Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin: Book review

Book title/Author: Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin

Publisher/Year: March 26th 2015 Simon & Schuster Children's

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Series: Denton Little #1

Pages: 352

Source/Format: e-arc | NetGalley

(Thanks NetGalley/Simon & Schuster!)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion.

*This review may contain spoilers!*

Synopsis

Denton Little’s Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. For Denton, that’s in just two days—the day of his senior prom.

 Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle—as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend’s hostile sister. (Though he’s not totally sure—see, first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton’s long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters. . . . Suddenly Denton’s life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

My review

When I started this book, I thought it was just going to be a regular contemporary, as I hadn't really looked into it beforehand so all I knew going into it was the title. However, it was very different. Not bad different, but definitely different. This book had so many twists and turns and at times it felt quite paranormal, but it constantly had humour. At times it could be kind of ridiculous and unrealistic, but that's what made me like it. I knew not to take any of it seriously or read too much into the character's actions.

The concept of this was very interesting, and what initially made me think that it was going to be a serious book, but instead it just adds to the ridiculousness, particularly when talked about from Lance's perspective. Despite the humour, the fact that Denton only has 48 hours left to live when we meet him at the start of the novel does give it that tense feel, as you know that there is a countdown to something bad, and yet I enjoyed it, as it made every scene within the book feel more significant, as you know it had to be important to Denton.

There were a few little quirky things in this book that Rubin created, things that we don't have, like how people have funerals before they die, and actually attend their own funerals, and on the last day of their life they have sittings, which is kind of what you think it is. These small things really made this book unique and special, and unlike anything else I have ever read before. 

This book pleasantly surprised me, and I think everyone should give it a go, as it was a distinctive experience for me.

Izzy