I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

What an end to a fantastic series! Death by Laura Thalassa is the final book in her series The Four Horsemen, and, boy, does it deliver. I savored this one, limiting how much I read each day, because y’all I did not want it to end. It is no secret that Thalassa is one of my all-time favorite writers, an auto-buy for me, and I eagerly wait each of her books. This one did a number on me though. She put me through the wringer before she pieced me back together again. Death exceeded all expectations, plus we get to see all the Horsemen together at last.

I love Lazarus. She is a tortured soul, surviving against all odds (even a broken neck). Every time she faces death, she is resurrected, immortal but no one knows why. She is bitter and enraged for most of this book and understandably so. She was orphaned as a young child, surviving what killed her parents, raised by another family only to stand helplessly alive when Death rides through her town. She is an enigma and one that Death must solve if he is to complete his mission.

Of all the Horsemen, Death was the hardest for me to reconcile my feelings for. Each of them has had a redeeming quality of some kind. Death seemingly has none. He is ruthless and unmerciful. At least that is what you are supposed to think and feel for him from the outset. With each encounter with Lazarus, we get to know him better. Death wormed his way into my heart, and while I still wouldn’t say he’s my favorite of the Horsemen, he is definitely in the running to be.

This book is the culmination of the series arc. For the first time, we see all four of the Horsemen together. Lazarus is the only character to interact with all of them in the series so far, and I was so excited to see them all again. Pestilence, War, and Famine have their own agenda for stopping Death, but they need Lazarus’s help to do so. I love the dynamic and banter between these characters. It is so much fun. Thalassa captures sibling rivalry well and kicks it up a notch with the paranormal powers at play.

And I cannot talk about this book without mentioning romance because at its heart, that is exactly what this book is: a romance. As I already mentioned, it took a little while for Death to worm his way into my heart. Same is true of Lazarus. She sees a kindred spirit in him, another tortured soul, doomed to live alone for eternity. But she also begins to see the good in him. Despite how humanity treats him (and rightfully so when they are scared and trying to live), Death gives them a swift and merciful death, not a long tortured one. And just like his brothers, Death controls life, meaning he can end it as swiftly as he can heal it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Death. Thalassa should be proud of this series and how she was able to craft this post-apocalyptic dystopian and create romance and joy in the midst of all the chaos. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each book. While they do standalone from each other, I highly recommend that they be read in order. If you are a fan of paranormal romance, I highly recommend it!