A Time To Die by Nadine Brandes

• Series: Out of Time (Book 1)
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Gilead Publishing (October 1, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1621840298
• ISBN-13: 978-1621840299

About the Book:

How would you live if you knew the day you'd die? 

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government's crooked justice system. 

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.

My Thoughts:

What would you do if you knew the day you'd die?  Who would you spend time with?  Would you share, would you hoard?  Would you talk, or just be bored?  Would you talk, would you shun?  Would you hold in everything?

Nadine has created a story that is both gripping and chilling.  Parvin has just a handful of months left and she wants to leave her mark.  She wants to be known, and she wants to make a difference.  And life looks as if she might have what she wants.

Until her government finds out she has no numbers.  No clock.  No date with death.  And as punishment she is force through The Wall, to face the unknown and her own demise.  And THAT is when Parvin's life truly begins.

From unjust governments to cold and distant family relationships, "A Time To Die" has a little bit of everything a person could be dealing with at any given time in her life.  Nadine takes our innate desire for life to have a point, a purpose, and turns that on its head, demonstrating what a life with purpose truly looks like.

I found shades of "The Hunger Games", "The Fellowship of the Ring", and even a smattering of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" within the pages of "A Time To Die".  Nadine has crafted a rather stunning debut, but she did surprise me in a not so fun way.

"A Time To Die" isn't for the faint of heart or squeamish: I encountered a few scenes on the other side of the wall that almost had me putting the book back on the shelf.  Then I figured if Parvin could endure, so could I.  Then I realized that I was following an imaginary person into the wild of the unknown.  Then I decided I had to know how the book ended and kept reading.

I have mixed emotions right now.  A part of me loved the story, and a part of me is still asking "What just happened?"  So I'm giving "A Time To Die" my "One to Watch" title as I take a breath and dive into "A Time To Speak".  

Yeah, that's how I roll---I mean, read.  So, until I'm finished with book two...

Mark Your Place,

Deena