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.

Of course I choose to finish this book on the first day of Pride Month. What a way to celebrate.

Anyway... wow. This book wrecked me. I knew it would, just like the first one did, but my goodness. I'll just start off with the things I liked... which was basically everything? I think the biggest criticisms I've seen for this book and the first one are that there's no plot to them, which has never bothered me. I love a character-driven book, especially when the characters are as great as these. Valentino and Orion are adorable and work great together. I loved their dynamic.

I loved all the connections to the previous book too. I tried to find a list of all of them, but sadly haven't been able to. I did keep the first book near me at all times while reading this one just so I could try to find them.

The Rufus and Mateo bits DESTROYED me. I had to set the book down every time I saw one of their names show up. When Mateo almost talked to Rufus at the park but then didn't get to? Yeah, that killed me.

 

I liked a lot of the side stories too.

I didn't initially like how much time was spent on the Frankie, Gloria, and Rolando storyline at first, but after seeing that it's actually what led to Valentino's death, it all makes sense. I can't wait for Frankie to rot <3.

I also enjoyed Joaquin's story for the most part,

but I'm so frustrated that we didn't really figure out any secrets about how Death Cast works??? I didn't mind it at all in the first book because I didn't think it would make sense for us to know with the point of views we were given. In this book, however, it kept feeling like Joaquin, as the literal creator of Death Cast, was about to talk about some of the secrets, but then just doesn't. I hope that if we get his perspective in the next book, that's where we'll finally discover some things.

Even though that was an issue for me, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment too much. There were, however, two things that prevented this book from being perfect. One, the slang. Oh my goodness, I had the same problem in the first book too. I don't know if it's just really bad at first and gradually gets better throughout the book, or if I just got so used to it from how often it was used in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate slang in books, but I do hate it in this book. At times, it feels like it was written by a 60-year-old trying to be hip and trendy, even though the actual author is pretty young. Really, that's my biggest problem with the book. I cringed far too often reading some of this. The only other thing I didn't enjoy was the slow start. When I read the first book, I was instantly attached to Mateo, seeing a lot of myself in him, and Rufus grew on me fairly quickly. While reading this book, I don't think I truly cared for Valentino or Orion that much until I was almost halfway through the book. I can't really explain why didn't work for me at first, but they just didn't.

Even though I have my issues, I still can't say how much I enjoyed this book. I don't think I'll ever be okay again, but I said the same thing after I read the first book. (Yes, I keep bringing up the first book, but cut me some slack. I'm still mourning.) If you're looking for a book with a grand plot and adventure, this isn't for you. But if you want to see some gays fall in love before tragedy strikes (not a spoiler, you read the title), then you've come to the right place.

The First to Die at the End is a book with an interesting premise and a diverse cast of characters. On the face of it, it seems like a pretty long book clocking in at 550 pages in the hardback edition but it reads quickly and the constant changing of POVs used within the story help to keep the pace strong throughout.
The book follows two young men in New York who meet for the first time on the eve of Death Cast's first day running

(a Service which calls people in advance to let them know that they would be dying within 24 hours of the call.)

Orion, a native New Yorker, meets Valentino - an aspiring model, new to NY - and they become fast friends when they find out that

it is Valentino's ''End Day'' and he would soon be dying.

The friendship between the boys is quite sweet and seeing Orion

doing everything he can to give Valentino the best last day is admirable and inspiring.

However, I couldn't help but feel that there was a lot crammed into the 24 hours the book takes place through, which sometimes left it feeling rushed particularly in regard to the relationship between the boys and Valentino's offer

of giving his heart to Orion (literally, as Orion suffers with cardiac myophathy and is also on somewhat of a life timer.) It felt, to me, a little manipulative given that Valentino probably shouldn't have been making such descisions in the state he was in, but it did help to highlight the ethical questions around Death Cast such as what is ethically correct when it comes to a Decker wanting to organ donate.

I really enjoyed the concept of Death-Cast and the legal and ethical implications it would have on the world, and was interesting to see how it impacted the fate of Valentino at the end. I do, however, wish we as an audience had come to know more about the workings of the company. Perhaps this is explored in a later book, or perhaps it is left as a mystery, either way the concept was an interesting read.
Ultimately, I feel as though for me this was a 3 star read. It was quick and easy, but I struggled at times with the dialogue of the younger characters (perhaps just as I am not American so the slang/nicknames at times just felt too foreign or forced (O-Bro particuarly)) which was a little grating. I also felt it was a little rushed and didn't fully invest in the relationship between Orion and Valentino, not helped I think by the fact I found Orion to be not a super likeable character - I'm not sure why. The ending I feel should have left more of an impact, but I didn't feel it myself. Other than being happy for Gloria's newfound hopeful freedom, anyway. I feel like it would have a better impact on a younger audience and do feel the themes in the book are very worth exploring. I look forward to reading more of Adam Silvera's writing in this universe.