Review: The First to Die at the End

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valentino has just moved to New York City and can’t wait to move forward into the future.  Orion has a bad heart and keeps expecting to not have another day.  They meet in Times Square on the night before Death-Cast goes live.  They both joined Death-Cast for different reasons, but when Valentino receives the very first phone call … their lives become intertwined forever.  Neither boy knows how the day will end, but they do know they want to spend Valentino’s last minutes or hours together.

The First to Die at the End is the prequel novel to They Both Die at the End.  The original book was released five years ago, but I actually just read it this summer for book club.  Because of reading these two books so close, I was able to fully appreciate the cameo appearances of many characters from the original story.  I will admit I didn’t like the language and sexual thoughts/descriptions, but it wasn’t enough for me to stop reading the book.  A thoroughly enjoyable this prequel and I am glad I got to read about how it all started. 

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Review: The Epic Story of Every Living Thing

The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harper has never had a father.  Her mother told her that she was conceived through in vitro fertilization using an anonymous sperm donor.  Harper is also constantly on Instagram.  When a chance comment connects her with a half-sibling, she quickly learned that the sperm donor had 41 other children … all her half-siblings.  One of the half-siblings offers to have a few of them to his parent’s condo in Hawaii where they can meet this mysterious donor.  With a summer in Hawaii in front of Harper, what will she discover about the man and the shipwreck he is obsessed with?  As she spends time with her half-siblings, what additional secrets will be uncovered?

The Epic Story of Every Living Thing is a stand-alone realistic novel that was just different enough to make me want to keep reading to understand the story completely.  This book does take place shortly after the Covid-19 shutdown was ended, so the characters deal a little with the fear that everyone was facing at the time, but this is not a pandemic story.  I have never really thought about sperm donors having dozens of possible children and the ramifications if they met.  This novel was interesting from the start and the twist towards the end had me gasp out loud.

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Review: The Weight of Blood

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maddy has a secret.  Her mother was black and her father wants her to pass as white.  She has done it for many years; even going so far as staying home if there is even a chance of rain … she can’t take the chance that her hair will change.  Her carefulness ends when it begins raining during a school run.  She can’t stop what happens to her hair and everyone sees the truth.  It doesn’t take long for Maddy to become the target of mean girls and the viral video spurs students to ask for an integrated prom.  Yes, it is 2014 and their school still holds TWO proms.  One is for the white students and one is for everyone else.  Unfortunately, her classmates aren’t done picking on her and Maddy’s other secret is more than they expect. 

The Weight of Blood is a stand-alone supernatural novel that tells the ending at the beginning and then exposes the hidden truths throughout the rest of the story.  I enjoyed the varied points of view.  Sometimes readers will learn through a person’s experience, sometimes a podcast transcript, and other times an interview.  All questions are answered at the end and I believe most readers will see a commonality to a famous story by Stephen King.

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Review: Shades of Rust and Ruin

Shades of Rust and Ruin by A.G. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Phoenix doesn't like Halloween. If you asked her, she would tell you her family is cursed on October 31st.  When she was 3 years old, both of her parents died on this holiday. Eleven years later ... so did her twin sister. Nix doesn't know why she hasn't died, but she finds release when she draws the creatures in her imaginary Mystiquel. Unfortunately, her escape into her art doesn't satisfy her when she starts to lose her ability to see colors. It is Halloween again and now her uncle is missing. Why is Nix’s family affected by Halloween?  Does Nix have what it takes to unlock the truths hidden in her artwork? 

 

Shades of Rust and Ruin is the first book in the fantasy series by the same name. So much of faeries, fantasy, and steampunk repeats itself, yet Howard has created a new world that had me eager to learn what would happen next. This story is built upon some standard genre truths and adds new twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Goodreads has this listed as a duology and I can't wait to read the next book.   

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