The First to Die at the End

by Adam Silvera

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Fans of They Both Die at the End won’t want to miss this devastating prequel following brand-new characters Orion and Valentino on the very first day Death-Cast makes their life-ending calls. This unputdownable story about the origins of Death-Cast itself will once again break readers hearts in the best way possible.

In this prequel to the 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. #1 New York Times bestseller!

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. 

* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year *

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063240803
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Series:	They Both Die at the End Series , #2
Pages:	560
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.90(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Adam Silvera is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of They Both Die at the End, The First to Die at the End, The Survivor Wants to Die at the End, More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, and the Infinity Cycle (Infinity Son, Infinity Reaper, and Infinity Kings) and coauthor of What If It’s Us and Here’s to Us. He is tall for no reason. Visit him online at adamsilvera.com.

Editorial 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)

Kirkus Reviews

Silvera crafts a web of intricately interconnected character perspectives and conflicts. A rush of emotion and suspense.”

Kirkus Reviews

★ “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

From the Publisher

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

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

OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile