What the back says...
They tell me the country looked different back then.
They talk of open borders and flowing rivers.
They say the world was green.
But drought swept across the globe and the United States of the past disappeared under a burning sky. Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath, a barren world where water has become the global currency. In a life dominated by duty to family and community, Enora is offered a role within an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. From the wasted confines of her small town to the bowels of a hidden city, Enora will uncover buried secrets that hide an unthinkable reality. As truth reveals the brutal face of what she has become, she must ask herself: how far will she go to retain her humanity?
Firstly, I am so pleased to be part of this blog tour! This is only the second tour I have been involved in and, I think it's safe to say, possibly one of the biggest ever. So, a massive thank you to Dave @The_WriteReads for organising.
Now, I have to be honest, when I read the back blurb I wasn't entirely convinced that this was the book for me. Although it was in the same vein as The Hunger Games and Divergent (which I love) there was a little doubt in my brain that kept saying 'you're not going to finish this'. I ignored that doubt in my head and I'm really glad I did. Although I found the first few chapters quite slow and a bit of a struggle to get into, from roughly chapter 11 the story really got going.
The authors description of this new world and how it had got that way was really impressive. Stories like this do tend to freak me out as they could actually happen, and there is absolutely no guarantee that it won't in a few decades time. I am always in awe of they way authors can create stories like this - something I only wish I could do. The character descriptions were good, not over done with too much information, so as you read through the story you're still not entirely sure whether the characters are what they say they are. In some cases I needed a bit more, for instance, what happened to Safa? Hopefully we will find out in the next book. I liked that I was questioning why the characters were they way they are, for instance Bram, from the snippets of back story through the chapters, you couldn't help but question what had happened to change him. Springer was one of my favourite characters and I was really rooting for the partnership that was developing between him and Enora, I'm looking forward to seeing how this all develops. The book was almost just like a scene setter for the sequel publication where I believe the story will really take off.
As I got into the book I was expecting it to go one way and then was completely thrown by the twist - and what a twist it is! Again, all credit to the author for this. To base a story on a world with limited or no water, in my opinion, was really clever. Although we are all aware of the environmental issues, water shortages and the odd summertime hosepipe ban, I do think it's one of those things we just take for granted so, after reading the book I think it has definitely made me more aware.
So, after a slow start, this was a very enjoyable read, for anyone just starting, please stick with it, it will be worth it. After buying a physical copy - which I have now lent to a friend - I am looking forward to reading part two.
Happy Reading!