I read the first in the Dust Lands series on the recommendation of a classmate in a writing course and want to thank her wholeheartedly for bringing it to my attention. I have just ordered the second book on my Kindle. While this is the first of a trilogy, I'm pleased to say that the story wraps up nicely and doesn't end on a cliffhanger. I love it when an author has enough confidence in her work that she wraps up a story (even if there is the possibility of a next book) and presumably assumes the reader will come back for more if they liked the first book enough. She doesn't resort to leaving us hanging to ensure we come back for the second round. Thank you!
This book has been compared to The Hunger Games and I'm not sure that I agree. Sure, it's a post-apocalyptic YA story where kids have to fight for what they want, but it's very different to Hunger Games in that it's not about a contained society, but rather a very fractured society. It's also more of a "quest" narrative, where the heroine starts off pretty much alone and gathers a group of friends and helpers during her long journey to find and save her brother who was kidnapped at the beginning of the tale. The goal isn't to get back home safely, but rather to journey through the barren landscape and find out what else is out there. It reminded me more of Jane Yolen's Sister Light, Sister Dark than of the Hunger Games, particularly in its emphasis on mythology and recreation of a fractured society than on politics and corruption. It also has a few similarities with the Mad Max/Road Warrior movies. One interesting feature of this book is that it's written in what sounds like a southern vernacular - in the first person from the main character (Saba's) point of view. I found this a little off-putting for the first few chapters but gradually settled into it and then the character shined through regardless of her dialect. She's a complex character with hidden depths that even she doesn't fully appreciate. I won't give anything away but I really loved the last few lines of the final chapter. It's a great wrap-up for the first tale and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
This book has been compared to The Hunger Games and I'm not sure that I agree. Sure, it's a post-apocalyptic YA story where kids have to fight for what they want, but it's very different to Hunger Games in that it's not about a contained society, but rather a very fractured society. It's also more of a "quest" narrative, where the heroine starts off pretty much alone and gathers a group of friends and helpers during her long journey to find and save her brother who was kidnapped at the beginning of the tale. The goal isn't to get back home safely, but rather to journey through the barren landscape and find out what else is out there. It reminded me more of Jane Yolen's Sister Light, Sister Dark than of the Hunger Games, particularly in its emphasis on mythology and recreation of a fractured society than on politics and corruption. It also has a few similarities with the Mad Max/Road Warrior movies. One interesting feature of this book is that it's written in what sounds like a southern vernacular - in the first person from the main character (Saba's) point of view. I found this a little off-putting for the first few chapters but gradually settled into it and then the character shined through regardless of her dialect. She's a complex character with hidden depths that even she doesn't fully appreciate. I won't give anything away but I really loved the last few lines of the final chapter. It's a great wrap-up for the first tale and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
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