Book Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
Source: Received from publicist for honest review

Summary:

You are indestructible.

Three whispered words transfer an astonishing power to Jacob Fielding that changes everything. At first, Jacob is hesitant to use the power, unsure of its implications. But there's something addictive about testing the limits of fear. Then Ophelia James, the beautiful and daring new girl in town, suggests that they use the power to do good, to save others. But with every heroic act, the power grows into the specter of a curse. How to decide who lives and who dies? In this nail-biting novel of mystery and dark intrigue, Jacob must walk the razor thin line between right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death. And time is running out. Because the Grim Reaper doesn't disappear. . . . He catches up.

My Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight was a captivating, nail-biting thriller. The mystery throughout the novel was well developed and exciting. Jacob, the male protagonist, questioned what he should do with his new found invincibility. When the power was passed down to him with the simple words, of "you are indestructible," everything was altered. This dark entity rested inside his soul until the day he decided to pass it along to Ophelia. In a desperate need to save the girl he loved from an injury, he lost control over his secret. Now, Milo, Ophelia and Jacob set up a deal to use this power to do good even though they weren't aware of the deadly repercussions.

Patrick's writing was easy to follow. His character development was perfect. I seemed to catch on to everyone's personalities rather quickly. I liked Jacob, but he annoyed me at times. He seemed to act like a little punk around Ophelia. But, in his defense, love can make you do stupid things sometimes. Ophelia on the other hand, was quite entertaining yet scary at the same time. Out of the group, she was the one mostly effected by the power. The only character who seemed normal was definitely Milo! His sense of humor and way of calming down a tense situation were qualities I admired.

Now, the struggle within Jacob was intriguing, would he save the love of his life from this power or kill her? The decision weighed heavily in my mind as I read since it was such a crucial situation to fix. Overall, the plot and unique characters made this into an enjoyable read. Patrick's mind is very creative and I enjoyed Thirteen Days to Midnight and also his newest release Trackers, which I reviewed last week. Go here to check out that review if you missed it!

My Rating: (4.5)

Book Overview:

Author's Info:

Patrick Carman is the author of the Land of Elyon books, which spent over half a year on the New York Times bestsellers list; the fifth book in the bestselling multimedia series The 39 Clues; and the Skeleton Creek series. A graduate of Willamette University with a degree in economics, he became an author after a career as an entrepreneur. He lives in the wilderness of Walla Walla, Washington, with his wife and two daughters.

For more info on Patrick, visit his site(s):
-Website
-Twitter
-Facebook
-Skeleton Creek Site

More books by Patrick:
-Trackers (Book #1)
-Skeleton Creek (Book #1)
-Ghost in the Machine (Book #2)

( Go here to see the rest of the books )