The Countdown

The Deathday Chronicles #0

by Kasia Lasinska

In the Grand Alliance of American States… His days are numbered.

I’m Theo, and my deathday is in ten days.

The vivid, poison-green digits burning into my left wrist won’t let me forget it.

I brave my remaining days with my best friend by my side — if only I could bring myself to finally kiss her.

But when I receive a mysterious parting gift from the Government, I’m thrown into a wild hunt for a clue that could explain deathdays. Or stop them.

With time running out, every choice I make could be my last…

The Countdown is the addictive companion novel to the young adult dystopian series The Deathday Chronicles. Full of action, adventure, romance and heroes in unexpected places, it’s perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner.

The countdown is on.

Genres: Dystopia

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2020

About the author

Enchanting magic, daring quests, found families & a splash of romance.

Kasia Lasinska writes series of fast-paced young adult fantasy and dystopian novels filled with daring quests, action, adventure, magic hidden in unexpected places and a splash of romance that will keep you reading late into the night.

Kasia likes to tell people she's actually a vampire, given she's a night owl, is usually quite pale and can't eat garlic. She loves books, travel, a good cup of coffee and dogs.

If you’d like to stay in touch, join Kasia’s exclusive reader’s club where you’ll receive free books and be the first to hear about news and updates from Kasia’s life, giveaways and new releases. Join today HERE!

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Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but fascinating start to a new Apocalyptic story, that will have you hooked. I can’t wait to read more.

[Kasia Lasinska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be a little biased, but I hope you enjoy reading The Countdown just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

[Lily Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic introduction for a brand new YA/NA post-apocalyptic world. This felt very much like Maze Runner and Hunger Games and I am here for it!

There's some really great world-building and suspense here, not to mention some action around every turn. This world is pretty gritty and real and the author hints at the dark corruption underneath it all throughout. Can't wait to see where we're headed with Liz and Ian, though Theo already stole my heart!

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Countdown

Author: Kasia Lasinska

Book Series: The Deathday Chronicles

Rating: 4.5/5

Recommended For...: dystopian lovers, ya readers

Publication Date: October 30, 2020

Genre: YA Dystopian

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, gore, romance)

Publisher: Dreamscape Press

Pages: 253

Synopsis: In the Grand Alliance of American States… Your days are numbered.

I’m Theo, and my deathday is in ten days.

The vivid, poison-green digits burning into my left wrist won’t let me forget it.

I brave my remaining days with my best friend by my side — if only I could bring myself to finally kiss her.

But when I receive a mysterious parting gift from the Government, I’m thrown into a wild hunt for a clue that could explain deathdays. Or stop them.

With time running out, every choice I make could be my last…

The Countdown is the addictive full-length prequel to the young adult dystopian series The Deathday Chronicles. Full of action, adventure, romance and heroes in unexpected places, it’s perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner.

The countdown is on.

Review: For the most part I really enjoyed it! It had an early 2000s dystopian feel to it that I still really love. The romance was cute and I loved the progression of it. The world building was fairly well done and the character development was the strongest point of the book. I also really liked the premise of it.

However, I did think that the book felt like I had already read it. I don’t mean that it was plagerized, but that the idea was not something new to me and had already been done before. While I really enjoy plots like this, I did want to see more.

Verdict: Very well done book and I’m excited for the series.

[Aranel Briar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Countdown is the prequel to The Deathday Chronicles by Kasia Lasinka. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book to read and review!

vvv WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS vvv

I absolutely LOVED this book! It reminded me a bit of The Kill Order by James Dashner (one of the prequels to the Maze Runner series) in how the main character completes their mission but does not live to see the implications of the information they passed on. I don’t see many books written this way, and while I wouldn’t want every book I read to end like this, it is interesting when I do come across it. If done well, it can absolutely emotionally destroy a reader (meaning the writer did a great job getting the reader emotionally invested in the character, but DANG does it hurt lol).

I thought Liv and Theo’s progression from friends to lovers was surprisingly realistic; I see many romantic subplots play out linearly with barely any speedbumps, but to see how Liv rejected Theo and then realized she loved him after having time to process her emotions was, at least in my mind, very realistic and extremely well-written. This is one of the main reasons it absolutely killed me when Theo didn’t make it, as I could imagine how torn apart Liv felt having only found out he loved her a few days before his deathday and not long after having lost him forever.

There were a few small details that bothered me, as they seemed to be taken directly out of the Hunger Games (such as how Theo’s mom was basically the town healer for all the people who couldn’t afford actual medical care), but they weren’t big enough or frequent enough to distract me from the story, and given the well thought out plot and character arcs, I think most readers wouldn’t notice them or would be able to overlook them.

Overall, I rate this book 5/5 stars. It’s definitely one of the best dystopian novels I’ve read, and I absolutely cannot wait until the next book comes out! Count me as an instant fan!

[Kasia Kowalewska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This prequel was so amazing I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book! I fell in love with the character of Theo from the start. The story is written from his perspective, giving the reader insights not only into his thoughts, feelings and motivations, but also to the mysterious world of the Grand Alliance of American States. There is action, suspense and emotion on every page, which is exactly what I'm looking for in any fictional story - and this one I really recommend.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, edge of your seat book Theo was a very brave young man The end was not what I was hoping would happen
Highly recommend this book

[Estelle Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect read for me, I love dystopian with a dash of romance! Fast-paced, well-written and great concept - I was hooked from the first sentence. Theo was a great main character and I loved how he handled the situation in was in, he didn't whine or feel sorry for himself, he just thought about others and did what needed to be done.

The ending left me wanting more and I can't wait for Liv's story.

Fans of Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner will love this book, I know I did.

The author provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shane Patrick Lagrange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!!

The world has serviced another War. It's no longer the United States. A superior read from start to finish! Death Day; what is it? A true page turner! You will find this hard to put down! Easily ten stars!

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is remarkably well written and engaging, and will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. I felt sad for the first half of the book, with the concept of upcoming death days, however, that sadness turned to curiosity, which turned to suspense, and coupled with the amazing storytelling, this became one I just couldn't put down. Looking forward to the great of the series!

[Holly Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with what to rate this book. On the one hand the writing was flawless. I loved Kasia’s writing style and was sucked in right away. The characters were well developed and I connected with them instantly and I really enjoyed the premise of the story. The Theo/Liv story line was very well done and I really enjoyed the relationship that developed between them even though romance isn’t really my thing. The connect they shared was easily my favorite part of the book.

However, there were a few things that did inch this book down from 4 stars to 3 for me. The biggest thing was that the story felt unbalanced to me. There were to major plot lines in the book the Theo/Liv story line which I thought was done extremely well and probably took up the first 2/3 of the book. Then there was the Theo/Ian story line which I didn’t feel got the attention in the story that it really needed leaving the ending the story feeling a little flat to me. There were only a few scenes with Theo and Ian in the first part of the part leaving most of their story to come at the end. For the climax of the book there was a lot of talk about them sticking to the plan, but we never got to see them spend any time actually coming up with a plan and given the short timeframe the story takes place I’m not sure they were ever together long enough to make a plan of any kind. I would have really loved to see these two story lines weaved together more throughout the whole book. There were some other small things in the story that stuck out to me like making a big deal about Theo losing his comp but never seeing any consequences from this, or begin saved from Johnson by a nearby explosion on more than one occasion. I also wish there had been a little more explanation about the government system and deathdays but I’m hopeful there will be more of that in the rest of the series.

Overall I really did enjoy the story and I will absolutely be picking up the next book in the series to find out what happens next.

[Christi Flaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing, fast-paced prequel that has my interest piqued for where the story goes next. The story of Theo and his reluctant-rebel side to protect his friends and family from the fate of "death-days" where the date of death is ticking down on their arms. The story begins with Theo facing only 10 days left to live.
A dystopian novel set in the Grand Alliance of the American States Second City (Chicago). There are definitely several seeds of information about each character that make you wonder what their full story is and curious to learn more. There is a love-story, action and intrigue. A good pick for YA dystopian fans!

Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely be checking out the next book.

[Jennah Sobevski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written, fast paced YA dystopian novel with a hint of romance and the vibe of Divergent mixed with the Maze Runner. The world building was good and the plot kept me wanting to turn the page to see what happened next.

I probably would have liked to have seen a bit more of Ian and Theo’s relationship, and to learn a bit more about Ian, but I feel like that will come in the next book.

I’m a little torn about the ending - I feel like there was more to Theo’s story, so I will be interested to see what happens in the next book. I feel like everything may not be as it seems.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series and seeing where it goes next. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy dystopian books.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So....where to start.... This book was good and I was quickly invested in Theo's story and the world that the author built. I was really pulling for Theo from page one and was heartbroken at the end. I felt as though, given his father's cryptic words, there would be more to his story. He was meant for greater things. This is a prequel so maybe I'm jumping the gun a little bit, but I was somewhat disappointed in the ending. Having said that it also fits the story well. I know I'm contradicting myself but that was my feels as I finished the book. I'm looking forward to reading more as the books release.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very intrigued and excited to read to this book. The idea of having a pre-determined death date is fascinating to me. I found the book to be a bit repetitive at times (specifically when Theo was having his internal debate about declaring his feelings to Liv) but other than that I thought the storyline was great and was an excellent introduction for what’s to come. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Ian and Liv!

[eva :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! It’s the introduction to a new dystopian world, and it makes me so excited for what’s to come! It’s well written, faced paced, has a cute romance 🥰, and much more. If you like dystopian books/genre, definitely give this one a try!


i received this free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t have to post a positive review.

[Laura Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my usual fiction genre but I wanted to try something different & I ended up absolutely loving this book! I was hooked by the first few pages - there with lots of plots twists and action scenes, and the main characters were really likeable. Overall, it was a real page turner and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

[Katie Silner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little slow to start. But an interesting story.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this YA dystopian story! A good idea, reasonably well written with personable characters. I will look forward to reading more by this author & in this series! A good fun read!

[Earth Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are great. The story line will wrench at your heart. But keeps you reading to the end. Happy reading everyone

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Gripping from the first to the last.