Tag: Reviews

#BookReview They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera @simonschusterUK

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They Both Die at the EndAbout the Book

On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but for different reason, they’re both looking for a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day.

Format: Paperback (368 pages) Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 7th September 2017 Genre: YA, Contemporary Fiction

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My Review

This book illustrates the joy of a book club because They Both Die at the End is not a book I would have ever chosen for myself but which I absolutely loved. Other members of the book club had trouble with the whole concept of an organisation like Death-Cast but strangely enough, although I usually shy away from any element of fantasy in a book, this didn’t bother me. I think this was because I just let myself get swept along by the story of Rufus and Mateo.

Obviously it’s a bold move by an author to publish a book with a title that is effectively a spoiler but it’s just one of many clever touches that I really enjoyed. The book switches between the perspectives of Mateo and Rufus over the course of their last day, occasionally interrupted by other characters who come within their orbit, even if that’s only that they passed them in the street or served them in a shop.

The two boys each have their own characters. Mateo is socially awkward, risk averse and solitary by nature (and necessity) but has a loving nature witnessed by the letters he leaves for his neighbours and his reluctance to let his friend Lidia bear the burden of knowing he is going to die. Rufus is more assertive and worldly owing to the fact he has had to be independent from an early age.  However they also have things in common like finding themselves without family. (Mateo’s father, although alive, is in a coma.)

Starting the day as strangers, the pair gradually become friends and eventually close companions as they share a series of experiences akin to a bucket list but one produced in the moment rather than prepared in advance. I liked the way the book distinguished between manufactured ‘fake’ experiences designed for those who’ve received the Death-Cast call and more meaningful real experiences. In the course of the day, the pair begin to take on some of the characteristics of the other;  Rufus encouraging Mateo to be more adventurous but in turn absorbing some of Mateo’s natural generosity.

A book where both characters die at the end sounds like it’s going to be sad to read – and it is really sad at some points – but there’s also humour as well such as some of the responses Mateo receives on the Last Friends app.  I especially enjoyed the Travellers Game Mateo and Rufus play while riding the subway.

If I had to sum up the message of the book it would be carpe diem (seize the day) because you never know if it might be your last.  ‘We never act’, Mateo says. ‘Only react once we realise the clock is ticking.’

In three words: Clever, witty, tender

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Adam SilveraAbout the Author

Adam Silvera is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End and More Happy Than Not and History Is All You Left Me and Infinity Son and Infinity Reaper and with Becky Albertalli, What If It’s Us and Here’s to Us. His next book The First to Die at the End releases October 4th, 2022, with the final Infinity Cycle book to follow soon after. He was born in New York and now lives in Los Angeles where he writes full-time. He is tall for no reason. (Bio/photo: Goodreads author page)

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#BlogTour #BookReview The City of Tears by Kate Mosse @RandomTTours @panmacmillan

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City of Tears BT PosterWelcome to the final stop on the blog tour for The City of Tears by Kate Mosse, which was published in paperback on 20th January 2022. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Pan Macmillan for my digital review copy. Do check out the post by my tour buddy for today, Hayley at The Lotus Readers.

The City of TearsAbout the Book

August 1572: Minou Joubert and her family are in Paris for a Royal Wedding, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and the Huguenot King of Navarre intended to bring peace to France after a decade of religious wars. So too is their oldest enemy, Vidal, still in pursuit of a relic that will change the course of history. But within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the streets and Minou’s beloved family will be scattered to the four winds…

A gripping, breathtaking novel of revenge, persecution and loss, the action sweeps from Paris and Chartres to the city of tears itself, Amsterdam.

Format: Paperback (560 pages)         Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 20th January 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The City of Tears is the follow-up to the best-selling The Burning Chambers and the second book in a planned series following the fortunes of a cast of characters from 1562 to 1862. (The prologue gives a brief glimpse of the final part of the series.) If you’ve not read The Burning Chambers you need not worry because the author includes brief recaps of events in the first book and if, like me, you have limited knowledge of the Wars of Religion that are the backdrop to events in the book, the author’s Historical Note will tell you everything you need to know.

The book blends actual historical events, such as the St. Bartholomew’s Massacre, with the story of Minou and Piet Reydon, and their family. In this turbulent period of history, during which the conflict between Catholics and Protestants over religious doctrine swept across Europe, few families were left unaffected and the Reydon family are no exception.  Forced to flee France, the family become separated and Minou and Piet are left not knowing whether some of their loved ones are alive or dead. The decisions they are forced to make even threaten their previously strong relationship.  Yet, through it all, Minou never gives up hope of a reunion. ‘Even in the worst of times, it was a miracle how the human heart kept beating.’

In addition to wider geopolitical events affecting their lives, Vidal, their implacable enemy from the first book, remains in the picture. Now in a position of power within the Catholic faction, he is totally ruthless and a force to be reckoned with. A ‘malignant and vengeful man’, his actions are fuelled by a lethal combination of a desire for revenge, fanatical religious zeal and a sense of injustice. Although responsible for some unspeakable acts, one has to admit he does make a fantastic villain!

As might be expected from a series that will span three hundred years, the theme of inheritance features strongly, whether that’s by way of physical features, blood ties or ownership of assets and property. Alongside Vidal’s pursuit of relics of religious significance, objects handed down through the generations feature as well, precious memories of those who have gone before. Issues of displacement, the plight of refugees and religious intolerance remain, regrettably, only too familiar.

The historical detail in The City of Tears is evidence of the meticulous research for which the author has become renowned. The book has a great sense of place such that you can easily imagine yourself walking the streets of Paris or Amsterdam, the city of tears of the title. (To find out more about how Kate goes about research for her books you can read my write-up of her appearance at Henley Literary Festival 2021 here.) 

To plagiarise part of my review of The Burning Chambers, if you gave Mary Berry flour, butter, eggs and sugar, you could be absolutely sure she’d create the perfect Victoria sponge cake.  In the same way, in The City of Tears, Kate Mosse skilfully combines all the ingredients necessary for a deliciously satisfying historical fiction novel, including a thrilling and dramatic climax (even if, perhaps appropriately, there is the threat of soggy bottoms).

In three words: Gripping, authentic, dramatic

Try something similar: The Silver Wolf by J. C. Harvey

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Kate MosseAbout the Author

Kate Mosse is a number one international bestselling novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer. The author of eight novels and short story collections – including the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy (Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel) and Gothic fiction The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist’s Daughter, which she is adapting for the stage – her books have been translated into thirty-eight languages and published in more than forty countries. She is the Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and a regular interviewer for theatre & fiction events. Kate divides her time between Chichester in West Sussex and Carcassonne in south-west France.

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