The Out of Time Series- Book One

A Time to Die

Courtney

I’m beside myself. This book was very intense. To caveat my review, I do not particularly like dystopian books, but I somewhat enjoyed certain Netflix Black Mirror episodes and I compare this story and plot to the uniqueness of the ideas in those episodes. Some parts of this book overwhelmed me so much that I had to physically set the book down and remember to breathe, blink, and then tell myself that it isn’t real. This book is unlike any other that I have read. The main character undergoes an amazing spiritual journey in her pilgrimage. Wow, like so much character development for everyone! Excuse my Oprah Winfrey but all characters in this book, look under your seats, you all get well written character development! The story really drew me along. At no point in time could I really find a good place to stop because the suspense had me like “ok just one more page,” for probably 30 pages at a time. This book also left me with an immense cliffhanger! I was definitely holding my breath the last chapter. How can I not continue this series!?!?!

Mary Horton

This is a rather tricky book to review. See, I really liked some aspects of the book, but...I didn't totally love it. 

I've come to the conclusion that dystopian is not my genre. It's just not. I've tried several different dystopians, but interestingly enough, they all earn about the same rating. I guess I just can never get into it? Maybe it's too depressing for me, I dunno. :P Though I will say that for a dystopian book, A Time to Die was much less dismal than others. In fact, I would argue that it actually focuses a LOT on hope. Which is awesome! Props to the author for that!

ANYWHOZENS. I'm already rambling. *forces train of thought back onto the tracks*

// Things I Liked //

The premise of this book is extremely inventive. Oh, and it's FULL of all kinds of creative things! I don't want to spoil anything but there's a certain person named Wilbur who makes suits...suffice to say, the suits are pretty awesome, and I need them in my life. There are tightropes and cool futuristic technological things (I'm so descriptive :P) and just LOTS OF CREATIVITY. *thumbs up*

Another thing I liked about this book was the raw emotion. I absolutely love it when the author makes you feel what the characters feel. It's a sign of an amazing writer. Whenever Parvin was struggling emotionally, physically, or spiritually, I ached for her. This book made me feel. (It also crushed my heart like FIFTY GAZILLION TIMES BUT WHO'S COUNTING <3) And on the topic of characters...

I REALLY LIKED THE MAIN CHARACTER. That's always a good thing. Now, she's not my favorite character, per se, but I loved the realism that she has. Honestly, she reminded me a lot of myself in many ways. Physically unable to pull herself up a rope--check. Uses tildes--check. (We're very much alike. XD) 

I loved following along with Parvin's journey. Seeing how she matured in her faith and gained more purpose was so beautiful. Really, the themes of this book are all great. The importance of using our time wisely, surrendering our life to God, and fighting for what we believe really cuts to the heart, challenging each and every reader who picks up this book. It's always refreshing to see books that stimulate our brains and make us think about important truths.

Also...I. NEED. MORE. HAWKE. <3 He is honestly the best. End of story.

Okay, now on to my dislikes. :/

// Things I Didn't Like //

This book was written in first person present tense. This is in NO way the fault of the writer--I'm sure there are lots of people who like present tense. However, I am not one of them. I had no idea it was written in that tense before I picked it up. So that was a bit of a bummer. (Although I will admit that I kind of got used to it after a while. It just wasn't my favorite.) I know this may sound like a shallow reason, but I honestly just can't get into a book as much when it's written in a tense I feel is awkward.

I also never really liked a lot of the characters. YES, I KNOW I JUST SAID I LIKED PARVIN AND HAWKE. But I reallllllllly didn't like a lot of characters in this book. I waver between loathing/loving Jude. He actually made me kind of want to throw my tablet across the room more than once. XD Honestly, the only two characters I liked a lot were Parvin and Hawke. *shrugs*

The action also tended to be...well, nonexistent. They seemed to spend the majority of the book wandering around or arguing. :P I kept waiting for exciting things to happen--and yes, they did sometimes--but I felt like every time the action would get going, it would quickly be squashed by some huge setback. Thankfully, I was invested enough in the plot and main character (and Hawke <3) that I wanted to keep reading. ^_^

There was also a certain romance I DID NOT APPROVE OF AT ALL. Nooo thank you.

Content wise, this book contains a little bit of violence and such. I maaaay have cringed during some of the scenes. ;) There is also some romance, though the author keeps it all clean. So I would probably recommend this to teens around the age of 13, just for some of the violence. 

Overall, I did like this book! There just were quite a few things I didn't care for. :/ Hopefully this didn't come off as too scathing a review at the end...eheh. :P I just wanted to be honest about the book since Miss Brandes herself was generous enough to give me a free review copy! (Thanks loads, Nadine! :D) 

Final Consensus: 3 Stars

So did I enjoy this book? Yes, I did. Will I be picking up the second book? ABSOLUTELY YES. I'm kind of emotionally invested now. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE HAPPENS. *grabby hands*

(Read my review on my blog. ^_^)

Paige Green

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: YA Dystopian/Spiritual 

Recommended Age: 15+ (death, sudden limb removal, lots of blood and survival stuff)

Pages: 389

Author Website

Amazon Link to Order the Book

 Man I read a lot of dystopians. I swear they just gravitate towards me sometimes lol. Anyways, I recently found an awesome sauce author on Instagram called Nadine (@nadinebrandes) and she wrote a series I had heard was pretty good so I decided to check it out. It’s about this girl named Parvin who lives in a world where everyone has a Clock that will accurately countdown to your death. She was born as part of a set of illegal triplets as her mother only had enough clocks for two of the babies. Her oldest brother died shortly after birth, leaving her and her brother Reid with one clock. Shortly before her 18th birthday the Clock ticks down to under a year and the main character has to figure out what she wants to do before she dies. She wants to be remembered and write a biography, but the path to being remembered takes her past the Wall, which separates East and West America, to which she has to decide if she can endure the journey through uncharted lands. I felt that the book was really good. The world building was amazingly well done, the characters were very well developed, the plot was super intriguing, and overall I really enjoyed this book.

However, I did have a pet peeve throughout the book. I felt that the character, who was raised without religion, way too rapidly accepted God in my opinion. I also felt that the main character was way too lucky throughout the story. It seemed that things always happened at the perfect time around her and nothing really threatened her. The main, for wanting to be a biographer so bad, didn’t write enough of her story like I would think she would in my opinion. Lastly, I felt the pacing was a bit off. It was good, but it always just felt a tad too slow for me.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a book that not only encourages adventure but also encourages spirituality then this is the book for you.

A Time to Die The Out of Time Series- Book One

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