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

Wow. What. A. Book. Adam Silvera does it again. I am broken, but so glad I got to read Orion and Valentino's stories.

It captures the human heart and all its nuances so perfectly. The characters are fully-formed, and you feel so deeply connected to them.

I loved the little Easter eggs for They Both Die At The End, and now want to reread that one (if my heart can take it that is... May need to get more tissues first).

Just phenomenal writing.

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

I wanted to read this because I loved the first book that was released in this series. I was wondering how Adam was going to carry on this story and I thought a prequel was a clever way of doing it. This book, like the first book killed me and shattered my heart.

This book starts the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there is one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast predict when someone will die, or is this just an elaborate hoax? Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he has signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming. Valentino Prince is starting his new life in New York he has a long and promising future as a model ahead and he has only registered for Death-Cast after he nearly lost his twin sister in a car accident. Orion and Valentine cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever – one of them receives the call, and the other doesn’t. Though they don’t know how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together, even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.

I liked the concept and the idea of this storyline and how Death-Cast managed to come around. I think the main difference with this book and They Both Die at the End is that the “minor” characters chapters are filled with information that we would have wanted to know where in the first book, I personally felt like the minor characters POVs were very rushed and we didn’t learn much. I wanted to hug Orion and the way that Adam managed to describe the events of 9/11 and being a child who lost parents during that tragic event made me want to cry. I loved the romance between Orion and Valentino even if it felt a bit like insta-love, which I cannot stand. Orion and Valentino both broke my heart with their backstory and even though we knew what was going to happen, I was still rooting for them which then set up my heart to shatter. I loved seeing baby Mateo and Rufus and it already hurts my heart knowing their story.

I didn’t like the insta-love aspect of it. Unlike Mateo and Rufus who met up because they both didn’t want to be alone and fell in love over the course of the day. Orion and Valentine seem to fall in love within the first five minutes of meeting that even Orion’s best friend is questioning the both of them. I would have liked to have learned the secret to Death-Cast I feel like that would have made it a thousand times better.

Both of these books in the series have ended with me wanting more, I want Orion to have his happy ending. I want to see if Scarlett can find her way through life without her brother and if she stays friends with Dalma and Orion.

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teslis's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I really loved the first book when I read it last year, but sadly this one didn’t blew me away.

I do think Silvera’s language is quite easy which is something I liked last time, but now it just felt flat (?). I think the characters speech and actions feels unreal, but I do really like the plot and the thing with one of them dying.

I just had higher expectations and they weren’t meet.

I have both books from “the infinity son” which I’m planning to read but be will see.

Took me 9 hours and 48 minutes

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navayiota's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad fast-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

5.0

I knew I wanted to return to this universe, but I didn't realise just how much until I started listening. Death has been on my mind in general, but this book has helped develop my thoughts more. Thank you Adam Silvera for your heartwarming (and heartbreaking..) romances, and for the bonus storylines that were as engaging as the main characters! My only complaint is that the writing is off sometimes, like it's trying to be flowery but fails to do so gracefully. Regardless, it was enjoyable!

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moon_rose's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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