I, don't even know what to say. There is so much to this book, and it's absolutely brutal, and I mean that as a compliment.

This book handles some pretty heavy topics with a dystopian premise: in order to escape death row, young adult inmates need to compete in a reality competition. Some of the conversations about faith take on a pessimistic view that I think sometimes overcrowds the story. I think Eternity's perspective is what makes the story shine. Even though the flashbacks and exposition are a little muddled, her voice is what kept me hooked to the story. And truly the ending of the story enraged me, and I think that was Henry's point.

Themes of racism, justice, and inequity shine through in this story and really drive home the author's message. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of "Dear Justice", "The Hate You Give", or "#murdertrending".

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending this to my students.

This review was posted to Storygraph:
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3d56de4d-d2f0-4482-b160-375c53577a0e

Help I don't know how to feel anything anymore.

Ok.

So.

This book is super complex, y'all. The characters are so well written and they are all pretty terrible people. Which is great. Everyone in this book committed some of the worst crimes imaginable. Yet by the end of the book you are like. Do they deserve to die though?

Honestly this book paints a very harsh view of humanity that I don't agree with. At every turn everyone does the worst action possible. I kind of thought this was just because we see the world as it is through Eternity's eyes, but after seeing the end author's not I am not so sure. After reading this book take a moment to look at all the good things going on in the world. It is easy to feel like everything, all the time, is horrible. I promise you it is not.

The books themes about race are very heavy-handed at times but I don't really mind that. Sometimes that is what is needed to make people listen.

A big point made in this book is how people's brains aren't fully developed until 25 or whatever. And with most crimes I could get down with that excuse. Like yeah, your poor impulse control and inability to think clearly about the outcomes of your decisions made you steal that purse or whatever. But I think at 18 you can probably know that hey. Maybe I shouldn't kill that little girl. You know?

Like, Eternity is such an interesting character, and by the end of the book you really do care for her, but I think it may be less than how the author cares for her. Yes, she had a horrible life. Yes, that sucks. No, I don't feel that bad for her. I am sorry but like again a lot of people go through horrific things and don't kill children about it.

HOWEVER I am also like hey maybe it is kind of crazy that the state of Texas gets to kill her. Like, maybe don't do that.

IDK man this book made me sad. It is very well written. It is so bleak and I don't think I would read it again. I do think you should read it though! I am so excited to start seeing reviews come in with people's opinions!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book is the story of Eternity who is on death row in Texas. She can't stand the thought of rotting away waiting for appeals that probably won't change her sentence, so she applies for a new reality show called "Last Chance LIve!" On this show, death-row inmates between the ages of 18-21 compete for the chance to go free. However, freedom always comes at a cost. I was angry almost the entire time I was reading, which is probably the point of the book. Almost all the contestants are people of color, and all the contestants have stories and circumstances that led them to where they are now. I wanted so much better for these kids--even though they're adult aged, they are all still kids. They had crappy lives, crappy parents, crappy legal representation, and crappy outcomes. If you're looking for social commentary on our penal system and the exploitative nature of reality TV, this book provides it all If you're look for a redemption story, you'll have to look elsewhere.