Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Thirteen Days to Midnight

By: Patrick Carman

304 pages

Pre-order from Amazon

Will be released April 12, 2010

Source: Around the World Tours

Jacob Fielding has a superpower.  He is indestructible.  He received the power when his foster father said those words to him when they were in an automobile accident.  His foster father, Mr. Fielding, died in the accident, leaving Jacob to live with the priests who run the small private school that he attends.  When he returns to school after the accident, his best friend, Milo Coffin, whose parents own a rare bookstore, introduces Jacob to a new student, Ophelia James.  Ophelia or Oh for short is beautiful and the first thing she asks Jacob to do is sign the cast on her broken arm.  He is the first person to sign it and for some reason, he is compelled to write "You are indestructible."  Somehow this passes the power on to Oh, who later has an awful skateboarding accident that she walks away from without even a scratch.  This opens up a whole can of worms in which the trio investigate the limits of the power.  Oh becomes addicted, believing that she must help save lives with it.  Each time that Jacob releases it, a strange feeling grows, making him wonder if he should be allowing the transfer.  Jacob and Milo go in search of answers, believing that Mr. Fielding had many secrets.  What they find will turn their worlds upside down and change them forever.

This was a fascinating story that really makes you wonder.  Are superpowers really worth all the trouble?  Would it be a blessing or a curse to have such a thing?  What would you use the power of indestructibility for?  These are just a few of the questions that Jacob and his friends have.  The answers they reveal are painful and sometimes disturbing.  Milo is a very likeable character but Ophelia seems to be trouble most of the time.  In the end though, she's not so bad and neither is the future in store for Jacob.  Despite all, he's really a pretty lucky guy, all things considered.  This was a fast-paced, enjoyable read.