Summary:
“They tell me the country looked different back then.
They talk of open borders and flowing rivers.
They say the world was green.
But drought swept across the globe and the United States of the past disappeared under a burning sky.
Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath, a barren world where water has become the global currency. In a life dominated by duty to family and community, Enora is offered a role within an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. From the wasted confines of her small town to the bowels of a hidden city, Enora will uncover buried secrets that hide an unthinkable reality.
As truth reveals the brutal face of what she has become, she must ask herself: how far will she go to retain her humanity?”
First Chapter Review:
What if the world ran out of water?!
I was lucky enough to be sent a sneak peak of Kristin Ward’s new novel as part of #UltimateBlogTours. I was tasked with the job of reviewing the first chapter and sharing my first impression, and I will say that I am seriously considering reading the rest of it.
I love how close to home this book hits. It is a dystopian world that tries to reflect what could happen if humanity keeps destroying the planet the way they currently are. It looks at the effects of global warming and how people would be living in the future if that isn’t stopped. It is a very realistic setting for a dystopian world and it makes it seem very possible. It is grounded in reality and that makes it quite terrifying.
I do have one big issue with the subject matter though: It has been done before.
Yes it is a brilliant idea, and it is very well portrayed in this book, but it is not a unique idea. It is Mad Max without the cars, a dryer Water World or the dozens of other pieces of fiction about the exact same type of dystopian world. It might handled in a different way and have a different set of characters but this premise for a dystopian world is not new at all. It can also get a little preachy and tired when not done properly.
Saying that though, I did enjoy the first chapter. It was beautifully written and I found myself getting hooked into the story almost instantly. I just couldn’t shake the notion that this is just another book about how terrible humans are to the earth. I know we are terrible, that is a historical fact, and environmental issues are a real problem, but do we really need another novel telling us that?
You can pick up a copy of After Green Withered from Amazon.
#UltimateBlogTours is organised by Dave @The_WriteReads. If you want to take part in future blog tours or want to join their community check them out on Twitter.
Spine Cracker 