First Comes Death

There’s something very poetic about how I absolutely devoured Avrah C. Baron’s sapphic Sci Fi, First Comes Death, since the villain is literally a devourer of souls, but I’m getting ahead of myself. As the title suggests – first we’ve got to talk about death. 

More specifically, we have to accept that the main characters have all died and thanks to a black hole anomaly have come back to life with superpowers related to their deaths. In the case of Ivy, a gang member stabbed as she was trying to leave that life, she can sprout daggers of bone from her body. It’s a useful skill for someone of her background. In the case of Dina, who died when her car crashed into the Chesapeake, she dissolves into mist and travels all over the world on the water currents. However, this is decidedly less useful since she has no control over when this will happen or where she’ll wash up. Yikes. Also yikes? These resurrections seem to have also given rise to a soul sucking monster that is hunting down all these newly alive-again individuals and giving them a second, more final, gruesome death. 

Sound a little fuzzy on the science? It is. But I urge you to keep going because once we have suspended our disbelief about these dubious events, we get to enjoy the main features of the book – witty banter, steamy sapphic romance, and two nail biter action sequences. Having read Baron’s shorter fiction before, I think the banter and queer sexual yearning are particular skills of hers. The witticisms span all sorts of relationships – romantic, friendship, platonic, even conversations with the villain. As a Jewish reader, that kind of fast talking humor is very welcome and familiar. It’s a treat to find that part of my life in a book.

A word on the rep – our girl Dina is Jewish and her parents are epic homophobes. Her car crash occurred as she was on her way to come out to them which she suspected would lead to her being disowned like her gay older brother. Talk about the worst coming out ever. Ivy, who is not Jewish, has been a lesbian all her life and is more comfortable in her own skin. There’s a very cozy extended found family formed of a variety of backgrounds. I’d judge the heat level as medium – there are two sex scenes, but they weren’t that explicit, only a sentence or two were mildly graphic. Which doesn’t mean this wasn’t hot, I found it very swoony, but you could probably get away with reading it on your commute if you’ve got a discreet e-reader. 

First Comes Death was a quick read for me. I’ll probably go back and spend some more time with the dialogue, because as I mentioned Baron is a master of snappy back and fourths, but if you’re looking to break a reading slump, this might be the book to try. 

Note: BookishlyJewish received a copy of this book from the author. And it came with the cutest sticker ever.

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