Leonardo Cantrell is a painfully shy sixteen-year-old who cannot look people in the eye. One night while he’s volunteering at a homeless shelter, an old man forces eye contact and gives Leo the power to see Death.His best, and only, friend—J.C. Rivera—thinks this new power is cool until Leo accidentally looks into J.C.’s eyes and “sees” his murder, a murder that will occur in less than two weeks. … two weeks. Stunned and shaken, the two boys sift through clues in Leo’s “vision” in a desperate effort to find the killer and stop him before he can strike.
Aided by feisty new-girl-at-school, Laura, the boys uncover evidence suggesting the identity of the murderer. However, their plan to trap the would-be killer goes horribly awry and reveals a truth that could kill them all.
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This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: I Know When You’re Going To Die
Author: Michael J. Bowler
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 16 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
16 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
16 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Cool book! I liked the premise which I thought was very original. I also thought the three characters worked well together. Fast-paced, perfect for YA.’ Boy, aged 15
‘The way the relationships work between the characters, particularly when they are dealing with such a strange problem, is intriguing. I think this author knows what teenager like reading. I was hooked after reading the blurb.’ Boy, aged 15
‘Gritty, exciting page-turner.’ Girl, aged 16
‘Leo is the best character in it. He’s sort of shy but with a big heart.’ Boy, aged 13
‘I love paranormal books so this was perfect for me. I enjoyed it totally. It was exciting, fun, even scary in parts. The author is amazing. I will read all of his books.’ Girl, aged 15
To Sum It Up:
‘A superbly written YA novel, packed full of suspense and mystery. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Ooh okay.
So where to begin with this review since I absolutely adored EVERYTHING about this book.
Leo isn’t like his classmates. Instead of worrying about material things and selfies, he spends his time helping out the less fortunate. That’s how he meets a homeless man who changes his life by giving him the ability to see when people are going to die. Leo reasons that as long as he doesn’t look into anyone’s eyes, he’ll be fine. Then, he accidentally looks into his best friend’s eyes and sees he’ll be murdered in a week.
For me, this was one of those books that you think about long after you reach the end. It had a lot of themes: good versus evil, life and death, and bullying. Every character in this book was very well fleshed out and it led to the themes of the story. I loved Leonardo. He was a very relatable character with a good heart and a soft-spoken nature. His best friend, J.C. was his exact opposite. I think it was for that reason that they got along so well. I loved the roller-coaster of ups and downs their friendship went through. I think everyone needs a friendship like they shared.
I liked Laura’s character too. She was a fantastic addition to the story with her intuitive ways and unique insight into the situation. Even the school bully, Chet, had a wonderfully tragic background. The kind that actually makes you understand why he is the way that he is. In the end, I loved the way the author had these characters interact and each one was strengthened by what they went through.
The entire death and life aspect is what kept me thinking though. If we had the power to see when someone was to die, would it be a good thing to interfere or let it happen? Throughout this book, I thought of the Final Destination movie franchises, and even the author made a reference in the story. Saving someone who is destined to die leaves ripples, but I love the decision that Leo made at the end of the story. I feel like that’s a fitting end to this story though it still leaves the reader with a bit of wonder.
Narration was wonderful. It seemed as if every character had their own voice, and it added to the immersiveness of the audiobook. Loved this combination of author and narrator.
Highly recommended audiobook!
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
At first, I thought this was going to be a bit dry and slow, though I loved the entire concept of Leo’s gift. All of a sudden, it became a real page turner as Leo, JC, and Laura race to prevent JC’s murder. I loved Leo’s innocence and determination. JC was a strong supportive friend, though he had his secrets. Laura added a more level-headed dimension to this trio, and I enjoyed their journey through growth, change, and danger. The ending was a surprise which gave a satisfactory conclusion to their story.
I received a copy of this story through Enticing Journey Book Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
What if you were given the ability to see how and when people were going to die, and you had the chance to stop it from happening to your best friend? This is exclty that case of what happens to Leo and his friend J.C. Leo is one of the quiet shy kids at Costa High who is a kind soul and spends his time volunteering at soups kitchens, it is here that he encounters a homeless man who bestow onto Leo his ability allowing him to pass on and die safe in the knowledge that someone worthy of it is going to take it over.
This was a fantastic read, and when Leo looks into this friends JC eyes and see how he is going to die he swears to protect his friend and stop it from happening, JC is a bit of a mouthy kid but who would actually want to kill him leaves the boys drawing a blank other than the school bully Chet, but as the story reaches it peak you soon realises there are more people than anyone actually realised.
The story flowed well and held my attention from the start, and i did not foresee the outcome!
5 stars
Michael J. Bowler’s “I Know When You’re Going To Die” follows sixteen-year-old Leonardo Cantrell. One night, while volunteering at a local homeless shelter, Leo has a mysterious encounter with one of the shelter’s residents that will change his life forever. The strange old man ‘gifts’ Leo with a magic power that will allow him to see when another person is going to die just by making eye contact. At first, Leo isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do with this newfound superpower, but then the unthinkable happens: he accidentally sees his best friend’s murder. Now Leo, his best friend J.C., and new-girl Laura have to race against time to figure out why J.C. is going to be killed and change the future before it is too late.
The idea for Bowler’s novel is certainly unique. I read a lot of Young Adult literature, and it was quite refreshing to read a book with a story idea that I have never seen before anywhere else. I think one thing that Bowler really conveyed well with this book was that how we treat other people day-to-day can really affect our future well-being. Leo and his friends live in a wealthy part of the city, go to a prominent school, and come from powerful, wealthy families. Despite the glamorous exterior, however, each of their lives is rife with deceit, tense home lives, and competition to own the latest, coolest gadgets, get “in” with the “right” people, and fit into stereotypes put on them by their surrounding community.
What I really liked about Bowler’s characters, especially the protagonist, Leo, was that readers were presented with a young man who, despite his material wealth, strives to make sure that people see him for who he is inside, rather than the things he owns or because of his powerful, rich, movie-mogul mother. In fact, one of Leo’s greatest joys is helping out at the homeless shelter, where he feels more at home than at his own house and with his own parent. The emphasis on a young teenager wanting to spend time helping others is a powerful image that more kids need to be exposed to, and one of the best ways to do that is through Young Adult literature.
While the idea for the story and the characters were certainly unique and interesting, I found that the presentation of the story left a little to be desired. I think the biggest thing that got in the way of really getting engrossed in the book was that the tone felt just a little forced. The dialogue did not always feel authentic as things that teenagers would actually say, and it seemed like part of the problem with the dialogue feeling forced or not authentic is that the speaking characteristics of the characters were hard to differentiate between each other. When I read, usually I identify certain quirks or trademarks in a character’s dialogue that really helps highlight their individuality, and I did not quite feel this with “I Know You’re Going to Die.” I also think that the pacing of the story leaves room for improvement could be. The story moved very fast.
Based on the current style of the writing, however, I do think that Bowler’s book could be catered well to a younger teen or middle grade audience. The tone of the story on the whole had a Percy Jackson-like air to it. I can see it being a book that could be well marketed to young teenage boys, in particular, between the ages of about 12 to 14. This is an age group where reading is either avoided at all costs or makes up a large part of a kid’s leisure time. Stories like Bowler’s could be great incentives to get more younger teenage boys more interested in reading.
4 stars
“I Know When You’re Going to Die” by Michael J. Bowler follows sixteen-year-old Leonardo (Leo) Cantrell as he navigates life more interested in serving the less fortunate than keeping up with the latest fashion trends. An unexpected “gift” results in his being able to foretell a person’s death after looking into their eyes. Facing bullies at school and trying to come to terms with his newfound power, Leo must discover a way to change the outcome of his visions or risk losing his best friend permanently.
This young adult story provides a unique twist on the angst of teen existence as Leo battles not only peer pressure, bullying, entitlement, abandonment, and discriminatory behavior, but also has to deal with the horrendous responsibility conferred upon him by an elderly man. The story is told in first person point of view in the present tense, so it was a little challenging for me to get used to at first, but eventually I became caught up in the action. One of the things I was fascinated by was the glimpse of my city through Leo’s eyes. Of course, I have never traveled in those “entitled” circles, but I have definitely driven down some of the streets mentioned, so it was fun to read about the kids’ adventures in familiar areas.
I like the thought-provoking question of cause and effect and the twists and turns of Leo’s adventures, but I would have liked to have a little more depth to the characters. Those who are squeamish should be warned that there is a bit of carnage and death in the story, plus some spookiness, but the action escalates and keeps one enthralled and cheering for the good guys to win.
A copy of this story was provided for review