I absolutely LOVED this book. It was action packed with a unique setting and characters that were engaging. I loved how gruesome and unflinching Delta was. I loved learning about the lore and the "world building" of this solar-flair riddled Earth. I loved reading the descriptions of objects that were foreign to Delta and being like, oh that's a pair of binoculars or a bunker. The story was surprising and kept me guessing as I was reading as well. I will say that the one small drawback of this book was the length - it wasn't slow but it did feel like it could have been tightened up a little in a couple of places. However, the world building and characters are enough to make up for the length of the book. I also really appreciated that Erin Bowman was not afraid to get into the grittiness and darkness of this apocalyptic setting.

I accidentally posted the wrong review here. I'll be back when I finish the book and do it right this time. My apologies.

I was a major fan of Erin Bowman’s 2019 science fiction YA horror Contagion and I am delighted to say that she has followed it with an absolute corker in Dustborn. It has a superb setting; a world completely parched of water, where the rivers have tried up and the last surviving ‘packs’ of people scavenge to survive and follow the last traces of water. ‘Old Tech’ is mentioned frequently and is highly prized and sought after, the last functioning binoculars or compasses. Most survivors live in small groups and rely upon trading to survive, the main character is seventeen-year-old Delta of Dead River, whose ‘pack’ has shrunk drastically and is struggling to survive. Also, her sister is pregnant and in this very cruel world babies are a hinderance. With the baby coming soon, and her sister sick, Delta must try and find a medicine woman to try and help.

The setting of Dustborn is superb and you will be thirsty just reading it. It vibrates with echoes of both cult films Mad Max and Hardware and it will be easy to get behind leading character Delta who finds herself not only trying to survive but looking after a new-born baby. About a third of the way into the novel the story really opens up and Delta realises she has a much more complex part to play when she comes up against ‘The General’ who is also a very nasty piece of work. Delta also has an extensive and cryptic tattoo on her back which The General takes a very special interest in. I highly recommend this novel, which is an exciting blend of science fiction, action, strong characters in a very cleverly plotted post-apocalyptic thriller which teens should lap up. AGE 12+

I enjoyed reading Dustborn; a good dystopian book with a strong female character. It put me in the mind of Blood Red Road, as well as Gunslinger Girl and Bullet Catcher (all of which I'd recommend!). Delta of Dead River is a survivor and fierce lover of her tribe. When her tribe is captured and threatened with execution, Delta leaves on a search for answers that will save not just her family, but possibly all human life in a world (planet?) with dwindling water. Delta is not necessarily that easy to root for, but I feel it's that it's because she's a complex character bent on the simple mission of surviving and saving her loved ones. Partnered with someone she once thought long dead, Delta's journey leads her to potentially become a life saving goddess to people desperately looking for reason of existence. #Dustborn #NetGalley

Well this book was certainly a little how-do-you-do of vengeful post-apocalyptic YA Novels. I was promised Mad Max and I was fed exactly that and more. This is a book that is most certainly going to sweep across the young adult world and take them by storm.

Dustborn follows Delta of Dead River; dead being the operating term because everything in this vast landscape has blown away into dust. Delta has just returned from journeying in an attempt to save her sister and sister’s newborn baby’s life. When she returns to her home, she’s found that most of her “pack” has been taken hostage by the fascist leader of the land. Armed with her wits, the help of a long-lost friend, and the mysterious brands on her back that may act as a map to greener pastures, Delta embarks on a mission across the wastelands to save everyone she loves.

This world is vivid in its description of ruin. From the sand storms that pop up when you least expect them to the crusted salt beds that offer no hope of clean water, the world that Erin Bowman paints is hopeless, helpless, and eerie. I could almost taste the sand in my mouth as Delta ventured through storms, rubbing grit from her eyes as if it were normal. And in this landscape it is. There is no thriving here, just survival.

The world is not only built through descriptions of the barrens however; it’s built through small mentions, like dug out cellars that hide you from the worst of the kicked-up rocks, and a refusal to shy away from the nitty gritty of desperate survival attempts. Oftentimes, it feels like YA novels attempt to shield their readers from the realities of starvation and dehydration, but not this one. Delta has grown up doing what she must to survive and that is something that remains prevalent throughout the book. There is no coddling here.

The characters presented in the novel were for the most part, interesting and mature, though I do sorely wish the author would have delved a little bit deeper into the psyches and motivations of some of our supporting characters. It did occasionally ride the line between archetypal villains and heroes and I wish it could have erred on the positive side 100% of the time.

Delta, as mentioned above, was a take no prisoners protagonist that you love to see. She is cold, but spirited and truly does everything she can for those she loves; even when it seems prudent to let things go.

There was certainly no shorting of action in any of the four parts in which the book was split up. Wind-wagons, falcons, hybrid “Old World” guns and new, this book had a wide variety of tools to pull you in.

My only real fault of the book is its length. This is a long book and while it never truly falls into the category of “lagging,” I’m almost certain that certain parts could have been shortened without any real pitfalls.

But overall, Dustborn everything it was promised to be: wacky, brutal, and an adventure across a dusty, and yet somehow beautiful, world.

4/5

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