They Both Die at the End

Three stars because I shed a tear, the concept of this book is genius and it was a nice, easy read.

Not more because... well, nothing much works. The characters are very cliché and they had little to no chemistry. We know they'll end up together because this is a romance book, but really I didn't see why. It all felt very unrealistic and sudden to me.

The plot is great and tension is high until the ending but the prose really has nothing special. The story is meant to be deep and all, except it just repeats that you need to live life to the fullest, making the dialogue feel stilted and unnatural in the same breath.

I was really intrigued by the concept of Death-Cast, which is a genius idea for a dystopia and science-fiction in general, but there was little world-building around it. Who created it? How does it work? What would happen if someone lived alone in a mountain, with no phone? Do they live forever? Is there really no way to avoid death? Is it possible everywhere or is there one set thing that will kill you? We know nothing of it.

One positive aspect was the point of views of side/background characters, which did bring a bit more clarity to the functioning and impact of Death-Cast. Not much, but it was better than nothing. I also really liked the intersections of Mateo and Rufus' stories with these strangers'. I'm a sucker for all the “cameos” in the book.

On another note, Mateo's death was very unexpected, which is really nice, for a change. It would have been better had it been handled in a different way, though. It fell short for me. It was supposed to be this devastating moment, yet I only cried for a second because it was so anticlimatic.

Part of this indifference probably also comes from the fact that I didn't feel very attached to the characters and that Mateo in particular annoyed me. Don't get me wrong, I'm an anxious person as well, and I don't blame him for that, but he made quite selfish demands and decisions for someone who claims to « have lived for everyone ».

I suppose my expectations were too high, considering how popular this book is and how many people found it devastating. Still, this a nice book, quick to read and intriguing.