Thirteen Days to Midnight - Book Review

Title ~ Thirteen Days to Midnight
Series ~ Single Title
Author ~ Patrick Carman
Release Date ~ April 12, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source ~ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

GOODREADS 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?

REVIEW

If you were able to choose the superpower you wanted most, what would it be? This is the question Jacob asks the beginning of Thirteen Days to Midnight. My answer would NOT be the power to be indestructible. This power causes WAY too many problems for Jacob. I would choose having an elastic body because this would come in very handy for a petite girl like me.

This book focuses a lot on death. That is sort of a no brainer since Jacob has the power of indestructibility. Still, it gets sort of stuffy when that is basically all the kids will talk about. It felt all-consuming to me.

Ophelia James likes to be called Oh. She really likes Jacob, and he returns her affections. Then, Oh goes crazy. It is a really interesting phenomenon, because I didn’t even realize it was happening until I compared the two Ohs. The one Jacob first meets and the one at the end of the story are as different as night and day. I’m not going to tell you the reason for the change, it has to do with Jacob’s power though, but I will tell you it can be creepy to read about. Especially at the very end.

What I probably found as one of the most interesting parts of the book was how the kids tested the indestructibility. They tried fire, drowning, car crash, as well as a few things I will not go into. At first, they seemed as freaked out as I was, but then they got used to it. That, I think, was the weird part. They got used to trying to kill themselves. It just about broke my heart to see these kids that interested and unafraid about death.

RATING

3 So-So

COVER COMMENTS

The muted forest green suits the book nicely. It gives you the impression Jacob is all alone, in a dark creepy forest. Also, are those tire tracks I see running towards him? Has he been run over and survived? Interesting question to ponder.