Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley
on February 13, 2024Synopsis
A painfully average teen’s life is upended by a magical apocalypse in this darkly atmospheric and sweepingly romantic novel perfect for fans of The Raven Boys , Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Rest of Us Just Live Here.
High school is hard enough to survive without an apocalypse to navigate.
Sid Spencer has always been the most normal girl in her abnormal hometown, a tourist trap built over one of the fault lines that seal magic away from the world. Meanwhile, all Sid has to deal with is hair-ruining humidity, painful awkwardness, being one of four Asians in town, and her friends dumping her when they start dating each other—just days after one of the most humiliating romantic rejections faced by anyone, ever, in all of history.
Then someone kills one of the Guardians who protect the seal. The earth rips open and unleashes the magic trapped inside. Monsters crawl from the ground, no one can enter or leave, and the man behind it all is roaming the streets with a gang of violent vigilantes. Suddenly, Sid’s life becomes a lot less ordinary. When she finds out her missing brother is involved, she joins the remaining Guardians, desperate to find him and close the fault line for good.
Fighting through hordes of living corpses and uncontrollable growths of forest, Sid and a ragtag crew of would-be heroes are the only thing standing between their town and the end of the world as they know it. Between magic, murderers, and burgeoning crushes, Sid must survive being a perfectly normal girl caught in a perfectly abnormal apocalypse.
Only—how can someone so ordinary make it in such an extraordinary world?
If you’re looking for a YA that’s a blend of big-hearted contemporary feelings and magical fantasy mixed with an action-packed apocalypse plot, then this book is for you!!
Favorite quote: “They say magic shows you who you are. Maybe love does that, too.”
– Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley
I’m blown away by Robin Wasley’s storytelling. The dialogue is excellent and the characters are endearing. I love the themes of being an adoptee, of being Asian American in a small predominantly white town. There are strong sibling relationships and powerful character developments.
Favorite quote: “Because when you get a family by luck, when you know love is not guaranteed, you hold onto it with both hands.”
– Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley
This is one of my favorite YA debuts of 2024! I can’t wait to read more from the author.
So glad to have been part of the book tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours!
