A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes

Christian YA Dystopian. 389 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

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

Three hundred sixty-four days, seven hours, and sixteen—no, fifteen—seconds left to live. Like everyone else on the east side of the Wall, Parvin Blackwater has a clock counting down the days until her death. At only seventeen, she has only one year left.

When the authorities find out she has been illegally sharing a clock with her twin brother, she is cast through the Wall—her people’s death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about God, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. If she can get the word to them before her time runs out.

My Review: 

I AM NOT OKAY!

Okay, guys. So, let me preface: I’ve heard Nadine’s name floating around for a few years now among my writerly circles. So many of my friends are huge fans. And I’ve been following her IG for several months now because I love her personality and the content she puts out. Well, one day she posted a video mashup of things that represented A Time to Die and after hearing her name praised for so long and watching the most epic vibe video ever, I took the dive and bought the book. Didn’t even read the blurb–so not like me. And the rest is history.

The book started out slowly for me. I loved the first line. I loved the premise. And I was intrigued by the world. I spent the whole first third of the book tip toeing around, waiting for the shoe to drop. I felt like there had to be something coming; I just didn’t know what. The beginning was interesting in the world and seeing the relationships Parvin had with other characters, but the plot was slow and I had to keep sticking with it just waiting to see where Nadine was going to take this. Upon rereading, it didn’t feel as slow as the first time I read it. Not sure why, but the pacing didn’t drag as much in the opening this time.

Then she went over the Wall (which the back cover blurb says, so it’s not much of a spoiler). Boy howdy did things pick up after that! I felt like we jumped off a cliff and free falled for the next half of the book! There were some intense sections of this story. We’d go through some tense moments and then breathe for a second and then dive right into the tension again. I swear my heart got a workout reading this book. The plot absolutely picked up. It was worth pushing through that slower beginning.

Alongside the intense storyline, the book was an emotional rollercoaster. And I am STILL not happy with that ending!! So not happy I immediately purchased books 2 & 3. I need to know what happens, even though I’m pretty sure Nadine isn’t finished emotionally scarring me for the rest of my life. I learned quickly that she doesn’t pull punches. Anything goes in this story and that terrified me at some points in the story.

I’ve long been a fan of survival stories and the wild world Parvin learns to navigate was thrilling and totally scratched that itch for me. It was really cool to see the different settings that Parvin moved through. She had unique, distinct cultures and settings that really encompassed the reader and drew me in. It really made the world feel vast and realistic, like something our world could turn into in the future. That lent an interesting gravity to the world and the story.

I will say that Parvin wasn’t my favorite. I liked her. I connected with her desire to do something, something meaningful with her life, to pursue purpose. I really liked that in her a lot. But I absolutely loved Jude and Reid and Hawke. And Willow grew on me, too. The guys in this cast were amazing and I wanted to be their friends. I wanted to get to know them, to cheer them on and watch Parvin develop the relationships. It was interesting to see her distance herself from everyone, but it kind of frustrated me because everyone else was so interesting! Especially Jude. Jude was a really fun character and I loved the dynamic created by his addition to Parvin’s travels.

Fascinatingly, I think I’ve flipped a little in the reread. I actually felt more connected to Parvin this time and slightly more annoyed with Jude. I still adore Hawke and Reid, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a book and flipped how I felt about characters before. So, this is new territory for me. Something about where I am right now with my personal journey just connected me so much more deeply to Parvin’s journey of learning to see broken Shalom and to seek restoration of Shalom. I think the first time I felt such peace, but this time reading it, I resonated so much with the brokenness. I felt the depth of pain and sorrow and the yearning for that peace.

Something else that fascinated me was the way Nadine wove in her faith. Watching Parvin grow and build a relationship with God felt so natural throughout the story. The repetition of and focus on Shalom just flooded me with peace as I read. It was beautiful to be reminded over and over that we live in a broken world and that this isn’t the way it was meant to be, that it isn’t the way it will always be. Not only was the story a thrilling ride, but it was an experience between me and my Creator, too.

Content: there is no foul language in the book, and very mild romance (I’M STILL MAD I DIDN’T EVEN GET A KISS!), but there are a few violent moments. Though none of them were super duper graphic, Nadine did do a very good job of portraying the horror of some of them. She’s built a world and story that centers a lot on impending death and her character enters a wilderness fraught with danger. There are deep themes of worth, purpose, humanity, life, and death. So, though the book is clean, I’d recommend it for mid to late teens and up.

That said, I would very much recommend the book to others and will definitely be continuing the series. Although, NADINE HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THAT?! I’m torn between being very happy about this reading experience and very upset with Nadine for tormenting me the way she has. I must continue! But I’m sure she’s not done with me yet!

Audiobook note: The narrator for this one did a wonderful job. She held such emotion in her voice and really brought Parvin to life. Her narration really drew me in and made the story even more engaging. Definitely hats off to her!

More: 

Book 2 in the Out of Time trilogy is A Time to Speak (5 Stars)

Book 3 is A Time to Rise (5 Stars)

These must be read in order! Check out the links above for more info!

On GraceBought

Check out my thoughts on the next book in the series:

A Time to Speak