My Review: A Time to Rise, plus Giveaway!

AH!!!  I'm so excited for you all to read this book!  And the others in the series!  They are so, so good!! 
And . . . there's a surprise for anyone who makes it to the bottom of the page before surrendering to boredom. ;)


Description:
What more can you sacrifice than your life?

Parvin Blackwater is dead.

At least that’s what the Council—and the world—thinks. But her sacrifice tore down part of the Wall long enough to stir up hope and rebellion in the people. Now she will rise again. Strong, free, and fearless.

Parvin and Solomon must uncover the mysterious clues that Jude left behind in order to destroy the projected Wall once and for all. Meanwhile, the Council schemes to new levels of technology in its attempts to keep the people contained. Can a one-handed Radical and a scarred ex-Enforcer really bring shalom to the world?

About the Author:
Nadine learned to write her alphabet with a fountain pen. In Kindergarten. Cool, huh? Maybe that's what started her love for writing. She started journaling at age nine and thus began her habit of communicating via pen and paper more than spoken words. She never decided to become a writer. Her brain simply classified it as a necessity to life.

Nadine is a stay-at-home author and writes stories about authentic faith, bold living, and worlds soaked in imagination. She lives in Idaho with her husband and works as a freelance editor. When she's not writing, editing, or taste-testing a new chai, she is out pursuing adventures. A Time to Die is her first novel. Visit Nadine at www.nadinebrandes.com


My Review: 4.5 stars
Gah! I have so many mixed emotions regarding this book! It was so amazing, but it was also the final book in the series. I was so excited to read it, because I’d finally get to learn how it all ended, but then it ended. I didn’t want it to end! But, it did have a fantastic ending and I loved seeing everything come together. I definitely recommend reading the first two books before picking up this one, but totally grab this one! This book completely met and exceeded my expectations! I loved it!

Ms. Brandes’ books were the first dystopian I’d ever tried, but I was so intrigued by the concept behind the first book that I couldn’t resist and happily discovered that I really enjoy the genre. Or maybe just Nadine’s books. I haven’t really tested that theory overly much, yet. And her third book is certainly as wonderful as the other two, with the added advantage that I knew it would be the end of Parvin’s story - the cliffhangers from the previous books were torture! The story flows by quickly, filled with twists and turns, suspense and danger, and excellent writing. It kept me guessing and up all hours, dying to know what would happen next! I spent a couple sleep deprived days at work, wondering how I would possibly get through the day without knowing how Parvin and her friends were doing. There aren’t many books that stay in my imagination throughout the day, so that definitely sets this book apart, for me.

I’ve already said so much about Parvin and Solomon and Willow in my previous reviews (you can find them here and here) that I think I would just be repeating myself to comment much more. Though I will say that I enjoyed seeing how the characters have changed and grown throughout the entire series. Some of them not for the better, but that’s part of reality, too. And I loved how much of a integral part of the story faith in God is - some of my favorite lines are Parvin’s prayers as she learns ever more what it means to trust God with every situation and how to see others with His eyes. I love the relationship she has with Him and how we see that she isn’t perfect, but she’s trying. That may have been my favorite part of this story. I’m not sure. There are a lot of moments to choose from.

                                          Photo credit: Rosealie Valentine

My only mildly negative comment is that I have mixed feelings about the epilogue. I wasn’t expecting one, so I had prepared myself for what I thought was the final page and the impact from the last sentence was so important to me. But then, it wasn’t over! And I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I enjoyed the epilogue tying the final stray strings together and giving me closure, but at the same time, I kind of lost the impact of those “final” words. I’ll probably have to read it again with different expectations to be able to fully decide my opinion on the matter.

I highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who is looking for a thought-provoking read full of suspense and characters that grab your heart. But be prepared to have your heart broken by fictional characters . . . . and read the other books first - no cheating!



Thank you to all who took the time to read my review!  To those of you who simply scrolled here after reading the note at the top: that's okay, too.  I do the same thing, so no worries. :)

Now, for the surprise.  To celebrate this awesome book  I'm giving away an eBook copy of the winner's choice of Nadine's books!  This is mostly just a surprise for me, because I wasn't intending to do a giveaway right now, but I was writing this post and just decided it sounded fun!  So, here we are! 

There should be a Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the page for you to enter . . . . if it's not working correctly, please let me know!  I've never used the site before, so we'll see how this goes.  I'll contact the winner on Saturday, October 8th, so don't forget to check your email!

And, if you don't want to wait, there are purchase links below . . . .

Thanks again for stopping by!  Have a delightful day! :) 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Christian Book





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a Rafflecopter giveaway