Here it is!! My review of the second book in the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes!! Eeeppp! The first book had been on my mind for a few weeks once I’d finished, and of course I couldn’t wait to dive right into this one! Read on to hear all about this faith-based YA dystopian series!
Synopsis:
What happens when you live longer than you wanted to?
Parvin Blackwater wanted to die, but now she’s being called to be a leader. The only problem is, no one wants to follow.
The Council is using Jude’s Clock-matching invention to force “new-and-improved” Clocks on the public. Those who can’t afford one are packed into boxcars like cattle and used for the Council’s purposes. Parvin and Solomon team up to rescue the people. Instead, they find themselves on a cargo ship of Radicals headed out to sea. What will the Council do to them? And why are people suddenly dying before their Clocks have zeroed-out?
The Review:
Okay, I’ll cut right to the good stuff: “A Time to Speak” by Nadine Brandes gets 5 out of 5 stars! This middle installment of the Out of Time series avoids the lag of the dreaded “middle book syndrome” and delivers a fantastic plot with characters that make you wish you could jump right inside the story!
Parvin Blackwater finds herself back to square one when the story opens. All the work she’d done in the previous story has gone out the window, now that she’s a Radical and stuck inside her small town. She wants to make a difference in the lives of Radicals, to help them once they’ve crossed the wall to the west, but the council – led by Skelley Chase – blocks her every move. Beware: You might want to plan to read this quickly, since I found myself increasingly frustrated with each obstacle this girl faced. I just wanted to help her make the people understand that the new clocks the council introduced aren’t what they’re thought to be, and that they should listen to her! Ack! Alas, her faith in God is stronger and deeper than her first journey, which helped get her (and me) through a few particularly rough patches.
Love and family stuff: (*Spoiler*) I will admit, my heart was a bit torn when it came to Solomon. A huge fan of Jude, it was tough for me to allow her to grow close to another guy – even one who risked his life multiple times to help her on her journey. But even I can admit that his love for her seems genuine and I am a little excited to see what unfolds for them in the next book! It was fantastic to see more of her parents, and to get to know them deeper than book 1. Her relationship with her mother (or the mending of it) took the front seat in this book, which was long overdue. Yay, Parvin!!
New People!: We see some fresh faces in this installment – Can someone please help me have warm fuzzy feelings towards Reid’s wife? Ugh! – and we see the return of a few from book 1. The connections she makes between some of these harsher personalities – and the way in which she chooses kindness, instead of revenge – speaks volumes of our Christian walk and how one simple act can change the course of lives.
What about Willow?: (*More spoilers*) Yes, what about her? I was soooo disappointed not to get to see her much, since she’s locked away in an orphanage. And I won’t even mention Elm, for those that haven’t read this yet. But I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Willow in the next book, “A Time to Rise”, which comes out October 14th. (!!!) (Ahhh!) (Can you tell I’m excited??) *skip, twirl, cartwheel*
Which leads me to my big news!! Caffeinated Fiction has been selected to celebrate with Ms. Brandes during her blog tour, in just another 2 weeks! Yippee!! Be sure to check back for exciting posts (Yes, there might be more than 1! WITH giveaways! What? You heard me!) regarding the Out of Time series and about how you can help Nadine celebrate with the final book in this series!
To sum up: If you haven’t read my review on “A Time to Die”, read it here; Read “A Time to Speak”; prepare to read “A Time to Rise”, out in October (you can pre-purchase it here); visit Caffeinated Fiction everyday so you don’t miss out on winning awesome Nadine Brandes stuff!
Phew! Okay, have a great day, friends!
Happy reading!