Hello Readers,

Hope you’re having a lovely May. I don’t have a lot of developments right now, so let’s get into another book review! Today I’m reviewing The First to Die at the End (Death-Cast #0) by Adam Silvera. 

My book bestie Misty and I read the first book, They Both Die at the End back in March and enjoyed it (links below if you’re interested), so we decided to give the prequel a try. This post will be my individual review, soon to be followed by a buddy read and rant conversation between Misty and I.

So, did this novel live up to the first one? Keep on reading to find out!

Series Links

Book Review: They Both Die at the End (Death-Cast #1)

Buddy Read & Rant: They Both Die at the End

Blurb

In this prequel to #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.

It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it 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 signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming.

Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Orion and Valentino 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 a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.

Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera’s signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

DNF @ 33%

I had some reservations about trying out this prequel, and unfortunately I put this book down right at a third of the way through.

In a nutshell, this is a totally different story from the first novel, but still set in the same world. On the night of Death-Cast’s launch, Valentino and Orion are thrust together by chance as chaos erupts in Times Square. They find an amazing connection to on another in a short time. However, time is limited for one of these individuals as the first Decker in history, and emotions fly high as life-changing decisions are made before time runs out.

Alright, so one concern I had going in was that I wouldn’t get some concrete answers on the origins of Death-Cast. From what I had read, there were some subtle nods to the origins of Death-Cast and minor details around it, but it was made clear that an explanation wasn’t going to happen, which was very disappointing. With so much mystery around Death-Cast and how someone could predict the day of someone else’s death, why can’t we get some kind of answer? I feel like that’s owed to the many fans of this series who read the first book.

I was also hesitant to try out this book because I worried that the relationships involved would seem repetitive. While this wasn’t quite the case, I was still disappointed in the prerogatives presented, especially Valentino’s.

His personality seemed way too docile. It was kind of hard to believe that he’s a model and also has a heart of gold, but given his youth and naivete I get that it didn’t completely rule out the possibility. However, his actions were too hard to justify. I’m not going to give anything away, but he just goes along with developments far too easily to the point where he didn’t seem like a real person anymore. I understand the direction that the author wanted to go in, but giving Valentino more of a backbone and personality would’ve gone a long way to preserve believability. It was just too coincidental and farfetched for me.

Overall, I can’t recommend this read, but if you enjoyed the first novel and can suspend some disbelief you may just find this one entertaining.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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