Review: Til Death by Kate Evangelista

Goodreads Summary:

Sixteen-year old Selena Fallon is a dreamer. Not a day-dreamer, but an I-see-the-future kind of dreamer. Normally this is not a problem as she has gotten pretty good at keeping her weird card hidden from everyone in her small town. Except from her best friend Kyle and her grandparents, of course. But when Selena dreams of her own rather bloody death, things get a little too freaky even for her.

Enter Dillan Sloan. Selena has seen the new guy in a different dream, and he is even more droolworthy in person. Beyond the piercing blue eyes and tousled dark hair, there is something else that draws her to him. Something…electric. Unfortunately, Dillan makes it more than clear that he does not feel the same. They just met, so why would he act like he hates her?

When Dillan and Selena are forced together one weekend to work on a school project, Selena prepares to be ignored as usual. But when she stumbles across a few undead in the backyard, Dillan comes to her rescue and reveals a whole lot more. Not only is he part of a society that hunts otherworldly creatures…she is too. And she is being targeted by a force bigger and darker than anything she ever imagined. Despite her death dream, Selena is not going to give up easy, especially when she discovers that Dillan might not actually hate her after all.

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

I really liked the setup of Til Death and I though Dillan and Selena were great characters. The mythology of the supernatural beings was developed fully and I liked how the Illuminari followed a hierarchy that dictated the power of the being. Overall, a good paranormal romance novel for fans of books geared towards the younger teen crowd.

Selena was likable and she had a lot of qualities that made her a heroine to cheer for. I especially liked her tight friendships and the way she was able to stand up to her cheating ex. She also wasn’t struck dumb by Dillan’s gorgeousness and stood up to him when he was being a jerk.

Dillan was arrogant and had a few moments where I wished I could jump into the book and smack him over the head. But he grew on me and I ended up liking him more as the story progressed.

The central mystery was intriguing and I was curious over how the author would tie everything together. Some of the plot I guessed, but there were some unexpected twists thrown in that made me further invested in the outcome.

My biggest pet peeve was the text speak. I mention this because it’s a personal reading preference but I hate it in real life just as much in reading. For instance, Selena would write things to her friends like “Don’t be a h8r, I’ll give you the 411 l8r.” That may not be a direct quote, but I’m sure you get the idea. There was also a POV switch from chapter to chapter that took a little to get used to.

Overall, Til Death is a solid foundation for the series. The book did have a younger feel to it, so I’d recommend the novel to the 14-17 year old set.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!