2.5 Stars for this novella that is a prequel to Codair’s novel, Power Surge. I have not read Power Surge which was published in 2018. In retrospect, I wonder if the author assumed that readers of Life Minus Me would have read Power Surge. Obviously, not a good assumption if true. I didn’t read the book summary of Power Surge before reading this book.

In this story, the main characters are Mel, a college Pre-Med senior, who also happens to be half Angel and half human and Elf. Because she is only half Angel, her healing powers are limited and alas, she doesn’t have wings. She also has the power to read minds. She has to control her telepathy otherwise she can be overwhelmed with the thoughts of those in her vicinity. In this world, the paranormal “culture” of Angels, Demons, Elves, and Pixies are unknown to most humans. The second character is Mel’s younger cousin, Erin. Erin has been struggling with mental health issues. The previous year, Mel saved Erin after she attempted suicide. Erin is also not fully human and so human anti-depressant medications do not work well for her. Erin also doesn’t know she isn’t fully human. I may have missed it, but I don’t know if they ever fully explained why her family is keeping it a secret from Erin. Erin “suffers” from visions and prophecy, taking the form of dreams. Perhaps it is dealt with in Power Surge? The third main character is a human, Baily. She and her Uncle co-own a specialty pet store, Barks and Bits which sells dog food, treats and accessories. Erin recounts her recent dream to Mel, that Baily would drive her car off a bridge. Mel is determined to prevent it from coming true.

So why only 2.5 stars? I felt that too much is assumed that the reader has prior knowledge having read Power Surge, which Erin is the main character. Such as, Erin identifies as they/them or non-binary. In Chapter One, I read “If Erin discovered it for themself...” I thought it was a typo so of course I googled it. Oh, is she gender neutral? It wasn’t until halfway through the book when Mel and Erin “just happen” to meet Baily on a walk, that Mel introduces themselves by stating that Erin’s pronouns are they/them and hers is she/her. Baily tells them she also prefers they/them. Certainly, this could have been mentioned much earlier? Maybe in the near future, it won’t need to be explained at all, but for now earlier would alleviate confusion for readers like me.

This book has a number of trigger warnings - depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, and mention of infertility and miscarriage.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

The story itself is good. How do you save someone who dosen't want saving?

However, I was a bit confused for the first 40% of the book. One of the main characters, Mel, is an angel hybrid who refers to herself as she/her.

The other main character, Bailey, a suicidal person, refers to themselves as they/them. I wasn't sure if these were typos or gender neutrality in practice. Ot isn't clarifying iui ed until 42% through the book when Mel, meeting Bailey for the first time, introduces herself and her cousin, Erin. Mel explains she identifies as she/her and Erin identifies as they/them. Bailey agrees to the they/them description.

Erin is also suicidal but that appears to be due to her hybrid lineage that Mel is sworn to keep secret.

The writing is smooth, the story moves along the lines of It's a Wonderful Life. However, I spent to kuch time trying to decipher the gender issue.