Paz Dario is close to the lowest point in his life. Not that he has not been at that point for nearly 10 years, after he killed his father at the crisp age of nine. When Alano Rosa, the heir to Death Cast finds him at the top of the Hollywood sign, ready to be done with it all, he has to consider how much it will take to keep himself afloat and not just for himself anymore.
From the author of “They Both Die in the End,” Adam Silvera’s “The Survivor Wants to Die at the End” takes a bit of a different twist to the plotline of this story. Beyond the general atmosphere of death regarding this story series, it is not so much the fact that death happens, and more so seeing the repercussions of what the creator of Death Cast has done in creating this system.
Honestly, I think this is the best installment of the series. I loved getting to see the references to characters from the previous books and just how much of an impression they left on the world as it continues. I liked getting to see some of them interact with the current main characters, too.
Something that I was not as big of a fan of in this book was the way moods changed with some of the characters. One moment one of the main characters could be happy as can be, and the next they are questioning everything that is happening. While some circumstances allowed for it, it should not be happening in every other chapter. It makes the story feel like the author is running out of things to write and needs something to boost the story along.
That being said, I loved the way the author portrayed real-world issues, whether it be mental health issues or the reiteration of events that have happened throughout semi-recent history. There were definitely some moments where I made the realization that this book could be a political statement. Before this book was announced, I was under the impression that this would be a duology series, and not an on running series similar to that of the “Hunger Games” series where everything beyond the initial book or series is just something that the author has to say.
I was not super happy with the ending of the book. I feel like there were too many huge plot twists happening at once and it kind of became a lot to deal with. It did, however, leave a great base for the next book in the series, which has already been confirmed, so that is something to look forward to. I do wish that more of the problems that were introduced in this book were resolved before it ended, though.
This was definitely a great read. It was everything I could have wanted from an Adam Silvera book and more. From the real-world problems and the way they affect the main characters to the little Easter eggs from the previous books in the series, this made for a great read. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released. I give this book a 4.5/5.