OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Jason Genao, Anthony Keyvan, and Kyla Garcia narrate this prequel to the three-hankie weeper THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END. Death-Cast is a company that predicts when its subscribers have only 24 hours left to live. Valentino has left Arizona and his homophobic parents to start a new life. Orion, orphaned on 9/11 and living with a weak heart, knows that any day could be his last. Meeting in Times Square, they learn one of them will soon die, a situation that propels their romance. Garcia fluidly narrates the side plots. Genao, as a yearning Orion, and Keyvan, as a rather bland Valentino, never break character, but frequent exchanges of unattributed dialogue are difficult for listeners to follow. Ultimately, the story lacks its predecessor’s novelty and magic. V.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
★ “An extraordinary—no, make that a brilliant—book with a riveting plot. Don’t miss this one.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
★ “Heart-wrenching. Silvera crafts a stunning and thought-provoking narrative that examines difficult existential questions without eschewing hope.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Silvera crafts a web of intricately interconnected character perspectives and conflicts. A rush of emotion and suspense.” — Kirkus Reviews
★ "Extraordinary and unforgettable.” — Booklist, starred review for They Both Die at the End
★ "It’s another standout from Silvera. Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review for They Both Die at the End
★ "Over the course of an eventful day, these thoughtful young men speak honestly and movingly about their fate, their anger at its unfairness, and what it means to be alive, until their budding friendship organically turns into something more.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review for They Both Die at the End
★ “Silvera continues to masterfully integrate diversity, disability, and young queer voices into an appealing story with a lot of heart. A must-have for YA shelves.” — School Library Journal, starred review for They Both Die at the End
“Adam Silvera uses his ample skill to force readers to examine how they live life now and how they want to live it. They Both Die at the End is a prime example of his skill at asking the most relevant questions of all of us.” — Teen Vogue, for They Both Die at the End
“Silvera not only poignantly captures the raw emotion of facing your own morality, but creates such relatable and authentic characters you want to follow on their journey. His gorgeous writing and wonderful storytelling will wreck you in the very best possible way.” — BuzzFeed, for They Both Die at the End
“Themes of friendship, love, loss, and fate combine in this novel that should be read with a box of tissues close at hand.” — Brightly, for They Both Die at the End
“A bold, lovely, and haunting story of loss, hope, and the redeeming power of friendship.” — Lauren Oliver, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall, for They Both Die at the End
Kirkus Reviews
Silvera crafts a web of intricately interconnected character perspectives and conflicts. A rush of emotion and suspense.”
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Jason Genao, Anthony Keyvan, and Kyla Garcia narrate this prequel to the three-hankie weeper THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END. Death-Cast is a company that predicts when its subscribers have only 24 hours left to live. Valentino has left Arizona and his homophobic parents to start a new life. Orion, orphaned on 9/11 and living with a weak heart, knows that any day could be his last. Meeting in Times Square, they learn one of them will soon die, a situation that propels their romance. Garcia fluidly narrates the side plots. Genao, as a yearning Orion, and Keyvan, as a rather bland Valentino, never break character, but frequent exchanges of unattributed dialogue are difficult for listeners to follow. Ultimately, the story lacks its predecessor’s novelty and magic. V.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-07-13
Crowds gather across the United States for the launch of Death-Cast, a company that promises to change the world by predicting the deaths of everyone who subscribes in this prequel to They Both Die at the End (2017).
Orion Pagan, an aspiring author with a heart condition, hopes his phone won’t ring at midnight, but he knows Death-Cast’s call is coming soon. Unlike Orion, Valentino Prince, a model on the verge of his national debut, has no reason to anticipate Death-Cast’s call and isn’t sure if he believes the company’s claims. By coincidence or fate, their lives collide at a party in Times Square, and a single, historic phone call alters the courses of their futures. This heart-pounding story follows the final day of the first Decker, or person who is going to die, and the national chaos of Death-Cast’s premiere. Silvera crafts a web of intricately interconnected character perspectives and conflicts around Orion and Valentino. Apart from Valentino and his twin sister, who are presumed White, most of the characters are Latine, including White-passing Orion, whose family is Puerto Rican. The story confronts heavy topics like grief, abuse, and religious faith with complexity and care. Despite the presumed inevitability of a fatal end to the central romance between Orion and Valentino, Silvera subverts the trope of punishing gay characters with violent tragedy. Familiarity with the original book provides additional context and depth but isn’t essential to understanding the plot.
A rush of emotion and suspense. (Speculative fiction. 13-18)
