Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The First to Die at the End

I read They Both Die at the End years ago. And I honestly thought it was a one off. I loved the book, and I would have loved to see more of this world and it's characters, so imagine my shock when I scrolled through Instagram and came across it's prequel — The First to Die at the End. I immediately went out to find and purchase this book because I wanted to know more. And I was not disappointed at all.

I loved it. And frankly, consider it stronger than the first book. Silvera has made a very compelling alternate world in which capitalism has taken over your life — and subsequently your death by subscribing (for a hefty price too) to Death-Cast, in which they will call when you have twenty-four hours left to live, and you will die before the day is done. How? The Decker (person called) doesn't know. You can only hope it's a painless and quick one.

So, to start off, this is a hefty book, 550 pages. And all of it takes place in less than twenty-four hours. Which makes it sound like a drag, but honestly it wasn't. With charming characters and various different POVs, it's actually a very compelling read and the world feels full and lived in. Each POV is uniquely different. From Valentino and Orion, the main protagonists, to Scarlett and Dalma, friends and siblings to the main boys, to Gloria — a mother who wants the best for her child, to Rolando, a former herald of Death-Cast, to Joaquin, the Death-Cast CEO, to even Mateo and Rufus from They Both Die at the End. We get various different POVs and while it can be distracting to some, I think this style works really well for the books.

Each character has such a unique voice and you find yourself caring for them, even if you spend a brief moment of time with them. The dialogue is — while cringy at times (which makes sense, they're teenagers) — is well done and realistic. I teared up when I saw Rufus and Mateo again, only as small children, knowing what would happen to them seven years after the book takes place.

I also really love that Orion isn't just his tragedies. While yes, Silvera does focus on his viral cardiomyopathy or that his parents died on 9/11, he is first and foremost, an eighteen/nineteen year old, an aspiring writer and a hopeless romantic begging to come out of his shell. Valentino is the opposite, a healthy boy, on his way to becoming a model, extroverted and put together, with a twin sister he loves and cares for. My heart shattered when

it was Valentino who was called. Though Orion would have been too obvious, honestly and cruel.

Both boys learn to live in different ways through spending the day with each other, and despite the Instalove, it feels gradual and well done.

There is so much heart (pun intended, for Orion) in this book, and it will definitely pull at the heartstrings (another one!). I cried at the end of this book as

losing Valentino via him being kicked down the stairs and experience brain death

was heartbreaking, too quick, unfair and brutal. I cried even harder when it was

his heart that saved Orion. That his death gave Orion his life is a cruel irony.

(When I catch you Adam...) It was a beautiful addition to the Death-Cast series. And I can't wait to see where Adam continues to take it.

Content Warnings

kiwichill's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

alexx_08's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

forestfloor's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring sad tense slow-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? No

4.25

Really enjoyable read - much like They Both Die at the End. I would recommend reading the two as a pair though, since it's been so long since I read the original that I'm sure I missed some of the references in this prequel. On the references, I do think they were appropriately devastating and the POV switching with references to the different characters was consistent between the books, but the cameos from Mateo and Rufus did feel a little forced.

I really loved the way The First to Die at the End works with your expectations from the original to work in some tension and subversion - I won't say any of it it quite a plot twist because it's all built up in a fairly linear way but it made a good use of tension.

Similarly I enjoy the questions around the implications Death-Cast has for society. Is an End Day call causal? How does knowing you have less than 24hrs to live affect how you spend your time? How you fall in love?

I also found the characters voices were very distinct and they were all very separate people, which is nice. I do think that this is very much furthered by each character having one or two distinct traits - Valentino is a model who has just moved to NYC to start his life, Orion has heart problems, 9/11 trauma and swears too much, Dalma is a programming whizz who is very protective of Orion etc. It does make them feel a little less complex but overall I think the benefit of having unique personalities wins out. Any simplicity in that characterisation fits well with the YA tone of the book.

Finally, I really liked that this book has a bit more exploration of grief, since that's such an important part of death.

Content Warnings