By: Kelly Andrew
Genre: YA Fantasy Horror
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Publisher: Scholastic Press
From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...
Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.
But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.
She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.
A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.
Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.
Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.
On Kelly Andrew's social media, she calls I Am Made of Death a “bubblegum horror”. Meaning it has sticky-sweet vibes without the darker tones. There's not necessarily blood and gore, but there is death, real-looking ghost apparitions, and mirror reflections that aren’t exactly accurate.
Told from multiple points of view, I Am Made of Death is the story of eighteen-year-old Vivienne Farrow and her unlikely hero, eighteen-year-old Thomas Walsh. At the age of four, Vivienne was on a trip with her family when she got lost and ended up missing for three days. No one knows what happened to her, just that she now doesn’t speak. While Vivienne can hear people just fine, she prefers to use sign language to respond when spoken to, as her voice leads to excruciating pain and death. Her stepfather, Philip, has very strict rules for Vivienne. She is to be accompanied at all times when she leaves the house, she isn’t to be out after dark, and not doing what he tells her to do isn’t an option.
Philip hires Thomas to be Vivienne’s summer interpreter and his pseudo-spy. Not that Thomas plans on spying for Philip. After a rocky start, Vivienne and Thomas become reluctant friends, while their attraction grows. Thomas doesn’t trust some of Vivienne’s friends. At the same time, he starts to notice strange things about Vivienne and the Farrow household.
Things come to a head when Thomas connects with his past after he is attacked, and Vivienne is kidnapped. He learns Vivienne is planning on undergoing a never-before-done surgical exorcism to finally rid herself of the demon who’s been a part of her since that faithful family trip all those years ago. However, there are those who do not want Vivienne to succeed and have other deadly plans for her.
I LOVED everything about I Am Made of Death. Vivienne is, in my opinion, a morally gray character. She typically only associates with people she can bend to her will. Those in her orbit are either people she's paying or people she's blackmailing to get what she wants. Unfortunately, she's this way because of her parents. Thomas is straight-laced and always tries to do what's right. Well, now he does. He isn't afraid to go toe to toe with someone and get his hands dirty. He says what he means, and he means what he says. I loved them both. The plot was phenomenal. There were a lot of moving pieces, but they all came together to make an amazing story. There were several twists and turns that were a little shocking and left me wondering how I missed some details, because I definitely missed details.
Kelly’s three books, The Whispering Dark, Your Blood, My Bones, and I Am Made of Death, are all interconnected but standalone reads. This is good because if you have read The Whispering Dark, you will see some familiar faces. And if you haven’t, you’re going to want to go and read the book. I definitely do.
~ Favorite Quote ~
“I’ll always come for you.”
**Received a copy of the book from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it. Personally purchased the hardcover edition of the book.**
Rating: 5
Purchase I Am Made of Death from:
(Affiliate Links Used)
Andrew lives in New England with her husband and their two daughters (and a very grouchy Boston Terrier). She has a BSW, but received her Masters in English & Creative Writing. When she’s not writing, she enjoys obsessing over a good book, scouring flea markets for treasure, and getting intentionally lost in the woods.
Andrew is represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary.
Places to find Kelly Andrews:
No comments:
Post a Comment
STOP!
Duplicate comments from an individual will be deleted/marked as spam. This includes the exact same comment on multiple blog posts in a short amount of time. Please be original in each comment.
Comments that include links to other sites, or names including links WILL BE CONSIDERED SPAM AND DELETED.