#death's country

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: Lakelore meets “Orpheus and Eurydice” when two Miami teens travel to the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s soul.

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents, until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat. 

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls: photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered. 

Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him... 

In verse as vibrant as the Miami skyline, critically acclaimed author R.M. Romero has crafted a masterpiece of magical realism and an openhearted ode to the nature of healing.

Review:

A polyamorous retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice told in verse! The story follows two Miami teens as they travel to the Underworld to retrieve their girlfriend's soul. Andres Santos is someone who swings his fist and lets his anger take hold, someone who is stuck in the middle of his parent's fights, and someone who drowned in the river until he made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year after the incident his family has moved to Miami... and thats where he meets two girls: photographer Renee and dancer Liora. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy in their love despite the fact that no one understands their relationship. However when Liora gets into an accident and ends up in a coma, Andres and Renee are broken... that is until Renee proposes that they both go to the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend's soil and reunite it with her body. Yet as they travel into the underworld, their relationship will be tested and Andres will have to face his own demon... one he left behind on the day he drowned. This was definitely a really unique retelling on the classic story and while I didn't particularly enjoy the in verse style of the novel and felt that some parts were a bit muddled, the overall story itself is one I would recommend. I feel like if you enjoy in verse novels, this is definitely one you should add to your TBR! It's a gorgeous retelling and it definitely creates a unique story while staying true to the spirit of the classic.

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #lgbtq reads #orpheus and eurydice retelling #death's country

[submissive-and-readable]

Death's Country by R. M. Romero

Publisher: Peachtree Teen

Source: NetGalley ARC

Release date: 7 May 2024

Genre: young adult magical realism

If you like:

Modern day retellings (Orpheus and Eurydice)

MFF romance

Novels written in verse

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐/5

Synopsis

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents. Until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat. 

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls, photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered. 

Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him...

Content warnings

Death

Emotional abuse

Car accident

References to eating disorders

Past self-harm

Medical content

References to war

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! ☠️🎸

Going into this, I hadn't expected this to be written in verse, which is on me; I didn't read the synopsis properly.

That being said, I was rather pleasantly surprised! I am not one to read novels written in verse, as I find that the pacing or the style in general reads strangely. However, in Death's Country, the author does an great job, in that the story flows well, regardless, or perhaps because, of the writing style. There was so much story fit into this book, considering the fact that there are less words than typically would be in a full-length novel. The writing was excellent, every word was fully utilised such that I felt every moment of the characters' emotional journey.

The way each character's arc was handled, alongside their growing relationship was sooo good, the author gives each character their own screentime to develop, and also twines it together with their love story. I think teens would find this cast of characters relatable, especially with all the obstacles and uncertainty they face, which are real and prevalent issues today. I also liked how the book doesn't just provide a clean solution to everything, but the characters grow and learn how to manage things in a way that feels more realistic.

I find that this novel also provides a rather age-appropriate exploration of the concept of death, and how different people deal with it, as well as the different perspectives our main cast has about it. This could be an interesting discussion to have with youths about concepts of mortality and the afterlife.

All in all, an excellent read, one that is quite short in terms of word count, but makes a big impact <3

#death's country #r. m. romero #booklr #book review #queer #lgbtq #lgbt #lgbtqia #queer books #lgbt books #lgbtqia books #lgbtq books #poly romance #poly relationship #poly representation #fantasy #ya fantasy #urban fantasy #fantasy books #fantasy novel #queer romance #queer fantasy #lgbt fantasy #magical realism #young adult #ya fiction #queer lit

[salvadorbonaparte]

Book Review - Death's Country by R.M. Romero

3.5/5 Stars

Publication Date: 07 May 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink for the e-arc.  The most important thing to mention about Death's Country is that it's written in free verse. The style is very flowery and dramatic and full of metaphors and similes and nearly homeric epithets. This style isn't for everyone but it worked for me because it makes me feel like I'm reading an ancient Greek epic poem.  This is not just unusual and refreshing. The novel is about katabais, a descent into the underworld. Andres drowned and struck a deal with Death before moving to Miami, where he falls in love with Renee and Liora. When Liora falls into a coma, Andres and Renee have to save their girlfriend. The story draws heavily on not only Orpheus and Eurydice but also the Divine Comedy and the Odyssey.  The verse style makes it a very quick read (I read it in one sitting) and you definitely have to accept it as a verse novel with all the limitation that brings. The characters feel complex but of course you can't expect the same complexity as a prose novel.  I think the mythological comparisons were sometimes a little too much (Orpheus plus Odysseus plus Dante plus Persephone plus occasional comparisons like Peter Pan or the Wizard of Oz) but I quite enjoyed the world building surrounding the actual City. Some of the writing was also incredibly beautiful and stuck with me while some of it felt like geared towards a slightly younger audience, which isn't bad, it's just making me think about how I'm growing out of certain things. 

#booklr #book review #death's country #arc #netgalley #bookblr

[falseficus]

everybody’s always on writing prompts like “what if there was a world where everyone had a timer ticking down to their death… but you met someone whose timer said infinity!” or “what if everyone had their cause of death tattooed across their forehead… but you met someone whose forehead said THE CREATURE!” Enough -

enough. stop with the shock value. there is no need to insert THE CREATURE; the benign concept of such a world is horrifying enough. not even in urgency, but just in banal, everyday interaction. imagine you meet someone and their timer says two years. not tomorrow, not urgently soon, but two years. enough to do quite a lot. they could fall in love in that time - could they get engaged? have a baby? you might otherwise get to know them, befriend them, but perhaps you opt not to, make a conscious choice not to invest in your own grief. what balancing act would every individual person have to participate in - I have ten years, is that long enough to be a good mother to children? is that long enough to secure a caretaker for my own mother? my wife will die a few months before me. my newborn’s timer reads nineteen years.

and cause of death. you interview for a job and emblazoned across the healthy, smiling face of the HR lady is MALNUTRITION. your country is prospering, safe, but every person you meet on the street from the babies to the old women read BOMB. BOMB. what kind of havoc would fate wreak on the world? what about the loss of privacy? how would that shape our notions of hope? idk man I think a lot of those ancient poems were right, and the fates are monsters. I’m interested by the framing of these ideas as trite horror tales when the premises themselves are so much more disturbing if simply taken to their logical ends

#debated making the cause of death in the happy country also MALNUTRITION. MALNUTRITION. might have been a better specific image but these #better illustrate my point #the frog speaks #writing

[lilibetbombshell]

#arc review #arc reader #arc reviewer #book review #book reviewer #book blog #book blogger #book influencer #netgalley #peachtree teen #r. m. romero #death's country #new release #new release tuesday #publication day #pub day #5 star review #lgbtq fantasy #lgbtq romance #mythological fiction #poetry #polyamorous romance #ya fiction #bookish #bookworm

[gumdefense]

We have moved past Maya and Franziska wingmanning narumitsu as a society. They would not fucking do that. We need to realise the truth which is that Larry and Gumshoe would try to wingman them and only succeed through failure

#ace attorney #narumitsu #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #maya fey #franziska von karma #dick gumshoe #larry butz #general my post tag #i do think maya would endlessly tease poor phoenix about it based on how she acted in 3-5 about iris #but she didn’t do anything to set them up she just made fun of phoenix #franziska would sooner choose death and run to another country herself than get anywhere near whatever’s going on between the two #larry however. #larry would be way too invested #once he actually realises his best friends are into each other he would never drop it #gumshoe wants to make edgeworth happy any way possible #and based on the “wright wright wright” scene #and that one moment in the anime where he cries bc the two were working together even countries apart during the train bomb case #i think he’d be very invested too #also a Larry and Gumshoe wingman duo would be absolutely disastrous. and hilarious #do you see my vision

[chaiaurchaandni]

people who became reliant on al jazeera for news on the israeli genocide in gaza: pls know that AJ might not cover the american bombing of yemen in the same way due to politics, however, this doesnt mean that civilian areas in yemen arent being bombed at all (eg airports) so pls look at other sources for accurate reporting eg almayadeen english

#almayadeen have good reporting on palestine as well as other arab countries afaik #pls lm of other media that can offer accurate coverage #free palestine #palestine #gaza #yemen #death to israel #death to america

[canisalbus]

WOAH can we see the skull if thats ok?? that sounds so cool (also only 20€????)

Also since it's hollow you can stick led lights in there for this sort of effect (pardon the mushy quality):

#like I said it's a real Asian water buffalo skull #these are carved by hand in Indonesia mostly in Bali I believe #to my understanding skull carving is a long standing tradition over there but most pieces like this seem to be made for & sold to tourists #I got this one second (third?) hand and I suspect that perhaps the seller didn't know what it was and what they're worth #and yet they graciously agreed to go through the trouble of packaging it carefully and shipping it to the other side of the country #which couldn't have been very easy since it's a big and heavy skull #answered #apricottheapricat #vulture culture #animal death #cw animal death #taxidermy #cw taxidermy

[prokopetz]

Country songs about women killing their shitty husbands and janky RPG Maker horror games with abused little girl protagonists where the Good Ending route culminates in killing her shitty father may not be the same species of media, but you could probably make a solid argument that they're close cousins.

#media #tropes #music #country #country music #gaming #video games #horror #rpgmaker #rpg maker #violence mention #death mention #child abuse mention #swearing

[apollos-olives]

btw "arab israelis" are palestinians. there are a lot of headlines going around using terms like "arab israelis" and whatnot and it's exhausting. they're palestinians. many palestinians have israeli ids, and are legally considered "israelis" even though they are still palestinians. my mom and a lot of her family are from jerusalem, and that city is under israeli control, so she's considered "israeli" even though she is palestinian.

and guess what, even though they're "israeli" ? they're still treated like shit. "arab israelis" are treated like dog water. there are literal lynch mobs all over israel attacking palestinians with israeli ids. they're chanting "death to arabs" even though those palestinians are considered "israeli". there are palestinian jews getting attacked. there are anti zionist israeli jews being attacked. israel doesn't give a shit about it's "civilians". they want to decimate palestine. they want to remove the word "palestinian" and replace it with "arab israeli". they want to get rid of palestine as a whole, every trace of what was once before. but we won't let that happen. we will never forget, and we will never forgive.

glory to the intifada 🇵🇸

#palestine #free palestine #crazy how zionists chant “death to arabs” as if they arent surrounded by arab countries throughout the entire region #fucking idiots

[iamindifferenttolamp]

#ofmd #our flag means death #one day at a time #odaat #1899 netflix #shadow and bone #tuca and bertie #sense8 #santa clarita diet #glow netflix #the babysitters club #the midnight gospel #first kill #warrior nun #dead end paranormal park #infinity train #lovecraft country #dc titans #a league of their own #these tags aren't spam btw this is just a fraction of the crimes streamers have committed #doom patrol #inside job #snowpiercer #the muppets mayhem #paper girls

[marsinout]

Happy Stalin's death day :)

#stalin #stalin's death #communism #don't forget his wicked deeds #eastern europe #countries which will celebrate stalin's death: #estonia #ukraine #lithuania #latvia #belarus #poland #kazakhstan #and the rest of the world...

[aurorasandsadprose-collages]

on hope

vladimir nabokov || tropics777 on tumblr || mary oliver, “north country” || bakwaas on tumblr || david hockney, “remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long” || vincent van gogh || bestofgentleearth on tumblr || the oh hellos, “there beneath” || healing-is-cool on tumblr

#web weaving #web-weaving #collage #digital collage #parallels #hope #hopefulness #positivity #positive #vladimir nabokov #mary oliver #mary oliver north country #north country #david hockney #remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long #david hockney remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long #vincent van gogh #the oh hellos #the oh hellos there beneath #there beneath #dear wormwood #dear wormwood the oh hellos #poetry

[van-eazy]

#friendly reminder in many countries… like half the world… such a thing would have resulted in the death penalty so be thankful and proud

[oatbugs]

last night i got home kind of tipsy and very much in tears and my mother told me the force you exert to keep someone in your life is proportional to the force with which they will leave your life. if you have to fight tooth and claw to keep them, their leaving will be just as hard, just as harsh, and just as definite.

#she said it like a law. its just momentum. #also she told me to get a therapist and start archery ASAP bc i need to get it together #and also she said even granting that this person u were in love w was So Special . as in hot motorcycle-riding iranian masc lesbian in ldn #they arent the only one on earth and that once i start my proper adult life outside of studies etc etc i will probably no longer live in th #UK. she said most non straight iranians u would like have left the country anyway . where do you think they went? theyre out there #and also she asked me to imagine how many hot gay iranians there may be in italy or amsterdam or smth and i was like ok points 😭 maybe #ur right. anyway i was having a feeling of dread bc crying into the arms of ur strict asian mother while buzzed usually results in #death chaos destruction etc in the next few days but actually i think maybe she has genuinely changed as a person and the fear is #unwarranted #anyway i need to eat breakfast and study w the date person i met yesterday #they are so nice ??? genuinely so so sweet i dont feel attracted to them at all omg i genuinely think i have a thing for hot evil ppl 😭 #but we could b besties . theyre a lot more romantic than the ex situationship person too like generally . ugh they should be perfect but #alas it appears i am shallow as fuck or potentially a lesbian actually #OH THEY MIGHT ALSO BE POTENTIALLY A LESBIAN BTW #i think i just tend to not date cis ppl entirely by accident #....feel free to rb if u want btw sorry for the rant

[lilybug-02]

me vibing to the absolute, most broad spectrum of music humanity can conjure

#this is normal...right :') #electroswing #my little pony music #Go_a #Ukrainian electrofolk #every sad song you can imagine #death metal #Barbie #little richard #taylor swift songs go so hard too #full blues #marching bands #piano playlists that last for hours #country songs <3 🤠 #bread #bongos #South and North Indian styles of music #god dang man I love music #“POP” OF COURSE!!! #many many musicals #i cannot even list all the ones i listen too. Legit