Drought by Pam Bachorz

(Cover picture courtesy of Pam Bachorz’s website.)

Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation. Escape from slaver Darwin West and his cruel Overseers. Escape from the backbreaking work of gathering Water. Escape from living as if it is still 1812, the year they were all enslaved.

When Ruby meets Ford–an irresistible, kind, forbidden new Overseer–she longs to run away with him to the modern world, where she could live a normal teenage live. Escape with Ford would be so simple.

But if Ruby leaves, her community is condemned to certain death. She, alone, possess the secret ingredient that makes the Water so special–her blood–and it’s the one thing that the Congregation cannot live without.

Drought is the haunting story of one community’s thirst for life, and the dangerous struggle of the only girl who can grant it.

In most books there is often a sentence or question that keeps coming up for me as I read them.  The recurring question for me in Drought was: “What is going on?”

Pam Bachorz raised so many questions in Drought, but very few of them were answered.  Who is Otto?  Why does his blood have magical properties?  Why hasn’t the Congregation escaped after 200 years of slavery?  Why did Otto leave?  Why haven’t any kids been born since the Congregation formed?  How did Darwin West enslave people like this?  And why is the Congregation completely in the dark about modern inventions when it’s 2012 in the story?  Surely Darwin wasn’t able to keep them completely isolated.

There are some pretty heavy religious undertones in the book, but they made no sense whatsoever.  The Congregation is much like a cult and Ford introduces Ruby, the main character, to the idea that they’re worshipping a false god (Otto), but I had no idea where Pam Bachorz was going with it.  As my English teacher frequently wrote on my essays, “So what?”  Why is religion discussed so much in Drought but never actually plays a believable role in the motivations of the characters?

Ruby, the protagonist, is decent enough I suppose.  Like in most YA novels, she is 200 years old but essentially acts like a teenager and falls in love with a teenager.  Okay, I get that the Congregation ages much more slowly than regular people, but really?  Even if you are treated like a child for 200 years, if you see the kind of violence Darwin West inflicts on your own mother, you’re going to grow up a lot faster than Ruby has.  Her ‘romance’ with Ford feels completely contrived.  It’s like the author didn’t know how to make readers truly connect with the characters; her writing doesn’t have that much emotion in it, to be truthful.

Drought had so much potential but ended up being a complete mess plot-wise and character-wise.  This is one of the few series I will not be continuing in the foreseeable future.

I give this book 1/5 stars.

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Wilde’s Meadow by Krystal Wade

(Cover picture courtesy of Krystal Wade via email.)

Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.

Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.

Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Wilde’s Meadow is like an opera.  Not because it’s melodramatic or the plot is ridiculously convoluted, but because it has grand themes and memorable characters.  It’s reminiscent of Aida what with all the tragedy and sacrifice in the last part.  But, unlike most operas, the ending is not abrupt and it is quite satisfying from a fan perspective and a critical one.

As many of my Twitter fans know, Krystal Wade has taken great pleasure in tormenting me about Wilde’s Meadow.  When she told me she cried while writing the last part of the novel, I was pretty concerned.  I rarely get attached to characters in a series on this level; I think the last series that I was this emotionally involved in was Harry Potter.  Yes, the Darkness Falls series is that good.

By this point in the series there really aren’t that many new characters, but many of the old ones go through surprising changes, especially Perth.  Out of everyone, he surprised me the most.  But it was, as usual, Kate whole stole the stage (as she should).  Her love for Arland, her desire to help Encardia, her friendship with Flanna…all of these actually feel real to me.  Kate is three dimensional along with all of the other characters, something that a surprising number of authors can’t even manage.

Need I really say anything about the plot?  It’s the last book in a trilogy; of course it’s fast paced.  Krystal Wade spent a lot longer building up to the climax than I thought she would, but for whatever reason it still worked.  Just when you think the book is over, she throws another plot twist at you and the suspense ratchets up another notch.  This is one of the very few books where I could not predict the ending, which is a refreshing change in fantasy.  I won’t tell you if it ends well for the lovers, but let me say I can see why Krystal Wade cried while writing some parts.  I almost cried reading some parts and I don’t get emotional over books very often.

If you’re looking for an amazing fantasy trilogy with memorable characters and a satisfying (if not completely happy) ending, I would highly recommend the Darkness Falls trilogy.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Wilde’s Meadow Releases Tomorrow!

Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.

Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.

Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?

As you guys can probably tell, I’m pretty excited about the release of Wilde’s Meadow, even though I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC again.  This is the last book in the Darkness Falls trilogy and if you haven’t already read the first book, Wilde’s Fire, you should.  You will not be able to put it down.

A Look at the Month Ahead

Can you believe it’s November already?  I can’t.  That’s because October was busy for me, but I have a feeling November is going to be even busier.  So what’s going on here at The Mad Reviewer?

Well this month there are going to be two giveaways for sure: one of them is a fantasy novel and the other is a science fiction novel.  I loved both of them, which is why I’m glad their authors also agreed to do interviews with me.  I am also interviewing Krystal Wade for the second time because the last book in her trilogy Darkness Falls will be released on November 5th.

I am still working on editing the anthology but will also be working with Mark Lee on another still top secret project designed to help writers and book reviewers.  Hint: you’ll be seeing me on Twitter a lot more in the future.  But that’s all I can say for now.

My personal life is also going to be pretty hectic because during all of this blogging-related chaos I am flying down to Ottawa for a week.  No, I’m not taking time off; the laptop is definitely coming with me and I (hopefully) will have scheduled enough posts to get me through the week.  If not I’m sure you’ll understand.

So what does November look like for you guys?

Guest Posting Today: Another Fairytale Retelling

Today I’m posting over at 20four12 and yes, it’s another fairytale retelling.  At least Entwined by Heather Dixon is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses, something you don’t see very often.  Did Heather Dixon pull off the fairytale?  Or was it yet another failure?  Go on and check it out!