This book was SO COOL. I loved both the main characters and their struggles to accept their past traumas and move forwards with their new, very terrifying, lives! The pacing was really well done for a standalone fantasy because sometimes I think books struggle to balance plot and fleshing out characters and their romance. Speaking of romance, I fell in love with our main girls and how much they fought through to be together! They deserve all the happiness.

Thank you so much for the chance to read this!

This book was very entertaining and interesting. I really enjoyed the characters, they felt very real.
But there were some things... The dialogue was great and believable sometimes, but other times it felt very childish for adults to be speaking in that was. Another thing was that it felt very YA, which isn't a bad thing, I was just surprised when I read that there was sexual content in it. Another thing, that might be on me, is that I didn't really understand what was going on most of the time. I usually don't have much of a problem following confusing stories, but this was just hard to follow.
It definitely wasn't bad, as I said it was very fun.

Instantly one of my favorite books! I devoured First Comes Death in one sitting. I highly recommend reading this novel if you enjoy reading about found family, sci-fi/fantasy, superpowers, revenge, and/or sapphic romance.

After dying suddenly and horribly, Dina and Ivy find themselves resurrected by a black hole anomaly. They’ve each been given a second chance at life and superpowers related to how they were first killed. While navigating all the challenges this second chance brings with it (including a monster set on destroying all the people who resurrected), Dina and Ivy are inexplicably drawn to one another after a couple of chance meetings.

The connection between Ivy and Dina is beautiful and so sweet. I love that they always find their way back to each other and would do anything to protect each other. I also really loved the diverse group of supporting characters. They were all well thought-out and fun to read about, really adding to the story. The overall world-building was excellent! I, like Ivy and Dina, do not know much about quantum physics or black holes, but the theory given for how The Resurrected came to be made enough sense to me to be plausible in this fictional universe.

Thank you NetGalley and Chaos Monster Publishing LLC for the eARC! In exchange, this is my honest review.

First Comes Death follows the paths of two very different women - Ivy and Dina - whose lives end suddenly and violently, before an astronomical anomaly resurrects them both and gives them a second chance at life and love. Only with some extra trauma and superpowers this time around. This novel has so much to love: light sci-fi, superpowers, a refreshingly diverse cast of characters, a charming lesbian romance that’s easy to get invested in, and prose that isn’t overwritten, but still nicely stylized.

To keep spoilers light: this book does handle some fairly dark themes with some scenes of moderately intense violence (nothing that exalts in goreyness, but do anticipate a good amount of blood). Author Avrah C. Baren does, however, include a list of themes and potential triggers in the beginning of the novel, which does seem to cover all the bases to me, so please do take a look at that first before you decide to read the book, particularly if you are in a vulnerable place. Besides physical violence, there is also emotional manipulation, rejection by family, and mentions of homophobia (faced by the characters, not perpetrated by the main characters). These are things which Dina and Ivy must face from their past lives as they learn to live again and fight to shape the kind of life and family that they want and deserve.

And while I love Dina and Ivy, and their relationship which is central to the novel, one of my favorite things about this novel is actually the supporting characters. Baren has created several supporting characters - from Topher and Lucia, to Kala, Yousef, Zev, Puck, and even poor Alec and Aisling - who all feel distinct and whole, even when some of them only appear for a a brief moment, while others accompany Dina, Ivy, and the reader throughout the novel. Baren deftly avoids falling into the trap of supporting characters who feel like scenery, instead introducing the reader to characters who are all undergoing their own journeys, and who span a wide range of experiences and identities. Where many novels fall flat when it comes to supporting characters, First Comes Death shines refreshingly bright in this category.

There were a few moments that challenged my suspension of disbelief enough to be distracting. Some of this came from the way the Resurrected were created and the ways that some of their powers function, though it wasn’t overly hard to tell myself to stop thinking about it and handwave my objections away with “it’s sci-fi black hole space stuff, don’t worry about it”. The pieces that were a bit harder for me to dismiss were related to Ivy’s past life, the gang she grew up in, and the manner in which she tracked them down after coming back from the dead. I didn’t feel entirely satisfied with the way that situation was resolved, but it wasn’t distracting enough to keep me from enjoying the rest of the novel.

In my opinion, First Comes Death is the perfect summer read: not overly long, fun, reflective, a little sad, very sweet, and ultimately rather hopeful - particularly for a reader who may be in the period of transition, transformation, or reinvention. So long as you’re not the type of reader to get caught up on plot points that might not be 100% leak-proof, I think you’ll have a blast with this novel, and especially with these characters that Avrah C. Baren has brought to life on the page.

I really enjoyed this queer sci-fi novel by Avrah C. Baren. It was a unique and fascinating premise that was well-developed. There was an amazing found family fighting against a variety of adversaries, including one big baddie. I admit to not being well-versed in the science aspect of it all, so I wasn't very critical of the explanations. It worked well for me and was highly entertaining. I liked the writing style and found it at times poetic. I was fond of the diverse group of characters and the main sapphic romance was lovely. We were given glimpses of many locales and cultures, as well. The ending was very satisfying. I would be happy to read more by this author. I recommend giving First Comes Death a read.

This book!

The theme of this book is a bit darker than what I usually read, but I loved it a lot, so maybe I should expand my usual reading habits! I find I do generally like books that put a twist on death, or that show different ways death can be dealt with, and this was an original way of doing that.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding, and also the diverse cast of characters that appeared over the course of the book! It's a bit hard to go into more detail without going into spoiler territory, but I really recommend this to people (and already have multiple pe0ple put it on their TBR, yay!) Also, look at that cover, so pretty! I may have to buy a physical edition to put on my shelves!

Just beware of (quite?) some gory and agressive details. Not over the top though, since I could handle it :D

** spoiler alert ** Thank you Victory Editing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley - All opinions are my own <3

"You sapphic maniacs are gonna be the death of me, I swear."

First Comes Death follows Ivy, a girl killed by her former guardian and mob boss, Lenox, and Dina, a girl who's car crashed on a bridge sending her to her death in the waters below. One chance meeting turns into another and another and another until the two start actively searching for each other, second-lives forever entwined through death (and maybe something stronger??)

I absolutely ADORED each and every character in this book. From Ivy's cockiness and heart of gold to Dina's drive and self-assurance, the two mains had amazing chemistry - but they were far from the only ones making this book so good.

Topher, a nonbinary tech-whizz with a penchant for (accidental) arson, had such a calming and much needed level-headedness about them. Their ability to pronoun check in the most stressful situations was honestly impressive - potential death of your girlfriend/best friend? We'll sort it, pronouns first.

Lucia/Luz was constantly in a mood with Ivy's persistent act-now-think-later attitude, but deep down she cared so much about her, she quite literally ran into a burning building to save her without knowing if she was even alive.

The smaller characters of Danny, Yousef "Sunny", Kara, and Zev also all had great characterisation, it was hard not to love each and every one of them.

This truly did have everything - a revenge arc, a big bad, lesbians, found family, a diverse cast, the power of friendship... Idk if there's anything more I could've possibly wanted, this truly hit every one of my favourite things :')

I can't wait to see what Avrah will do next, though I will say I'm mildly scared despite any excitement that I may have...

Guys go read it pls this was so good

She’s never been much of a good person, but she’ll do anything to protect the woman she loves.
Ivy woke up in a grave after being stabbed by the man who raised her to be a killer. Now she can make blades out of her bones and wants revenge, but it’s not so simple. She’s taken in by others who Resurrected and while they give Ivy some information on her new life, they are clearly keeping secrets. Ivy is deadest on revenge and losing her second life to it if necessary, but when she’s with Dina that all seems pointless.
Dine was on her way to come out to her parents when an accident led to her drowning. She Resurrected with a power that feels more like a curse – she can only stay on land for a few days, sometimes only hours, before the water pulls her back in and brings her to another shore in another part of the world.
Dina feels lost and alone but when she meets Ivy, everything starts to change for the better.
But just as their new love starts to blossom, they realize their lives are in danger from a monster – the Soul Eater. He wants all the Resurrected to be voided from the world, to reestablish the balance of the cosmos, and he’ll kill them all to do it.
***
This is a debut that has everything: romance, action, comedy, and heartfelt sincerity. Dina was a fantastic character, and it was amazing to see her arc from where she started, running and hiding and lost to the water’s pull, to grow into her powers. Ivy at times could be a frustrating character and I would have liked to have seen more grounding in her backstory. With that said, I really enjoyed seeing a morally gray heroine who is committed to revenge and whose decisions are respected by the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed their romance; they made so much sense together and the story strengthened the more time they spent together.
The world building was also excellent! It was clear the author did a ton of research and intertwined the exposition with the story so that the two supported one another very well.
If you’re looking for a great science fiction sapphic romance, check this out!

#FirstComesDeath #NetGalley #SapphicBook #BookReview #LGBTBook

This book was super crazy and action packed and unique and interesting! The romance was beautiful and the found family was everything. I would absolutely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc of this.

Not to sound like a broken record but I'm obsessed with this book. I mean resurrection, sapphics, superpowers. What more do you want???? Because there is so much more!

I always try to keep these spoiler free but I seriously need you all to preorder this and then yell with me about it. You know those books that you get 10 pages into and its just "I'm gonna be obsessed with this aren't I?" This is this.

The found family and romance is so gorgeously written. I especially love how both Ivy and Dina have their own different but intersecting arcs and neither of them is just a supporting love interest.

I'm usually not a big sci-fi fan and have read so little of the genre but if all sci-fi was like this I would devour it all like a black hole ;)

Such a beautiful, fast-paced, fascinating debut. I seriously cannot wait to see what Avrah C. Barens imagination comes up with next. Definitely an insta-buy author for me.

First comes death, then comes LOVE and REVENGE! Featuring a ton of queer characters, fledgling superheroes and black hole monsters, and the most unique long distance relationship you’ll ever read

At the start, Ivy only wants vengeance against the gang boss who murdered her. Dina is being involuntarily teleported to waterways around the world and would very much like this to stop. Soon, however, the two realize their new lives can get even worse; they, along with every other “resurrected” superpowered person, are being stalked by a supernatural entity that wants them all dead.

Both of our leading ladies had distinctive personalities. I loved Ivy’s entire story: her abusive, traumatic background, her drive to kill the person responsible, her attempt to heal, her actual healing… Her superpower fit perfectly for someone who was raised in violence and desperately needed self-defense. Dina was also a tragic character. Her literal death by drowning paralleled her drowning in familial and societal pressures and expectations. I particularly enjoyed the sections where she became the water. Lyrical and beautiful. I don’t really like one-night stands (which is how it starts with them) and was worried if I’d enjoy their relationship, but it developed organically and became very romantic. It was along the lines of fated love with how they kept finding each other, but not corny at all.

It took me a little to get used to the writing style. There are a lot of sentence fragments, which I actually really liked for Ivy’s chapters since she’s so sharp and focused, but would have liked less of for Dina’s POV. I was also way more invested in Ivy’s revenge than the supernatural monster hunting The Resurrected. That thing was adequately frightening, but I NEEDED Ivy’s killer to face justice, and that’s what kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC!