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The Death Chronicles #1
Death Is My BFF
When Faith Williams almost loses her life during a robbery, Death is there. While he spares her soul, he makes a promise to return when she’s eighteen and collect it.
Now it’s the eve of that special birthday, and Faith has no recollection of that fateful day. But echoes of Death appear in her art―his intense eyes, his intriguing demeanor―and she can’t get him out of her head. When he arrives in person, Faith is drawn into an epic supernatural battle where her very existence is questioned at every turn.
To add angst to agony, she meets the infamous David Star at a Halloween party, and he begins to show an interest in her. He’s handsome, rich, ambitious, and every girl’s dream, but Faith doesn’t know if she can trust him.
As Faith learns more about who David really is, and as Death pushes harder for her soul, an ancient prophecy emerges. When she discovers the secrets that bind all three together... all hell breaks loose.
Now it’s the eve of that special birthday, and Faith has no recollection of that fateful day. But echoes of Death appear in her art―his intense eyes, his intriguing demeanor―and she can’t get him out of her head. When he arrives in person, Faith is drawn into an epic supernatural battle where her very existence is questioned at every turn.
To add angst to agony, she meets the infamous David Star at a Halloween party, and he begins to show an interest in her. He’s handsome, rich, ambitious, and every girl’s dream, but Faith doesn’t know if she can trust him.
As Faith learns more about who David really is, and as Death pushes harder for her soul, an ancient prophecy emerges. When she discovers the secrets that bind all three together... all hell breaks loose.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published July 6, 2011
About the author
Katarina E. Tonks
11 books797 followersKatarina E. Tonks is an award-winning author who began her career on the Wattpad platform. Since then, she has amassed nearly half a million followers―or “Cupcakes” and “Reapers” as she calls them―who she loves to interact with in forums where “Death” will sometimes jump in and respond himself. She has over 100 million reads collectively on the early drafts of her Death Chronicles and the Vendetta series and is considered one of Wattpad’s most influential writers.
Kat has been creating stories since she was old enough to hold a crayon. Never one to color between the lines, her books are often dark romance with morally gray love interests. She graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and is pursuing her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Kat is a Jersey Girl and lives with her family and many pets.
Kat has been creating stories since she was old enough to hold a crayon. Never one to color between the lines, her books are often dark romance with morally gray love interests. She graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and is pursuing her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Kat is a Jersey Girl and lives with her family and many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
July 18, 2023
THE REAL WATTPAD OG’S NEED TO GATHER AROUND NEOW!
This book brought back so many memories of Death and Faith’s storyline and i’m just so happy it’s finally being published into a complete series 🥹
This book brought back so many memories of Death and Faith’s storyline and i’m just so happy it’s finally being published into a complete series 🥹
February 16, 2023
Lmao I remember reading this on wattpad ages ago and wow… the nostalgia is real.
April 23, 2023
The pure nostalgia of reading this again.. I almost got teary eyed when I received an ARC.
Many years ago, after my first child was born, I decided to pick up reading again. I started reading stories on Wattpad. This was one of my first stories I read on there and I have followed this author since. Years later, she got herself a publishing deal and books are ready to be pre-ordered on Amazon! I’m ecstatic!
Faith nearly died during a grocery store shooting as a child. Not old enough to understand the consequences of giving up her soul to the grim reaper, she makes a deal for her life. To give her soul to Death himself when she’s 18.
Well, she’s now 18 and he’s come to collect. But she needs to willingly come with him. And.. who the heck wants to do that?? Faith is hilarious and witty and strong willed. Her soul is… different… and it’s bringing all sorts of demonic beasts to her.. they want to literally feast on her unique soul.
The world building is fantastic. We have demons, warlocks, angels and different realms. We’ve only touched the beginning of what’s going on in this world.
The story has been fine tuned to perfection and I just cannot wait for Faith and Death to be on my bookshelf.
Cliffhanger.
Minimal spice (for now) but the story will capture you till the last page!
Many years ago, after my first child was born, I decided to pick up reading again. I started reading stories on Wattpad. This was one of my first stories I read on there and I have followed this author since. Years later, she got herself a publishing deal and books are ready to be pre-ordered on Amazon! I’m ecstatic!
Faith nearly died during a grocery store shooting as a child. Not old enough to understand the consequences of giving up her soul to the grim reaper, she makes a deal for her life. To give her soul to Death himself when she’s 18.
Well, she’s now 18 and he’s come to collect. But she needs to willingly come with him. And.. who the heck wants to do that?? Faith is hilarious and witty and strong willed. Her soul is… different… and it’s bringing all sorts of demonic beasts to her.. they want to literally feast on her unique soul.
The world building is fantastic. We have demons, warlocks, angels and different realms. We’ve only touched the beginning of what’s going on in this world.
The story has been fine tuned to perfection and I just cannot wait for Faith and Death to be on my bookshelf.
Cliffhanger.
Minimal spice (for now) but the story will capture you till the last page!
September 6, 2023
I feel like most people already read this on Wattpad and are now reading it for the second time, but this is my first time experiencing Death is My BFF in all its glory, and wow.
I had a feeling I'd like this, just based on the cover and blurb, but what was inside really blew me away.
The pacing is perfect, not too fast or too slow. You get to know the characters and care for them in a relatively short amount of time. Some characters *cough* Ace *cough* were just introduced on-page and I was ready to follow them to the ends of the Earth. Yup, it was like THAT.
The writing is addicting, if you want to read this in one go you absolutely can because it's so hard to stop. You'll be going "just one more chapter, ok one more" and suddenly you'll be 70% through. This book will not let you come up for air!!!! But in a good way.
I think the plot is creative, basically we have Faith who died when she was eight, and unknowingly sold her soul to the Grim Reaper in return for living ten more years. Now that the ten years are up, Death came to collect.
Of course, Death has to be irresistible. When he enters the scene, you know you're about to be smiling, giggling, kicking your feet in the air. I love him and I love Faith and I adore them together and I also can't wait until we get more of them in the next books.
The one thing I really love about Faith (other than how cool, brave, and smart she is) is that she's goth/alt AND a Christian!!! BECAUSE HELLO, THAT'S ME!!! Faith is Catholic and I'm Eastern Orthodox Christian, but I still relate to her a lot. I don't think I've ever seen someone write an alt Christian character (who doesn't start dressing "normal") before so extra cupcake points for that.
Faith discovers, during the course of the book, that her soul is special and draws dark creatures to it like moths to a flame. She also has powers!!! She doesn't understand them yet, so we also don't know what exactly it is that she can do, but I'm looking forward to finding out in the future.
Death is My BFF ends on a cruel cliffhanger. It's making me want to go to Wattpad to check out the rest of the story, but as I understand, it's all a bit different in the published versions? So it's probably wiser to wait until the next book gets published too.
BUT HOW LONG MUST I WAIT??? WAAAH.
This book strikes me as very re-readable, so I'll most likely reread it before the second book is out.
Special shoutout to the Batman scene, it's my favourite scene in the whole book.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I had a feeling I'd like this, just based on the cover and blurb, but what was inside really blew me away.
The pacing is perfect, not too fast or too slow. You get to know the characters and care for them in a relatively short amount of time. Some characters *cough* Ace *cough* were just introduced on-page and I was ready to follow them to the ends of the Earth. Yup, it was like THAT.
The writing is addicting, if you want to read this in one go you absolutely can because it's so hard to stop. You'll be going "just one more chapter, ok one more" and suddenly you'll be 70% through. This book will not let you come up for air!!!! But in a good way.
I think the plot is creative, basically we have Faith who died when she was eight, and unknowingly sold her soul to the Grim Reaper in return for living ten more years. Now that the ten years are up, Death came to collect.
Of course, Death has to be irresistible. When he enters the scene, you know you're about to be smiling, giggling, kicking your feet in the air. I love him and I love Faith and I adore them together and I also can't wait until we get more of them in the next books.
The one thing I really love about Faith (other than how cool, brave, and smart she is) is that she's goth/alt AND a Christian!!! BECAUSE HELLO, THAT'S ME!!! Faith is Catholic and I'm Eastern Orthodox Christian, but I still relate to her a lot. I don't think I've ever seen someone write an alt Christian character (who doesn't start dressing "normal") before so extra cupcake points for that.
Faith discovers, during the course of the book, that her soul is special and draws dark creatures to it like moths to a flame. She also has powers!!! She doesn't understand them yet, so we also don't know what exactly it is that she can do, but I'm looking forward to finding out in the future.
Death is My BFF ends on a cruel cliffhanger. It's making me want to go to Wattpad to check out the rest of the story, but as I understand, it's all a bit different in the published versions? So it's probably wiser to wait until the next book gets published too.
BUT HOW LONG MUST I WAIT??? WAAAH.
This book strikes me as very re-readable, so I'll most likely reread it before the second book is out.
Special shoutout to the Batman scene, it's my favourite scene in the whole book.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
February 19, 2016
3.5-4stars!
Didn't like Faith, loved Death.
That would be it.
Kidding,kidding.... :DD
''I always get what I want,''Death told me once.
''Not this time,''I had snapped.
''Every time.''
The book was really funny on the beginning and I had a good feeling about it. But then, maybe around 55 % it became little boring. And then some more..
We have POV from Faith and Death, but the biggest part is from Faith.
Through all book Death POV was interesting, but Faith...not so much.
We both know that I'm not a bipolar,Faith. I'm just crazy.''
What I liked in this book really much is that even if Death is 2000 years old (give or take ), he still behave like a modern man. He is ''in this time'' I suppose I could say. I hate when we have some character with a big number for a years, and he doesn't want to know anything about 21 centuries.
''Death,''I gasped out.
''The man, the myth, the legend. Sexy, aren't I?''
Death
Faith
Didn't like Faith, loved Death.
That would be it.
Kidding,kidding.... :DD
''I always get what I want,''Death told me once.
''Not this time,''I had snapped.
''Every time.''
The book was really funny on the beginning and I had a good feeling about it. But then, maybe around 55 % it became little boring. And then some more..
We have POV from Faith and Death, but the biggest part is from Faith.
Through all book Death POV was interesting, but Faith...not so much.
We both know that I'm not a bipolar,Faith. I'm just crazy.''
What I liked in this book really much is that even if Death is 2000 years old (give or take ), he still behave like a modern man. He is ''in this time'' I suppose I could say. I hate when we have some character with a big number for a years, and he doesn't want to know anything about 21 centuries.
''Death,''I gasped out.
''The man, the myth, the legend. Sexy, aren't I?''
Death
Faith
August 12, 2023
WHAT A RIDE.
Death is my BFF is a paranormal adventure from start to finish, with twists and turns and major REVEALS. You will have zero time to be bored.
I loved getting to know these characters again for the first time and if you’re like me and read this on Wattpad so long ago that you forget most of the plot… GOOD! You get to experience it for the first time AGAIN!
Faith is witty, funny, and quite frankly very relatable. Although after chapter 18 *ahem* I would’ve folded….
But in all seriousness, the writing flowed and the plot kept me engaged. If you’re new to reading Wattpad adaptions this is a great start as it captures the magic of a wattpad book and wraps it up in physical form.
I am excited to bake some cupcakes ;) and see where Death takes us next 🖤
Thank you to Wattpad Books for supplying me an advanced copy.
DEATH HITS YOUR SHELVES ON SEPTEMBER 5th!!!
Death is my BFF is a paranormal adventure from start to finish, with twists and turns and major REVEALS. You will have zero time to be bored.
I loved getting to know these characters again for the first time and if you’re like me and read this on Wattpad so long ago that you forget most of the plot… GOOD! You get to experience it for the first time AGAIN!
Faith is witty, funny, and quite frankly very relatable. Although after chapter 18 *ahem* I would’ve folded….
But in all seriousness, the writing flowed and the plot kept me engaged. If you’re new to reading Wattpad adaptions this is a great start as it captures the magic of a wattpad book and wraps it up in physical form.
I am excited to bake some cupcakes ;) and see where Death takes us next 🖤
Thank you to Wattpad Books for supplying me an advanced copy.
DEATH HITS YOUR SHELVES ON SEPTEMBER 5th!!!
Read
June 3, 2024DNF 100 pages in. I just wasn’t vibing with the writing style
October 4, 2015
After seeing it referenced in a tumblr post the other day, the title of the book caught my eye and off I went to read it on Wattpad. I was a little apprehensive because it's not really a published book, but hey, it won an award. Personally though I think it only partially lives up to its award, although it does have some great components. (Note: tl;dr at the end for a short summary of my review!)
To start with, the premise of the story is fascinating and no doubt it could go far. (To be honest, I didn't think the title would end up being ironic nor did I think Death would end up being a love interest, but surprise!) As a narrator, Faith has great character and voice, and she is the driving force of the book. By far, her narration is what kept me reading. Death's dialogue is a close second, pleasantly sarcastic, and his interactions with Faith, while sometimes chilling, are fantastic. What can I say, I'm a huge softie for witty, snarky characters, and that describes them both. As for David Star, I could have done without the repetitive descriptions of how oh so attractive he is. But he certainly has his moments in dialogue, and his relationship with Faith is intriguing to say the least. His mood swings are a bit infuriating though, which could be said about Death too, who changes between "super angry psychotic murderer" and "teasing snarky psychotic murderer" from one appearance to another.
I must say that the grammar needs a lot of editing towards the middle and onward. I'm aware that the author is in the middle of revising the chapters slowly but as of the edition I read, where only the prologue and first chapter (or first 2, I can't remember) were revised, a lot of punctuation was missing and some sentences were just an absolute mess. Even though there were only a few per chapter, that adds up, and it definitely detracted from my experience.
The other jarring thing about the book is towards the end: Death's backstory. He's been a mysterious character from page 1, and of course his past is supposed to be important. But I have to admit, I completely skimmed it. His past is basically an info-dump that runs for pages upon pages. Somewhere in between, Faith starts crying. It was sad, sure, but I could only think, "Why is he just calmly telling this story for half an hour to an hour? Doesn't that seem a little... out of character?" Death never seemed to be the character who would tell a bed-time story to me-- I always thought he was focused on killing Faith or at least convincing her he was going to. Maybe if it was edited down to a few paragraphs tops, I would be more focused.
I'm in the middle of book 3 now (I have never been one to put down a series). The grammar does get better, but the info-dumping still seems to be a common theme, and the atmosphere seems to have changed drastically. I don't think I like the change very much. There's too much being thrown at me, I think, and I just feel extremely confused at all the plot-twists, although I'm still hanging on. Fans of (twisted) romance will rejoice though and if rapid-fire plot-twists are your thing, give it a go!
tl;dr: All in all, here's a breakdown:
+ Fascinating plotline
+ Snarky characters and intriguing character interactions
+ Great narration with a strong, identifiable voice
- Grammar can put you off if you're a stickler for these things and sometimes makes the story confusing if you're not reading closely.
- Beware of info-dumps, although in book 1 there's only one huge one at the end.
+/-? A little bit of romance in the first book, but not much. The romance becomes more important in the later books.
All in all, it may not be fantastic, but it does deserve some praise for the many things it does right, and I did enjoy the read! Plus, it reminded me that I do need more lovely, sarcastic antagonists in my reading. <3
To start with, the premise of the story is fascinating and no doubt it could go far. (To be honest, I didn't think the title would end up being ironic nor did I think Death would end up being a love interest, but surprise!) As a narrator, Faith has great character and voice, and she is the driving force of the book. By far, her narration is what kept me reading. Death's dialogue is a close second, pleasantly sarcastic, and his interactions with Faith, while sometimes chilling, are fantastic. What can I say, I'm a huge softie for witty, snarky characters, and that describes them both. As for David Star, I could have done without the repetitive descriptions of how oh so attractive he is. But he certainly has his moments in dialogue, and his relationship with Faith is intriguing to say the least. His mood swings are a bit infuriating though, which could be said about Death too, who changes between "super angry psychotic murderer" and "teasing snarky psychotic murderer" from one appearance to another.
I must say that the grammar needs a lot of editing towards the middle and onward. I'm aware that the author is in the middle of revising the chapters slowly but as of the edition I read, where only the prologue and first chapter (or first 2, I can't remember) were revised, a lot of punctuation was missing and some sentences were just an absolute mess. Even though there were only a few per chapter, that adds up, and it definitely detracted from my experience.
The other jarring thing about the book is towards the end: Death's backstory. He's been a mysterious character from page 1, and of course his past is supposed to be important. But I have to admit, I completely skimmed it. His past is basically an info-dump that runs for pages upon pages. Somewhere in between, Faith starts crying. It was sad, sure, but I could only think, "Why is he just calmly telling this story for half an hour to an hour? Doesn't that seem a little... out of character?" Death never seemed to be the character who would tell a bed-time story to me-- I always thought he was focused on killing Faith or at least convincing her he was going to. Maybe if it was edited down to a few paragraphs tops, I would be more focused.
I'm in the middle of book 3 now (I have never been one to put down a series). The grammar does get better, but the info-dumping still seems to be a common theme, and the atmosphere seems to have changed drastically. I don't think I like the change very much. There's too much being thrown at me, I think, and I just feel extremely confused at all the plot-twists, although I'm still hanging on. Fans of (twisted) romance will rejoice though and if rapid-fire plot-twists are your thing, give it a go!
tl;dr: All in all, here's a breakdown:
+ Fascinating plotline
+ Snarky characters and intriguing character interactions
+ Great narration with a strong, identifiable voice
- Grammar can put you off if you're a stickler for these things and sometimes makes the story confusing if you're not reading closely.
- Beware of info-dumps, although in book 1 there's only one huge one at the end.
+/-? A little bit of romance in the first book, but not much. The romance becomes more important in the later books.
All in all, it may not be fantastic, but it does deserve some praise for the many things it does right, and I did enjoy the read! Plus, it reminded me that I do need more lovely, sarcastic antagonists in my reading. <3
May 23, 2016
DNF.. :---( Sadly wasn't for me...
May 21, 2023
I haven't read a grim reaper romance book before this and the way it was written was a love story bound to happen between human and reaper. It was a good read from the beginning, that I enjoyed. After reading I am left wanting more and can't wait to read whatever comes next with Gime reaper and Faith. I loved every moment between them.
September 11, 2023
Thank you Wattpad Books for providing me with an eARC to read and review.
I really wanted to like this one so much more than I did. I remember reading the early drafts on Wattpad around a decade ago, and really enjoying the characters and the story. Unfortunately I didn’t find that it gave me that same feeling now. I felt like the book transported me back to that decade ago, and the writing felt juvenile. I struggled with the writing style because it felt too descriptive and at the same time didn’t give enough explanation.
I am also not 100% sure what the plot of this book was supposed to be. It didn’t feel like there really was a plot until the second half, and even then there wasn’t much explanation of what was happening or why. It just left me feeling confused instead of interested in this supposed prophecy.
I think the book would have benefited from some more rounds of editing. I felt like the characters weren’t consistent, the plot and pacing were all over the place, and it felt like tropes and twists were being thrown in just because. There were also awkward breaks in the middle of words:
“S or ry” & “Ab out”
were two common ones that were consistently presented like this in the eARC version that I read. It got annoying, especially “about” because she did often refer to characters’ abs, and it caused some confusion while I was reading.
There were some lines that also didn’t sit well with me. In a text exchange between Faith and her best friend Marcy, Faith says that some d-bag asked her out, and Marcy replies along the lines of anger issues = super sexy. It just gave me major ick, and I didn’t like that. There was also some major slut shaming between friends, and it didn’t serve any purpose in the story.
Honestly, I wanted to love this one but I felt like I was back on Wattpad reading an unedited story circa 2012.
I really wanted to like this one so much more than I did. I remember reading the early drafts on Wattpad around a decade ago, and really enjoying the characters and the story. Unfortunately I didn’t find that it gave me that same feeling now. I felt like the book transported me back to that decade ago, and the writing felt juvenile. I struggled with the writing style because it felt too descriptive and at the same time didn’t give enough explanation.
I am also not 100% sure what the plot of this book was supposed to be. It didn’t feel like there really was a plot until the second half, and even then there wasn’t much explanation of what was happening or why. It just left me feeling confused instead of interested in this supposed prophecy.
I think the book would have benefited from some more rounds of editing. I felt like the characters weren’t consistent, the plot and pacing were all over the place, and it felt like tropes and twists were being thrown in just because. There were also awkward breaks in the middle of words:
“S or ry” & “Ab out”
were two common ones that were consistently presented like this in the eARC version that I read. It got annoying, especially “about” because she did often refer to characters’ abs, and it caused some confusion while I was reading.
There were some lines that also didn’t sit well with me. In a text exchange between Faith and her best friend Marcy, Faith says that some d-bag asked her out, and Marcy replies along the lines of anger issues = super sexy. It just gave me major ick, and I didn’t like that. There was also some major slut shaming between friends, and it didn’t serve any purpose in the story.
Honestly, I wanted to love this one but I felt like I was back on Wattpad reading an unedited story circa 2012.
June 14, 2014
I don't usually make these kinds of huge statements but,
This is the best frickin' book I have ever read on Wattpad.
And yes. I am totally serious.
I mean, MHAN! The author, Kat is amazing! The way she writes is better than most of the authors with published books out here. I would seriously love to see her books getting published in the near future.
To start off, The story line is just so intriguing and it makes you want to read more and not stop till the very end. Right now I am reading the re-written version, so I have only read till chapter 18, the latest posted chapter atm. I can't wait to read more of this fantastic book.
And can we just take a moment and appreciate the characters? Faith. Death. David. Thomas. Each and every character is so unique and funny and yes. Hot.
Especially Death.
Best hero EVA! <3
Hes so funny and sarcastic and angry and sexy at the same time.
And ohmygosh. The way he handled Little Faith was just so cute.
Trust me, I really like David, but bad guys always win in my world. #teamdeath xD
So all the readers out there who read books on Wattpad, and even those of you who don't, Give this beauty a try. YOU WILL ADORE IT.
Can't wait to read the other books. *fingerscrossed*
This is the best frickin' book I have ever read on Wattpad.
And yes. I am totally serious.
I mean, MHAN! The author, Kat is amazing! The way she writes is better than most of the authors with published books out here. I would seriously love to see her books getting published in the near future.
To start off, The story line is just so intriguing and it makes you want to read more and not stop till the very end. Right now I am reading the re-written version, so I have only read till chapter 18, the latest posted chapter atm. I can't wait to read more of this fantastic book.
And can we just take a moment and appreciate the characters? Faith. Death. David. Thomas. Each and every character is so unique and funny and yes. Hot.
Especially Death.
Best hero EVA! <3
Hes so funny and sarcastic and angry and sexy at the same time.
And ohmygosh. The way he handled Little Faith was just so cute.
Trust me, I really like David, but bad guys always win in my world. #teamdeath xD
So all the readers out there who read books on Wattpad, and even those of you who don't, Give this beauty a try. YOU WILL ADORE IT.
Can't wait to read the other books. *fingerscrossed*
April 28, 2023
When I first started reading the original Death Is My BFF series on Wattpad, I was in middle school. And ~ 10 years later here we are! (I literally only keep Wattpad downloaded on my phone because of Kat.) As a long time reader and loyal cupcake, I am so proud of you, Kat, and how much your writing skills have improved. Reading this arc has brought up all the feels like I was reading this story for the first time many many years ago.
I actually just started re-reading the rewritten version on Wattpad days before I realized I had access to the arc, so it was nice to see what was similar and what has changed from that story to the new one. Kat did such a fantastic job and I can tell how hard she worked on it over these past few years. She really gets the readers captivated by the plot and the characters as everything unfolds.
If you've read the previous versions and think it's going to be the same -- don't! This new version of Death Is My BFF is refreshing, filled with a lot more humor and wit, spookier, and there are lots of changes in the development of the characters. Compared to the older versions of Death Is My BFF, this arc is more cohesive and gives us a better understanding of the characters and their purpose.
What I was most excited for and found so interesting was being able to read Death's POV because we never really got that in the previous versions. And boy oh boy, did I love them! I ate it up like it was a freshly baked cupcake with pink frosting and sprinkles on top. We were able to see a side of Death that we never got to see before and get inside his mind, especially when his past is revealed. This arc has truly made me fall in love with Death and his relationship with Faith more than ever.
I was honestly dreading on finishing this arc because I just didn't want it to end! I'm so excited for your book to officially come out in September and for everyone to read! Cupcakes, go ahead and pre-order your copy and buckle up, because you're in for a ride.
I actually just started re-reading the rewritten version on Wattpad days before I realized I had access to the arc, so it was nice to see what was similar and what has changed from that story to the new one. Kat did such a fantastic job and I can tell how hard she worked on it over these past few years. She really gets the readers captivated by the plot and the characters as everything unfolds.
If you've read the previous versions and think it's going to be the same -- don't! This new version of Death Is My BFF is refreshing, filled with a lot more humor and wit, spookier, and there are lots of changes in the development of the characters. Compared to the older versions of Death Is My BFF, this arc is more cohesive and gives us a better understanding of the characters and their purpose.
What I was most excited for and found so interesting was being able to read Death's POV because we never really got that in the previous versions. And boy oh boy, did I love them! I ate it up like it was a freshly baked cupcake with pink frosting and sprinkles on top. We were able to see a side of Death that we never got to see before and get inside his mind, especially when his past is revealed. This arc has truly made me fall in love with Death and his relationship with Faith more than ever.
I was honestly dreading on finishing this arc because I just didn't want it to end! I'm so excited for your book to officially come out in September and for everyone to read! Cupcakes, go ahead and pre-order your copy and buckle up, because you're in for a ride.
June 22, 2024
I’ve never been so disappointed 🥲😭😭😭 the rewritten version on wattpad is SOOO MUCH BETTER and it felt like she had combined the first 3 books into one. It felt rushed and we didn’t get a lot of faith and death interaction and the witty banter was missing????!! Where is the comedy 😭😭😭 also death was soo much cooler (and meaner) in the original versions and I felt like his whole character changed. Also faiths met him like only twice and now she thinks she’s in love w him while in the rewritten version it took her 3 books it figure it out 😭😭😭😭 we were also promised sm*t so where it it 🥺🥺☹️😞😢
Want to read
April 21, 2023WATTPAD OGs MAKE SOME NOISE
February 6, 2024
I remember this one from my wattpad days... so happy to see it's finally hitting the shelves. I'll have to reread this one ^^
August 31, 2019
This will be a cumulative review of both the old books and the rewritten series. I genuinely enjoyed them when I was younger however not so much now. The old series is a really rough draft and quite honestly the idea itself is very interesting. However, I've felt that the story was vague and unpolished. I had no idea what was going on, which is fine its a rough draft! Grammar and sentence structure need a lot of work and plot development. The character interactions, especially between Death and Faith were honestly the best part of it. I loved the attitude, the snark, Death's cynicism, all of it was just so entertaining. My favorite aspect from the original series was how involved her family+friends were in Faith's life. Especially between Marcy and Thomas, Faith's religious family (which I absolutely need an even bigger emphasis on) and her Aunt! Now in the new rewritten series, these characters are lost! Sure, they're mentioned here and there, but thats just it.
Now for the rewritten series, it is far better than the original, grammar and sentence structure improved, a much more tolerable narrative voice (although sometimes Faith can just be so darn stubborn and annoying which isn't good) since in the original you can vaguely get the feel it was written by a snarky teenager. Now that Kat has grown, Faith does feel a bit more mature, however still retaining that teenage vibe. But I'll be honest here, Faith and Deaths relationship is just so....bizarre. Death was involved in her life since childhood due to *SPOILER SPOILER* The original had snippets from Faith's childhood that divulged further into their relationship, for me solidifying their relationship through YEARS of interaction (although she loses them bc ????). But that was all traded for Death being a "complex" character.....by making him aggressive, unstable, psychotic, and abusive. True, the Angel of Death tormenting you for your soul isn't going to be the best thing ever, but damn.
It's a drawn out relationship in the original series, which worked because I felt Death and Faith actually got to know each other. The rewritten rushes it with sexual innuendos everywhere and some of the interactions between the two physically made me cringe and not want to pick the book back up. Yes, Death is messed up, but for the love of everything, STOP TAKING IT OUT ON FAITH! He's a potential villain turned love interest, but don't blur the line! Don't justify certain actions because he's messed up, and don't have Faith run to try and fix him. And having Faith keep trying to define their relationship in almost every single chapter was.....ugh. I want them both to be present in each others lives, to be happy and to have a romance thats unique to their situation. But their own stubbornness makes them both so intolerable together like how are they really meant for each other? What are they for each other? How do you expect me to root for them if they can't compromise? I guess since its still a work in progress many things are left unknown.
The plot to me, even now is still a big ???? What even is happening? Where are they? What exists and what doesn't? Lore? Origins? Big questions that need answers. Especially regarding Faith. When does her religious background come to play? What is she? Why is she so important? Two revised version of the original and still nothing. *SPOILER*In the original, Faith slowly transitions due to retaining a part of Death's soul, explaining a portion of her significance/powers/strengths. In the rewritten Faith develops super powers because...? Another thing, why is the Devil/hell/heaven so involved? How is she a major plot point? Why is her purity important/what makes her so pure? How does she tip the balance between good and evil? WHAT IS SHE?
See what I mean? I have a romantic relationship thats taking shape but not in the best way possible, with two characters where one is somewhat developed, while the other a mystery and some change. Death's backstory in the original is kinda melodramatic but made his character development reasonable, whereas in the rewritten it's short and straight to the point, but also entirely too vague. WHERE IS DEVIN! Devin was one of his only friends yet entirely abandoned, along with every other side character that isn't a part of some punchline. Ahrimad? Malphas? Pheobe? Gabriel? Where are they? I'm genuinely tired of reading how sexy the angel of death looks to Faith and how nervous she gets at the thought of s*e*x*. I want these cast of characters to have relevance to the story again, besides to be comic relief. I need some better world building. And less word vomit conversations that sound good but have zero relevance to the topic.
It would also be good if something happened. Most chapters felt so drawn out, as if nothing is set in stone and everything is hyped meanwhile nothing is happening. The recent chapters involving Death and Ahrimad and some world ending plan just isn't so enticing after 30+ chapters. Just tell me already. There's honestly so much filler its frustrating.
I have hope the published and final copy of DIMBFF is well though out and constructive, where major key points are explained and characters/situations not left abandoned. I hope to see more lore, especially the building blocks that makes Faith so special and what play does religion have. And I want a relationship that isn't so detrimental to all characters involved. I will still continue reading the books because I've been there since book 3 and I just want to know where it all ends.
I know my review does sound a bit harsh but I honestly want Kat to do well with the series because it really was interesting. And I know she can make interesting stories but she needs to work on keeping things cohesive and not entirely vague.
Now for the rewritten series, it is far better than the original, grammar and sentence structure improved, a much more tolerable narrative voice (although sometimes Faith can just be so darn stubborn and annoying which isn't good) since in the original you can vaguely get the feel it was written by a snarky teenager. Now that Kat has grown, Faith does feel a bit more mature, however still retaining that teenage vibe. But I'll be honest here, Faith and Deaths relationship is just so....bizarre. Death was involved in her life since childhood due to *SPOILER SPOILER* The original had snippets from Faith's childhood that divulged further into their relationship, for me solidifying their relationship through YEARS of interaction (although she loses them bc ????). But that was all traded for Death being a "complex" character.....by making him aggressive, unstable, psychotic, and abusive. True, the Angel of Death tormenting you for your soul isn't going to be the best thing ever, but damn.
It's a drawn out relationship in the original series, which worked because I felt Death and Faith actually got to know each other. The rewritten rushes it with sexual innuendos everywhere and some of the interactions between the two physically made me cringe and not want to pick the book back up. Yes, Death is messed up, but for the love of everything, STOP TAKING IT OUT ON FAITH! He's a potential villain turned love interest, but don't blur the line! Don't justify certain actions because he's messed up, and don't have Faith run to try and fix him. And having Faith keep trying to define their relationship in almost every single chapter was.....ugh. I want them both to be present in each others lives, to be happy and to have a romance thats unique to their situation. But their own stubbornness makes them both so intolerable together like how are they really meant for each other? What are they for each other? How do you expect me to root for them if they can't compromise? I guess since its still a work in progress many things are left unknown.
The plot to me, even now is still a big ???? What even is happening? Where are they? What exists and what doesn't? Lore? Origins? Big questions that need answers. Especially regarding Faith. When does her religious background come to play? What is she? Why is she so important? Two revised version of the original and still nothing. *SPOILER*In the original, Faith slowly transitions due to retaining a part of Death's soul, explaining a portion of her significance/powers/strengths. In the rewritten Faith develops super powers because...? Another thing, why is the Devil/hell/heaven so involved? How is she a major plot point? Why is her purity important/what makes her so pure? How does she tip the balance between good and evil? WHAT IS SHE?
See what I mean? I have a romantic relationship thats taking shape but not in the best way possible, with two characters where one is somewhat developed, while the other a mystery and some change. Death's backstory in the original is kinda melodramatic but made his character development reasonable, whereas in the rewritten it's short and straight to the point, but also entirely too vague. WHERE IS DEVIN! Devin was one of his only friends yet entirely abandoned, along with every other side character that isn't a part of some punchline. Ahrimad? Malphas? Pheobe? Gabriel? Where are they? I'm genuinely tired of reading how sexy the angel of death looks to Faith and how nervous she gets at the thought of s*e*x*. I want these cast of characters to have relevance to the story again, besides to be comic relief. I need some better world building. And less word vomit conversations that sound good but have zero relevance to the topic.
It would also be good if something happened. Most chapters felt so drawn out, as if nothing is set in stone and everything is hyped meanwhile nothing is happening. The recent chapters involving Death and Ahrimad and some world ending plan just isn't so enticing after 30+ chapters. Just tell me already. There's honestly so much filler its frustrating.
I have hope the published and final copy of DIMBFF is well though out and constructive, where major key points are explained and characters/situations not left abandoned. I hope to see more lore, especially the building blocks that makes Faith so special and what play does religion have. And I want a relationship that isn't so detrimental to all characters involved. I will still continue reading the books because I've been there since book 3 and I just want to know where it all ends.
I know my review does sound a bit harsh but I honestly want Kat to do well with the series because it really was interesting. And I know she can make interesting stories but she needs to work on keeping things cohesive and not entirely vague.
September 8, 2023
4.25 stars🖤 AHHHHH I’m so happy this OG Wattpad series is finally being published! I’m fr gonna do a reread on wattpad because I NEED more rn. I need the rest of the series published asap😫🫶🏻 also, I missed my man🖤🙏🏼💀
Read
November 5, 2023DNF. Not really for me but it's awesome to see a Wattpad book published.
April 13, 2023
Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
First off, what an improvement this is over the original Wattpad version! Death is My BFF by Katarina E. Tonks is a romantic fantasy that veers on the edge between YA and adult fantasy. I saw it was categorized as YA, but I really would consider this more NA (New Adult). The story revolves around Faith, an 18 year-old in a love triangle between Death and David Star. Death spared her life when she was younger and now he has come to collect her soul. Meanwhile, David is a handsome and rich celebrity who seems to love her for her. Will Faith be able to avoid the dark forces after her and find her true love?
Here is an action-packed excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Death's perspective:
"Wisps of smoke dispersed as I manifested into the Pissing Cockroach. The place was just as low-rent as the name implied, a dingy biker bar with cigarette-stained pool tables and an unmistakable waif of urine in the air.
Consumed by their cheap beer and full ashtrays, not a single cretin noticed my otherwise grand entrance.
...
Releasing a small snarl, I flung Big Earl across the room, where he tumbled into his biker friends. I downed the rest of the cocktail, wiped the corners of my mouth with a napkin, and left a very traumatized Sugar a hefty tip."
Overall, Death is My BFF is an amazing NA (New Adult) fantasy that will appeal to fans of The Bargainer series or the Shadow and Bone series, particularly people who like the "in love with a villain" trope. One highlight of this book is the romance. There is banter, flirting, and everything that you need in a romance. Another highlight of this book is the amazing twist, which I wasn't expecting at all. One final highlight of this book is the great cliffhanger. I can't wait until the next book comes out so that I can find out what happens to Faith and the other characters next. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September!
First off, what an improvement this is over the original Wattpad version! Death is My BFF by Katarina E. Tonks is a romantic fantasy that veers on the edge between YA and adult fantasy. I saw it was categorized as YA, but I really would consider this more NA (New Adult). The story revolves around Faith, an 18 year-old in a love triangle between Death and David Star. Death spared her life when she was younger and now he has come to collect her soul. Meanwhile, David is a handsome and rich celebrity who seems to love her for her. Will Faith be able to avoid the dark forces after her and find her true love?
Here is an action-packed excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Death's perspective:
"Wisps of smoke dispersed as I manifested into the Pissing Cockroach. The place was just as low-rent as the name implied, a dingy biker bar with cigarette-stained pool tables and an unmistakable waif of urine in the air.
Consumed by their cheap beer and full ashtrays, not a single cretin noticed my otherwise grand entrance.
...
Releasing a small snarl, I flung Big Earl across the room, where he tumbled into his biker friends. I downed the rest of the cocktail, wiped the corners of my mouth with a napkin, and left a very traumatized Sugar a hefty tip."
Overall, Death is My BFF is an amazing NA (New Adult) fantasy that will appeal to fans of The Bargainer series or the Shadow and Bone series, particularly people who like the "in love with a villain" trope. One highlight of this book is the romance. There is banter, flirting, and everything that you need in a romance. Another highlight of this book is the amazing twist, which I wasn't expecting at all. One final highlight of this book is the great cliffhanger. I can't wait until the next book comes out so that I can find out what happens to Faith and the other characters next. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September!
December 17, 2013
I do not normally review many books, however this is one of my favourite series and is written by a really marvellous young writer.
I hesitated to only rate "Death is My BFF" with only four stars and not provide full five stars, however, I believe the writer would like honestly above all in these reviews. The reason behind this rating is that although this story is truly awesome and a page-turner, it really is a rough draft and I know what Katrocks247 is capable of writing as seen in her latest two stories in the series, "Death is My Friend With Benefits" and "Death is My Soul Mate" respectively.
DIMBFF sets the stage for the two main characters and their trials and tribulations. Faith Williams is a strong, well-written female protagonist that is refreshing in the sea of badly written female characters that exist today. The reader can really relate to her and see her grow from a high schooler to a young adult by the end of this first book in the series. Death is well, I like to think of as an anti-hero who borders between being the guy you want Faith to end up with to being the guy you love to hate (read the whole series to understand why). In DIMBFF, he is mysterious, sarcastically funny, and downright dirty-and I mean that in the way he plays with Faith to get what he wants. He's a guy with an agenda and we don't have any idea if he is the bad guy or the good guy in this book. He's the guy that you love to hate but don't at the same time and the reader will find themselves still routing for him.
This book has grammatical errors and such, and sometimes the writing can be confusing however please do not let this stop you from reading the entire series from start to finish. The writer of this book is currently working on editing this first story to change and update it to her current standards. For someone who wrote this first draft at the age of 14-15, it is a great book and a wonderful start to a truly unique and awesome series.
I hesitated to only rate "Death is My BFF" with only four stars and not provide full five stars, however, I believe the writer would like honestly above all in these reviews. The reason behind this rating is that although this story is truly awesome and a page-turner, it really is a rough draft and I know what Katrocks247 is capable of writing as seen in her latest two stories in the series, "Death is My Friend With Benefits" and "Death is My Soul Mate" respectively.
DIMBFF sets the stage for the two main characters and their trials and tribulations. Faith Williams is a strong, well-written female protagonist that is refreshing in the sea of badly written female characters that exist today. The reader can really relate to her and see her grow from a high schooler to a young adult by the end of this first book in the series. Death is well, I like to think of as an anti-hero who borders between being the guy you want Faith to end up with to being the guy you love to hate (read the whole series to understand why). In DIMBFF, he is mysterious, sarcastically funny, and downright dirty-and I mean that in the way he plays with Faith to get what he wants. He's a guy with an agenda and we don't have any idea if he is the bad guy or the good guy in this book. He's the guy that you love to hate but don't at the same time and the reader will find themselves still routing for him.
This book has grammatical errors and such, and sometimes the writing can be confusing however please do not let this stop you from reading the entire series from start to finish. The writer of this book is currently working on editing this first story to change and update it to her current standards. For someone who wrote this first draft at the age of 14-15, it is a great book and a wonderful start to a truly unique and awesome series.
October 31, 2023
“Once, I was just a young man, unprepared for the cards I’d been dealt. I let fate grind me under its heel. Now I was a monster who held the deck.”
Where to start? Where to start?.... I am in love with Death. He's funny. He’s sarcastic. He’s a little rude and can definitely be a jerk at times. He actually has a heart, albeit a tarnished one, and is caring. He just doesn't like to show it or have anyone know.
Katarina E. Tonks’ Death is My BFF is the story of eighteen-year-old Faith Williams who should have died when she was eight, but had her life spared by Death himself. The caveat being that when she turned eighteen, he would come for her and she would willingly go with him. Now, Death has returned for Faith’s soul. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only angel or demon after Faith.
Death is My BFF is a fun, entertaining read. There’s so much more to Death than meets the eye. Faith is more than she appears to be. These two are magnets who have no idea how much they need each other. The story itself has numerous surprises, with a cliffhanger I can’t seem to be mad about. I just wish I had the next book, Death is My Ride or Die in my hands right now!
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“Believe in the amazing catch that you are.”
“Always keep your promises, and never lie.”
“Family. Sometimes they just get you.”
“Fate has a funny way of putting you right where you belong.”
“You should stop apologizing for being yourself.”
“You’re stronger than this.”
**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Where to start? Where to start?.... I am in love with Death. He's funny. He’s sarcastic. He’s a little rude and can definitely be a jerk at times. He actually has a heart, albeit a tarnished one, and is caring. He just doesn't like to show it or have anyone know.
Katarina E. Tonks’ Death is My BFF is the story of eighteen-year-old Faith Williams who should have died when she was eight, but had her life spared by Death himself. The caveat being that when she turned eighteen, he would come for her and she would willingly go with him. Now, Death has returned for Faith’s soul. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only angel or demon after Faith.
Death is My BFF is a fun, entertaining read. There’s so much more to Death than meets the eye. Faith is more than she appears to be. These two are magnets who have no idea how much they need each other. The story itself has numerous surprises, with a cliffhanger I can’t seem to be mad about. I just wish I had the next book, Death is My Ride or Die in my hands right now!
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“Believe in the amazing catch that you are.”
“Always keep your promises, and never lie.”
“Family. Sometimes they just get you.”
“Fate has a funny way of putting you right where you belong.”
“You should stop apologizing for being yourself.”
“You’re stronger than this.”
**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
May 1, 2023
*A huge thank you to Kat and Netgalley for allowing me to receive this copy for my review!*
Are you sick of "enemies to lovers" where it ends up being less enemies to lovers and more nuisance to lovers? Well then this is the book for you! A true representation of enemies to lovers with complex and deep protagonists, stunning character growth, and twists and turns at every chapter. As someone who read all 3 books on Wattpad I went into the published version with high expectations. Exceptions that were met and knocked out of the park. Small changes were made to add maturity and layering to the original plotline, while keeping the integrity of the book. Faith Williams is my favorite book heroine. She showcases that female leads can be brave and also kind, hilarious and deep, empathetic but also stand up for herself.
Death is also not your typical protagonist. He is brutal and harsh. He is not the type of character that you can immediately see redeeming qualities in. Which I like. Diving into his backstory unleashes a whole new perspective to him, giving you puzzle pieces of his life and story.
These two together create a hilarious and intense combination.
Between the multiple storylines, additional characters, mystery and cliffhangers, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I can't recommend this book enough to anyone and everyone! This wasn't my usual genre but the synopsis drew me in, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. 10/10 my favorite book.
Are you sick of "enemies to lovers" where it ends up being less enemies to lovers and more nuisance to lovers? Well then this is the book for you! A true representation of enemies to lovers with complex and deep protagonists, stunning character growth, and twists and turns at every chapter. As someone who read all 3 books on Wattpad I went into the published version with high expectations. Exceptions that were met and knocked out of the park. Small changes were made to add maturity and layering to the original plotline, while keeping the integrity of the book. Faith Williams is my favorite book heroine. She showcases that female leads can be brave and also kind, hilarious and deep, empathetic but also stand up for herself.
Death is also not your typical protagonist. He is brutal and harsh. He is not the type of character that you can immediately see redeeming qualities in. Which I like. Diving into his backstory unleashes a whole new perspective to him, giving you puzzle pieces of his life and story.
These two together create a hilarious and intense combination.
Between the multiple storylines, additional characters, mystery and cliffhangers, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I can't recommend this book enough to anyone and everyone! This wasn't my usual genre but the synopsis drew me in, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. 10/10 my favorite book.
October 7, 2014
to be honest,i loved this story to bits.. but i felt like it was just dragging on, it was so long! and nothing was really happening,i read the first and second story on Wattpad but im not gonna read the third story, at the end of the first and second story there was a cliffhanger and i still have so many unanswered questions about "death" the the whole "guardian Angle" thing? if his supposed to help her then where has he been all her life?
i have lots of mixed feelings for the book..
i have lots of mixed feelings for the book..
October 9, 2014
La historia es buena en general, me gusto pero siento que se hizo muy larga y mientras más y más seguían los capítulos nada realmente pasaba. Me gusto mucho Death, tiene ese Damon Salvatore que amo en los personajes.
September 15, 2023
☆⋅⋆ ── 1st read 2014: 5 stars (For the original, older series)
☆⋅⋆ ─── 20th re-read 2023: significantly less stars (I'm SORRY) 💫
Warning : This review isn't particularly nice.
Death is My BFF is a dark romance that takes place in Pleasant Valley, New York where Faith Williams—a young girl with unfortunate luck and a terrible taste in men—is currently dealing with puberty and the literal grim reaper leaving sweet little love notes.
I loved this series once, but it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I think my tastes have changed a bit from when I was 13. Some of the initial magic for it has slightly dimmed.
Faith isn’t a terrible protagonist. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I love her, but she’s not bad. I do think the story has potential to be amazing, but I think the entire concept of David Star actually hindered the story in a way that added very little to the overarching plot.
I like Death—sometimes. I think he’s a great male lead and I find him amusing, although he’s not nearly as funny as I remember him to be from the original series. I think that these edits took away some of the magic but didn’t fix what was overall, most wrong with the plot as a whole.
Nearly nothing happened in the second half of the book—nothing substantial.
We spend entirely too much time in Death’s past with no warning. The pacing was very all over the place and scattered. And I truly hate the emphasis that is put in the narrative about Faith trying to “understand” Death. I think it’s overstated and cliche—and he wants your soul. Get off his dick.
One of the worst aspects of the flashbacks is that they are awkwardly placed in a way that isn’t fitting to the narrative. This series spoonfeeds information in a way that drags the reader out of the narrative.
I don’t mind flashbacks, but the way these are approached are rather like torture. Likely crueller than anything Death did to Faith in this entire book. I think they should have came later in the series because it took out all his mystery too quickly. I think the fear of him comes in the unknown, in the monster side of him, yet these moments humanizes him too early.
It just didn’t work when I feel like it hasn’t been well enough established that he is a monster.
Honestly this is the height of Death 'evilness' in this particular book.
David Star is Death's alter ego—apparently with the looks that Death had when he was still human (although I'm not entirely sure 'Alexandru' was ever quite human). David is a very rich, frat boy like douchebag. I think the narrative makes it incredibly obvious he is sus right from the beginning. The moment he was introduced when I initially read it back in this series first drafts, it was obvious David and Death were one in the same. Every new iteration of the series has made it more obvious.
Due to that cat being out of the bag, Faith seems incredibly slow trying to catch up with what I think is pretty obvious to the readers as Death attempts to gain her trust.
In that regards, Death isn’t nearly as manipulative as the book wants me to believe he is and ultimately accomplishes nothing with the David Star ploy. I truly do not see the point in getting Faith to trust him and then ultimately doing NOTHING with that trust.
There was truly just no need to pretend to be David Star since everything he was doing, he could have easily accomplished as himself since Faith has a very weak will when it comes to him.
Then, he’s just so bad at manipulation. I can gaslight someone more effectively than he can.
It's so frustrating cause it works on her. I just can't.
This man is 2000 years old and can’t remember to silence his ringer so she ultimately figures out that Death and David have the same ringtone (not that it wasn’t obvious that they were same person at this point). Then he comes up with this bogus side story that was just a mess of lies to cover his tracks. I had to close the book for a day.
He didn’t fool me when I was 13 and he didn’t fool me now.
Death at times seems evil for vibes but he’s done almost nothing to warrant the title. He talks about him being a monster more than he spends time being one.
Him and Faith have this instant connection and there’s very literal actual enemies to lovers because of Faith’s weak crush on him.
It comes out of nowhere and is underdeveloped. It’s entirely lust and it’s boring.
Lastly, I think there is a serious issue of female characterization in this novel. The friendships are frivolous and shallow. I feel nothing between Macy and Faith, and their conversations are always either about boys or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is a lack of chemistry between them, as well as an undertone of slut shaming for nearly every female character besides Faith herself.
In addition to characters with no chemistry, I hate the relationship between Faith and her parents, since they also only ever show up to talk about boys with her.
All the characters arrive when convenient, yet can just as easily be entirely taken out with little effect on the overall plot. That’s how little agency they hold in the story or the plot.
This is due to the juvenile writing. It’s too “Wattpad” for a professionally published book.
It would be remiss for me to not mention that I do like one character, just as I liked him in the original series. Ace is a wonderful addition, yet writing men has almost never been this author’s issue. They are usually always cool, powerful, and have agency outside of romance.
Though most of his lines is exposition, I'm still looking forward to more of him. Also, his relationship with Death, and the brief instance we got to see them interact, was hilarious.
Death has the potential to be a great character. Also, unrelated, but I choose to not picture him with piercings because just doesn’t match the inner vibe I have for him and never will.
I wish this book leaned more into the horror element that it had in the beginning of the book since that was very interesting. I loved the subtle threats and I think they ended entirely too soon in replacement for boring dates between David and Faith (still gives me the ick because I can’t figure out what he has to gain from it).
Also, their first kiss felt anticlimactic.
However, I liked the ending and the beginning. I do look forward to watching where this series goes since I think the plot Tonk’s has yet to explore is far more interesting that what this first book offered.
☆⋅⋆ ─── 20th re-read 2023: significantly less stars (I'm SORRY) 💫
Warning : This review isn't particularly nice.
Death is My BFF is a dark romance that takes place in Pleasant Valley, New York where Faith Williams—a young girl with unfortunate luck and a terrible taste in men—is currently dealing with puberty and the literal grim reaper leaving sweet little love notes.
I loved this series once, but it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I think my tastes have changed a bit from when I was 13. Some of the initial magic for it has slightly dimmed.
Faith isn’t a terrible protagonist. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I love her, but she’s not bad. I do think the story has potential to be amazing, but I think the entire concept of David Star actually hindered the story in a way that added very little to the overarching plot.
I like Death—sometimes. I think he’s a great male lead and I find him amusing, although he’s not nearly as funny as I remember him to be from the original series. I think that these edits took away some of the magic but didn’t fix what was overall, most wrong with the plot as a whole.
Nearly nothing happened in the second half of the book—nothing substantial.
We spend entirely too much time in Death’s past with no warning. The pacing was very all over the place and scattered. And I truly hate the emphasis that is put in the narrative about Faith trying to “understand” Death. I think it’s overstated and cliche—and he wants your soul. Get off his dick.
One of the worst aspects of the flashbacks is that they are awkwardly placed in a way that isn’t fitting to the narrative. This series spoonfeeds information in a way that drags the reader out of the narrative.
I don’t mind flashbacks, but the way these are approached are rather like torture. Likely crueller than anything Death did to Faith in this entire book. I think they should have came later in the series because it took out all his mystery too quickly. I think the fear of him comes in the unknown, in the monster side of him, yet these moments humanizes him too early.
It just didn’t work when I feel like it hasn’t been well enough established that he is a monster.
Honestly this is the height of Death 'evilness' in this particular book.
David Star is Death's alter ego—apparently with the looks that Death had when he was still human (although I'm not entirely sure 'Alexandru' was ever quite human). David is a very rich, frat boy like douchebag. I think the narrative makes it incredibly obvious he is sus right from the beginning. The moment he was introduced when I initially read it back in this series first drafts, it was obvious David and Death were one in the same. Every new iteration of the series has made it more obvious.
Due to that cat being out of the bag, Faith seems incredibly slow trying to catch up with what I think is pretty obvious to the readers as Death attempts to gain her trust.
In that regards, Death isn’t nearly as manipulative as the book wants me to believe he is and ultimately accomplishes nothing with the David Star ploy. I truly do not see the point in getting Faith to trust him and then ultimately doing NOTHING with that trust.
There was truly just no need to pretend to be David Star since everything he was doing, he could have easily accomplished as himself since Faith has a very weak will when it comes to him.
Then, he’s just so bad at manipulation. I can gaslight someone more effectively than he can.
It's so frustrating cause it works on her. I just can't.
This man is 2000 years old and can’t remember to silence his ringer so she ultimately figures out that Death and David have the same ringtone (not that it wasn’t obvious that they were same person at this point). Then he comes up with this bogus side story that was just a mess of lies to cover his tracks. I had to close the book for a day.
He didn’t fool me when I was 13 and he didn’t fool me now.
Death at times seems evil for vibes but he’s done almost nothing to warrant the title. He talks about him being a monster more than he spends time being one.
Him and Faith have this instant connection and there’s very literal actual enemies to lovers because of Faith’s weak crush on him.
It comes out of nowhere and is underdeveloped. It’s entirely lust and it’s boring.
Lastly, I think there is a serious issue of female characterization in this novel. The friendships are frivolous and shallow. I feel nothing between Macy and Faith, and their conversations are always either about boys or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is a lack of chemistry between them, as well as an undertone of slut shaming for nearly every female character besides Faith herself.
In addition to characters with no chemistry, I hate the relationship between Faith and her parents, since they also only ever show up to talk about boys with her.
All the characters arrive when convenient, yet can just as easily be entirely taken out with little effect on the overall plot. That’s how little agency they hold in the story or the plot.
This is due to the juvenile writing. It’s too “Wattpad” for a professionally published book.
It would be remiss for me to not mention that I do like one character, just as I liked him in the original series. Ace is a wonderful addition, yet writing men has almost never been this author’s issue. They are usually always cool, powerful, and have agency outside of romance.
Though most of his lines is exposition, I'm still looking forward to more of him. Also, his relationship with Death, and the brief instance we got to see them interact, was hilarious.
Death has the potential to be a great character. Also, unrelated, but I choose to not picture him with piercings because just doesn’t match the inner vibe I have for him and never will.
I wish this book leaned more into the horror element that it had in the beginning of the book since that was very interesting. I loved the subtle threats and I think they ended entirely too soon in replacement for boring dates between David and Faith (still gives me the ick because I can’t figure out what he has to gain from it).
Also, their first kiss felt anticlimactic.
However, I liked the ending and the beginning. I do look forward to watching where this series goes since I think the plot Tonk’s has yet to explore is far more interesting that what this first book offered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2023
The only thing worse than a bad book is a bad book that has the potential to be good.
I read this book when I was 14 and I liked it well enough back then but jesus christ, after ten years, I would have hoped this story had matured past the unfocused collection of events it was back then.
Within the first paragraph, we see the aunt's hair described as "blond" which I didn't even know what to think besides who is this girls editor and how fast can she fire them.
Having said that, I already wasted enough time on this book and I dont care if theres typos in this review. These reviews are mainly for me to laugh at later anyway. I know Miss Tonks is way too famous to care about anything little ol me has to say either way.
Anyway I was so annoyed at the flimsy writing and trite dialogue that I started keeping a list. I will not expound.
***
"Insults second most fluent language, the first being sarcasm" wow so clever, hasnt been said a millions times before in every YA book ever
"Straight Jet black hair" right.
Overly descriptive -- the amount of describing was cheap and amateurish.
« goth girl » faith constantly gets called goth girl. Newsflash girly, no one gets called goth girl as an insult. Thats so 1980s coming of age B movie
Cheerleaders + secretary are catty for no reason in the most Hollywood way -- it was actually laughable.
« Metaphorically speaking » girl, you mean hypothetically????
Disparages other girls for being in love with David star and thinks she’s better than everyone else but then will not internally shut up about how hot and sexy he is -- multiple times throughout the book actually. Shut the fuck up, Faith. You're not better or smarter than anyone else. If you ask me, you're worse than every single girl you shitted on since at least they weren't on their high horse about David Star.
« Sorry not sorry » Twitter millenials
« Radiates BDE » why are we dating ourselves. it was so obvious to me that this manuscript was written circa 2019
« Shots fired » 😐
Snickered (x10) -- YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE A MILLENIA OLD BEING IS SNICKERING?? Oh my god, this got on my NERVES. The dialogue tags were trying too hard and you know what, while I'm on the topic, I really have a bone to pick with Death. The author clearly wants him to be a villain but doesn't want to commit to him BEING a villain. LET HIM BE EVIL. WHY ARE YOU DEFANGING HIM ALREADY, ITS ONLY BOOK 1. Death always goes on and on about how awful he is but I really don't believe him because he never actually DOES anything bad. Sometimes he'll say something kinda mean but my three year old brother was seriously more vicious than this supposed tyrant. And I'm still annoyed at the "you have to admit me going on a murder spree and then putting paper crowns on all the corpses was pure comedy" yeah hilarious. you're so dark and edgy and not at all like those middleschool joker fanboys. Okay seriously Kat, tell me WHY ARE YOU SCARED OF COMMITTING TO DEATH BEING A VILLAIN, I NEED TO KNOW. You're not stupid! I know you're not. You're Team Spike, come on, I expect better from you. Was Spike ever scared of smacking Buffy around? No, of course he wasn't. That boy wreaked HAVOC on the scoobies which made it THAT MUCH MORE satisfying when he was her whipped little puppy dog from season 5 onwards.
« Amalgamating » « amalga huh? » Faith is constantly juxtaposed against Marcy to be seen as intelligent which just makes me think Kat is lazy at best and a dilletante at worst. Someone respond to this review saying "dille-huh?"
« Through thick and thin I stick with da bears » umm. . . (okay, I'll be honest this one was kinda funny in an ironic way, ngl. Me and my best friend kept quoting this at each other for the whole night with different twists on it)
She is praised for watching football 😐 -- no really, there was a whole "you're not like other girls 😍" moment and it wasn't ironic.
Curly golden ringlets -- i dont think i even need to explain this one
Faith being a painter -- this one might be a little obscure but on top of being a writer I am also an artist so the superficial references to Faith having an interest in the arts pissed me off because if she was actually a painter, we would get some internal monologue about her color choice, or composition or literally ANYTHING, but all we get is "she painted" which is just so shallow and doesn't convince me that Faith knows anything about painting. When I'm working on my own paintings, I'm constantly thinking about things like color theory and focal points and and lighting and composition. But not Faith. Go girl, give us NOTHING. It just feels like a pointless prop to her character. As though the author wanted a vague reference to how Faith and Death have always been connected, which is probably what happened. Really, how hard would it have been to do a little research on this kind of thing if it would have resulted in a stronger final product. The whole book just felt so first-drafty.
Also I hate that they already kissed by the end of this book -- THIS IS NOT ENEMIES TO LOVERS!!!!
Popping the P -- part of my soul broke off and floated down to hell when I read this. Distinctly remember banging my head on the headboard and screaming. You'd think after scoring an actual publication and working on this story for almost 14 years Kat would be able to leave the wattpad writing style behind.
Constant growling and purring -- right yeah. Death is actually not a cat if you can believe that but I'm pretty sure the amount of times he growled and purred would outnumber that of a real cats'.
"I knew it was male from its bared genitals" observant as ever.
"I curse in another language" well, Death. Sweetie. Since this is supposed to be a language you are FLUENT in, i think it would be nice if you knew what language that was. In fact, I think if anyone were to know what other language you're cursing in, it would be you.
The only thing I DID like was how misogynistic Death was (sometimes) since we barely get any books where the love interest is that brand of Prick.
All in all, this book was a major disappointment but I'm not even surprised because this type of flimsy writing has become incredibly popular in contemporary romance in recent years and no one wants to take writing as a craft seriously anymore. The only advice I have to give Kat is to branch out and stop reading vapid literature that offers neither lyrical prose nor thought-provoking plot. And maybe get a new editor. Maybe a currently unemployed beta reader who would rip into your next manuscript resulting in a higher quality final product?
I read this book when I was 14 and I liked it well enough back then but jesus christ, after ten years, I would have hoped this story had matured past the unfocused collection of events it was back then.
Within the first paragraph, we see the aunt's hair described as "blond" which I didn't even know what to think besides who is this girls editor and how fast can she fire them.
Having said that, I already wasted enough time on this book and I dont care if theres typos in this review. These reviews are mainly for me to laugh at later anyway. I know Miss Tonks is way too famous to care about anything little ol me has to say either way.
Anyway I was so annoyed at the flimsy writing and trite dialogue that I started keeping a list. I will not expound.
***
"Insults second most fluent language, the first being sarcasm" wow so clever, hasnt been said a millions times before in every YA book ever
"Straight Jet black hair" right.
Overly descriptive -- the amount of describing was cheap and amateurish.
« goth girl » faith constantly gets called goth girl. Newsflash girly, no one gets called goth girl as an insult. Thats so 1980s coming of age B movie
Cheerleaders + secretary are catty for no reason in the most Hollywood way -- it was actually laughable.
« Metaphorically speaking » girl, you mean hypothetically????
Disparages other girls for being in love with David star and thinks she’s better than everyone else but then will not internally shut up about how hot and sexy he is -- multiple times throughout the book actually. Shut the fuck up, Faith. You're not better or smarter than anyone else. If you ask me, you're worse than every single girl you shitted on since at least they weren't on their high horse about David Star.
« Sorry not sorry » Twitter millenials
« Radiates BDE » why are we dating ourselves. it was so obvious to me that this manuscript was written circa 2019
« Shots fired » 😐
Snickered (x10) -- YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE A MILLENIA OLD BEING IS SNICKERING?? Oh my god, this got on my NERVES. The dialogue tags were trying too hard and you know what, while I'm on the topic, I really have a bone to pick with Death. The author clearly wants him to be a villain but doesn't want to commit to him BEING a villain. LET HIM BE EVIL. WHY ARE YOU DEFANGING HIM ALREADY, ITS ONLY BOOK 1. Death always goes on and on about how awful he is but I really don't believe him because he never actually DOES anything bad. Sometimes he'll say something kinda mean but my three year old brother was seriously more vicious than this supposed tyrant. And I'm still annoyed at the "you have to admit me going on a murder spree and then putting paper crowns on all the corpses was pure comedy" yeah hilarious. you're so dark and edgy and not at all like those middleschool joker fanboys. Okay seriously Kat, tell me WHY ARE YOU SCARED OF COMMITTING TO DEATH BEING A VILLAIN, I NEED TO KNOW. You're not stupid! I know you're not. You're Team Spike, come on, I expect better from you. Was Spike ever scared of smacking Buffy around? No, of course he wasn't. That boy wreaked HAVOC on the scoobies which made it THAT MUCH MORE satisfying when he was her whipped little puppy dog from season 5 onwards.
« Amalgamating » « amalga huh? » Faith is constantly juxtaposed against Marcy to be seen as intelligent which just makes me think Kat is lazy at best and a dilletante at worst. Someone respond to this review saying "dille-huh?"
« Through thick and thin I stick with da bears » umm. . . (okay, I'll be honest this one was kinda funny in an ironic way, ngl. Me and my best friend kept quoting this at each other for the whole night with different twists on it)
She is praised for watching football 😐 -- no really, there was a whole "you're not like other girls 😍" moment and it wasn't ironic.
Curly golden ringlets -- i dont think i even need to explain this one
Faith being a painter -- this one might be a little obscure but on top of being a writer I am also an artist so the superficial references to Faith having an interest in the arts pissed me off because if she was actually a painter, we would get some internal monologue about her color choice, or composition or literally ANYTHING, but all we get is "she painted" which is just so shallow and doesn't convince me that Faith knows anything about painting. When I'm working on my own paintings, I'm constantly thinking about things like color theory and focal points and and lighting and composition. But not Faith. Go girl, give us NOTHING. It just feels like a pointless prop to her character. As though the author wanted a vague reference to how Faith and Death have always been connected, which is probably what happened. Really, how hard would it have been to do a little research on this kind of thing if it would have resulted in a stronger final product. The whole book just felt so first-drafty.
Also I hate that they already kissed by the end of this book -- THIS IS NOT ENEMIES TO LOVERS!!!!
Popping the P -- part of my soul broke off and floated down to hell when I read this. Distinctly remember banging my head on the headboard and screaming. You'd think after scoring an actual publication and working on this story for almost 14 years Kat would be able to leave the wattpad writing style behind.
Constant growling and purring -- right yeah. Death is actually not a cat if you can believe that but I'm pretty sure the amount of times he growled and purred would outnumber that of a real cats'.
"I knew it was male from its bared genitals" observant as ever.
"I curse in another language" well, Death. Sweetie. Since this is supposed to be a language you are FLUENT in, i think it would be nice if you knew what language that was. In fact, I think if anyone were to know what other language you're cursing in, it would be you.
The only thing I DID like was how misogynistic Death was (sometimes) since we barely get any books where the love interest is that brand of Prick.
All in all, this book was a major disappointment but I'm not even surprised because this type of flimsy writing has become incredibly popular in contemporary romance in recent years and no one wants to take writing as a craft seriously anymore. The only advice I have to give Kat is to branch out and stop reading vapid literature that offers neither lyrical prose nor thought-provoking plot. And maybe get a new editor. Maybe a currently unemployed beta reader who would rip into your next manuscript resulting in a higher quality final product?
October 13, 2023
Este libro fue un regresar a mi época de Wattpad donde los chicos malos eran lo más interesante del mundo.
Es increíble ver lo que 10 años de escritura le hacen a una historia fantastica como la de Faith y Death. Estoy emocionadísima por continuar leyendo esta saga que promete 😍
Es increíble ver lo que 10 años de escritura le hacen a una historia fantastica como la de Faith y Death. Estoy emocionadísima por continuar leyendo esta saga que promete 😍
October 10, 2023
Oh I missed these characters! I'm so proud of Kat for publishing "death is my bff", after following her series on Wattpad for years, it's a wonderful sight to see!
What's not to love!
😈YA paranormal fantasy
😈The villain gets the girl
😈Enemies-to-lovers
😈Angels and demons
😈Morally gray characters
It was nice reminiscing back through scenes from the first book plus new content which is adapted from her rewritten work as Kat has rewritten the series a few times now, and just gets better and better!
Definitely looking forward to book 2 and hopefully she continues the series because on Wattpad it's quite long so hopefully she gets more publishing deals and can continue the series🧁🩵
"you can outrun your enemies, but you can't outrun your destiny"
What's not to love!
😈YA paranormal fantasy
😈The villain gets the girl
😈Enemies-to-lovers
😈Angels and demons
😈Morally gray characters
It was nice reminiscing back through scenes from the first book plus new content which is adapted from her rewritten work as Kat has rewritten the series a few times now, and just gets better and better!
Definitely looking forward to book 2 and hopefully she continues the series because on Wattpad it's quite long so hopefully she gets more publishing deals and can continue the series🧁🩵
"you can outrun your enemies, but you can't outrun your destiny"
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