BLOG TOUR #REVIEW of THE DIE OF DEATH by Kenneth B. Anderson #TheWriteReads #UltimateTours

I tried at one point, but all I managed to possess was a dumb mosquito…and you know what you did? You swatted me dead!
Satina to Philip

G’day friends!

I hope you are all taking care and being safe. It is definitely a strange time at the moment – and working full time from home is taking its toll on me, not going to lie.

The Die of Death: The Great Devil War II

But today I bring to you a review of Kenneth B. Anderson’s The Die of Death which is the sequel of The Devil’s Apprentice. I actually wrote a review for The Devil’s Apprentice for the previous The Write Reads Blog tours, which you can find here. Like always, before I delve into the review portion of the post, here is the synopsis which you can also find on Goodreads:

Philip’s adventures as the Devil’s apprentice have changed him—in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life.
But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death’s Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe.
Philip throws himself into the search—and discovers a horrible truth about his own life along the way.

Thoughts and reactions

I just want to place my initial reaction in the aftermath of reading the first 50 pages:

Oh wow. When I say that the first 50 pages of Die of Death is a whirlwind of action and I was on the edge of my seat, thinking WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!

It’s an understatement.

I think one of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed from Kenneth B. Anderson’s Devil’s Apprentice, which is book one of The Great Devil War, I claimed that the action element and the pacing of the novel was one of its strengths. There is something always happening and you feel that it is a high stakes situation. You get emotionally invested in the triumphs and tribulations of the characters.

I had so much fun reading this book and it was exactly what I needed right now with everything going on (STAY INSIDE AND WASH YOUR HANDS AND JUST BE SAFE PLEASE, ESPECIALLY YOU AUSTRALIANS I SEE YOU STILL AT THE BEACH GO THE FUCK HOME). I didn’t realise how much I missed the characters of Philip and Satina and GRUMBLEBEARD MY PRECIOUS (he redeems himself at the end thankfully, I was STRESSED).

If this post feels slightly chaotic it is because I am currently, slighty chaotic.

The world, the mythology and the cast of characters blew me away again. I might have to say that The Die of Death might be my favourite of the series, well, of the two I have read because I found it so much more engaging as well as hilarious. The amount of times I laughed out loud surprised me! In this book, we find out more about the different ‘levels’ so to speak, of the Underworld, of the different punishments and positions of various ‘Devils’. It also brought forward an interesting discussion surrounding death, mortality and immortality which I found to be quite powerful especially considering the demographic and audience of the books.

I think for me the character that I hold a new connection too would have to be Mortimer, or Death. There is a scene at the end of the book which I won’t disclose because of spoilers and i do want to keep this review spoiler free. But this scene was so heartwarming and made me absolutely adore Mortimer. If you know which scene I’m talking about – tell me I’m wrong! I had tears in my eyes, not going to lie. His character was both morally ambiguous but empathetic – we got to see Death as mortal and it was a humbling experience for him, I think. Well, I believe he realised something about maybe himself or the world and I just really enjoyed his character.

Philip was exactly the same and I enjoyed his character. He goes through slightly more emotional growth, I feel, in this book. I am beginning to see his maturity develop has he grows up and I cannot wait to see how he matures over the course of the series. BUT CAN I JUST SAY HOW MUCH I HATE FREAKING AZIEL LIKE I KNEW HE WOULD COME BACK BUT I WAS HOPING HE WOULD NOT AND WHEN HE DID I ACTUALLY SCREAMED.

The pacing and the action as well as the twist and turns of the plot itself was magnificent. I read this book in a few hours in one sitting, that is how much I enjoyed the pacing and the plot and the characters. It was just such a fun freaking time.

My only criticism, and its not really a criticism just a little pet peeve, is that I really wish Satina had more of a role, so to speak, in the overall action and mystery-solving. I really enjoy her character but I feel as though sometimes she is just there to provide a sort of side-kick character on the periphery as well as the love interest for Philip. She doesn’t really give anything else to the story and I think that is something which is lacking in the plot – strong, female characters as most are men or male-creatures.

Overall, I had such a fun time reading this book and I cannot wait to read the third book in the series. I rated The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Anderson 4 out of 5 stars. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to lovers of fantasy as well as re-tellings(?) – it is fast paced, interesting and high-stakes sort of action.

I just want to thank The Write Reads for the opportunity to read and review this book as part of the blog tour. And I urge you all to check out the other stops on the blog tour as well! We have a really great time doing these and I hope you all enjoy the reviews and all the good stuff that comes out of it.

Please take care and stay safe.

Until next time, happy reading!

All the love,

Allie

About the Author:

Kenneth B. Andersen (1976) is an award-winning Danish writer. He has published more than forty books for children and young adults, including both fantasy, horror, and science fiction. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and his hit-series about the superhero
Antboy has been turned into three movies. A musical adaptation of The Devil’s Apprentice, the first book in The Great Devil War series, opened in the fall 2018 and film rights for the series have been optioned.
Kenneth lives in Copenhagen with his wife, two boys, a dog named Milo, and spiders in the basement.