The Road

 The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Paperback, 307 pages

Published 4th May 2007 by Picador

(First published 26th September 2006)

Shelves: apocalyptic, books-i-own, dystopian, if-i-were-a-boy, read, read-in-2021

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. 

The Road is a book that I have been meaning to read for a very long time. I don't know what encouraged me to finally pick it up (especially during a global pandemic!) but I did and I am glad that I've finally read this book which has quickly become a lauded modern classic. 

Initially, I wasn't entirely sure if I would enjoy this book. I do enjoy dystopian stories but that's all I really knew about this story - that it was about a boy and his father making a journey across an apocalyptic wasteland. It turns out that was what the book was about and quite frankly, that was all it was about. There wasn't much of a plot to this story, there wasn't many twists or turns, no real 'goal' to achieve by the end. The story was a journey - a journey across a dreary landscape. This experimental style isn't something that would usually appeal to me, but I am so glad that I gave it a go.

When starting the book, I was initially mostly surprised at the writing style. The writing seemed very strange and somewhat unnatural. The characters are never named and there is a distinct lack of punctuation (particularly quotation marks). I found these issues a little uncomfortable to begin with but I adjusted to the style surprisingly quickly. I swiftly became enamoured by McCarthy's writing and I thought that a lot of the prose was truly beautiful. 

This book is short and, on the surface, simple yet it is easy to see why The Road is considered to be a modern masterpiece. The characters are basic but well formed - vulnerability and strength both shine through the pages. The plot is uncomplicated - it is a journey from one place to another. McCarthy has managed to form a scarily realistic, bleak apocalyptic world. Overall, I really enjoyed the 'journey' of this book and became immersed in it easily which is why I would certainly reccommend it. I did find the ending disappointing and the child's choice to be bewildering, but everything that came before was absolutely captivating. 

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse by Katie Coyle

Paperback, 288 pages

Expected Publication 5th September 2013 by Hot Key Books

Shelves: books-i-own, young-adult, title-appeal, road-trip, realistic-fiction, read-in-2013, mental-health, lgbt-characters, cover-appeal, contemporary, apocalyptic

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

A chilling vision of a contemporary USA where the sinister Church of America is destroying lives. Our cynical protagonist, seventeen-­year-­old Vivian Apple, is awaiting the fated 'Rapture' -­ or rather the lack of it. Her evangelical parents have been in the Church's thrall for too long, and she's looking forward to getting them back. Except that when Vivian arrives home the day after the supposed 'Rapture', her parents are gone. All that is left are two holes in the ceiling...

Viv is determined to carry on as normal, but when she starts to suspect that her parents might still be alive, she realises she must uncover the truth. Joined by Peter, a boy claiming to know the real whereabouts of the Church, and Edie, a heavily pregnant Believer who has been 'left behind', they embark on a road trip across America. Encountering freak weather, roving 'Believer' gangs and a strange teenage group calling themselves the 'New Orphans', Viv soon begins to realise that the Rapture was just the beginning.

As soon as I saw the cover and title of this book, I had to know what it was about - it looked contemporary but the title sounded a bit dystopian - with those being my favourite genres, I had to investigate! I read the description and it did sound fantastic. I was curious to see how the author would put this together and I hoped that it would work out well - thankfully it did!

This isn't really like any other book that I've read and that is a fantastic thing. This is a contemporary, realistic book, but it's also apocalyptic. We're introduced to a situation where a lot of the American population have decided to follow a new religion and under the Church of America, many, but not all, of these people have disappeared in what has been known as the 'Rapture'. With Believers and non-believers left behind, a group of teenagers set out to try and discover what is really going on. Of course, there are plenty of twists and some stumbling blocks along the way which makes this book a definite page turner. There was a constant wonder in my mind as to what the Church of America really was, or what it involved. There is a lot of substance to this book and the characters also face a lot of other issues that are interwoven into the book alongside the Rapture.

I can't tell you about all of the issues - you'll have to read it for yourself - but nothing ever seems clear-cut or fully comprehensible, at least not until the end of the book. It's interesting to see how your thoughts and opinions change as the book progresses and we learn new things. The pace is consistent and there always seems to be something new to find out, making this a real page turner. There is one warning for you though - it is extremely hard to put it down! I could have happily sat and read this all in one go, it had me hooked!

The characters really helped this book to be a success. Our main character, Vivian, was really easy to connect with, she had real guts and determination but there was always that sense of vulnerability around her, which made her so real. I loved meeting her best friend, who seemed awesomely kick-ass whilst still being obviously fragile, especially due to problems within her own family. I also enjoyed reading about Edie, a pregnant Believer - it was interesting to see the differences between a Believer and the non-Believers. The character who grew on me most was Peter, the love interest to our protagonist. I was a little sceptical when we first met him, he seemed to be just thrown into the story quite randomly and I feared it would be an awful case of instant love between the two characters, but I was happily proved very wrong. The relationship between Vivian and Peter was so lovely to read about - it all felt so natural, slightly shaky (as a teenage romance can be) and both characters bonded in such a gradual, loving way. Their romance somehow felt intricate, it felt precious and a lot deeper than a lot of other YA romances - perhaps due to the problems they both faced and the conflicts that arose. I would have loved to read more about Vivian and Peter - I don't know if there will be a follow on to this book, but if there was, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse has been one of my top summer reads of 2013 and will be a highlight of the books I have read throughout the year due to the fantastic writing and the compelling, refreshing plot idea. Katie Coyle has already won the Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize for this book and I truly hope that she wins more - she is clearly extremely talented and I think her writing rivals that of some of the current top YA authors. I will be recommending this to anyone I can!

Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days #1)

Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Paperback, 272 pages

Published May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton

My shelves: angels-demons, apocalyptic, better-than-expected, books-i-own, dystopian, fantasy, horror, really-good, sci-fi, series-or-companions, young-adult

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

If I'm being honest, I was a little weary of reading this book. It seemed to appear from nowhere, it was first self published and it was only available as an eBook for a long time. Sure, none of these things mean that it will necessarily be bad, but it didn't endear me to the idea of Angelfall - I'm one of those people who likes physical books. When I heard that it was finally being made into a paperback, I was delighted! I found that it was a real treasure and in fact far better than many other post-apocalyptic young-adult books that have been commercially released recently and in the past few years. It is evident that Ee has a talent for writing and it felt as every word had been carefully thought out and was important in this book.

The story does feel slightly commercial in the way that I feel as though it will appeal to many people. It seemed like an amalgamation of factors from other released books, but adapted. I certainly don't mean that this feels like a copy of other books, but that it does certain familiarities to several other things that I have read. However, the story is new, fresh and exciting. I have never read a book about Angels that has gripped me or that I have enjoyed as much as I did with this.

From the first page, I got thrown into the post-apocalyptic setting which was both fascinating and frightening. Ee has done a wonderful job of making everything seem very vivid and as though we are seeing things through Penryn's eyes. The writing and emotion feels authentic, raw and bold. From start to finish, the book is very eventful and had me on the edge of my seat. There was a certain addictive quality, just wanting to know where Penryn would take us next and what she would see. Most of what Penryn does see is gruesome and Ee creates some extremely macabre, horrifying and unsettling scenes.

Nothing seems to stop Penryn from the search for her family. We are given a strong protagonist, a fantastic heroine. Around her are many more curious characters, including her abducted sister, Paige, and Penryn's mother, who is mentally unstable and claims to talk to demons - these both seem to be especially complex characters that I'm interested to watch develop. Raffe, the angel that is alongside Penryn for the majority of this book, is shown to have ethereal beauty and a strong personality, without any flowery writing, which was refreshing. The relationship between Penryn and Raffe was interesting to read about, as Raffe is essentially one of the enemies, simply by being an angel. I found Dee and Dum to provide some joviality to the harsh background of the apocalypse and I absolutely loved them.

There are a few things that if revealed would have helped me to understand things more, such as a little more information about the mythology and the reason of the apocalypse, but this is the first in a series and so I hope that, and assume it will be, explained further on in the next books which I simply can't wait to be released!

Breathe (Breathe #1)

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Paperback, 384 pages

Expected publication: 11th October 2012 by Bloomsbury

My shelves: apocalyptic, arc-or-review, blog-tour, books-i-own, dystopian, lgbt-characters, read-in-2012, really-good, sci-fi, series-or-companions, to-read, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from the Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Bloomsbury for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I heard about Breathe, I was absolutely desperate to get my hands on a copy! The first book that I ever received for review was Sarah Crossan's debut novel, The Weight of Water and I absolutely devoured it - it was truly something special and I was left wanting more of Crossan's work. When I found out that her next project was a dystopian series, I was practically jumping up and down!

As you might be able to tell, I had very high expectations for Breathe and thankfully it didn't let me down at all. I am a huge fan of dystopian books, but I realise that due to the huge boom in popularity around this genre, there are quite a few dystopian books that aren't up to scratch - I am so glad to say that this is definitely one of the better ones out there. This book did have elements which reminded me of other popular dystopian books and will definitely appeal to fans of authors such as Ally Condie and Suzanne Collins. Though the story did have some similar elements to other books, it was still original and gripping with good world-building.

Breathe follows three characters as they discover the truth about the world that they're living in. In Breathe, most people live inside the Pod, where oxygen is distributed to the people by the government and only the rich (Premiums) are able to afford extra oxygen in order to exercise or exert themselves. Many people have been ejected from the Pod to live in the Outlands, where it's almost essential to have an oxygen tank in order to survive. Both the plot and setting are strong and captivating. I became truly gripped by this book and didn't want to put it down. The story is gripping and I always wanted to know more. There is so much to discover about the world in this book, which is very promising for the rest of the series!

Breathe is narrated by three different characters - Alina, Bea and Quinn. Unlike most other books told from several points of view, I didn't really favour one character in particular - I really enjoyed reading about all three characters. Alina is a part of the Resistance and is a very bold, strong character with lots of attitude. Bea is an auxiliary girl who is kindhearted and somewhat quiet, but who also has an attitude burning up inside her. Quinn is a Premium, a boy raised in a rich family with a powerful father. Our three main characters are all quite different, each have very distinct personalities and it is very interesting to discover how they see the world through such different eyes. I found it interesting how their views changed and developed as they interacted. Of course, there were other characters in the book, my favourites being Maude and Jazz. We are also introduced to the head of the Resistance, Petra who I don't know whether or not to love or hate, but she is such a fantastic character! 

Overall, this was an enthralling read which I found very difficult to put down, but so easy to pick back up. I love the plot. I love the characters. I already liked Sarah Crossan before reading this book and now I've finished it, she's firmly landed a place as one of my favourite authors. I seriously can't wait for the next instalment of this story. For me, this is how a dystopian should be.  

Rage Within (Dark Inside #2)

Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

Paperback, 368 pages

Expected publication: 30th August 2012 by Macmillan Children's Books

My shelves: apocalyptic, arc-or-review, blog-tour, books-i-own, dystopian, horror, read-in-2012, sci-fi, read, young-adult, zombies

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

After the earthquakes came the infectious rage, turning friends into deadly enemies. For survivors Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine the battle to stay alive is about to get even tougher. The new world is organising itself, with camps that promise protection for the uninfected. But the reality of the sites is far more sinister. Besides, nobody is safe from the rage within their own soul...

For fans of Gone, or 28 Days Later not to be missed!

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Macmillan's Children Books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Last year, I picked up a copy of Rage Inside from my local library, not knowing much about it and having not read a zombie-type book before (okay, they're technically not zombies, but some characters are in a zombie-like state). I was very glad that I did pick it up as I really, really enjoyed it. The only problem was, I had to wait for the second book to be released! When I finally held a copy of Rage Within, I was so excited to delve into it.

I'll be honest and say that I can't remember Dark Inside very clearly, despite how much I liked it - I could only recollect snippets of events, though I had a good memory of the characters. This wasn't a problem for me though, by around only 50 pages in, I was absolutely absorbed into the story, reacquainted with the characters and didn't want to put the book down. I was surprised that I enjoyed Dark Inside so much and even more surprised that I enjoyed this instalment even more. In this book, we follow a group of teenagers as they unite to try and survive a world that has completely changed after a catastrophic earthquake. They are up against a load of people who have turned into what are known as 'Baggers' - the bad guys of the books. Baggers are still human and it's very hard to know who is a bagger and who is not, which makes things a whole lot scarier and unnerving.

Again, this book is narrated by Mason, Michael, Clementine and Aries. Each character was strong and for me, it felt very equal - I didn't warm particularly to one character as I was interested in them all. Whilst all characters are well formed, I personally thought it was quite easy to get them mixed up, however this didn't cause any difficulty whilst reading. Though I won't mention who they are incase of spoilers, we also got to meet some new characters in this book who were very intriguing. There was a huge twist with one character in particular in this book and although it did sadden me as I'd come to like and know the character, the twist was indeed very effective! I loved all of the twists and turns in the book. There were some things that were slightly predictable but a lot of twists did shock me and make me gasp, which was fantastic. I was totally hooked, desperate to know what was going to happen next.

The one aspect of the first book that troubled me was the point of view of a character known as 'Nothing' - someone/thing that we don't know anything about. despite it being effective, I didn't like it in the first book as it was too vague for me. However, in this book we get to learn a lot more about 'Nothing' and begin to really discover who/what Nothing is. 

As you should be able to tell, I really liked this book and now begins the torturous wait for book three! Absolutely addictive, edge of your seat reading with fantastically developed, fun and loveable characters, this series is definitely one that I'd recommend.

Ashes (Ashes #1)

Ashes (Ashes #1) by Ilsa J. Bick

Paperback, 465 pages

Published 29th September 2011 by Quercus

My shelves: apocalyptic, books-i-own, cover-appeal, dystopian, horror, read, read-in-2012, sci-fi, series-or-companions, young-adult, zombies

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

No, she thought. No, please, God, I'm not seeing this

Seventeen-year-old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have aquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a younge army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all: 
In such a vastly changed world, who can you trust?

A srtory of high-wire tension, gut-wrenching twist, and burgeoning love, Ashes will leave you breathless.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

I bought Ashes last year and to be honest, I'm really not sure why it took me so long to get around to it. I absolutely loved the premise of this one as I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic type books, even if they do scare me a little bit! As the next book in this trilogy, Shadows, is being released very soon, I thought it was definitely time to pick this one up off my shelves.

Ashes is about a girl named Alex who has a brain tumour and seems to have given up on all of the available treatments, instead deciding to live her life by herself, exploring the wilderness. When Alex is out in theforest, she comes across an old man, his somewhat troubled granddaughter, Ellie, and her dog, Mina. After forming a bond with the old man and being frustrated by Ellie, something very strange happens. The real action of the book starts when the world is hit with several electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) which changes everything. The old man dies, and Alex is left with Ellie and her dog and no idea of what has happened.

I really loved the start of this book. Learning about our protagonist was enjoyable and so was the mystery of the big 'zap' that changed the world. I loved moving through the wilderness with Alex and was quite captivated. The first half of the book was certainly a page turner. Parts of the story were very gruesome and quite disgusting, but the vivid imagery did work well - it gave the book a rather horrifying edge - I certainly wouldn't recommend this for younger teens, though!

Unfortunately, as the book progressed I did start to become a little bored. I absolutely loved following Alex, Ellie and Tom but around halfway or three-quarters of the way through, the book felt a bit disjointed as the characters were separated and I started to lose interest. The last section of the book, where Alex is led into living with some sort of cult was okay but it just didn't capture my imagination as the rest of the book had. The whole cult situation felt a little bit random and the introduction of a love triangle was unnecessary.

Getting to know our main character was very fascinating - Having a character with a terminal illness was different and interesting, I liked reading about her past and the thoughts she had in the present-day. We got to learn more about her as the book progressed and I found her to be a very likeable character. Whilst I didn't find anything about her particularly stand-out or striking, she was strong yet still very human and vulnerable - I liked that about her. I also came to love Ellie, the girl who was at first quite hostile but came to be slightly more mature, yet still kept her fragility. During their exploration of the woods to try and find some safety, we also met Tom, a character who certainly played a big role and is one of the romantic interests in the book. I did like Tom, he seemed like a genuine, caring guy but I personally wouldn't have been able to trust someone as quickly as Alex trusted him, especially in the situation that they were in. We do meet several other characters during the book and they are all well written and quite well formed.

This book does end on quite a big and somewhat exciting cliffhanger, so I do want to know what will happen next to all of our characters. It will be interesting to discover what has become of each character and what they plan to do in regards to the cult. This book had enough positive features in the first half for me to want to read on, so I will be looking forward to trying out the second book, Shadows.

Hav3n

Hav3n by Tom Easton

Paperback, 398 pages

Expected Publication: 2nd August 2012 by Andersen Press

My shelves: apocalyptic, arc-or-review, awful-cover, books-i-own, coming-up-next, currently-reading, dystopian, if-i-were-a-boy, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, sci-fi, young-adult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

A killer virus has struck, and only one community has survived, in this gripping, dark and witty psychological thriller.
 
When the newspapers start talking about a flu pandemic, Josh Pirbright is sure it's just media hype. As the son of the most eminent epidemiologist in the country he knows better than to get hysterical about a virus. Until his father phones from the laboratory with a dark warning, and the newsreels start to show dead bodies piled in the streets, before cutting out altogether. It's time to man the barricades in the picture-postcard village of Great Sheen, and Josh, his sister Martha and best friends Sam and Kitty are on the front line.
 
Hav3n is the story of an epidemic and of its aftermath; of being a teenager when all the rules have changed. Life within the claustrophobic confines of the protected village (renamed Haven after the disease that nearly destroyed it) is full of increasingly bizarre rules and secrets, with Josh's father at the heart of the intrigue. What is behind the villagers' survival? And how is it linked to the increasingly despotic behaviour of the adults ruling the New World? There's only one way to find out.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Andersen Press for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't heard of Hav3n until I was kindly offered the chance to participate in a blog tour for the book. I like to read every book that I feature, so I began reading this one as soon as I got my hands on a copy. Whilst the cover did put me off slightly, the premise sounded absolutely fantastic - just like something I would enjoy! I couldn't wait to start it.

One of the first things I want to say is that if you're put off by the cover, please try not to be. I've shown a couple of people the cover and the reception hasn't been great - it looks very boy-orientated and the helmet is a little strange as helmets don't play any big role in the book - I think it's a little misleading. This book is about the aftermath of a plague that has destroyed a lot of animals and most of the human population. It's a little bit dystopian, a little bit post-apocalyptic - something that will intrigue a lot of young adult readers!

We are introduced to a group of people living in the village of Little Sheen who are slowly contracting the deadly disease, Hav3n, one by one. Thankfully, a man called Michael who has family in the village, manages to find a cure in his laboratory and comes to the aid of the villagers. However, by then the rest of the world has succumbed to the disease and have died - leaving the villagers as the only survivors on the planet. We follow the villagers as they try to form some sort of government and try to build a community that will survive and grow.

There are several characters in this book, all aware of each other and all who have their own thoughts and concerns about this 'New World' that they will live in. The story is centred mainly around Josh and his family - his sister Martha and parents Judith and Michael. I thought the relationship between Josh, Martha and their friends Sam and Kitty was really great to read about - it felt genuine. I also found the issues of partnering and 'breeding' for the next generation to be interesting, but I think it could've been explored more. Michael plays a huge role in this story and I had conflicting emotions when it came to him - he was certainly an interesting, complex character, who I really wish we had gotten to know more about. I absolutely adored his wife Judith and I also enjoyed reading about the other villagers who seemed authentic.  

I did enjoy reading this book - I thought that the idea of a virus that was attacking the whole of mankind was gruesomely interesting and the opening pages certainly pulled me in. For some reason I found myself reading this book quite slowly - I'm not sure why though as it was very fast paced - something was always happening! I think that, at points, some things were happening a little too quickly. I know some of the quick actions were intentional, to up the pace, but some events felt quite rushed. I think that there was huge potential for this book to actually become a trilogy or series, but as a stand alone it was still enjoyable - I realise a lot of people will actually appreciate this being a standalone as you don't have to wait to find out what happens! 

Tom Easton clearly has an active imagination and has used it to create a quite captivating story for young adults. I look forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next!

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young
Paperback, 492 pages


Published June 2nd 2011 by Marion Lloyd/Scholastic

My shelves: apocalyptic, awful-cover, books-i-own, dystopian, fantasy, if-i-were-a-boy, read-in-2012, sci-fi, series-or-companions, too-much-hype, young-adult

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him. The story's searing pace, its spare style, the excitement of its fabulously damaged world, its unforgettably vivid characters, its violent action and glorious lovestory make this a truly sensational YA debut novel.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

Blood Red Road is a book that I've been meaning to get around to for a while. Seeing as the second instalment of the series is being released soon, I thought that it was about time that I gave it a go! I have seen nothing but glowing reviews for this dystopian book and I had high expectations. Thankfully, the book was very  impressive and definitely had an individual edge to it.

This is described as a dystopian book. It centres around a girl called Saba and her desperation to find her kidnapped brother, Lugh. We don't know much about anything at the start, and have no idea why Lugh has been kidnapped, but as we go on an adventure with Saba to find her brother, the story develops and we get to learn more about the disappearance. 

What I really loved most about this book was the writing style - I had heard that the dialect was a little 'strange' in this book and I was worried that I wouldn't 'get it' or get used to it - however, I thought it was fantastic! It was not difficult to read at all - after only a few pages I was absorbed into the writing style and had a firm grip of Saba in my mind. The dialect was endearing and undoubtedly added to both Saba's character and the building of the world around her. Her phrasing was ideal for her character and simply felt so authentic.

Saba herself is not perfect and not entirely confident, but she is who she is. She is a very strong, determined character who knows what she wants and needs to do. I loved that Saba never seemed to let things get her down, though she did, naturally, still react to them. I will admit that I did go on a sort-of roller coaster with Saba though, as at points I did sometimes feel a little angered by her, particularly by her actions/feelings towards her sister. Throughout her journey through the Dustlands on her search for answers, we also meet several other characters, most of them being necessary but some also felt a little 'throw-away'. However, for the most part it was interesting to see who and why she met certain people. There is a bit of romance in this book and though I didn't particularly dislike it, it was a little bit strange for me - it didn't flow well. I can see the slight connection between Saba and the daredevil boy she meets, Jack, but I just didn't feel it very strongly.

Even after a week of finishing this first book, I am still struggling with knowing how to rate this one. I have decided to go with 3.5 stars, which to me is a very respectable rating. However, I do think that this book is deserving of more stars just for the way it was written - although most elements of the book were fantastic and the author, Young, is obviously talented, there was still something that this book lacked for me... I can't pinpoint it, but for some reason it wasn't a book that I was absolutely hooked to. I do, however, agree that it should be (it is) an award winning book. I did feel as though the book dragged a little and I was disappointed by the twists and turns in the second half of the book as I was expecting something a little more intriguing, more surprising.

As I've mentioned, I think that Moira Young has a wonderful talent for writing and this is a book that stands out of the young-adult dystopian crowd. It is different and  impressive. I can totally understand why there are so many positive reviews of this book, though it was slightly lacking for me. I do look forward to reading Rebel Heart, which is coming out soon, and despite some reservations, I would recommend this to adventure-loving young adults.