A Time to Rise by Nadine Brandes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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A Time To Rise is the third and final installment in the dystopian Out of Time series. It picks up right after the devastating final page of A Time To Speak. The start is thrilling and intense. It dials right up to ten from the start.
Our hero, Parvin, regroups with her friends and allies. She has a new plan. It’s bold, but it will change the face of her society forever. If she can pull it off.
This book gives us a wider view of the story’s world. A lot of the action takes place in Russia, which is a far cry from the familiar settings of Unity Village, Prime and Ivanhoe. Along the way we meet colourful characters. Some friendly, others less so.
There’s some fun technology in this book. The special suits, that give you abilities, and the projected wall technology, both feature strongly in A Time To Rise.
Nadine Brandes does an amazing job of evoking emotions in the reader. Never, do I have stronger emotional reactions to fictional characters, than when I’m reading one of her books. Parvin meets a character in this book, who should be an ally, but turns out to be a real jerk. I just wanted to punch the bloke in the nose. I know he isn’t real, but still…
This brings us to the question of theme. For me, the themes have always been the most powerful aspect of the Out of Time Books. Many books have themes, but few have such an impact on the way I think, and the way I view and live my own life, like these do. That’s a tall order, and not something I would usually expect from my fiction.
In A Time to Rise, there are strong themes of faith versus fear, and forgiveness. I’ve told you how effectively Nadine makes us feel. We’ve come to despise the deliciously horrible villains. And then she hits us right between the eyes with that verse from the Bible about loving your enemies. But … but…. We can’t help but feel the struggle that Parvin is going through. She grows a lot in this book. As a reader I look at the journey she’s followed since the start of book 1, and I can’t help but feel immensely proud of her, like a big brother.
The other big area of growth for Parvin is that of faith. All Christians will say they trust God, but for that to really be true, it means you have to let go of fear and worry. Faith and Fear cannot co-exist. It’s gotta be one or the other. As Parvin learns to trust, really trust, I find myself being challenged to do the same.
Not all the character arcs in this story work out quite so nicely. We see characters falter and fail. These people have been treated very badly, and not all of them learn to let go in the same way that Parvin does. There are some tragic moments, but woven through all of it like a thread is the idea of hope. Hope permeates everything. That’s what makes this trilogy special and unique amongst the mass of dystopian stories.
So, A Time To Rise serves as an exciting and satisfying end to the trilogy. I would recommend this series to everyone. It’s very accessible, more so than most speculative stories. I think it will have very wide appeal.
I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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