tbthewriter's review against another edition
sad
fast-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
5.0
rainb0wreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
Gutted. This book absolutely gutted me. I was crying ugly tears.
This was such a beautiful portrayal of what it feels like when you are trapped in your own experience of your blackness. Especially for black men. It’s exhausting, it’s difficult, and it also is beautiful, but we shouldn’t have to experience the ugly and horrendous to experience the joy that comes with living life in that beauty.
4.5 stars because while it was absolutely gorgeous, I had tiny issues with the pacing and some of the grammar.
But seriously…I’m not ok…
Yay first book of 2023
First time in two years I gave the first book of the year I read more than 2 stars.
This was such a beautiful portrayal of what it feels like when you are trapped in your own experience of your blackness. Especially for black men. It’s exhausting, it’s difficult, and it also is beautiful, but we shouldn’t have to experience the ugly and horrendous to experience the joy that comes with living life in that beauty.
4.5 stars because while it was absolutely gorgeous, I had tiny issues with the pacing and some of the grammar.
But seriously…I’m not ok…
Yay first book of 2023
First time in two years I gave the first book of the year I read more than 2 stars.
amplawrence's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Slavery and Rape
angelina41's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
krissyronan's review
3.0
An interesting concept. Felt a little unwieldy/heavy-handed in some of the messaging. Closer to a 3.5. Recommended for teenagers.
charireads's review
4.0
Alex can see into the future by touching objects. Whatever he touches he gets a detailed vision of what will happen to someone. When he gets a vision of his brother dying, he races to figure out how he can change the outcome.
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
This book got me confuse, there are some things that I really like about this book but there are other things that also makes me dislike it as much.
First of all, the idea plot is interesting and I really like it. The characters are pretty much relatable if I have that kind of superpower and well developed. To be honest, I don't think I can handle having Alex's superpower or.
I love how Alex's character seems to grow as the story progress and eventually started to have a beautiful relationship with Isaiah. I really like their sibling relationship between each other.
I also like how the environment where the characters grow up seems to portrayed the current condition in our own reality.
However, despite all of that there are some things that bothered me as I read this book. For starters, every time Alex "cancel" the vision that comes after touching something annoyed me at some point because it is mentioned repeatedly.
Not too mention the origin of the superpowers. I don't really hate it but I also don't expect there's going to be a magical connection which goes way back to their ancestor having this kind of superpowers. That took me by surprise.
At first, the pacing seems fine but it seems to quicken in the last two chapters which makes the ending feels rushed. Everything seems to happen so fast and there's a lot going on, like the concert, the gunshot, the running. Honestly, I feel confuse to what's happening.
Even though I already know.
I have to admit the ending scene at the graveyard with all Alex's ancestor is beautiful.
There's some beautiful aspect from this book, like how the characters are treated and their relationship with each other but there are some aspects that just doesn't seem to agree with me. Overall, let's say this book is pretty good.
First of all, the idea plot is interesting and I really like it. The characters are pretty much relatable if I have that kind of superpower and well developed. To be honest, I don't think I can handle having Alex's superpower or
Spoiler
Isaiah'sI love how Alex's character seems to grow as the story progress and eventually started to have a beautiful relationship with Isaiah. I really like their sibling relationship between each other.
I also like how the environment where the characters grow up seems to portrayed the current condition in our own reality.
However, despite all of that there are some things that bothered me as I read this book. For starters, every time Alex "cancel" the vision that comes after touching something annoyed me at some point because it is mentioned repeatedly.
Not too mention the origin of the superpowers. I don't really hate it but I also don't expect there's going to be a magical connection which goes way back to their ancestor having this kind of superpowers. That took me by surprise.
At first, the pacing seems fine but it seems to quicken in the last two chapters which makes the ending feels rushed. Everything seems to happen so fast and there's a lot going on, like the concert, the gunshot, the running. Honestly, I feel confuse to what's happening.
Even though I already know
Spoiler
there's a high chance that Isaiah will die at the end of the story but when the story confirm it, it still manage to break my heart even more.I have to admit the ending scene at the graveyard with all Alex's ancestor is beautiful.
There's some beautiful aspect from this book, like how the characters are treated and their relationship with each other but there are some aspects that just doesn't seem to agree with me. Overall, let's say this book is pretty good.
findingfiction_'s review
3.0
Alex is a black teen struggling with anxiety, the death of his parents and the fact that he can see the future, both the good and the bad.
Reading about the bond that Isaiah and Alex rebuild in a few days is heartwarming and empowering. I feel like this book is a perfect book to read in a classroom setting to initiate conversations around race, loss, mental health and even gender roles.
While I enjoyed this book overall, it didn’t captivate me as much as I had hoped. I felt like this book or story is written for a visual interpretation such as a film. I wanted more from the visual description as a lot of it surrounded the visions.
Reading about the bond that Isaiah and Alex rebuild in a few days is heartwarming and empowering. I feel like this book is a perfect book to read in a classroom setting to initiate conversations around race, loss, mental health and even gender roles.
While I enjoyed this book overall, it didn’t captivate me as much as I had hoped. I felt like this book or story is written for a visual interpretation such as a film. I wanted more from the visual description as a lot of it surrounded the visions.
louhoo's review
5.0
A powerful book. I couldn’t put it down. All I can really say is this book needs to be read by everyone. Loved it.
mlangman's review
2.0
This book just didn't work for me. The reader knows the ending from early in the book, but there wasn't enough to keep my interest. The middle section really dragged and then, after the culminating event, there was still a fair amount of the story to go. The book shares some similarities with They Both Die At The End, but I thought the pacing of They Both Die At The End was much more masterful. The characters were fairly interesting, but ultimately, I was glad when this one was done.