Book Review: The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
This cover is the Barnes and Noble Special Edition which I own!
The First to Die at the End
Series: Death-Cast prequel
Author: Adam Silvera
Published: October 4, 2022
550 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: January 2-16, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
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.
Jessica’s Review:
Is it wrong to say I love this Death-Cast world that Adam Silvera has created??? It is more of the story that he gives the reader with these couples and the lesson to just live your life with the time that you have. I just adored They Both Die at the End, and when I found out a prequel was coming out that shows the first night of Death-Cast, I was ready to go for another heartbreaking ride: This time with Valentino and Orion! This time one boy receives THE call and the other does not. I did have all the feelings I was supposed to have while reading They Both Die, but did not cry reading it, but Silvera got me with The First to Die! Oh man!
First is a long novel over 500 pages, and I never lost interest. You know where it is going to go, but these novels are about the journey the characters go on. We have many POVs throughout this novel which includes the creator of Death-Cast, Joaquin Rosa. Through him we get to see what that first night at Death-Cast is like with its ups and downs. We get to see inside Death-Cast with some hints as to how it actually works. We see how Death-Cast already affects everyone, even if they are not subscribed to the app. It is a different world with Death-Cast live.
We also get cameos and more of young Rufus and Mateo which I really enjoyed. You see it in a different way knowing what their ultimate ending will become in just a few years. Silvera did a great job taking us back into the past of 2010. For a city as huge as New York City is, to see how all the pov’s are connected show how small this world can be. The romance between Orion and Valentino is lovely and also heartbreaking. I can’t go into the ending because of spoilers, but it really pulled at the heartstrings of this reader.
Though The First to Die at the End is the prequel to They Both Die at the End, you should read They Both Die first. It gives you a different perspective reading The First to Die with several characters knowing where they end up.
Silvera plans to write more stories in this world, and I will be along for the ride. I don’t know if we will ever find out how Death-Cast works and can tell you who is going to die. I read somewhere that there are only two people other than Silvera that know the secret to Death-Cast, so I think it will always be a mystery to the reader.
If you haven’t read these books, you need to!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble Special Edition