To the Death snuck up on me. It starts as this book about magical dueling and rivalry and then turns into a book about revenge and responsibility. Talk about a book with a glow up! Keep reading this book review of To the Death for my full thoughts.
Summary
Eighteen-year-old Samantha Chan wants only one revenge for her brother’s death in an illegal magical duel. Ever since that terrible day, she’s been quietly working with legitimate dueling champion Lysander Rook and biding her time until she can take down her brother’s Mateus Blackwood.
Tamsin Blackwood is trapped. She wants to make a name for herself in the magical dueling circuit, but she can’t get away from the legacy of her father—and coach—Mateus Blackwood. When she receives a challenge from the undefeated Lysander and his assistant Sam, she jumps at the chance to earn enough fame and glory to finally escape her father’s influence.
Tamsin has no idea about Sam’s scheming, and Sam plans to keep it that way. Despite herself, though, she can’t help liking Tamsin, and the two girls quickly grow closer to each other than anyone else in their lives. But Sam won’t let anything get in the way of her revenge—not even her heart.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
To the Death is multi-faceted. It starts off this story about dueling magician, ambition and revenge. For Samantha she’s so hell bent on revenge that she doesn’t care who she takes down on the way just if it eventually achieves her goal. In To the Death she come to ask herself if this makes her just as bad as those she seeks to punish? If we turn ourselves into a weapon, what’s left of us? In some senses, it examines this pursuit of magic, this raw desire to be the absolute best, to push ourselves to the limit. For Tamsin, we witness the pressures of being our parent’s dreams, of their ambitions weighing on our shoulder.
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This immense burden to win, to be the fulfillment of dreams still to be had. To the Death also asks us if we are responsible for what our family has done and what we will do when we find out. To the Death only builds as it progresses and turns into a story about revenge, hurting those who hurt us, and realizing when it’s time to walk away. Will we lose ourselves to our pursuit of revenge, of winning, and what tethers us? It can leave us feeling hollow after burning for so long. Find To the Death on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.