Review of Just Die

[Liana Mayhew]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Just Die" by E Alan Fleischauer.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Just Die
By E. Alan Fleischauer.

One minute Jake Silver is a financial adviser, selling his million-dollar company, and the next minute he is waking up in a hospital bed, being told he has had a stroke and that he's lucky to still be alive. It's not long before life deals Jake another shock. He remembers back to when he was younger. His mother had told him that flipping the bird at people was wrong, and instead, he should discreetly point at the person and say the words 'just die', which would be a better option as it avoids confrontation.
So when Jake gets some company on his ward from another stroke victim, instead of flipping the bird or getting aggressive to the man, whose breathing was disturbing Jake's sleep, he points his finger at the man and whispers 'just die'. Immediately machines are bleeping and the nurses and doctors are trying to resuscitate the man. Was this just a coincidence? Could Jake have a power which can kill merely through words? What would Jake choose to do about this new bizarre situation?

'Just Die', by E. Alan Fleischauer, is an exciting, fast-paced story, with a fun, superhero and fantasy vibe. There are lots of different characters, each one has their own backstory explained. Even the smaller characters have some of their history told. This, for me, is both a good and a bad point. On one hand, all the characters are well-rounded and have a story which does add to the overall plot of the book. However, I felt that perhaps too much time was spent on the smaller characters' history, which could have been spent on filling out the main story more and getting rid of a few plot holes. For example, the end of the book felt very rushed. All the mini-plots were finished off and had no real loose ends, but the main plot of Jake's situation at the time seemed rushed and farfetched and it didn't seem to flow as the rest of the story had.

There were traces of humour throughout the book. This mainly came from Omar, Jake's hospital porter at the start of the book. The character of Omar, felt natural with a comical, down-to-earth vibe to him, whilst also being highly loyal to those he cares about. He reminded me of a pit bull when I was reading this, one moment Omar is joking and playful, and the next he is taking out a group of thugs single-handed, to the point where he is arrested! I felt he was completely relatable, and I'm sure everyone knows someone a bit like Omar. The relationship between him, and Jake had me giggling right from their first meeting.
'"rise and shine, Silverado! I'm Omar, and it's time for your first delicious meal of the day."'
He always spoke upbeat and his personality really added to the story I think.

The constant changing of characters, and the character flashbacks, were confusing in places. I would compare the book's layout to a soap opera, in the sense that one minute the reader is in the oval office in Washington, and the next they're in a hotel in Russia with little to no time in between.

Overall I would give Just Die, a 4 out of 5-star rating. Although the story was great and kept me glued to the pages, I feel the ending was far too rushed and the outcomes of some of the characters were unrealistic and farfetched. There were a few grammatical, punctuational and spelling mistakes, but these were minimal and had been well edited overall.

There is no sexual content included in the book, however, the topic of rape does appear, also drugs and their usage is described. Due to some stronger language, the drug usage, and the fact that this story is about the ability to kill, I would recommend readers should be over 15 years of age.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this to other superhero and fantasy fans.

******
Just Die
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Hee Via]

I recently read this book myself and I have to say your review did it. Omar’s humor really was my favorite thing about the book. Good job.

[Catalina Isabel]

I agree with Omar being a highlight of the book. To me, although the ending seemed a bit rushed I thought it was to make room for a sequel. There were a few unanswered parts definately. Thanks for a great review!