FIRSTLIFE

If you had one chance to choose how you would live your second life after you die, what would you do?

Tenley Lockwood, also known as Ten is at Prynne asylum, not because she has a mental illness, but because she is considered dangerous to her world. Being seventeen, almost eighteen, years old, she has not decided where she will be placed after she dies. People in Ten's world get two lives to live. One on Earth and the other either in Troika or Myraid, which are two factions everyone knows as Everlife. Ten's parents on her sixteenth birthday expected her to choose Myraid, since it was their way of life, but Ten refuses to commit to any side and for that, her parents hide her from society, where she is mistreated and abused on a daily basis.

Throughout Ten's stay she has made some "friends." Both Troika and Myraid have sent laborers to help Tenley choose a side. Archer, a goofy, irreverent Troikan guy with a razor sharp wit, was casually placed inside a woman's body and posed as Ten's new roommate and quickly became Ten's ally. Killian, a Myraidian heartthrob who's a little more brutal and straight-forward, is willing to do anything to get Tenley on his side. Both Archer and Killian have good intentions despite their long rivalry. Each truly believes that their side is the right choice and the other is the dangerous choice. Both also want to save Ten from Many Ends, which to us is like hell. However, them caring and protecting Ten unleashes a whole new chaos on Earth.

Like many religions, Troika and Myraid consider themselves different from the other. With light and dark elements, they may also compare to heaven and hell. The story offers up a clever take on the importance of decision-making, indoctrination versus free-thinking, and living on your own terms. It is a fascinating story, but one that requires a careful balance.

Reading this story I felt really connected to Tenley. I also loved the relationship building between Ten and Killian. I highly recommend this book for anyone!