Dustborn

Dustborn is everything I wanted it to be and will be a book I shove lovingly to everyone I know and I’m not even remotely sorry about it. Dustborn is a must-read for fans of Mad Max and and stories of humanity’s hopeful perseverance in the face of adversity. Honestly, how am I supposed to review such an amazing book? “The northern sky is alight with ribbons of green and white, dancing and twining above the darkening horizon. A silent storm is coming.” Fast-paced and instantly engaging, Dustborn gripped me with its strong and vivid opening that highlights the dangerous postapocalyptic setting. Bowman manages to balance a quick pace with beautifully descriptive language while effortlessly weaving worldbuilding into the narrative. Expertly plotted and paced, the book starts out running and never loses steam. Light on technology so this is a book that’ll appeal to a wide audience there isn’t a lot of worldbuilding beyond the setting (what happened to this planet), the beliefs of the Wastes (the stories passed down of gods and history), and the dangers of life in the Wastes (if the planet won’t kill you, the raiders probably will). “‘Someday you too will die, and a new soul will take your place. The cycle continues. Even in these wastelands, where our gods have abandoned us, life will not cease.” Don’t let the high octane pace fool you: there’s plenty of time for the reader to catch their breath. It’s a book with high stakes and a lot of death. Dustborn is set in a dangerous world and I was on pins and needles the whole time worrying about the characters (who I loved). Who can we trust?! I don’t know but I am anxious about it. Delta has so much love and devotion for her pack, as well as a sense of duty which saddles her with the weight of the world. This coupled with her teenaged impetuous makes for a dogged pursuit of rescuing her loved ones, and I really appreciated her growth. “Do not carry the mistakes of others as though they are your own. Life is hard enough already.” Delta and her decision-making captures the impulsive optimism of teenagers not thinking things through; I like that she acts like a teenager, but learns from the mistakes of her impulsiveness to share the burden with those she trusts. So often in YA the world is saved by the impetuousness of teenaged characters, but I appreciate how Bowman remains true to her YA character’s actions but also tempers the ‘run in guns a-blazin’ with the pragmatic and careful planning of others. Delta’s dogged and narrow-minded pursuit of her pack isn’t begrudged on, it’s understood, but the people around her are also point out flaws in her plan and troubleshoot with her. It’s a far cry from either ignoring the opinions of teenagers because “they don’t know better” or having an entire system fall. “I see now that the wastes turn us brutish and short-sided. All any of us try to do is survive, and that means doing what feels right from moment to moment. I did what I had to. You did the same.” I love how the book touches on morality in times of crisis and cultural devastation. How the water gets muddied between right and wrong solely based on whether or not you are the one making the choice and the duality of those choices. Inevitably societies in a postapocalyptic setting will fall towards utilitarianism – good is based on if it will help the majority of people (the greater good), but our characters do grapple with this throughout the text in various scenarios: morality shifts depending on the situation at hand. “‘And besides, I don’t need kids to live. I don’t need to settle down with [redacted] – or anybody – to have my life mean something.'” Can I just say THANK YOU for having representation for women not wanting to have children?! There’s nothing wrong with procreating but it’s frustrating that it’s the default in our society, a desire to not have children is looked at as a defect. More of this, please. Periods are also present and discussed, as well as consent. “I like to believe that we are more than the actions of our past.” For those of you who enjoyed Goddess in the Machine but found the linguistics aspect of it challenging or unnecessary, this is a great book for you! So much of this book in setting and tone remind me of Goddess but the narrative isn’t bogged down by trying to decipher words in text. There are really only two: plas (plastic) and binos (binoculars), and they are super easy to understand based on the content clues. “Distrusting is how we survive in this world. But to move beyond surviving – to truly live – we need to trust each other.” All in all, Dustborn is top tier science fiction and I can’t recommend it enough. Bowman crafted a spellbinding story of hope, perseverance, and love for your chosen family (pack) while touching on compelling philosophical themes if you want to think about them. This is one of my favorite books ever and solidifies Erin Bowman’s status on my insta-buy list! eARC and finished copy provided by the publisher for my honest review. This has not affected my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from a finished copy and subject to change upon final publication.

I Liked: *When it takes me days to read a book it usually means I’m not into it. This isn’t the case with Dustborn ~ I think I’ve been so immersed in fantasy worlds that coming back to dystopian takes some getting used to, but really I enjoyed how cutthroat and no F’s given is this world that Delta lives in. I would not survive…at all. *Aesthetic ~ the cover made me request the book! Love how fiery it looks. *World Building ~ you get a sense right away, life is tough in this world where water is scarce, and dust storms rage often. Think Mad Max, where people live in small groups or packs. I could really feel Delta’s despair from the first chapter when she needs to get her sister some help. From there everything went downhill for Delta. I think it was unique, especially parts where they described how to make water in desperate times and vehicles they use with old tech/parts that they find. *Characters ~ Delta is strong because she’s had to be in able to survive. The Wastes coddle to no one. Asher is Delta’s friend from long ago and when they meet again, she’s not sure if she can trust him. We meet other characters like the General who runs Bedrock and his people are loyal to him. The General has something Delta has and will do anything to get the information he seeks. Then there is the Prime who runs Powder Town, Delta gets caught in between trying to figure out who to trust in order to free her pack. *Romance ~ yes…I mean how can romance bloom in a world like this? But something grows between Delta and Asher, not that it takes over the story at all, this one is all about survival and truth. Random Notes: *I didn’t totally connect to Delta and Asher, but that’s not a bad thing and seriously…reading this made me feel like I would die on day one without barely any water! Haha, you know how in reality we always say to hydrate? How do you do that when you have to turn your pee into water and you are dehydrated?! Ugh…I’m so grateful to have water right now haha. I was really intrigued by the characters in Powder Town though. Loved that they had a female ruler and soldiers. *The twist in the end was good, we get to find out more history and what really happened in the early days. *Triggers: violence, death Final Thoughts: If you like dystopian stories set in basically a desert world, then you will enjoy this one. Delta is practically alone in the world and has to save her pack. She has to do the impossible to do it. But when people come along can she trust them to help her reach her goal? Dustborn is a gritty dystopian story filled with adventure, desperation and even a little romance in the desert.

Set an a world where water is scarce, trust in one’s pack is paramount. Delta of Dead River knows this, just as she knows that the abandoned gods will someday lead the people of the Wastes to the Verdant— a paradise where the land is green and water is abundant. A map on her back is the key to finding this place but she has no idea how to read it. However, when her world falls apart, Delta must do everything in her power to find Verdant before she loses everything and everyone that she has ever loved. . Dustborn by Erin Bowman is just one high octane plot reveal after another. A western with a post apocalyptic feel to it, this young adult novel is an amazing novel with the notion of understanding and accepting the truth at its core. If I had one complaint it is that I wish that there was more. I want to know what happens NEXT and I wish that Delta’s journey had been spread out over three books, or at least two! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars

Great read. Characters are well fleshed out and the story is gripping. Some very original twists on post apocalyptic genre thropes. I recommend it.

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