Review: Great Book, great author, nice age appropriate material.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
1. I would give this book an overall 5 out of 5 stars for a first book in a series.  I gave it 5 stars because unlike most serial books it can be a standalone.  It leaves you wanting another book but you don't HAVE to have another book.  The end wraps up enough that you can wait without being too annoyed to read anymore of her books.2. Without giving away any major plot points here is a very brief synopsis.  This takes place in the future America which is broken down more regionally rather than states with what appears to be a buffer no man’s land between the regions.  You get the sense that climate change has played a bit of a role in this due to regions being drier or wetter than they used to be.  I love how she doles out information about this new world as the characters are receiving it.  There is a real sense that the characters are very ignorant of the world around them and they come across that way.3.  Some of the characters are given difficult situations to deal with and I think she (the author) does a good job of giving them believable reactions to these situations (don't want to spoil the read so I won't get too specific)4. The kids in this are just that, kids, this is a YA book that I enjoyed even though I was a YA in the Stone Age.  Sometimes it's nice to remember how young you were once.  This in no way takes away from the book, just that it is set with the viewpoint of the YA audience and not say the boomers.  I also enjoyed the hunger game series for the same reason.5.  I will say this; the characters in this book come from some very believable situations, poverty, alcoholism, abuse, etc.  These are subjects that unfortunately children and young adults have to deal with all too often.  I think she did it in a realistic way, portraying the characters in a more complicated grey area relationship rather than the black and white fairy tale relationship that really doesn't exist all that often.6. My recommendation is that if you are a fan of dystopian future world and journey tales then read this book.  You won't be sorry.  I know I wasn't.