Book Tour: I WAS A TEENAGE DEATH GOD by M.J. Beasi

Thank you so much to Toppling Stacks Tours for allowing me to take part in this tour for I Was a Teenage Death God. The plot sounded interesting from the start, but even before reading it I knew I wanted to read this book. I like to read books with trans characters and this book has two trans characters that are main characters!!!!

 

     

About The Book:

Title: I Was a Teenage Death God

Author: M.J. Beasi

Pub.Date: March 3, 2026

Find it:

Seventeen-year-old Charlie can’t touch anyone without stealing bits of their life away, which would be enough of a curse without Lou—a ghost—forcing them to steal that life for her own use.

Lou has kept Charlie in line for years by threatening to take life directly from their twin sister, Sam. But when Lou goes after their friend and secret crush Ravi, Charlie refuses, and Lou makes good on her threat.

As Sam’s health rapidly declines, Ravi discovers that Charlie may not be the only person born with their unusual power. The trio embark on a weekend road trip to meet a pair of self-proclaimed “Death Gods” who may be the key to saving Sam and understanding Charlie’s abilities . . . . But with all roads leading back to Lou, Charlie is forced to face a dark legacy—one that calls their humanity into question.

 

Review:

While I knew that I wanted to read this book the second I heard that the main characters were trans, I wasn't too sure how much I was going to enjoy it. YA books can be hit or miss for me depending on the writing style.

The writing style in this book actually worked pretty well for me. There were some moments where the plot and decisions felt more juvenile than I was expecting, but thankfully those moments didn't intrude on my overall enjoyment of the book. The author's writing style managed to pull me into the story and the author gave me characters that I cared about. I wanted to know more about this world, these powers, these characters and their bonds.

Not every plot thread seemed to be finished and I'm not sure if that was intentional, so I'm not going to comment too heavily on that. The plot that I was handed was nice. It flowed with the pace changing every so often when necessary. I didn't personally have any big issues with it.

The trans and LGBTQ+ rep in this book worked fantastically for me. It felt authentic. Like someone breathing life into these characters and crafting them very lovingly. Their identities weren't just in the book to be a token character or to prove some sort of ally-ness. The characters were trans and queer, it was an integral part of them and it meant something to both them and the story.

Overall, I would rate this book about a 3.75 stars. It worked well for me for the most part, but there were woms moments and problems that prevented me from truly loving the story. Nothing too bad, but nothing outstanding either.

Top 5 Reasons to Read:

1. The trans and LGBTQ+ rep was fantastic. It was handled with care, but it was also honest.
2. While certain aspects of the book may have been done before, the author managed to make the story feel unique.
3. It's kind of a weird book, which works really well for me. I like books that let go of 'normalness' every so often.
4. The cast of characters is interesting. They feel complicated and confusing. You can swing from loving them to hating them at times, but that's because they feel real. They also mesh well together for the most part.
5. It's full of twists and turns and fun!

 

 

About M.J. Beasi:

M.J. Beasi is a YA author, songwriter, former singer, voice teacher, and the founder/director of a teen opera workshop in western Massachusetts. Born and raised in Michigan, M.J. moved to Pittsburgh to study vocal performance at Carnegie-Mellon University, then on to New York to make a career in music and theater. On tour, M.J. was known for scouting out each new city as a potential future home, but it was love that finally lured M.J. to New England and a new career blaspheming Handel with a group of brilliant teens. As a librettist/adapter, M.J. has written Il sogno d’Arianna, an English-language narrative adapted from the madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi, an expanded adaptation of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and a queer adaptation of Handel’s Rinaldo. Their own songwriting and vocals are featured on their 2002 album, Dorrie’s True Story. M.J.’s debut novel, I WAS A TEENAGE DEATH GOD, was released on March 3rd, 2026 by Page Street Publishing.

When not writing or nerding out over Baroque opera, M.J. can be found reading, gaming, obliviously lost in their own inner world, streaming on Twitch at the crack of dawn, or binging cartoons with their spouse and cat. Some of the many keys to M.J.’s heart include rambling takes on musical theater, Vernors ginger ale, oatmeal scotchies, and queer disasters in any setting.

M.J. can be found on Instagram and M.J.'s website.