Early Review – I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 337 pages
Publisher:‎ Scholastic Press
Release Date: March 4, 2025
ASIN: B0D32LL82C
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother’s medical bills. When he’s offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas — the hearing child of a Deaf adult — jumps at the opportunity.

But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.

She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.

A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn’t said a word in years — not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.

Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn’t hers. It’s something with teeth.

Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She’s finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can’t afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he’s quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: This was an odd read for me. It was engaging and I read it quickly, but when I finished, I was left trying to figure what the point was. I suppose there doesn’t have to be a point, but this is a bit of an odd story. The whole thing left me feeling confused and ambivalent. It’s also the type of story that I probably won’t remember in a few months.

Thomas Walsh needs to make money, and the fact that his mom is deaf means he is proficient in ASL. Vivienne Farrow can’t speak for fear of killing people with her voice. Vivienne’s father hires Thomas as an interpreter for Vivienne, with a side job of babysitting her and spying on her every move. What no one, but Vivienne, seems to realize is that Vivienne isn’t alone in her body anymore…she’s been possessed by something evil…something that will use her voice and body to kill.

This book alternates between Vivienne and Thomas. Thomas is trying to keep this well-paying job so he can support his chronically ill mother and his younger sister. Vivienne is trying to make him quite. Both characters were okay but a bit shallow. Thomas was just kind of a “stick with it to get it done no matter how tough it is” kind of guy. Vivienne was supposed to come across as vicious, but when she was herself, she was pretty tame. I think the peak of her viciousness was shredding some clothes Thomas’s that weren’t even ones he bought?

I think what pulled me through the story was the fact that this book is like a train wreck waiting to happen. You just know that Vivienne is going to loose the battle with her possessor and blood and mayhem will result. That and there is a romance between Thomas and Vivienne which I didn’t quite understand. Their romance was a bit to insta-love for me, and they really didn’t seem to have much in common. I was confused about Thomas’s dedication to Vivienne’s well-being; I guess he had a serious white knight complex.

Things start to get defocused as the book continues. Suddenly, there are strange cults and generations of supernatural peeps involved (or were they dead peeps? maybe both?). Then there is a house that needs to be fed…the whole thing kind of went of the rails for the last bit. I ended up a bit confused about what the point was and why the story went that direction. It ended fine I guess.

I think I would give the first half of this book 4 stars and the last part 3 stars, so we’re averaging 3.5 or so. The first two thirds was really engaging and really sucked me in, but as the mystery and story was unraveled, I got a bit confused and disillusioned. I finished it, so I guess that says something.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was decent. The first part is really engaging, but as the story continues it gets a bit odd. I am not sure what I expected going into this book but I don’t think this convoluted story of hungry houses and weird cults was it. The writing style is okay, and this was a fairly quick read. I don’t think I will pick up future books by Andrew. If you are into YA romance with dark supernatural elements like demon possession and cults you might enjoy this.