A solid debut. This was an interesting take on the dystopian genre told through matter of fact narration and the perspective of a widowed mother trying to navigated the collapse of society with her young son.

It was good, but the story is somewhat predictable and the prose is often quite basic. A good debut and as easy read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @FlameTreePress for the advanced reader copy.
#DryLands #NetGalley

Dry Lands follows a desperate mother on her journey to find safety for her toddler son in a world ruined by catastrophic worldwide flooding. I am a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, and this one is more literary fiction in a post-apocalyptic world rather than a fast paced thriller. That doesn’t mean there isn’t action and adventure, however. Our heroine certainly faces much adversity.

In fact, sometimes I felt that things were a little too convenient for her, which is one of the reasons I did not rate this book 5 stars. But unlike other apocalypse stories, the main character makes a ton of mistakes, so it is way more believable and relatable.

I liked how the story wrapped up, although again, I thought some things were just a little too convenient. I won’t spoil it but some things just didn’t add up to me. Not enough to make me mad, but it definitely had me questioning and confused.

I’d be happy to see a follow up to Dry Lands, because I think the world Martins created is interesting and I liked the characters enough to see what happens next for them.

4 Stars!

The apocalypse is, necessarily, a large event. There are thousands of stories about the apocalypse that take a broad look at the unravelling of society by whatever means and sprinkle a bit of human-interest in. This can be an entertaining read, but the true tragedy of the apocalypse would lie in the triumphs and struggles of the individuals who live through it. Elizabeth Anne Martins takes this approach in Dry Lands as she follows a single woman trying to find her way through a world that has crumbled around her.

The ocean began rising and the land was flooding. Governments fell quickly and chaos began to spread throughout the land. Liv found temporary sanctuary in an abandoned motel along with her husband and son, Milo. She knew it would not last, but it was better than what was out in the shrinking world. As the waters close in, her husbands trades her body to a helicopter pilot to escape from the encroaching sea and a journey to her childhood home. Now Liv's husband and the pilot are both dead and she is left alone with Milo and the pilot's child that she never wanted growing inside her.

Liv finds a place to settle in for a little while as she prepares for the journey ahead of her. She gets comfortable in her makeshift home with her horse and son as her only companions, but she knows it will not last. The hunters from the encampments, groups of people who have banded together to live off of the misery of others, are always on the prowl and it is only a matter of time before they find her. As she struggles to survive and slowly makes her way toward her final destination, Liv comes to understand that the end of the world as she knew it was only the beginning. There danger lurking in every shadow, but there is also beauty and friendship and possibly even redemption at journey's end. She must somehow find the strength to see it through and hope that a brighter future awaits her.

Dry Lands starts off slow and left me wondering just where the book was heading. It took me a little while to get invested in the book and I was beginning to wonder if I ever would, and then it clicked. I mention this because readers need to be aware that it may take a little work to get going with this one, but it was well worth the effort once things fell into place. Martins takes a little bit of time setting up the story with some background (but not too much) on the disaster that changed the world and getting Liv into place. To be honest, this was not too interesting to me and was a bit formulaic. There was nothing new with the set up to the story and it almost reads as if Martins is aware of this and is just going through the steps to get to the meat of the tale.

Once it gets going and settles in on Liv's struggles in a changed world, Dry Lands is a very good and sometimes emotionally moving read. Martins pours a lot of humanity in the story and takes a deep look into what it is to be alone and survive in a world that has changed dramatically and has turned against the "common" person. The difference between this novel and many of its peers, though, is that much of this story is more about surviving emotionally rather than physically. The physical challenges are present and help shape the narrative, but it is the emotional struggle of a woman and an mother left alone against the world that drives the story. There is a sense of isolation that weighs heavily upon everything in the story as Liv deals with not only finding a way to survive but to thrive for both her and her child (as well as the child growing within her). This is a powerful novel that deals with love and loss pitted against each other to show that the apocalypse is not only about finding food to fuel the body but also about finding emotional food to fuel the soul and make life worth living again. Dry Lands takes a little bit of time to get going, but once it does, it is a book that is hard to put down and which is sure to push the reader to emotional boundaries that will leave the reader alternating between elation and tears. The apocalypse has never felt so personal before, but Liv keeps the spark of humanity burning in a world that has turned to darkness. Highly recommended for readers who are ready to emotionally invest in a novel and keep a box of tissues handy.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Dry Lands is scheduled to be released on May 14, 2024.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Dry Lands by Elizaberh Ann Martins

I think this might be my favorite book so far this year! Wow!!
This is an amazing story of what one woman is capable of during a catastrophic event, Survival! What she will do to save her family and herself. The strength and endurance to save her son and provide sustenance during a trek throughout several states in the hopes of getting to safety. The story is of the struggles she has along the way, the people she meets, the decisions she has to make.
I loved the characters, the authors description of them allowed you to see them in your mind, the settings were well described as were the characters actions.
I felt so many emotions reading this novel, from laughing out loud to tears.
I hope an event like this never happens in our world, but the author made this story so believable
I would gladly read more books by this author
I received an ARC of this book and my review is voluntary

Dry Lands sounded right up my street: Liv, her young son, and a horse are struggling to survive in a flooded post-apocalyptic world that has turned to cannibalism and corruption. For me, it was a middling success. The novel certainly demonstrated the strength and resilience of a mother faced with the worst circumstances, but I felt a little disconnected from the story for some reason.

We also only get glimpses into the flood and the cannibalistic gangs, whereas I would have liked those elements to have been further fleshed out. I also would have liked the horse to have been more developed—as it stands, she felt more like an object than her own character. But overall, it was a quick read and kept me intrigued throughout!