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gothark 's review for:
They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
A real tearjerker that's for sure!
The premise sounded really interesting and I liked how you technically already knew the ending but it somehow felt like a surprise anyway. But you can't question the setting too hard or it will fall apart a little because...how does Death-Cast even work?? It's never explained lmao Magic? Just machine-powered prediction? Does someone have a Death Note? Who knows, not me. So just ignore and bury all your questions and settle in for the ride, which kind of brings me to my main problem. I liked the characters, they are fun, charming, and read like real teenagers having teenager problems which works well to really bring home how unfair it is that they will both die so young. I get how a situation like that would lead to heightened emotions and how an emotional pressure chamber could make two people fall in love really fast. But it just didn't really feel... real? Like Mateo and Rufus come across as great friends! I just couldn't really buy into the insta love and there wasn't that much... romantic development outside of them becoming friends. It gets saved a little by one of the main sentiments explored towards the end being both of them just... wanting more time, to see what they could build, what they could have, which is exactly what I want as well lmao but then they both die at the end.
(I also lowkey wish we got some kind of... time skip to see how the people in their live are dealing/moving on after both of them passed, but that's just me.)
The premise sounded really interesting and I liked how you technically already knew the ending but it somehow felt like a surprise anyway. But you can't question the setting too hard or it will fall apart a little because...how does Death-Cast even work?? It's never explained lmao Magic? Just machine-powered prediction? Does someone have a Death Note? Who knows, not me. So just ignore and bury all your questions and settle in for the ride, which kind of brings me to my main problem. I liked the characters, they are fun, charming, and read like real teenagers having teenager problems which works well to really bring home how unfair it is that they will both die so young. I get how a situation like that would lead to heightened emotions and how an emotional pressure chamber could make two people fall in love really fast. But it just didn't really feel... real? Like Mateo and Rufus come across as great friends! I just couldn't really buy into the insta love and there wasn't that much... romantic development outside of them becoming friends. It gets saved a little by one of the main sentiments explored towards the end being both of them just... wanting more time, to see what they could build, what they could have, which is exactly what I want as well lmao but then they both die at the end.
(I also lowkey wish we got some kind of... time skip to see how the people in their live are dealing/moving on after both of them passed, but that's just me.)