The Untimely Deaths of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen + a Giveaway

Happy Book Birthday to M.G. Buehrlen whose Untimely Deaths of Alex Wayfare hits shelves today courtesy of Diversion Books.

Note: if you haven't yet read The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare you can check out my review of that here. I have tried my darndest not to include any possible spoilers here for those of you who haven't read that one, but I can't promise I've been totally successful in that. You have been warned. (The Rafflecopter for the giveaway is included in both Alex Wayfare posts.)

Alex only recently learned that she's a Descender, one of very few people able to travel via soulmarks through time. But traveling via soulmark has certain restrictions, restrictions that don't apply to Alex because she's been reincarnated fifty-seven times. While other Descenders can only use any given soulmark once, Alex can travel her own past lives an infinite number of times. 

That's a whammy of a discovery!

But there's more, in her previous life Alex escaped the very people who used her ability towards their own causes for years and has vowed now to use her ability to sabotage their plans. These people will do anything to get Alex back even if it means threatening those closest to her. If Alex is to remain safe and protect her family, she has to keep her Base Life hidden from them. It should be easy considering very few know who she is in her Base Life. Unfortunately, it's beginning to look as though someone on her side may be feeding information to the enemy: each time Alex travels they're there. And now Alex isn't sure who she can trust.

When I finished M.G. Buehrlen's The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare I had SO MANY questions! First and foremost - who is Blue in Base Life?! It's something Alex herself is determined to discover, but as the prologue to the book states:

Some stories are about a boy... Not this story... This story is about death. 

What an ominous beginning, right?

Well it turns out Alex hasn't found out everything about her ability just yet and the newest revelation is one that changes pretty much everything. At least for Alex Wayfare. See Alex's sister is dying and their mother has been working tirelessly to find a cure or treatment that will save her. Not only does Alex want to help, but with her new knowledge she aims to make it her sole goal.

I quite enjoyed these books and the main reason for that (aside from the fact that the story is cool) is Alex. I love Alex as a character! She's grown so much since the beginning of 57 Lives but she's always been unquestionably devoted to her family. Which is great because it makes her that much more lovable. But it's also something that creates tension in the series thanks to the fact that - like most superhero sagas - she's painfully aware that her family are at risk because of her. But what I find really fabulous about these books is the fact that Alex is kind of atypical compared to other well known characters in her situation. In a lot of superhero stories, we find the characters pushing loved ones away in order to keep them safe. Not so in Alex's case!

Friends, on the other hand... Here is where we see Alex struggling the most. She has finally opened up and allowed Jensen to become something of a friend but still doesn't trust his motives. And now she finds she has to wonder if she can trust the few other people she's allowed in as well: Porter, Levi, Micki, and yes, Blue. These are the people who know her secret, the people she can be herself around.

But as I said, there's another whopper of a revelation for Alex to discover here and it's one that forces her to make some tough decisions.

There are still questions left after The Untimely Deaths of Alex Wayfare and I honestly don't know if we'll see them answered. On the one hand I'm ok with that. The story is the story and the pair of books together stand well on their own. But on the other hand I would definitely love to return to Alex's tale if that's in the author's plans! There's certainly more I'd love to see explored :)

Rating: 4/5

Now, as I mentioned in last week's post for The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare, I do get to offer up one copy of the first Alex Wayfare title courtesy of the publisher. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, May 9.

a Rafflecopter giveaway