Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Dustborn by Erin Bowman

4 reviews

rosenectur's review

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 First of all, I have to thank Lauren of Always Me, Never Anyone Else blog for the book, which I won through a contest on her site. The contest winner got to pick one of the books from this post: Sci-Fi Month 2021 – Top Ten Tuesday: Sci-Fi Hidden Gems and I picked Dustborn.

This book is ALL ABOUT THE SETTING! Yes, the characters are good. Yes, the plot is fast paced. Yes, the in-world mythology is interesting. Yes, you’ll want to punch the villain. But none of it works without the setting.

Dustborn is set on a harsh world that has experienced extreme desertification. Oceans, rivers and lakes have dried up or acidified and become undrinkable. Humanity is living on the brink in small groups called “packs”, or in one of two know cities. Roaming raiders are a constant threat.

Bowman does a really good job of dropping you into this world. You can almost feel the heat and dust and grit, and I was so glad not to actually be there. I’m not kidding there are parts of this book that will literally make you thirsty, so keep your water bottle close.

Harsh worlds often produce great characters and Delta is one of them. Her grit and determination, combined with her love of family make her a character you root for. Although, this being a young adult/coming-of-age she does make some questionable choices (because she’s a teenager, and that’s what teenagers do.) I know this turns off some readers, but I found even after those moments of rash or not-thought through choices Delta redeemed herself.

I also enjoyed that Delta was a strong female character who didn’t need male characters to prop her up or propel her forward.

The two main male characters Asher and Rook are both complex well fleshed out characters. Their backstories make the book so much more interesting and I was thankful for the multi-dimensional characters.

The story builds to a very interesting reveal. I don’t want to say anything more that it was good and not what I had expected and again it made the setting stand out that much more.

Bottom Line: 

If you are like me and enjoy good world building and fast paced stories then pick up Dustborn right away. It was fantastic. 

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mypatronusisajedi's review

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adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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sarahholliday's review

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A smart, thrilling YA dystopian/sci-fi novel. I really enjoyed watching Delta learn to navigate the world and relationships with others, slowly but surely coming to the conclusion that her "I'm better on my own" mentality isn't doing her any favors.

The pacing of the book is a bit off. Certain sections in the first half of the book seemed to drag on, while the ending felt incredibly rushed.

Overall though, a solid YA novel for fans of The Hunger Games and The Giver.
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siobhanisreading's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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