Review: The First to Die at the End

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

It’s been a while since I’ve read an Adam Silvera book, and even longer since I read one that reminded me of why he was such a huge fave of mine for so many years, especially in my book selling days. I would’ve benefited so much from how beautifully Silvera writes his many glorious geekboys in love if I’d had these positive portrayals when I was a teenage bisexual stuck in the closet even to myself…but I digress.

For the first time, Silvera gives us a prequel - a prequel to what has to be his best known book of all, aided no doubt by the ever increasing word of mouth, and proof that the scourge of BookTok may in fact be the broken clock that’s right twice a day. By the time They Both Die at the End takes place, though, DeathCast has been a thing for quite some time, so it’s a major cultural touchstone in universe. And it’s never wrong.

But what about when it all started?

No, we don’t get to find out any real details about how DeathCast works in this book. No surprise to me, since Silvera’s made that pretty clear in some of his Instagram Q&A stories. Still makes me sad, though, because I do wish Silvera would give us an answer there, and a recurring theme I do see among less glowing reviews of his books the last few years - especially this book and the Infinity Saga - is that his worldbuilding is, all too often, full of holes and missing details. Even though it’s unsurprising to me, as are the frequent narrative-breaking tangents into the lives of others on this day (which add up to a lot since this book is quite long by Silvera’s usual standards), they still conspire to make me knock off a star on this book’s rating, I’m afraid.

But for those flaws, Silvera still excels in all the departments I expect him to excel in. Two glorious geekboys in love - and especially since it’s 2010 in this book, Silvera makes it a point of showcasing how while Valentino comes from a homophobic household in Phoenix and has been forced to repress himself, it’s Orion and the open, accepting family who’s taken him in (Orion’s parents both died on 9/11) who help show him the truest and best way to live. As do, of course, the parents of Rufus Emeterio and Mateo Torrez, Jr., who show up in this book along with their sons and their wildly different personalities. While the many interludes this book takes feel random at first, they end up being so surprisingly connected that I can’t help but wonder if Silvera used to watch Touch like I did circa ten years ago. And yes, it truly ain’t Silvera without a ten ton torpedo to the feels, and while some of the twists in this book are predictable, others are unexpected, and unexpectedly heartwarming.

But also Andrew Garfield grade tearjerking, of course.



Let’s just say, there’s a reason why I was able to read this brick of a book in one sitting.

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