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Till the Last Beat of My Heart
“The queer young adult story that I’ve been desperately craving for years!” —Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, New York Times bestselling author of Ace of Spades and Where Sleeping Girls Lie
In this YA contemporary fantasy, the teen son of the local mortician accidentally reanimates the dead body of the boy he had more than friendly feelings for, but can he keep him alive for good before their time runs out? Perfect for fans of Cemetery Boys and The Taking of Jake Livingston!
When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.
There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it's almost out.
As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.
In this YA contemporary fantasy, the teen son of the local mortician accidentally reanimates the dead body of the boy he had more than friendly feelings for, but can he keep him alive for good before their time runs out? Perfect for fans of Cemetery Boys and The Taking of Jake Livingston!
When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.
There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it's almost out.
As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.
Audible Audio
First published October 15, 2024
15 people are currently reading
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About the author
Louangie Bou-Montes
3 books35 followersLouangie Bou-Montes was born in Northampton, Massachusetts and grew up flitting back and forth between rural Western Mass and el campo in Guayama, PR, surrounded by countless cousins in both locations. Thanks to those cousins, she was raised on a healthy diet of everything from The Addams Family to Silent Hill to Pet Sematary, resulting in a love of telling stories about Puerto Rican kids with morbid hobbies and senses of humor.
After graduating with a BA in English from UMass Amherst, she spent nearly a decade working as a high school educator, mostly focused in Special Education, Trauma-Informed teaching, and ELL. Currently, she works as an Anti-Oppression Consultant.
On any given day, you can find Louangie at home playing video games or watching cooking shows and horror movies with her spouse.
After graduating with a BA in English from UMass Amherst, she spent nearly a decade working as a high school educator, mostly focused in Special Education, Trauma-Informed teaching, and ELL. Currently, she works as an Anti-Oppression Consultant.
On any given day, you can find Louangie at home playing video games or watching cooking shows and horror movies with her spouse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 10, 2024
Christan Reyes is dead, and he’s in my basement.
Sometimes, I know from the first sentence a book will be good, and the first sentence of this story made me gasp, writhe on my chair while an uncomfortable feeling sank in my stomach, and at the same time, this small line of words made me want to read on and on and on.
Lately, I seem to have a soft spot for stories about the living and the death. I love darker and sadder stories, don’t need a HEA, but I’m actually not a person for ghosts and dead bodies, and still, I devor these books like they’re lighthearted romances. Mainly because those books aren’t that heavy or creepy but funny and moving; this includes Till the Last Beat of My Heart.
I loved Christian from the moment I met him. Not when he was still dead, obviously. I’m not a fan of detailed described dead bodies, but after Jax alived him (Jax’s words), he immediately became so enthusiastic and energetic and also incredibly sweet, but it also wanted to hug him because he was scared because he wanted to keep living. I had to warm up to Jax, though. He felt a little … dismissive? But I could understand where he came from, full of anxiety, and we all have flaws, right?
This story is about living surrounded by death and still trying to live to your fullest. About old family wounds. About wanting to keep someone you’d die for in your life.
Thank you so much, Louangie, for sending me a link to this book. I loved your debut and can’t wait for what you have in store for us next!
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Sometimes, I know from the first sentence a book will be good, and the first sentence of this story made me gasp, writhe on my chair while an uncomfortable feeling sank in my stomach, and at the same time, this small line of words made me want to read on and on and on.
Lately, I seem to have a soft spot for stories about the living and the death. I love darker and sadder stories, don’t need a HEA, but I’m actually not a person for ghosts and dead bodies, and still, I devor these books like they’re lighthearted romances. Mainly because those books aren’t that heavy or creepy but funny and moving; this includes Till the Last Beat of My Heart.
I loved Christian from the moment I met him. Not when he was still dead, obviously. I’m not a fan of detailed described dead bodies, but after Jax alived him (Jax’s words), he immediately became so enthusiastic and energetic and also incredibly sweet, but it also wanted to hug him because he was scared because he wanted to keep living. I had to warm up to Jax, though. He felt a little … dismissive? But I could understand where he came from, full of anxiety, and we all have flaws, right?
This story is about living surrounded by death and still trying to live to your fullest. About old family wounds. About wanting to keep someone you’d die for in your life.
Thank you so much, Louangie, for sending me a link to this book. I loved your debut and can’t wait for what you have in store for us next!
Follow me on Instagram
April 12, 2024
Louangie Bou-Montes effortlessly weaves a stunning coming of age story about a teenage necromancer and the lengths he’d go to save the people he loves. Bou-Montes is masterfull in her depiction of grief, first love, friendship and the importance of community. Till The Last Beat of My Heart is the queer young adult romantasy that I’ve been desperately craving for years!
June 23, 2024
necromancy as a metaphor for being gay, haha nice
November 26, 2024
2024 reads: 314/250
content warnings: death, panic attacks, car accident
most dead bodies in jaxon santiago-noble’s town end up at his house since his mom is the local mortician. this has never fazed him, but when the most recent body belongs to christian reyes, his former best friend and first crush, his world turns upside down. jax accidentally resurrects christian, but he doesn’t have much time to learn his necromancy powers—christian is on borrowed time that won’t last long.
i was immediately intrigued by this book’s premise, so i had to borrow it on libby asap! i really enjoyed how the necromancy aspect played out. this was more of a character-driven novel, though, and i loved jax and christian. it was so cool reading about jax learning about his necromancy, though this was a frequent point of frustration for him. i also liked how jax and christian’s relationship played out, as they didn’t have the smoothest relationship.
i highly recommend this book to fans of ya fantasy!
content warnings: death, panic attacks, car accident
most dead bodies in jaxon santiago-noble’s town end up at his house since his mom is the local mortician. this has never fazed him, but when the most recent body belongs to christian reyes, his former best friend and first crush, his world turns upside down. jax accidentally resurrects christian, but he doesn’t have much time to learn his necromancy powers—christian is on borrowed time that won’t last long.
i was immediately intrigued by this book’s premise, so i had to borrow it on libby asap! i really enjoyed how the necromancy aspect played out. this was more of a character-driven novel, though, and i loved jax and christian. it was so cool reading about jax learning about his necromancy, though this was a frequent point of frustration for him. i also liked how jax and christian’s relationship played out, as they didn’t have the smoothest relationship.
i highly recommend this book to fans of ya fantasy!
June 8, 2024
This YA contemporary fantasy should be on everyone's TBR list this fall, especially if you're a fan of Cemetery Boys!
It only just arrived on my Kindle, but I couldn't pace myself and bumped it to the top of my TBR. And this was such a fun read!
It's about Jaxon and Christian, estranged childhood best friends to lovers, aka the BEST trope. Jaxon has grown up with a mortician mum, so he's used to being around death, but when Christian suddenly dies, he accidentally resurrects him and he finds out things are very different from what he's known so far. For one, he's a necromancer, and necromancy runs in the family. And maybe resurrecting Christian didn't come without a price. And oh, there are many family secrets to find out about as well.
Do you ever read a book where you just LOVE the pacing? You know when you're reading and you just love the choices the author's made in sharing the right information at the right time, and drawing out some of the mystery, but not keeping readers in the dark for no reason? There's enough mystery to propel the story forwards at all times, and I could hardly put this down, but there's also so much that unfolds throughout the book in a steady pace, so you never feel frustrated about not knowing or understanding things.
I also think this strikes an excellent balance between a darker fantasy, centering death and necromancy, and a certain amount of gore, on the one hand, and a fun, sweet contemporary romance on the other hand. I can definitely see myself rereading this!
It only just arrived on my Kindle, but I couldn't pace myself and bumped it to the top of my TBR. And this was such a fun read!
It's about Jaxon and Christian, estranged childhood best friends to lovers, aka the BEST trope. Jaxon has grown up with a mortician mum, so he's used to being around death, but when Christian suddenly dies, he accidentally resurrects him and he finds out things are very different from what he's known so far. For one, he's a necromancer, and necromancy runs in the family. And maybe resurrecting Christian didn't come without a price. And oh, there are many family secrets to find out about as well.
Do you ever read a book where you just LOVE the pacing? You know when you're reading and you just love the choices the author's made in sharing the right information at the right time, and drawing out some of the mystery, but not keeping readers in the dark for no reason? There's enough mystery to propel the story forwards at all times, and I could hardly put this down, but there's also so much that unfolds throughout the book in a steady pace, so you never feel frustrated about not knowing or understanding things.
I also think this strikes an excellent balance between a darker fantasy, centering death and necromancy, and a certain amount of gore, on the one hand, and a fun, sweet contemporary romance on the other hand. I can definitely see myself rereading this!
dnf
October 9, 2025dnf at 24%
December 8, 2024
Read this in a couple days and it felt like much longer, not in a tedious way it just took up a lot of my brain in the same way a month-long TV show hyperfixation does haha!! :) Cemetery Boys being in the comp titles was very fitting— they’re both queer urban fantasies (also starring Latino leads), with an undead love interest, and a surprising amount of lighthearted coming-of-age elements in what seems like a very sad premise. Although, yes, there is still room for grief (as is the case in stories surrounding mortality). Plus, the characters being childhood friends excused the romance being a little fast-paced lol (some the logic of their past falling-out confused me a bit, though?) I do think the ending resolved things a little too well, but there at least seemed to be some consistency across the magic system. (Would have been nice to see more of it fleshed out, though!)
I’m also a big fan of family being involved in the plot. While a lot of the main conflict hinged on YA logic (ok, why would you be a mortician and not tell your son he’s a necromancer), a lot of that I was still able to overlook. I can’t deny that’s probably because of personal bias(again, I enjoyed reading this book, and reviews are just opinions really, not a metric to judge how good a book is)(mostly), but I really enjoyed the way that Jaxon was able to connect with his mom, and even some of the issues the adults had with how he’d try to sacrifice himself for Christian or keep secrets. (I predicted pretty quickly how Jaxon’s dad died.) Besides Jaxon’s mom and aunt being part of the story, though, I also just liked how they were present for him, there were these moments sprinkled throughout that felt true to family banter— to paraphrase WOC Reader, often in YA, home is “just a place the main characters sleep in”.
Christian was very sweet. Totally ons of those "golden retriever" characters, and sometimes that made him a little corny, but we as readers could still glimpse his worries and desperation to cling onto his half-life. (And, he had a lot of soft moments with Jaxon, of course.) And on the topic of the characters, I thought the friend side characters were entertaining— Regan especially. (Her and Jaxon have very strong sibling vibes. I enjoyed her constant input, too.)
The horror wasn’t very effective, though? I don’t know. I was just expecting more, and the descriptions of the reanimated people and things were more creepy in concept than description. This book feels more like an off-kilter fantasy than a horror romance, imo.
(Bonus points though for this being literally the first romance I’ve read with black leads that *doesn’t* focus around racial trauma??!)
Honestly, from the romance, to the conflict and the resolution, this is probably the most YA that a YA I’ve read has been (or it’s at least in my top 10). IDGAF! I still found this charming.
I’m also a big fan of family being involved in the plot. While a lot of the main conflict hinged on YA logic (ok, why would you be a mortician and not tell your son he’s a necromancer), a lot of that I was still able to overlook. I can’t deny that’s probably because of personal bias(again, I enjoyed reading this book, and reviews are just opinions really, not a metric to judge how good a book is)(mostly), but I really enjoyed the way that Jaxon was able to connect with his mom, and even some of the issues the adults had with how he’d try to sacrifice himself for Christian or keep secrets. (I predicted pretty quickly how Jaxon’s dad died.) Besides Jaxon’s mom and aunt being part of the story, though, I also just liked how they were present for him, there were these moments sprinkled throughout that felt true to family banter— to paraphrase WOC Reader, often in YA, home is “just a place the main characters sleep in”.
Christian was very sweet. Totally ons of those "golden retriever" characters, and sometimes that made him a little corny, but we as readers could still glimpse his worries and desperation to cling onto his half-life. (And, he had a lot of soft moments with Jaxon, of course.) And on the topic of the characters, I thought the friend side characters were entertaining— Regan especially. (Her and Jaxon have very strong sibling vibes. I enjoyed her constant input, too.)
The horror wasn’t very effective, though? I don’t know. I was just expecting more, and the descriptions of the reanimated people and things were more creepy in concept than description. This book feels more like an off-kilter fantasy than a horror romance, imo.
(Bonus points though for this being literally the first romance I’ve read with black leads that *doesn’t* focus around racial trauma??!)
Honestly, from the romance, to the conflict and the resolution, this is probably the most YA that a YA I’ve read has been (or it’s at least in my top 10). IDGAF! I still found this charming.
July 18, 2025
AAAAAAA I LOVED THIS genuinely jaxon and christian are the cutest ever im obsessed with them “if dad drew anime guys on his fucking grimoire or whatever, maybe personal, powerful things don’t have to be sacred” is sooo funny i actually can’t this entire book was so good
September 10, 2024
A massive thank you to the publisher who provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
★★★★☆ 4.5/5
With his mum being the local mortician, sixteen year old Jaxon is used to death. There's quite often a body down in the basement waiting to be prepped for a funeral. It's normal, routine. Living in a small town, Jaxon's mum has worked on many of the residents, but when Christian Reyes, Jaxon's old friend and crush, ends up on the morgue table after a car accident, Jaxon can't help but go down to the basement to see for himself.
Accidentally resurrecting Christian brings a whole host of problems, from Jaxon's family history of necromancy, to Christian's limited time. For Jaxon, inherited necromancy powers aren't as fun when they come with secrets that could tear his family apart, and with Christian's second life about to be cut short, Jaxon must quickly learn all he can about his powers, or he'll lose Christian for good.
Marketed as for fans of Cemetery Boys, I went into this a little hesitant. Cemetery Boys is one of my favourites, one I'll always hold close, and just lately I've been let down by incorrect marketing comparisons. Till the Last Beat of My Heart? Perfectly comped. My hesitation quickly dissipated, and I found myself easily loving this as much as Cemetery Boys very early on.
The characters are easily likeable, and Christian's bright, sunny disposition is impossible not to roll your eyes with a smile at, just like Jaxon. You get the real sense of family, of love, friendship and connection. At times it felt like I was a guest in the kitchen, happily observing the interactions between Jaxon, his mum and aunt, and then later, Christian and his extended family. It has that real sense of warmth despite the themes, and Jaxon's need to save Christian quickly became mine, too.
The pacing is set perfectly, with the urgency, anxiety, and all out desperation combined with the necessary slowed down, and not quite relaxed. This will be a great spooky season read, and well worth a read if you're looking for something to break up any dark horror books.
As a debut, it's clear the author has a lot of potential, and I'm excited for what's next! This is firmly on my favourites list, and I hope it finds its way onto yours too!
Did I like the book? Yes!
Did I love it? Yes!
Would I recommend it? 100%! As a spooky season read, or for the Cemetery Boys lovers, it's a new favourite for me!
This review can also be found at Finally Got Around to It
★★★★☆ 4.5/5
With his mum being the local mortician, sixteen year old Jaxon is used to death. There's quite often a body down in the basement waiting to be prepped for a funeral. It's normal, routine. Living in a small town, Jaxon's mum has worked on many of the residents, but when Christian Reyes, Jaxon's old friend and crush, ends up on the morgue table after a car accident, Jaxon can't help but go down to the basement to see for himself.
Accidentally resurrecting Christian brings a whole host of problems, from Jaxon's family history of necromancy, to Christian's limited time. For Jaxon, inherited necromancy powers aren't as fun when they come with secrets that could tear his family apart, and with Christian's second life about to be cut short, Jaxon must quickly learn all he can about his powers, or he'll lose Christian for good.
Marketed as for fans of Cemetery Boys, I went into this a little hesitant. Cemetery Boys is one of my favourites, one I'll always hold close, and just lately I've been let down by incorrect marketing comparisons. Till the Last Beat of My Heart? Perfectly comped. My hesitation quickly dissipated, and I found myself easily loving this as much as Cemetery Boys very early on.
The characters are easily likeable, and Christian's bright, sunny disposition is impossible not to roll your eyes with a smile at, just like Jaxon. You get the real sense of family, of love, friendship and connection. At times it felt like I was a guest in the kitchen, happily observing the interactions between Jaxon, his mum and aunt, and then later, Christian and his extended family. It has that real sense of warmth despite the themes, and Jaxon's need to save Christian quickly became mine, too.
The pacing is set perfectly, with the urgency, anxiety, and all out desperation combined with the necessary slowed down, and not quite relaxed. This will be a great spooky season read, and well worth a read if you're looking for something to break up any dark horror books.
As a debut, it's clear the author has a lot of potential, and I'm excited for what's next! This is firmly on my favourites list, and I hope it finds its way onto yours too!
Did I like the book? Yes!
Did I love it? Yes!
Would I recommend it? 100%! As a spooky season read, or for the Cemetery Boys lovers, it's a new favourite for me!
This review can also be found at Finally Got Around to It
January 26, 2025
the only thing i have to say is: okay. like this book was okay. the plot was okay. the characters were okay. it was a very okay book. nothing to write home about. cute and borderline charming but just… okay.
August 22, 2022
I've been very fortunate to have read an early draft of this and it's AMAZING. CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT!!!
October 5, 2024
When you fall asleep during the audio book, and you really don't care to rewind it, you know you just aren't into it.
November 14, 2025
Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
These boys. 😭 Their friends. 😭 Their families. 😭
I loved this book so much.
The necromancy in this book is not a known possibility to most characters in this book. Nor is the introduction to necromancy something campy or astounding or added in a humorous way. It's traumatic as fuck, and I kind of loved that. More often than not, necromancy is used in stories as a magical power beneficial in fights/battles. Till the Last Beat of My Heart touches much more on the affects necromancy has on the people it brings back, as well as the sacrifices it takes. Which added such an emotional pull to this story for me. Watching a boy discover a power but discovering its consequences just as quick. Watching another come back to life after a traumatic and tragic death. Watching a mother watch her son as he comes to accept certain consequences for the sake of another, no matter what that means for him. I really loved it so much.
These boys. 😭 Their friends. 😭 Their families. 😭
I loved this book so much.
The necromancy in this book is not a known possibility to most characters in this book. Nor is the introduction to necromancy something campy or astounding or added in a humorous way. It's traumatic as fuck, and I kind of loved that. More often than not, necromancy is used in stories as a magical power beneficial in fights/battles. Till the Last Beat of My Heart touches much more on the affects necromancy has on the people it brings back, as well as the sacrifices it takes. Which added such an emotional pull to this story for me. Watching a boy discover a power but discovering its consequences just as quick. Watching another come back to life after a traumatic and tragic death. Watching a mother watch her son as he comes to accept certain consequences for the sake of another, no matter what that means for him. I really loved it so much.
November 24, 2024
3,5*
Was die Figuren angeht - top. Nur fand ich das ganze Nekromantie-Magiesystem-Ding etwas zu random und verwirrend.
Was die Figuren angeht - top. Nur fand ich das ganze Nekromantie-Magiesystem-Ding etwas zu random und verwirrend.
June 20, 2025
3.5 stars not rounded up
August 28, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The cover for this is incredible. Thank you Louangie for sending me this ARC!
I really liked Jax and his portrayal of anxiety. It was nice to see someone deal with it and have medication and everyone not make it seem like it was something that hindered him. Christian seemed so sweet. I didn’t quite understand the part where Jax was mad at them for talking about his dad cause it never seemed to come up again. The group was super nice to him from the beginning and he held a grudge but we never see that happen on their end. Why did they do that? He was talking about it but it was never shown that they were mean or anything. Rhys seemed like a nice guy and a good friend. The necromancy elements were interesting and I would like to know more about how the powers worked. The few twists within the book were really good and I enjoyed getting into this world a lot.
The cover for this is incredible. Thank you Louangie for sending me this ARC!
I really liked Jax and his portrayal of anxiety. It was nice to see someone deal with it and have medication and everyone not make it seem like it was something that hindered him. Christian seemed so sweet. I didn’t quite understand the part where Jax was mad at them for talking about his dad cause it never seemed to come up again. The group was super nice to him from the beginning and he held a grudge but we never see that happen on their end. Why did they do that? He was talking about it but it was never shown that they were mean or anything. Rhys seemed like a nice guy and a good friend. The necromancy elements were interesting and I would like to know more about how the powers worked. The few twists within the book were really good and I enjoyed getting into this world a lot.
October 6, 2024
This was PERFECT!!! We need a sequel, like, RIGHT NOW 🥹🥹🥹🥹
October 19, 2025
4.5 stars
Overall this is a very sweet YA slightly spooky fantasy book. It was an easy read and despite difficult topics at times, it was a fun and fairly light book. It was just a fun book with fun characters.
Jaxon Santiago-Noble is a cis Black gay 16 year old boy. His mom’s side is Dominican and his dad’s side is Puerto Rican. He has anxiety. He loves old horror movies. He’s a pretty calm and practical kid, all things considered. His best friend is a girl named Regan. They both used to be friends with Christian Reyes, but Christian became a jock in high school and kept a more popular friend group. After that, Jaxon did his best to keep out of Christian’s way, anticipating they would just stay in their lanes until graduation and go separate ways. That all changes when Jax accidentally resurrects Christian.
I adored Jaxon’s family. His mom is awesome, but my favorite is his aunt Clio. She’s a 30-something rail-thin woman with long dreadlocks and is a vegan. She’ also a necromancer, but has different abilities than Jaxon or her deceased brother. She’s the one to start to teach Jaxon about his magic, and the one to try to stop him when he works to save Christian because she’s scared of the cost.
I feel like this book would have been even more amazing as an adult novel (with adult characters), and would have given it room to stretch its wings some. Some of the stuff is cool but stunted a little because the main characters are children and can only do so much. I also think some of the magic and themes would have packed even more punch with an adult novel. But that’s just my opinion, and the novel already works pretty dang well as a YA book.
This book has MCs that are like “screw it, I’ll burn it all down or die if needed” to protect each other (particularly Jaxon toward Christian, but it’s implied Christian feels the same way). I love this in books. It may not be realistic but I love it in romantic or platonic or parental or whatever relationships. It’s just more fun to read about.
Some inconsistencies. For example Clio says she’s thirty, but she’s only about 4 years younger than Jadriel, who died when he was in his early 40s.
Contains:
—MC with anxiety
—zombies (kinda)
—necromancy
—gay MC
—queer LI (unsure if Christian is gay or bi. It’s implied he’s kissed other people and liked other people, but no details on who)
—soulmate vibes
—friends to strangers/dislike to friends to lovers
—past death of a father
—death as a major topic
—on page accidents and injuries
—on page blood (fairly mild for me)
—reference to past sexual harassment and/or attempted rape (not MCs - Jaxon’s aunt Clio implies this of a coworker/boss who she accidentally drained the life out of one night, no details given)
Other:
—first person single POV
—cheating: no
—romantic rival: no
—break up: no
—sex: none. Safe sex and condom use are briefly mentioned by MC’s mom.
—HEA: more like an HFN, but it’s implied the MCs are “endgame” and fell in love young and would stay in love like Jaxon’s parents.
Overall this is a very sweet YA slightly spooky fantasy book. It was an easy read and despite difficult topics at times, it was a fun and fairly light book. It was just a fun book with fun characters.
Jaxon Santiago-Noble is a cis Black gay 16 year old boy. His mom’s side is Dominican and his dad’s side is Puerto Rican. He has anxiety. He loves old horror movies. He’s a pretty calm and practical kid, all things considered. His best friend is a girl named Regan. They both used to be friends with Christian Reyes, but Christian became a jock in high school and kept a more popular friend group. After that, Jaxon did his best to keep out of Christian’s way, anticipating they would just stay in their lanes until graduation and go separate ways. That all changes when Jax accidentally resurrects Christian.
I adored Jaxon’s family. His mom is awesome, but my favorite is his aunt Clio. She’s a 30-something rail-thin woman with long dreadlocks and is a vegan. She’ also a necromancer, but has different abilities than Jaxon or her deceased brother. She’s the one to start to teach Jaxon about his magic, and the one to try to stop him when he works to save Christian because she’s scared of the cost.
I feel like this book would have been even more amazing as an adult novel (with adult characters), and would have given it room to stretch its wings some. Some of the stuff is cool but stunted a little because the main characters are children and can only do so much. I also think some of the magic and themes would have packed even more punch with an adult novel. But that’s just my opinion, and the novel already works pretty dang well as a YA book.
This book has MCs that are like “screw it, I’ll burn it all down or die if needed” to protect each other (particularly Jaxon toward Christian, but it’s implied Christian feels the same way). I love this in books. It may not be realistic but I love it in romantic or platonic or parental or whatever relationships. It’s just more fun to read about.
Some inconsistencies. For example Clio says she’s thirty, but she’s only about 4 years younger than Jadriel, who died when he was in his early 40s.
Contains:
—MC with anxiety
—zombies (kinda)
—necromancy
—gay MC
—queer LI (unsure if Christian is gay or bi. It’s implied he’s kissed other people and liked other people, but no details on who)
—soulmate vibes
—friends to strangers/dislike to friends to lovers
—past death of a father
—death as a major topic
—on page accidents and injuries
—on page blood (fairly mild for me)
—reference to past sexual harassment and/or attempted rape (not MCs - Jaxon’s aunt Clio implies this of a coworker/boss who she accidentally drained the life out of one night, no details given)
Other:
—first person single POV
—cheating: no
—romantic rival: no
—break up: no
—sex: none. Safe sex and condom use are briefly mentioned by MC’s mom.
—HEA: more like an HFN, but it’s implied the MCs are “endgame” and fell in love young and would stay in love like Jaxon’s parents.
March 25, 2025
As I continued to read this book, I kept thinking that there was something that wasn’t working for the story, but I couldn’t put my finger on it for a while. The premise is very interesting and the book gets going right away with action. I kept wanting to read to see how it was going to end.
I think it finally hit me towards the end of the book what was missing- there is a major lack of chemistry between the main two characters. They are supposed to be in love, and I don’t believe it. I don’t understand why they are both willing to put their lives on the line for each other. They were close friends at one point and had a falling out and haven’t spoken in years. They have one (albeit intense) interaction, but there’s no real development of their relationship. We are just told to believe that they are desperately in love and would do anything to keep each other alive. It gave me the same vibes as watching “The Little Mermaid” as an adult and realizing how dumb Ariel is to want to change her entire life for a guy she’s just looked at, and I don’t even blame her dad for destroying all of her stuff to try to get her to see sense 😅 When Jaxon doesn’t want to listen to the adults in his life telling him that he should prioritize living, I felt like his response was the same as Ariel yelling “But Daddy I love him!”
The side characters are fine. The plot is OK. I think it just wasn’t executed very well. I would have liked to see character development for anyone in the book, but they all basically end the book the same way they started, except with more information than they had at the beginning. This book also seems to try to push the theme of “death is inevitable and there are consequences if you try thwart it.” But then the book also seems to erase any of those consequences for the main characters and finds easy ways out of things as the book progresses. It just all felt a little too convenient, and I almost was hoping for a more gut wrenching ending to make a stronger point.
Like several others have said, I do not recommend the audiobook. The narrator pauses dramatically after every sentence and it’s almost unbearable to listen to.
One final note- there is a lot of Spanish woven into the story. I know basic Spanish and could get the gist, but a lot of times I was wondering what characters were saying. I don’t feel like it was translated enough that I really got the full dialogue. That may have hindered some of my enjoyment of the book because it was inaccessible to me through a language barrier. A bilingual person might get a lot more out of this story, and the characters’ personalities might shine more through some of the dialogue that I couldn’t understand 🤷♀️
I think it finally hit me towards the end of the book what was missing- there is a major lack of chemistry between the main two characters. They are supposed to be in love, and I don’t believe it. I don’t understand why they are both willing to put their lives on the line for each other. They were close friends at one point and had a falling out and haven’t spoken in years. They have one (albeit intense) interaction, but there’s no real development of their relationship. We are just told to believe that they are desperately in love and would do anything to keep each other alive. It gave me the same vibes as watching “The Little Mermaid” as an adult and realizing how dumb Ariel is to want to change her entire life for a guy she’s just looked at, and I don’t even blame her dad for destroying all of her stuff to try to get her to see sense 😅 When Jaxon doesn’t want to listen to the adults in his life telling him that he should prioritize living, I felt like his response was the same as Ariel yelling “But Daddy I love him!”
The side characters are fine. The plot is OK. I think it just wasn’t executed very well. I would have liked to see character development for anyone in the book, but they all basically end the book the same way they started, except with more information than they had at the beginning. This book also seems to try to push the theme of “death is inevitable and there are consequences if you try thwart it.” But then the book also seems to erase any of those consequences for the main characters and finds easy ways out of things as the book progresses. It just all felt a little too convenient, and I almost was hoping for a more gut wrenching ending to make a stronger point.
Like several others have said, I do not recommend the audiobook. The narrator pauses dramatically after every sentence and it’s almost unbearable to listen to.
One final note- there is a lot of Spanish woven into the story. I know basic Spanish and could get the gist, but a lot of times I was wondering what characters were saying. I don’t feel like it was translated enough that I really got the full dialogue. That may have hindered some of my enjoyment of the book because it was inaccessible to me through a language barrier. A bilingual person might get a lot more out of this story, and the characters’ personalities might shine more through some of the dialogue that I couldn’t understand 🤷♀️
August 21, 2025
[3.0]
Really, this was alright. I liked the story idea. But for the most part I wasn’t that big on everything else.
Firstly, the characters never felt fully fleshed out. We never get a more in depth story on any of them. The relationships are explained away with, we knew each other as kids, the end. We don’t know what drives or motivates anyone but Jaxon (and even that is just the bare minimum), so everyone kinda just feels like an npc…
It always felt like we were missing some important explanation on why a character does certains things. Like for instance, we never got an explanation as to why Christian was drinking and driving, which you’d think would happen since it was SO out of character. Why is Christian so jockish, except for playing sports? If anything, if we are going by stereotypes, all his actions felt more ‘nerdish’ to me. And had he explicitly liked Jaxon before this all happened? If so why wasn’t that clarified? It was just confusing because we never get an explanation on why Christian likes Jaxon too all of a sudden. The romance just didn’t feel as life changing as it was supposed to. All the relationships just felt surface level, tbh.
I also wish the author explained more of the Spanish terms/phrasing she used. I loved loved the fact that the characters spoke in their language, and I don’t think every single phrase or term should be explained, just for the comfort of a few. But I do think there were times when there just wasn’t enough context to get what was not being translated. I wished a lot of times, at the very least, the author gave a slight explanation, because I felt like lost out on some of the meaningful interactions that could possibly have improved the characterization.
Also, the plot didn’t feel like it had a driving force behind it, everything just happened. Like nice story idea, but I’m not sure I vibed with the execution. The story just fell flat. The pacing was okay. It was interesting enough to keep going, but I didn’t feel that much of an attachment.
It was okay. I liked it enough to keep going and there were still cute moments.
Really, this was alright. I liked the story idea. But for the most part I wasn’t that big on everything else.
Firstly, the characters never felt fully fleshed out. We never get a more in depth story on any of them. The relationships are explained away with, we knew each other as kids, the end. We don’t know what drives or motivates anyone but Jaxon (and even that is just the bare minimum), so everyone kinda just feels like an npc…
It always felt like we were missing some important explanation on why a character does certains things. Like for instance, we never got an explanation as to why Christian was drinking and driving, which you’d think would happen since it was SO out of character. Why is Christian so jockish, except for playing sports? If anything, if we are going by stereotypes, all his actions felt more ‘nerdish’ to me. And had he explicitly liked Jaxon before this all happened? If so why wasn’t that clarified? It was just confusing because we never get an explanation on why Christian likes Jaxon too all of a sudden. The romance just didn’t feel as life changing as it was supposed to. All the relationships just felt surface level, tbh.
I also wish the author explained more of the Spanish terms/phrasing she used. I loved loved the fact that the characters spoke in their language, and I don’t think every single phrase or term should be explained, just for the comfort of a few. But I do think there were times when there just wasn’t enough context to get what was not being translated. I wished a lot of times, at the very least, the author gave a slight explanation, because I felt like lost out on some of the meaningful interactions that could possibly have improved the characterization.
Also, the plot didn’t feel like it had a driving force behind it, everything just happened. Like nice story idea, but I’m not sure I vibed with the execution. The story just fell flat. The pacing was okay. It was interesting enough to keep going, but I didn’t feel that much of an attachment.
It was okay. I liked it enough to keep going and there were still cute moments.
August 2, 2024
~~Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!~~
If you had the power to save someone you love at the cost of your own life, would you?
This book has such an interesting take on death, and I really liked how Bou-Montes explored it here. In this world, necromancy runs through families (At least, through Jaxon's dad's family. I wanted to know if any other family/groups had paranormal powers, but that really isn't important, given the grand scheme of the story), but Jaxon wasn't told about his powers until after he literally resurrected his ex best friend. From there, he has to take life energy from living organisms (i.e., plants, other people, and himself, but Jaxon mostly draws it from himself throughout the story) in order to keep Christian alive. The self sacrifice for love is literal here, and it makes it all the more angsty because Christian doesn't want the love of his life to practically kill himself for him. And even though Death is never personified, its presence is inevitable as Jaxon does everything in his power to help Christian out run it. The themes of grief and love are so strong, that attempting to outrun death isn't the way to go. I won't spoil what obvious two choices Bou-Montes made by the end, but I will say the acceptance was bittersweet, leaning a bit more sweet.
The characters are very fleshed out, particularly Jaxon and Christian. Christian is so adorkable with his big himbo jock energy, but the love and care he has for Jaxon actually got me good at some parts. Jaxon was very relatable with his anxiety and grump attitude to juxtapose against Christian's sunshine, though sometimes he got a bit dismissive in some situations when I felt it shouldn't. The rest of the side characters are enjoyable, too; Mami and Regan were the ones that stood out the most for me.
Overall, this is a pretty solid debut. The description saying this would be perfect for fans of Cemetery Boys is spot on, because I wholeheartedly believe that the people who loved that book would come and devour this gem up as well.
If you had the power to save someone you love at the cost of your own life, would you?
This book has such an interesting take on death, and I really liked how Bou-Montes explored it here. In this world, necromancy runs through families (At least, through Jaxon's dad's family. I wanted to know if any other family/groups had paranormal powers, but that really isn't important, given the grand scheme of the story), but Jaxon wasn't told about his powers until after he literally resurrected his ex best friend. From there, he has to take life energy from living organisms (i.e., plants, other people, and himself, but Jaxon mostly draws it from himself throughout the story) in order to keep Christian alive. The self sacrifice for love is literal here, and it makes it all the more angsty because Christian doesn't want the love of his life to practically kill himself for him. And even though Death is never personified, its presence is inevitable as Jaxon does everything in his power to help Christian out run it. The themes of grief and love are so strong, that attempting to outrun death isn't the way to go. I won't spoil what obvious two choices Bou-Montes made by the end, but I will say the acceptance was bittersweet, leaning a bit more sweet.
The characters are very fleshed out, particularly Jaxon and Christian. Christian is so adorkable with his big himbo jock energy, but the love and care he has for Jaxon actually got me good at some parts. Jaxon was very relatable with his anxiety and grump attitude to juxtapose against Christian's sunshine, though sometimes he got a bit dismissive in some situations when I felt it shouldn't. The rest of the side characters are enjoyable, too; Mami and Regan were the ones that stood out the most for me.
Overall, this is a pretty solid debut. The description saying this would be perfect for fans of Cemetery Boys is spot on, because I wholeheartedly believe that the people who loved that book would come and devour this gem up as well.
October 26, 2024
Thank you, HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins & NetGalley for the chance to read and honestly review this title (even though it is late, oops)
The hill that I will always die on is that magic that comes with a cost or needs equal exchange is the superior magic.
Till the Last Beat of my Heart has this.
I can definitely see the comparison to Cemetery boys but I will say the other comparison, 'The Taking of Jake Livingston' did not fit.
I loved the take on this plot premise, about bringing back that dead crush you had from death and trying to keep them alive or learn to let them go. This book added a touch of background mystery because of the secrecy of family gift and why he hasn't been told of their gift before. The romance had potential to be amazing but unfortunately this book lacked some luster.
I felt the build up was drawn out to a point it was annoying the character and me the reader, the romance felt like it was missing a dimension and lastly the writing failed to full capture my attention.
I have to say I did love the sweet touch is the moment we get with Jaxon and his dad after the plot twist.
The fact that his father had seen so distinct while alive was all because he loved Jaxon and did something that was killing him to save him. That actually made me cry. It's the kind of moment that moves you.
In conclusion, this book had a great premise, some great plot twists and good potential. It didn't live up to what it could have been but it was still a good read. Compared to a few other books I have read with a similar idea, this was is the second best.
The hill that I will always die on is that magic that comes with a cost or needs equal exchange is the superior magic.
Till the Last Beat of my Heart has this.
I can definitely see the comparison to Cemetery boys but I will say the other comparison, 'The Taking of Jake Livingston' did not fit.
I loved the take on this plot premise, about bringing back that dead crush you had from death and trying to keep them alive or learn to let them go. This book added a touch of background mystery because of the secrecy of family gift and why he hasn't been told of their gift before. The romance had potential to be amazing but unfortunately this book lacked some luster.
I felt the build up was drawn out to a point it was annoying the character and me the reader, the romance felt like it was missing a dimension and lastly the writing failed to full capture my attention.
I have to say I did love the sweet touch is the moment we get with Jaxon and his dad after the plot twist.
The fact that his father had seen so distinct while alive was all because he loved Jaxon and did something that was killing him to save him. That actually made me cry. It's the kind of moment that moves you.
In conclusion, this book had a great premise, some great plot twists and good potential. It didn't live up to what it could have been but it was still a good read. Compared to a few other books I have read with a similar idea, this was is the second best.
January 25, 2025
📚Till the Last Beat of My Heart
🖌️Author: Louangie Bou- Montes
🖋️Publication: @harper360ya
📝P.g.: 384
🗂️Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy
5/⭐️
📌Summary:
When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.
There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it’s almost out.
As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.
📌Review:
The book caught my eye, just from the magnificent and unique cover, and then the synopsis and the premises mesmerized me. From the first pages i was hooked. A YA novel about teenage love with supernatural elements? Count me in.
The author really managed to capture the essence of young love, while describing the feeling of loss.
A sweet story that lovers of YA Fantasy shoul read.
I would like to thank @harper360ya for the free copy.
🖌️Author: Louangie Bou- Montes
🖋️Publication: @harper360ya
📝P.g.: 384
🗂️Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy
5/⭐️
📌Summary:
When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down.
There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it’s almost out.
As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.
📌Review:
The book caught my eye, just from the magnificent and unique cover, and then the synopsis and the premises mesmerized me. From the first pages i was hooked. A YA novel about teenage love with supernatural elements? Count me in.
The author really managed to capture the essence of young love, while describing the feeling of loss.
A sweet story that lovers of YA Fantasy shoul read.
I would like to thank @harper360ya for the free copy.
February 20, 2025
**3 Until listening to this book, I didn't realize that an audiobook could be *too* soothing. This narrator would be a gifted ASMRtist, but for the purposes of a YA fantasy about necromancy and trying to save your best friend's/crush's life, the vibe was a bit too chill and monotone. I highly recommend that if you pick this book up, you read a physical copy.
There was a lot to like about this book. In fact, the setup had me so excited. A long family history of necromancy powers, a mom who is a mortician, the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between our two main character, Christian and Jaxon, a friend group with a lot of fun potential. However, I felt like the writing did not capture the frenetic energy that would come with working against the clock to save the life of your loved one. This was exacerbated even further by the narration. For such high stakes circumstances, the plot moved along in a pretty lackadaisical manner. Since everyone important in Jaxon's life knew what was really happening, this "trying to pretend everything is normal" charade made little to no sense to me.
In the end, everything wrapped up in such a predictable way that it was hard to believe that our main characters didn't think of the solution sooner.
I feel this book could've really benefitted from some sort of antagonist or villain, an undead army, or something that would've kicked the tension and action up a notch.
There was a lot to like about this book. In fact, the setup had me so excited. A long family history of necromancy powers, a mom who is a mortician, the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between our two main character, Christian and Jaxon, a friend group with a lot of fun potential. However, I felt like the writing did not capture the frenetic energy that would come with working against the clock to save the life of your loved one. This was exacerbated even further by the narration. For such high stakes circumstances, the plot moved along in a pretty lackadaisical manner. Since everyone important in Jaxon's life knew what was really happening, this "trying to pretend everything is normal" charade made little to no sense to me.
In the end, everything wrapped up in such a predictable way that it was hard to believe that our main characters didn't think of the solution sooner.
I feel this book could've really benefitted from some sort of antagonist or villain, an undead army, or something that would've kicked the tension and action up a notch.
October 13, 2025
2.8 to 3 stars. Saw a lot of potential on this one. Black/latino/queer kids with powers of necromancy, magic, divination… but it felt… bland. Started interesting, a kid waking up their powers, maybe, because of true love. But everything after that becomes so… unrelatable even for a YA/fantasy kind of thing. What bugged me most of the story was that apparently his family was the only family with the ability, like no magic whatsoever in this world, and his aunt didn’t want to help her only living relative to embrace his power, learn from her, learn to control it, or at least learn where he comes from. On that same page (no magic mentioned being present on this universe) he somehow tell his friends (and some other classmates and worst of all, the over religious parents of the dead kid) that yeah, he resurrected his best friend and everyone’s like… oh ok cool. I KNOW it’s YA, but… come on. It didn’t sit with me well that everyone “sacrificed” a little bit of their lifespan, part of their bodies actually aged in front of a public and everyone’s like… oh how odd, and everyone’s lives continued, like no consequences at all for any action. Love interest felt forced, since he can influence the dead he resurrects… Didn’t hate the book, just had the potential to be so much more.
September 19, 2024
One of the best books I've read this year. Jaxon is far and away my favorite protagonist from any contemporary YA in recent memory. Christian is an excellent counterweight and their dynamic feels entirely natural. The side characters are all fun, Regan is probably my fav. The pace of the book is excellent, neither lagging nor leading, and that is tied into the magic system. The dynamic of how the necromancy works puts a very tangible cost on Jaxon's utilization of it and a very real ticking timer hanging above the proceedings (more accurately, a swinging scythe).
The Western Mass-inspired setting is so rare to see rendered in fiction and even more rarely with any accuracy. Perfect amounts of gore and body horror--not too much, just enough! And the immensely strong connective tissue through the entire work is the dialogue. There are a lot of books in the crowded YA market that do a... poor job of rendering believable teenager dialogue. So its an immense relief and pleasure to read a novel that accurately captures contemporary teen-speak. Montes makes it look easy--it isn't! Overall a wonderful necro-romantic yarn best enjoyed as the leaves begin to fall.
The Western Mass-inspired setting is so rare to see rendered in fiction and even more rarely with any accuracy. Perfect amounts of gore and body horror--not too much, just enough! And the immensely strong connective tissue through the entire work is the dialogue. There are a lot of books in the crowded YA market that do a... poor job of rendering believable teenager dialogue. So its an immense relief and pleasure to read a novel that accurately captures contemporary teen-speak. Montes makes it look easy--it isn't! Overall a wonderful necro-romantic yarn best enjoyed as the leaves begin to fall.
October 12, 2024
Since Jaxon's mom runs the neighborhood morgue and funeral home, he's not surprised with all the bodies his mom works on. He is surprised when he found out that his mom is working on the body of his ex-bestfriend and crush Christian. And... Jaxon just accidentally resurrected him.
I think I'm too old for this book. I just really didn't connect with the characters at all. Maybe it's also because I'm an adult that I don't understand why the characters are not listening or confiding to the adults in the book. So. maybe this is a me problem.
The Necromancy in the book is simple enough. Nothing too crazy in that front. It also felt like the book tried hard to be scary. I thought the creepiness was minimal and it's not too scary to dive in. Plot wise, I thought that everything was too easy in the end.
I have to acknowledge that there were some twists that I really appreciate. I didn't see them coming and they were a nice throttle to the story.
As I mentioned, I think this book is not for me. I thought the book was okay but it's not something I would read again.
* I received an eARC of this book
I think I'm too old for this book. I just really didn't connect with the characters at all. Maybe it's also because I'm an adult that I don't understand why the characters are not listening or confiding to the adults in the book. So. maybe this is a me problem.
The Necromancy in the book is simple enough. Nothing too crazy in that front. It also felt like the book tried hard to be scary. I thought the creepiness was minimal and it's not too scary to dive in. Plot wise, I thought that everything was too easy in the end.
I have to acknowledge that there were some twists that I really appreciate. I didn't see them coming and they were a nice throttle to the story.
As I mentioned, I think this book is not for me. I thought the book was okay but it's not something I would read again.
* I received an eARC of this book
April 6, 2025
[MINOR SPOILERS]
the first chapters of this book had me HOOKED. the image of christian when he’s rolled off the table onto his stomach, his face contorted to look up at jackson with the fear in his eyes was powerful. it’s the thing that stuck with me through the entire read. i adored the inclusions of different hispanic cultures and use of spanglish, even more so because it was actually ACCURATE lol. it was a super fast read, though some parts dragged on a bit because of a lack of time/setting changes between scenes. it’s definitely in the YA genre, i would say the reading level and content rating would be for an audience between 14 and 18 yo. i loved the incorporation of jackson’s anxiety disorder, especially with him being a Black latino boy. it’s really well done representation. there were some parts of the story that i wish could’ve gotten a little more substance/depth like reagan’s character and necromancy lore, but i also know it’s a debut ya novel so it’s okay if its not super expansive in some areas. overall, a really sweet and fun story, with important and relevant themes to young black and latinx teens.
the first chapters of this book had me HOOKED. the image of christian when he’s rolled off the table onto his stomach, his face contorted to look up at jackson with the fear in his eyes was powerful. it’s the thing that stuck with me through the entire read. i adored the inclusions of different hispanic cultures and use of spanglish, even more so because it was actually ACCURATE lol. it was a super fast read, though some parts dragged on a bit because of a lack of time/setting changes between scenes. it’s definitely in the YA genre, i would say the reading level and content rating would be for an audience between 14 and 18 yo. i loved the incorporation of jackson’s anxiety disorder, especially with him being a Black latino boy. it’s really well done representation. there were some parts of the story that i wish could’ve gotten a little more substance/depth like reagan’s character and necromancy lore, but i also know it’s a debut ya novel so it’s okay if its not super expansive in some areas. overall, a really sweet and fun story, with important and relevant themes to young black and latinx teens.
May 27, 2025
This was a fever dream from start to finish.
Favorite lines were:
"Nothing is happening to you, baby […] Your dad went through the same thing; it's natural.
It runs in the family."
"What does?" I ask, hearing my voice climb into a more hysterical register. "Necromancy?"
And much later—
"Necromancy is a lot to swallow--even for someone who's not religious"
~~~~~~~~~~
I love this little world the author has caved out for us, I love we get to see black boys falling in love. But I couldn’t properly become immersed in this story. The pacing felt erratic, everything with Titi threw me off, and the characterization of the protagonists felt very different from how Jaxon describes them. What does Jaxon like besides the morgue and scary movies? Aside from being on the crew team, what makes Xtian so jockish? We spend so much time with this characters but I feel we barely know them. To be honest the one we know the most is Xtian but then everything Jaxon says about him feels very contradictory to what he’s saying???
Not a book I’d rec but not a bad reading experience either. It was mostly engaging and made me laugh at times. And I loved getting to practice my Spanish.
Favorite lines were:
"Nothing is happening to you, baby […] Your dad went through the same thing; it's natural.
It runs in the family."
"What does?" I ask, hearing my voice climb into a more hysterical register. "Necromancy?"
And much later—
"Necromancy is a lot to swallow--even for someone who's not religious"
~~~~~~~~~~
I love this little world the author has caved out for us, I love we get to see black boys falling in love. But I couldn’t properly become immersed in this story. The pacing felt erratic, everything with Titi threw me off, and the characterization of the protagonists felt very different from how Jaxon describes them. What does Jaxon like besides the morgue and scary movies? Aside from being on the crew team, what makes Xtian so jockish? We spend so much time with this characters but I feel we barely know them. To be honest the one we know the most is Xtian but then everything Jaxon says about him feels very contradictory to what he’s saying???
Not a book I’d rec but not a bad reading experience either. It was mostly engaging and made me laugh at times. And I loved getting to practice my Spanish.
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