queer youth do live lives that are politicized, whether their heterosexual, adult counterparts wish to acknowledge that fact or not. We also see this dynamic play out in the story as Howard and his friends face the local school board in an effort to improve the experiences of queer students at their high school. I enjoyed the budding romance between Howard and George, but I do wish there had been more scenes with Howard’s friend group. You know, after about the 50% mark, I have to say I wasn’t entirely sure what direction this story was headed. This isn’t a bad thing, it kept me on my toes and sent me racing toward the conclusion. And man, what an ending. This one is definitely going to stick with me for some time to come, because I’m still wrestling with what to make of it all. While a lot of queer YA books have chosen to lean into a space of light and positivity, Till Death relies on queer cynicism which I found to be both refreshing and honest.
The second chapter of this book absolutely stole my heart and sold me on this story. No offense to the first chapter, which was a wonderful introduction to Howard, but the second chapter of this story really sunk its teeth into me and refused to let go. The emotional hook, the impending devastation between George and James, sealed my investment in Till Death. The way McDaniel peels back the layers of their history gave them added depth without being overly maudlin and the way their story plays out reflects a very issue that the queer community has been faced with — the disenfranchisement of a partner based on homophobic legality. I think there’s a political awareness to the story that is both important and necessary.
Queer youth do live lives that are politicized, whether their heterosexual, adult counterparts wish to acknowledge that fact or not. We also see this dynamic play out in the story as Howard and his friends face the local school board in an effort to improve the experiences of queer students at their high school. I enjoyed the budding romance between Howard and George, but I do wish there had been more scenes with Howard’s friend group. You know, after about the 50% mark, I have to say I wasn’t entirely sure what direction this story was headed. This isn’t a bad thing, it kept me on my toes and sent me racing toward the conclusion. And man, what an ending. This one is definitely going to stick with me for some time to come, because I’m still wrestling with what to make of it all. While a lot of queer YA books have chosen to lean into a space of light and positivity, Till Death relies on queer cynicism which I found to be both refreshing and honest.