*36:00:00* The clock activates so suddenly in my mind, my head involuntarily jerks a bit to the side. The fog vanishes, dissipated in an instant as though it never was. Memories come slotting into place, their edges sharp enough to leave furrows, and suddenly I know. I know exactly who I am. My name is Lia Johansen, and I was named for a prisoner of war. She lived in the Tiersten Internment Colony for two years, and when they negotiated the return of the prisoners, I was given her memories and sent back in her place. And I am a genetically engineered human bomb. Lia Johansen was created for only one purpose: to slip onto the strategically placed New Sol Space Station and explode. But her mission goes to hell when her clock malfunctions, freezing her countdown with just two minutes to go. With no Plan B, no memories of her past, and no identity besides a name stolen from a dead POW, Lia has no idea what to do next. Her life gets even more complicated when she meets Michael Sorenson, the real Lia’s childhood best friend. Drawn to Michael and his family against her better judgment, Lia starts learning what it means to live and love, and to be human. It is only when her countdown clock begins sporadically losing time that she realizes even duds can still blow up . If she wants any chance at a future, she must find a way to unlock the secrets of her past and stop her clock. But as Lia digs into her origins, she begins to suspect there’s far more to her mission and to this war, than meets the eye. With the fate of not just a space station but an entire empire hanging in the balance, Lia races to find the truth before her time—literally—runs out. Lia Johansen is 16 years old and alone and has recently been rescued with other refugees from the invasion that left her planet in tatters. Her parents are dead, and she has no memories of anything except her name and her mission. Lia is a human bomb, and she is programmed to blow up the space station in 36 hours. The protagonist assumes that she is a clone or, perhaps, a robot because she has no memories of a past at all, until she meets Michael, a boy who seems to know her. The ticking clock looms large until, suddenly, it stops: she is a dud. Unable to jump-start the device, Lia begins to feel that maybe she has a second chance and, possibly, a future. Her friendship with Michael deepens, and she makes other friends-so when the clock randomly begins to tick off the minutes and seconds, Lia is uncertain that she wants to continue to the end of her mission. If she goes to Nova, she will die alongside all her new companions. Teens will understand Lia's reluctance to give up her newly discovered friends and may make a connection between suicide bombers of today and the mission with which she has been tasked. This work will hold readers' attentions until the surprising end. VERDICT Hand this to young adults who enjoy their dystopia laced with a bit of love and self-discovery.-Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for Nova : " Nova   grabbed me from the first chapter, and never let go . What a ride! Unforgettable, fast-paced and original, this book kept me guessing to the end." —Amie Kaufman,  New York Times -bestselling co-author of  These Broken Stars "Lia is a genetically-engineered bad-ass ." —The MarySue "A super start to what looks like a fine series; readers will be eager for the next installment." — Booklist "This is an excellent debut... creative and surprising ." — RT Book Reviews "This book definitely scratched my kick-ass teen heroine itch , and it did it in SPACE. That’s a perfect combo if I’ve seen one." —BookRiot “Lia’s story is entertaining and fun, with many elements of daring and suspense …. It’s a fun science fiction novel that does not rely on the genre to be interesting, making a good choice for both genre and casual fans.” —Bibliofiend Margaret Fortune wrote her first story at the age of six and has been writing ever since. She lives in Wisconsin.  Nova  is her first novel. DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED U.S. PAT. AND TM. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES —MARCA REGISTRADA HECHO EN U.S.A. Or did I? The memories are fuzzy most days; disjointed and piecemeal, they skitter out from under my grasp, leaving my mind empty-handed and blank. Today it is all I can do to remember my own name, to keep repeating my story over and over again in my head, the way they taught me to. My name is Lia Johansen, and I was a prisoner of war . . . Until today. Standing at the viewport on the forward deck of the Xenia Anneli , I watch as the New Sol Space Station slowly draws into view. It’s even bigger than I imagined, with two concentric rings connected by spokes to an inner hub shaped like a top. The station spins like a top, too, its lights flashing by like strings of holiday lights in blue and yellow and red. It’s mag