Review Detail

Pseudocide :Sometimes you have to DIE to survive

Young Adult Indie 573

Chilling Story

January 14, 2022

Overall rating

5.0

Writing Style

N/A

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

PSEUDOCIDE by A.K. Smith is a sad story of a girl named Sunday trying to escape her life by faking her own death. She gets her neighbor Amir, an outcast at her school, to help her form a new identity so she could go on living after her faked death.

There was a lot to unpack with this book. It grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go until I finished the ending, which left me breathless. There was a lot here that could be triggering to many. School shootings, for one. There’s one in this book, and it was intense to read.

What worked:
Sunday’s pain felt real. The detached way she looked at her life felt authentic. She felt like her only option was escape. It was heartbreaking, but understandable. Following Sunday on her adventure kept me glued to the pages, and the pacing was excellent. Her friendship with Amir was believable and sweet to read about, which made the rest of the book a lot more interesting. I’m not going to give anything away, but it’s worth the read because there are some great twists in this book.

What didn’t work:
The parts where she was working at the Vegas casino made me cringe. It was hard to read about her life out on her own. I was constantly worried about her welfare, and may hit a bit close to home for anyone who may have experienced poverty or have been in a tough situation. It wasn’t badly written by any stretch, just painful to read what the character was going through. I have a love-hate relationship with how this book ended. I won’t give it away, but it was chilling and not what I wanted to see happening. But at the same time there was something exciting about the feeling, like finishing a horror movie. So I want to hate it, but I kind of love it too. I get the impression that was exactly what the author was going for anyway.

The final verdict: PSEUDOCIDE is a gripping tale with unexpected twists and turns and strong characters. This book tackles some heavy topics that may be difficult for some to read, so read it at your own risk. That being said, I highly recommend it.