A Time to Die - Nadine Brandes

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

Parvin Blackwater 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 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.  (Summary and image from goodreads.com.  I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)

My Review: Parvin is utterly forgettable.  She's spent her whole life in Unity, doing nothing much more than surviving.  She sews.  She reads.  She doesn't understand it, but she also craves life.  With one year left on her Clock, she's granted special status by her government: a few wishes, some extra money.  But they can't grant her deepest wish - she wants to be remembered.  She wants to change the system - go back to a time when Clocks didn't dictate everything. What she truly wants is a trip (just a trip) over the Wall to see what is on the other side.

Oh, my goodness, I couldn't put this book down.  Brandes has crafted such a compelling story that just grabbed me from the first pages and wouldn't let go.  Parvin is stronger than she thinks, but completely relatable.  She felt real.  Her motivations weren't always altruistic, she has her own inherent flaws, she makes mistakes, but she does her best.  She has a growing relationship with God, which compels her after her exile to continue to strive, but never did I feel like the relationship was preachy or obligatory.  In fact, it added to the storyline in such a way that I found it integral.

There were points that this book reminded me of both Legend and the Divergent series -- the elements of fear simulations, neighboring (but not necessarily friendly) societies with radically different socioeconomic philosophies, but they were combined and presented with enough newness that it didn't bother me.

This is the first in a series of books, and I can't wait for the next installment!

My Rating:  Four and a half stars.

For the sensitive reader:  There are two scenes of involuntary amputation, a surprise delivery, and a shocking murder, but other than that, the raciest it gets is some hand holding.