In terms of writing style, this novel reminded me of The Iron Trial and subsequent Magisterium series. In terms of the plot elements, however, it was much more like Renegades.

This is a story about twins, one who wants desperately to be a superhero and the other one is perfectly content behind the camera of his brother's life.

Unfortunately, when powers come in, it's the quieter twin, Emil, who becomes a superhero with an epic backstory. Meanwhile, Brighton is left attempting not to let envy swallow him, absolutely devoted to his brother and the cause they are now fighting for, but aware of his own fragility and the seeming lack of worth he's viewed with by others he admires.

The premise wasn't anything I hadn't seen before and the twist at the end was one I saw from the beginning. However, the journey in this novel was enjoyable. I quite loved all of the characters in Nova, even including Ness and his twisted backstory.

There are multiple characters whose viewpoints we follow in this, including both Emil and Brighton, Ness and incredibly conflicted character Maribelle who has also lost her parents like Emil and Brighton lost their father. None of these characters are perfect--far from it--and it works super well because they are all teenagers moving through a crisis.

A fantastic start to a new series.

I had to DNf this book. The writing was all over the place, plot was confusing and there was no world building which was a shame as the premis sounded amazing,

I could not get into this book at all.
It was pitched as this amazing fantasy, something that Adam has never done before, but all of his books have that ~otherness to them, so it wasn't that much of a shift?
I don't even remember what percentage I DNFed this at that's how bad I thought it was.
1 star.

The fantasy world was intriguing, but the book jumped right into the plot without much introduction, and I felt like a good chunk I was trying to wrap my head around which power was which, and who was supposed to be good or bad. The plot was so fast paced that it felt like nothing was that important since we already rushed onto the next situation. An fairly light read, don’t think I’m hooked for a sequel though there were some cliffhanger questions. .

I don’t want to write this review, because it makes me so sad to say that I did not love this book. I loved They Both Die At The End so much and still start ugly crying if I think about it too much. It was full of emotion and tension and mystique. All of which are things lacking in Infinity Son.

First off I think all the hype about this being “Adam Silvera’s First FANTASY ZOMG” has something to do with the disappointment I am feeling, as this reads much more like a contemporary with superpowers and mythical beings. The lack of world-building made it feel almost more like kids playing dress-up than a real fantasy world.

The plotline was enjoyable enough even in its predictability and transparency. I’m over reluctant heroes who are insensitive to the plights of the people around them and in the end, are just selfish jerks. There is I think supposed to be a romance in this but honestly not sure where or how it started… they just suddenly wanted each other. What I wanted to be a fun fantasy, really is just a schlocky superhero book with a predictable plot that I could have determined from a quarter of the way in.

It really hurts that this was such a bad review, I wanted to like… something beyond the diversity of the cast. Sadly for me, it just does not live up to its hype.

As much as I respect the authors time and effort, this book was just not for me.
I can’t really review it properly, as I just couldn’t get through it.
Pluses for queer poc characters, so I hope that it finds its right audience

this novel gave me a very middle ground feel. It wasn't particularly tragic but it also didn't make me want to shout it from the rooftops.

So, I’ll try to keep this one short. Infinity Son is like nothing else Silvera has released and I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Usually full of meet cutes and intensely romantic situations, Infinity Son just felt a little flat to me. This is not to say it’s bad, it’s just different.

The novel follows a pair of twins who are waiting for the day their powers kick in. They have just hit the age of 18 and neither has ever shown a skerrick of magic, but what’s to say tomorrow wont bring a miracle? Their entire world is turned upside down when they meet the specter Orton and suddenly are dragged into an age old war.

So, I really want to talk about the magic system here. There’s definitely a magic system but I actually have no idea how it works. Celestials are those born with special powers that are inherited while specters are those that have stolen their magic from magical creatures by blood magic. But they aren’t magic to start with so how do they steal magic, using magic, when they have no magic… Yep. I’m just as confused as you are at the previous statement. Other than that, some of the powers specters possess are pretty cool. There’s a guy with the ability to phase through solid matter and has phoenix fire, a girl who can enter your body and control you, a shifter who got their power from. Actually, I have no idea how he became a shifter, but it’s a pretty cool ability to have.

While Silvera’s characters are usually fully fleshed out, I felt a little like the required background of each of the narrators (I think there was four. Or maybe it was five) was a little skimmed over in favour of constantly changing the point of view. With the boys, their tale is filled out throughout the course of the narrative with their mother taking a forefront in explaining why everything has happened. In the instance of Maribelle, however, there was a ‘twist’ thrown in that I still don’t understand after a second read through.

Which brings me to the bare bones of the story. It was an easy (albeit sometimes confusing) read that allowed me to pick it up and down without losing a great deal of the plot. The overarching narrative was interesting and had a very Renegades feel to it. While twists were mostly predictable, I found myself enjoying it towards the end when the action really started. The cliff-hanger at the end left the whole thing feel as though it had simply been a longer novel chopped in half rather than resolving pretty much anything.

I’m going to wrap it up here because I feel like there’s not much else to say. The characters are mostly engaging but lacked the back story for me to relate to most of them in any real capacity. It was an easy read, although parts of the narrative seemed to service needing a twist rather than making sense with the rest of the novel. The constantly changing point of views, while probably necessary, seemed to have no real order to them and I found myself getting confused. While it wasn’t a bad book, I am probably unlikely to pick up its sequel and shall instead stick Silvera’s contemporary catalogue.

I've only read one other Adam Silvera book - History is All You Left Me - but he is a very popular author so my expectations were still quite high. Overall, I did enjoy this book. Urban fantasy is not something I would generally pick up so maybe that's why it was just an alright read for me. I did have fun reading it, and I did like the world and characters. I'm just not entirely sure this book was for me. Having said that, I do think I might reread at some point later this year and see if that helps my immersion into the world better. Additionally, I will keep an eye out for the sequel when it comes, as I think this is a series that will probably get better with each installment.

Actual rating: 3.75


Okay. First thing first.

What an ending!

But despite Silvera's wonderful inclination at writing gob-smacking cliff-hangers, this wasn't everything that I was hoping for.

I want to make it clear that, despite this book being marketed as a fantasy/magic-system book, it reads like a superhero story. Which is a little confusing and threw me off a little when starting the book.

And while I did truly enjoy the book, it was definitely lacking when it came to the world-building. I still don't entirely understand the magic system, because it wasn't explained at any point. It didn't take away from the story, but as a reader I wanted more.

The world-building that did exist, however, was really unique and interesting. I love the introduction of mythological creatures and concept of blood alchemy. I'm keen to see what else Silvera does with the series!

This book followed several different perspectives throughout, but the personalities didn't really come through for me. Each perspective read the same and without the distinctiveness that I was craving the story read a lot duller than I think it should have.

In saying this, the interaction between the characters was one of my favourite things in the book.

The relationship between brothers, while Brighton annoyed the living hell out of me, was gorgeously complex, flawed and raw. The intense relationship between Mari and Atlas was another favourite - the relationship woven through shared trauma was depicted well and I kinda wish there had been more of them.

And the slow-burn potential romance - *wink wink* not saying who - was excellent

Adam Silvera has built a strong following of fans due to his diverse characters and strong writing. His gay boys express feelings, have genuine complicated lives, and his plots are original. So far, they have all been mostly situated in contemporary settings, although the magic realism aspects of They Both Die at the End should have clued us into his interest in writing a broader range of genres.

There is no doubt that Infinity Son is fantasy, superhero and magical. Readers are dropped straight into this alternate world and have to do the hard work figuring out the rules and the state of the nation (hint: it’s not good). There are many elements that will be familiar – social media platforms are integral, as are the boroughs of New York, and the political manipulation of the public to allow those in power to retain and increase their control.

However, once terms like, ‘celestials’, ‘spectres’ and ‘The Blackout’ are thrown around, we quickly realise we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy! Silvera has created a world where people can come into their powers, usually because of a genetic family line, and manifest in recognizable ways—telekinesis, flight or healing—but they can also be in the form of magical creatures’ powers—hydras, phoenixes, or dragons—and the range of ability and power is explored with great detail.

But of course humans once again prove we can’t have nice things because ordinary jealous people decided to experiment with actual magical creatures’ blood and created the ability to become powerful through consuming these ingredients, and the world is divided between those who believe it’s okay to kill these beautiful being for their own desires, and those that don’t.

Emil and Brighton, twin brothers, very different, both longed for powers when they were young, but now, turning 18, it’s only Brighton who still wishes and believes they will manifest. Emil just wants to survive a world that is increasingly violent and uncertain. He observes the disintegrating society with disquiet and fear, while Brighton uses every opportunity of chaos to build his social media influence. Silvera sneakily comments on our growing addiction to everything virtual, and it’s not a pleasant reflection on us at all.

The narrative drive develops quickly and we have barely come to come up for air, as Email and Brighton are continually pushed to their limits, and most telling of all, is the growing divide between their reaction to the events that consume them. It transpires that they look at the world through completely different lenses, and it’s also very clear that they do have each other’s backs and continue to rally for each other, even when everything descends into even more madness.

The concluding chapters are very thrilling and not everyone is safe. Another aspect to this novel is the large number of secondary characters who become important and all who have their own personalities and agendas. This means it’s difficult to tell who we should be cheering for, and who will live, but this also serves to create a real community who may or may not survive. If we invest in these people, we might find ourselves not very happy at all. Be warned, the cliff hanger ending will infuriate. I don’t know why I believed this was a duology, but it’s not. There will be (at least?) three books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy. I found it compelling, but also a bit confusing. Everything happens quickly, and I kept hoping for more downtime to reflect on events and wanted them to have more time to plan. But alas, not to be. Also, the romance elements are small, but of course, who has time to fall in love with the fate of the whole world nearing crisis point. Recommended for readers who love LGBTQIA characters fitting into the world order, and who can help save the world. There are a lot of magical and mystical elements and gorgeous creatures who need rescuing. The brothers’ love for each other is highly visible, but that also foreshadows a darker conclusion that will be spotted by keen speculators. Infinity Son is due out today.

Wow. What an incredible way to end a book! I need the next book, yesterday!

I found Infinity Son a little slow to start, but once I got a feel for the writing style and tje world setting, the pacing picked up and I really got lost in this original plot of celestials and magical creatures.

I haven't read a book like this before, it feels like a grown up Harry Potter. It has wands, Phoenix's, magical powers, hydra's and so much more!

Well written and thought provoking, this book is refreshing and action packed. I am a little sad about the whole Ness situation. Because who doesn't love a bad(ish) boy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the review copy!
All thoughts are my own.

Emil and Brighton, twin brothers, get stuck in the war between the Spell Walkers and the Spectres. Spell Walkers are born with powers whereas the Spectres steal the essence of endangered creatures such as phoenixes and basilisks, for power. That’s really all you need to know going into the story. ⁣
⁣
This is Adam Silvera’s first fantasy book and I have never read any of his books before so keep that in mind. I do like his writing style but it’s not suitable for a fantasy book because in a fantasy book you expect fantastical and very “sophisticated” writing but in this case, it was very colloquial. Because of that it really hindered my reading experience. Another problem was that there was not much world-building, however, I’ve had instances where the first book in a fantasy series didn’t have sufficient world-building but the second book does. I would recommend this book if you’re starting to get into the fantasy genre, pick it up 😌

L I K E S

- The idea
I will expand on this later, but I really thought I would love this book for a variety of reasons. The summary intrigued me, and my excitement was only increased because it was by one of my favourite authors. The bare bones idea of this book was amazing, but unfortunately the execution didn't do it justice. I think it could make a good movie if adapted right!

- Ness
A character only introduced towards the latter half of the book- but for some unknown reason I found myself being so much more excited when he entered a scene.

- The romance
Now this is both a like and dislike for me. This book has been largely marketed as a gay fantasy with phoenixes- and I was so excited! And while that is technically true, the romance is not a very big component at all. It was practically non-existent. I was so excited to see a traditionally conservative genre be more diverse, but we didn't really see much. Of course, the representation is still valid even if he isn't in a relationship, but it felt very safe to me and didn't push the bounds of fantasy.That being said, the small romantic moments were good, and I would love to see it develop over following books.

D I S L I K E S

- The writing style
This was surprising to me, as I have read Adam Silvera's book 'What if It's Us' cowritten with Becky Albertalli and loved it. Like one of my favourites of the year loved it. For some reason, this writing style did not gel with me one bit. From the beginning I found myself pulled out of the story because of strange sentence structure and weird slang. The writing felt emotionless (odd for someone almost infamous for writing emotional stories).

-The world building
New York. Magic. Phoenixes. For a world with so much possibility for magic, intrigue and atmosphere- this world just felt lifeless and 2D.

- TLI (aka Too Little Information)
What is the difference between a spell walker, blood caster, celestial, Spector, halo knight etc? Don't ask me because I sure don't know. I don't think this is just a me issue either, as many reviews I have read have this same complaint. We are simply thrown into the world with no explaination for anything. We are given page upon page descriptions of how Brighton's youtube videos and subscriber count are going (please don't get me started) but nothing about the stuff I actually cared about. I want to know more about the blackout, the politics, how powers work, phoenixes, what their relationship with humans is, what they can do (wow I just realised how little this book that supposedly centres around phoenixes includes about them). Anything except for Brighton and his viewer count. Ugh. Can you tell I'm a little bitter?

- half hearted attempts at addressing real world issues
This book seemed like it started to try and include real world issues, but backed out halfway through and just left little snippets without giving the time to properly address them.
(for example: wand violence. seemingly trying to address the problem of gun violence in a different context which I always appreciate. However, I searched the ARC document for mentions of it, and it was literally mentioned once then never again.)

- The.Cliches.
Cliches and tropes don't usually bother me- after all they have become popular because they work well and add something to the story. I can't really get into this without spoiling it but just think of any stereotypical rip off harry potter fantasy and you'll probably get the same in this book. My problem is that nothing new or different was added to the tropes to make them slightly new or different. I found myself full on rolling my eyes at some points because it was so outrageously tropey.


- The characters
and by the characters I mean Brighton. No, just kidding- but kind of not. All the characters felt like like carbon copies of each other but with one or two defining qualities. For example Brighton's was his need for popularity and power, Mirabella's was her thirst for vengeance, Luna's was being evil. Hopefully in the next books we can have a deeper look into each of the characters and their motivations- but in here they seemed drastically underdeveloped.

O V E R V I E W
I know I seem mostly negative in this review, but it is just that I was expecting so much more from it- and I believe it had so much potential to be an epic story. However, I did find myself enjoying the story more towards the end and it was very nice to see some different and diverse perspectives in fantasy. I will be continuing this series- I still have hope it will improve!

I would hate for it to seem as though I am contributing to boxing authors into one genre, but in this case I think Adam's writing style is simply suited better to his emotional contemporaries. That being said, I will continue this series and I have faith in him that they will be better once he has more experience and feedback from this first instalment.

thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

When I think of Adam Silvera I think contemporary books so when I saw this I was definitely curious... When I was lucky enough to receive an e-arc I was THRILLED 🔥

This urban fantasy is brilliant! I was captivated from the first chapter and ended up reading the whole book in 48 hours (and that's with caring for a 2 month old baby!) 🙈

Infinity Son follows the story of two brothers caught in a magical war spreading across generations set in dystopian New York City 💪 one brother wants power to join the fight and live a life of glory. The other wants to stay in the background and for the fighting to end. Both brothers end up drawn into the middle of the war and a famed vigilante group when one brother accidentally manifests powers 😈

The ensuing story is fast paced and thrilling. Silvera really is the master of showing not telling when it comes to storytelling and he masterfully weaves background information and world building into dialogue and other small character reactions 👌

The characters are all heart breakingly relateable as friends, siblings, lovers and family and I felt a piece of me in each of them ❤ there is some wonderful LGBTIQ representation with a family that doesn't even question sexuality (FUCKING THANK YOU) and multiple tragic relationship stories be it friendship, family or romantic 😭

I'll definitely be buying a hard-copy when this beauty comes out January 14th 2020 😍

I have a deep love for both (a) urban fantasy books, (b) books about complicated messy brothers...so this delivered on BOTH those fronts and I'm so so glad I got a chance to read it early. I've been sort of obsessing over Infinity Son, because I freaking adore Silvera's contemporaries (History Is All You Left Me basically is one I think about all the time) so I'm really grateful I got to read an early eARC!

highlights definitely are
→ more of an emphasis on magical creatures than most fantasises I've read lately and loved this!
→ huge diverse cast (lots of POC and queer rep! f/f background couple too!)
→ Emil and Brighton are DISASTERS, somehow both co-dependant on each other and chaffing to get away from each other #siblingmood (Also hufflepuff vs slytherin vibes were STRONG and I loved how that played into how the viewed the world)
→ lots of "reluctant chosen one" vibes
→ honestly, some of the twists were just super super thrilling!!

Overall, I did feel it needed more world building. It was hard to really understand the world when there seemed no rules to the magic, the history was so thin, I am still not even sure what was so scary about the villain. Also it is, unfortunately, my least favourite thing, when a team of specialised super-powered people plucks a "super magical boy" from his normal life and throws him into battle with like, 2 weeks of training. This is how u die. (Kind of feel there were only like 10 Celestials all up. So why were they a threat? I'm not even sure if there were magical people anywhere but in New York.) Characters got beat up and nearly died (or DID die) and it was so hard to care because I just didn't KNOW them. Why were the celestials and spectres even at war? How on earth did the wands work? They just seemed like guns. So why not just use guns? I think a book should leave you with questions, but fantasy books. need. world. building. I was just so frustrated with the absolute void of explanations.

I was so excited to receive this as an e-ARC from Netgalley, so big thanks to them and the publisher too, for the chance to read and review my first Adam Silvera book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but from reading previous reviews of his books, felt that maybe I needed to keep the tissues handy...but, not so apparently.

Initially I struggled with the dystopian-type world building at the start of the book, with so many different types of magical characters, all with their varied sources of magic and powers, and then I really didn't engage with the two main characters - brothers Emil and Brighton - with Emil being rather weak and Brighton just being such a self-centred drop kick. That got much better as the book progressed (although I still do not care for Brighton at all) but even so, during the fight scenes I really didn't care enough about any of them to worry about whether they sustained any life threatening injuries.

Whilst it was slow to start, the action really picked up and it built to a pretty good, fast-paced climax with a nice little twist at the end, paving the way for the next instalment. Which I will probably read.

Overall, I did enjoy Infinity Son, its diversity of characters and different take on the genre was refreshing, but I wasn't blown away as I thought (and hoped) I would be. It's 3.5 stars for me because I was just completely ambivalent about the leads.

#InfinitySon #NetGalley

Infinity Son had a lot going for it right off the bat, being an LGBT fantasy story. I liked the concept, and though it will date the work fairly quickly, I imagine, I did enjoy the focus on the role of social media in presenting a public image etc. However, the story wasn't without issues. Principally, the world building left a lot to be desired. So many terms and references were thrown around, but they were never fully explained and I never felt I understood the background to the world in which the characters were living. Brighton came across well as a character, but the others, including Emil, felt intangible at times. I wanted to get to know them more. I also felt some secondary characters' POV chapters were only included because Silvera needed to show some action when the main characters weren't present, as splitting off into those other POVs didn't otherwise add anything to the story. Once it finally began, I did enjoy the budding enemies-to-lovers romance element, but I would have liked to have seen more of it, as it came in quite suddenly from nowhere. Overall, I am giving this three stars. I didn't dislike it--there were moments I enjoyed--but it wasn't as polished as it could have been. I would read on in the series if the opportunity arose, but it's not one I'd add to my must-buy list.