Review: The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The First to Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
Publication Date: October 4th 2022
Publisher:Quill Tree Books
Find This Book: The First to Die at the End
Rating: 5/5

**An early finalized copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

The First to Die at the End recreates the magic of Adam Silvera’s highly acclaimed 2017 publication They Both Die at the End (TBDITE). Death-Cast comes calling, and it’s someone’s End Day. When you know it’s your last day to live, what would you do? In this prequel, Silvera takes us back to Death-Cast’s very first day in service and reminds us to enjoy every day to the fullest.

On Death-Cast Eve, two strangers, Valentino Prince and Orion Pagan, have a chance meeting in Times Square. At the stroke of midnight, one of them receives a call from Death-Cast, and the other doesn’t. As they live that last day to their hearts content is becomes clear: if Death-Cast is real, their day will end in heartbreak. Filled with life’s first and some of life’s lasts, this novel is both earth-shattering and utterly charming. Silvera highlights and romanticizes the power of 24 hours and the lasting impact we have on the people we meet.

This story makes use of multiple POV’s (primarily Valentino and Orion, but others when impactful as well). As expected, this 500+ page book mainly covers a 24-hour time period, bringing magical prose to every beautiful moment. While similar in concept to TBDITE, this still tells a fresh story. In TBDITE , Death-Cast is normal, even mundane. Of course you get a warning before you die, and there are expectations that come with being a “decker.” In this prequel it is Death-Cast’s first day which comes with new rules and policies being figured out on the fly. Does Death-Cast work? How should flights and hospitals function with people slated for death? The new turmoil made for a fascinating change pace to a world we've visited before.

This will be an emotional read for anyone how picks it up, I don’t think anyone has learned their lesson there, but the titles did warned you! The best part? Either book can be read as a standalone or in tandem. For those who read both, you will be rewarded. Silvera ties the two together in magical, yet subtle, ways.

ALC Review: All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

All of Our Demise
by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
Publication Date: August 30th 2022
Publisher: Tor Teen
Find This Book: All of Our Demise
Rating: 5/5

**An ALC of this book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

All of Our Demise is the epic conclusion to All of Us Villains, a fantasy duology and a 2021 favorite of mine. Long story short, it did NOT disappoint.

All of Our Demise picks up pretty much right where All of Us Villains ended: the familial champions of each house are caught in a tournament curse, destined to fight to the death. But what if the curse could be broken? The novel opens up with newly drawn and fragile alliances being formed between those who want to break the curse and those who want to win the tournament the old-fashioned way (i.e. by killing all of the champions).

With the tournament’s curse weakened from the events of book one, our champions find themselves faced with new benefits and new challenges. The tournament boundary has effectively dissolved, allowing the champions to re-enter town to gain information and new spells while non-champions can enter the arena and complicate matters to their hearts content. This evolves into news and PR quotes at the beginning of each chapter, conveying what the public is seeing and hearing as the tournament continues. It makes for a fascinating and compelling development to book one’s world-building foundation, to be sure!

My favorite aspect? The multiple POV’s! They are all so well-developed! The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job individualizing the voices as well. I connected with each tournament champion, and loved seeing events from each of their eyes, especially Isobel and Alistair. They are each so unique and complex, and they each brought something to the table as the narrative developed. Without getting to spoiler-y, a character has been resurrected and a new champion unexpectedly joins the tournament, allowing for even crazier dynamics across the board. Plus, we get budding romances and we get to see how it develops from both sides!

As both a character- and plot-driven narrative, you’ll be rooting alongside all these morally grey narrators as this fast-paced and action-packed tournament of death comes to a close. Isobel, Briony, Finley, Alistair and Gavin will take you on a dark, atmospheric, adventure in this latest and final installment!

Review: Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

Rust in the Root
by Justina Ireland
Publication Date: September 20th 2022
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Find This Book: Rust in the Root
Rating: 3.5/5

**An early finalized copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

It’s 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided: between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology (otherwise known as Mechomancy) not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura is a talented mystical arts mage from Pennsylvania who hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license, allowing her to use her talents publicly. But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together, they’ll discover dangerous work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and they’ll need to work together to have a chance at survival.

Rust in the Root is a fleshed out historical fantasy read, which is quite an accomplishment for a standalone. This is a solid alternate reality focused on a government agency investigating a dark mystery in Ohio. Laura will need to develop both her powers and her friendships if she wants to make it out alive and save the country she lives in.

What was special about this novel was the culmination of different story telling elements. Traditional prose is paired with the Skylark’s official mission report, as well as Laura’s photographs of the people and places she meets along the way (real photographs, sourced from an archive!). The plot, betrayals, and character development were all fantastic. I read this is less than 24 hours! Why didn’t this get 5 stars? For me, parts of the arc development and prose felt a bit too rushed, which I didn’t expect from an author with so many publications under her belt.

ARC Review: Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove
by Rati Mehrotra
Publication Date: October 18th 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Find This Book: Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove
Rating: 4/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove centers around Katyani, the adoptive daughter, bondswoman, and royal guard of the Queen of Chandela. Her future has never been in doubt: she will be her adoptive brother's most trusted advisor when he becomes king. Attending to Ayan and his cousin Bhairav, Katyani is shipped off to a monastic school of a famous guru where they will hone the skills needed to be the next leaders of the kingdom (including magic and mosnter hunting). Nothing could annoy Katyani more than leaving court and being shipped off to a rule-abiding school in the middle of a forest, except her run-ins with Daksh, the guru’s son, who can’t stop going on about the rules and whose gaze makes her feel like he can see into her soul. (Yes, there is a slow-burn romance!)

But when Katyani and the princes are hurriedly summoned back to Chandela before their training is complete, tragedy strikes and Katyani is torn from the only life she has ever known. Alone and betrayed in a land infested by monsters, Katyani must find answers from her past to save all she loves and forge her own destiny. Bonds can be broken, but debts must be repaid.

This book is a fantastic standalone fantasy, set in medieval India. It will suck you in with Katyani's fun yet brash personality and with a fast-paced plot full of with magic, Indian mythology, and court intrigue! Katyani's dedication to her promises, and her loyalty to her friends and family created a loveable heroine who uses more than just her brute strength when in the face of danger. The slow-burn romance could have used a bigger pay-off which is what knocked this down a star for me, but the world-building was well fleshed out and Katyani's struggle for her identity and sense of home really made this book stand out.

ARC Review: The Darkening by Sunya Mara

The Darkening
by Sunya Mara
Publication Date: July 5th 2022
Publisher: Clarion Books
Find This Book: The Darkening
Rating: 3.5/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Vesper Vale is the daughter of failed revolutionaries. In a world where a magical storm surrounds the city, cursing and killing everyone it touches, there are few defenses for the outer circles of the city. Knowledge is quite literally power when magic is controlled through an ikon alphabet, enforcing social and class structures. When Vesper's father is identified and kidnapped by the royal family to pay for his previous crimes, Vesper has no choice but to infiltrate this power structure to find him and help him escape. Unfortunately for Vesper, there are larger issues still at stake. How will she learn this complex magic system? What is causing this storm to menace her city? Can she place her hopes and dreams for a better future for her people upon the shoulders of the prince?

This book has a really special magical world-building which I really enjoyed. Seeing the contrast between the inner circles hoarding books and the outer circles paying exorbitant amounts for one symbol that may or may not work... It was powerful to see their socio-economic and academic structures held so rigidly and blatantly. The concept of the reign being passed down by a powerful ikon merged with the reigning leader's body was such a fascinating display of power's corruption as well. All around, I really enjoyed exploring the world set up by Mara.

My one gripe is with the novel's character building and evolution. Prince Dalca, and his compatriots Cas and Izamal, bond with Vesper in strange ways. Dalca and Cas's relationships with Vesper just did not feel organic to me, from either side. I couldn't quite grasp what they see in Vesper to want to trust and befriend her, and I couldn't see how Vesper went from using them to actually caring about these people who ruined her life and are endangering her father. I personally like a bit more character-driven aspects in the books I read, with more developed inter-character relationships which is why this book is knocked down 1.5 stars for me. That being said, I definitely see why folks are loving this book — it has a fast, advnturous plot which is perfect for a magical fantasy read.

ALC Review: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I Kissed Shara Wheeler
by Casey McQuiston
Publication Date: May 3rd 2022
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Find This Book: I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Rating: 5/5

**An ALC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

High school senior Chloe Green is just weeks away from being named valedictorian, graduating, and leaving her southern hometown as fast as possible when Shara Wheeler kisses her and disappears without a trace. Without a trace until little pink envelops start cropping up, leading Chloe to put the pieces together: two others were also kissed by Shara and all three of them will have to work together if they want to find all the envelopes. I Kissed Shara Wheeler braids the stories of the star jock, the edgy stoner next-door, and the academic rival as they take on a scavenger hunt for the ages.

This book was messily complex in the best of ways. Chloe, Rory, and Smith all had charmingly realistic flaws paired with individual reasons they were toxically obsessed with Shara Wheeler. The magic that Casey McQuiston brings to her books is that even through the mess there is compassion and care between her characters that make them such a joy to read. The 'side-characters' in Chloe's life each lead such interesting and fulfilling lives that additionally add vibrance to McQuiston's narrative. When Chloe ditches her friends to hunt down an envelope and misses the Mozzarella Stick bracket to decide the best mozz sticks in town, it was the little moments like that that filled the pages with life.

The most impressive part of this novel was the author's creation of Shara as a character. As the object of the scavenger hunt, she is barely ever physically on the page, yet she lives and breaths in the pages. The other characters fixate, create, and manifest her before the reader's eyes. Shara is all-encompassing, even when missing. I don't mean to imply that Share's a malicious character, just that there's an perfect-girl enigma about her that seems to draw the town's attention. How this obsession gets weaved into their everyday lives was fascinating to see, and it was so entertaining to see Shara and Chloe collide through letters and flashbacks.

In a homophobic bible-belt town, McQuiston spins a story of hope for queer voices. What will they learn about their classmates, their town, and themselves along the way?

ARC Review: Boys I Know by Anna Gracia

Boys I Know
by Anna Gracia
Publication Date: July 5th 2022
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Find This Book: Boys I Know
Rating: 5/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Boys I Know tells the story of June Chu, a taiwanese-american girl living in the midwest. Starting her senior year of high school, she’s navigating boys, friendships, family and college applications. June learns three lessons from three very different boys along the way, and tries to figure out what she wants for her life after she graduates high school.

This was the kind of book I wish I’d had in my own high school years. June makes mistakes many of us have also had to learn the hard way, and it’s a relief to know that some of us can learn from June instead of finding out first-hand. June was such a compelling character, I couldn’t help but root for her. Rhys, Brad, and Gang all had their qualities to entice June while all having their red flags that had me yelling at the page trying to come to her aid, I was completely pulled into the story!

Theme-wise, the two most beautiful themes in this book come hand-in-hand: that June is the second child, following after her sister, and that June is the “just good enough” always-landing-in-third-place girl at everything she does.

June grows up in her sister’s shadow, leading her to pick up the violin just like Wendy. Her mother expects her to get a full ride scholarship to Northwestern’s music program so that her violin will fund her studies to be a doctor, just like her sister. But what if June never wants to pick up a violin again, never wants to go to Northwestern University, and never wants to become a doctor? A beautiful facet of June’s story is her discovery of what she likes, and what she does simply because it is expected of her (and I almost teared up when she falls back in love with music after years of contention).

The contention comes not only from parental expectations to follow her sister, but also in June’s self-perceived failure when she keeps finding herself in third place. Fearing to fully apply herself in case even her absolute best will still come up short, June never seems to give anything her all. This book beautifully explores June's own mental block and this really struck a chord with me. I felt truly seen on the page. After a reality check (that will remain vague for spoiler reasons), June finally kicks it into high gear and starts applying in earnest to college programs and her character growth in realizing what she deserves was so heart-warming to see. For the contemporary reader, Boys I Know is a definite must-read!

Top Ten Tuesday #19

Created by The Broke and The Bookish 
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

1) Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My first read of 2021 was Mexican Gothic, my first read by Moreno-Garcia! I loved the spooky gothic vibes and I also managed to read The Beautiful Ones by her as well! I really enjoyed both, so I've added several books by her, including Gods of Jade and Shadow, to my TBR!

2) V.E. Schwab

Another early January 2021 read for me was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. My very first Schwab book, and an instant favorite. One of my favorite books ever kind of favorite! In 2021 I also managed to read her Shades of Magic trilogy, which introduced me to the fantastic character that is Lila Bard. I've definitely got more Schwab in my future.

3) Kendare Blake

A hit-or-miss new-to-me author has been Kendare Blake. I loved the concept of her Three Dark Crowns Quartet, but was less of the fan of the execution. It could have been a book shorter I think. That being said, I stuck around and tried out All These Bodies, her historical fiction horror, and was blown away. While I didn't read it all in one sitting, I finished it all within 24 hours! Blake did a fantastic job with All These Bodies and I am curious about Anna Dressed in Blood.

4) Heidi Heilig

Heilig was a life-changing discovery for me in 2021. I adored each book in her Shadow Players Trilogy. A Kingdom For a Stage did NOT suffer from second book syndrome which is a rare treat, plus her method of story telling mixes regular prose with letters, newspaper clippings, and songs. It's a truly well-developed world with well-rounded characters that I couldn't recommend more!

5) Axie Oh

In 2021, I discovered XOXO and fell in love. This is such a charming contemporary romance that I couldn't get enough of. Oh's upcoming book The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a highly anticipated 2022 release for me and I'm trying to be patient for my pre-order to arrive. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of GIRL which you can read here.

6) Malinda Lo

Lo has actually been on my TBR for several years now. For Marie Lu's Warcross tour, she had a Boston with Malinda Lo that I attended and immediately wanted to read A Line in the Dark. I still haven't, buuuut this put Lo on my radar and I DID read Last Night at the Telegraph Club in 2021. LAST is an extremely moving work of historical fiction (with a fantastic audiobook narrator) that delved into overlapping minority identities in the 1950's. It was seriously amazing, and made my best of 2021 read recap post over on Instagram.

7) Marissa Meyer

Meyer has been on my TBR for a long long time, and within the last year I've read three of her books! I started with Heartless, which I almost DNF'd several times and ended up being just a 'meh' experience, but I'm so glad I gave her another chance. I've adored The Lunar Chronicles! I've listened to the audiobooks of both Cinder and Scarlet so far and already have the next in the series on hold from my library. I'm planning on trying Renegades as well!

8) Darcie Little Badger

I discovered Elatsoe on my quest for fantasy standalones and I couldn't be happier. Set in Texas, the the story is steeped in the culture of the Lipan Apache tribe. This book also has Western Fae and Vampires, as well as asexual representation. It’s such a rich and vibrant standalone fantasy, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Darcie Little Badger.

9) Maureen Johnson

With Johnson's latest Stevie mystery The Box in the Woods being a standalone sequel, I thought it'd be the perfect jumping off point as a new reader. They are a great opportunity to 'sample' the characters and world building with the benefit of an all-inclusive plot. No loose ends like a series might have! And if you *do* like it, you can go back and read the original trilogy! All of the Truly Devious books are certainly on my TBR now.

10) Erin Morgenstern

Last but certainly not least, another author I read for the first time in 2021 was Erin Morgenstern! I found a signed first edition of her debut, The Night Circus, at a local used bookstore and it felt meant to be. A 4-star read for me, ti was utterly charming. It's hard to believe that this was a debut book! I've got The Starless Sea on my 2022 TBR for sure.

What Authors 

Did You Discover in 2021?

ARC Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea
by Axie Oh
Publication Date: February 22nd 2022
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 
Find This Book: The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea
Rating: 5/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a stunning new fantasy standalone from Axie Oh.With Mina's world devastated by storms from the spirit realm, she can't bear to see the love of her brother's life sacrificed to the Sea God and jumps into the sea herself.

Finding herself surprisingly not dead, Mina wakes up to an unwelcoming Spirit World that she initially struggles to navigate. This is where I really see the comparison to Spirited Away, but Axie Oh really takes the 'mortal in the spirit world' concept and makes it her own! This new world and the spirits, gods, and demons that live there are both obstacles and friends to help her find her voice, her path, and her resolution. While the magical and dangerous surrounds her on all sides, her supposedly powerful Sea God appears to be a peaceful sleeping boy. Can she wake him out of his curse to stop the storms threatening her family?

What makes this novel so special is Mina as a character. She's so compassionate and empathetic, and cares so much for her family and her mortal world. The way she handles not only her friends but also her enemies really speaks to her nature and made me love her and her story all the more.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea will be a gem of an addition of every bookshelf in 2022. Join Mina as she navigates her red string of fate, powerful spirits, a lost god, and her heart.