The Deading by Nicholas Belardes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

You'll want to stare into the void and never look back after reading this gorgeously written eco-horror book.

Deading started as a social media trend where teens pretended to be 💀, eyes open, in random places like elevators, sidewalks, etc. However, when an entire town starts doing it, something is clearly wrong.

😱 "Mr. Christiano on the ground shoots staples into his stomach, then chest, horror glazing his eyes." 😱

I love the POV shifts between characters who are flawed, but ultimately trying their best. We have teenage brothers who are struggling with their Mexican identity in a small American town. We have an older Japanese woman who views this eco catastrophe in a very different way.

🏺My favorite POV is a Greek choir of goth teens. I wanted to join them! If I read this book as a teen this would have been my whole personality.

🖤"We told the adults that we were talking something new, something serious, something so dark & filled with ritual that all of us could be the influencers of a new death, a new future."🖤

I love the intersection of eco-horror, sci-fi, and fantasy here. The gorgeous prose elevated this book in a way that had me staring into the void throughout.