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rachelwrites007's review
4.0
*Thanks to Netgalley and HMH Teen for letting me read this book early.*
I enjoyed this one so much, especially the world building! Reminiscent of Mad Max and Blood Red Road, this was a fun read about a desert like planet, a tough girl character trying to find her way and the way we believe things shapes us.
I enjoyed this one so much, especially the world building! Reminiscent of Mad Max and Blood Red Road, this was a fun read about a desert like planet, a tough girl character trying to find her way and the way we believe things shapes us.
jesassa's review
Cinematic and sprawling, this post apocalyptic western serves up everything I hoped it would.
sausome's review
3.0
The book blurb touting comparison to "Mad Max" did not disappoint. This book was so intense and everything in it - the people, the post-apocalyptic world, every aspect of survival - was so so unforgiving. I could be that my headspace wasn't the best for this book, but the level of unforgiving intensity felt a bit too heavy for me to fully enjoy the book as a book. I also wanted a lot more about how the world came to be this way, or just more explanation rather than the constant battling and fights for survival. There were several places that felt a bit lagging, keeping me from pushing on as fast/hard as I have been known to, and I think the some of that is due to just the unforgiving nature of the entire world. This kind of story also has me revisiting my "what would I do if the world ended" philosophical question -- and this world had me 100 percent sure I'd rather just have not survived than have to be in this place, whew.
agiraffereads's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book, the dystopian setting, and the mad max vibes this book really radiates, however I feel like it was lacking something, hence why I give it 4 stars
lookingforamandaa's review
4.0
Dustborn is another book that I read for the 12 Challenge from instagram, but also, I bought it impulsively at the Barnes and Nobel 50% off hardcovers sale. I have absolutely no regrets.
Dustborn follows Delta of Dead River as she fucks shit up. That’s it, end of summary. Just kidding. The story starts with Delta rushing to save her sisters life. Things get messy and when she returns to where her people have settled, she learns that they’ve been attacked and kidnapped. While on her way to rescue them, things go from bad to worse when she’s kidnapped and brought to be sold as a slave. The issue is that Delta has a map of the Verdant branded onto her back that no one is supposed to know about. So, when instead of being sold as a slave, she’s brought to the General (who is the person that had her people kidnapped), and he already knows about her brand, things get complicated very quickly.
I liked Delta. She’s just a girl that makes an incredible number of mistakes and missteps. But she’s trying her hardest to save the lives of the people she cares about. She was all heart and minimal brains. That’s mostly a joke. She just is impulsive and often reckless. But I think that’s why I liked her so much. She doesn’t always think things through, but that just made the story that much more interesting.
The world was compelling and learning more about this mysterious Verdant really kept me interested in the story. I wanted to know if they were going to make it there and what the whole Verdant myth was really about. The politics of the world were easy to understand. Survival is everything and those that have the power determine how you survive, or don’t. I absolutely loved when we finally started to get some answers about this world and its history. I think the mythology (religion?) of the gods in the stars was super interesting, but even more so once we learned where it came from.
Overall, this was an engaging story that was full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It’s set on a planet that’s not terribly easy to live on, which created some high stakes. And the characters were interesting and entertaining. I will absolutely be reading more books by this author.
Dustborn follows Delta of Dead River as she fucks shit up. That’s it, end of summary. Just kidding. The story starts with Delta rushing to save her sisters life. Things get messy and when she returns to where her people have settled, she learns that they’ve been attacked and kidnapped. While on her way to rescue them, things go from bad to worse when she’s kidnapped and brought to be sold as a slave. The issue is that Delta has a map of the Verdant branded onto her back that no one is supposed to know about. So, when instead of being sold as a slave, she’s brought to the General (who is the person that had her people kidnapped), and he already knows about her brand, things get complicated very quickly.
I liked Delta. She’s just a girl that makes an incredible number of mistakes and missteps. But she’s trying her hardest to save the lives of the people she cares about. She was all heart and minimal brains. That’s mostly a joke. She just is impulsive and often reckless. But I think that’s why I liked her so much. She doesn’t always think things through, but that just made the story that much more interesting.
The world was compelling and learning more about this mysterious Verdant really kept me interested in the story. I wanted to know if they were going to make it there and what the whole Verdant myth was really about. The politics of the world were easy to understand. Survival is everything and those that have the power determine how you survive, or don’t. I absolutely loved when we finally started to get some answers about this world and its history. I think the mythology (religion?) of the gods in the stars was super interesting, but even more so once we learned where it came from.
Overall, this was an engaging story that was full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It’s set on a planet that’s not terribly easy to live on, which created some high stakes. And the characters were interesting and entertaining. I will absolutely be reading more books by this author.
stolen_tangerine's review
2.0
It had a cool cover, and it started out great. The characters were boring, I don’t even remember the MC’s name, and although it had a cool setting the world building made no sense and the plot was basic and not detailed.
bluebeereads's review
3.0
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, and while it's not a bad book, I think it just wasn't for me. It felt slow a lot of the times and I never really connected to the characters, unfortunately. I think I just wasn't the right audience for it.
rjv34's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ktjawrites's review
5.0
A delightful read about a punishing dystopia, which I would gladly revisit in future sequels.