“Once upon a time, I wrote a fairy tale…It’s about a young man whose heart is dying.” Silvera first released They Both Die at the End in 2017, but thanks to the book trending on TikTok in 2020, the novel hit the bestseller list for the first time years after its publication. Five years after the first novel’s release, Silvera’s prequel, The First to Die at the End, hit shelves. The magic trick New York Times bestselling author Adam Silvera pulls off with his Death-Cast series is inherent in the novels’ titles. While both titles specifically give away the central plot and ending, Silvera still takes readers on a journey of love and life that will have them hoping for anything but the inevitable outcome.
The First to Die at the End opens on July 31, 2010, with the launch of Death-Cast, a mysterious new program that promises to notify users of their End Day, the day they’ll die. While Death-Cast doesn’t tell people how or when they’ll die, it guarantees they will die on the day they receive the call.
Amidst the chaos of the Death-Cast launch in Times Square are Valentino and Orion. Valentino is an aspiring model who has moved to the city to launch his career. Meanwhile, Orion lives with his best friend’s family in the Bronx after his parents died in the September 11 attacks. The two meet moments before Death-Cast launches, and Orion, who has been living with a deadly heart condition his whole life, inspires Valentino to sign up for the service.
What neither of them could anticipate is that Valentino is the very first person to receive a call from Death-Cast. Even worse, moments later, Orion saves Valentino’s life from a deadly shooter, and the stress sends Orion to the hospital.
Though their time is brief, Valentino and Orion make memories full of firsts and lasts in the ultimate star-crossed queer romance.
As Valentino grapples with his surreal new fate, he makes a selfless decision that will change Orion’s life and bond them together beyond life or death. With a heartbreaking clock ticking down the hours, Orion dedicates himself to making Valentino’s End Day the best it can be. Though their time is brief, Valentino and Orion make memories full of firsts and lasts in the ultimate star-crossed queer romance. Silvera’s writing is as funny, heartbreaking, and romantic as the original novel, proving that “The End Days have some horrors, but if you commit to living, they can be beautiful too.”
The novel works for fans of the original book as well as those entering the Death-Cast universe for the first time in an expansive story that fans of Silvera will hold close. Of course, The First to Die at the End is also lengthy. Fans of They Both Die at the End will enjoy the insight into Death-Cast’s inner workings and cameos of characters from the original novel. However, for new readers, the book may feel a bit bloated or full of subplots that distract from Valentino and Orion, the story’s beating heart.
With the tragedy and loss many experienced in the last few years, death is no longer an abstract concept, especially for younger readers, making Silvera’s novel an important tool for emotional and mental health.
Regardless of the knowledge of Death-Cast or Silvera’s other books going in, The First to Die at the End is a moving story for readers of all ages. The novel’s message of empathy, understanding, love, and acceptance is more vital than ever. With the tragedy and loss many experienced in the last few years, death is no longer an abstract concept, especially for younger readers, making Silvera’s novel an important tool for emotional and mental health. The First to Die at the End may be best summed up with a simple thesis: “It goes to show that even on your way out, there’s still time to let people in.”
