I am really behind in my reviews. I cant stop reading long enough to review another book. Regardless, I am going to bump this one up to the top of my review list because Im just going to let my emotional ramblings write this one.

On that note, my reviews are not pretty, and sometimes they do not make a lot of sense, but I am who I am (cue the Popeye music).

My First Impression-

What the hell is this writing style?

Immediately, you notice the grammatically incorrect sentences. For example:

Lughs bin sayin it fer a while now. Pas gitten worse. Mind you, he aint bin right fer a long time

My thoughts on this writing style:

At first, I had a hard time reading it. After about 20 pages, I did not even notice it. As the story progresses, you realize how important this writing style is to portray Saba. The grammatically incorrect sentences reveal Sabas rawness and her simple desire to survive without the need for fancy words or even correct words. Saba cant read, or write. She hasnt even seen a book (they were destroyed by the Wreckers- the people responsible for the Post-Apocalyptic world they are living in), never written a sentence, and never had a need to.

The Characters-

Saba:

Saba had me all over the place. I hated her, loved her, felt pity for her, felt anger for her and in the end, I wanted to cheer for her and tell her good job! Saba is your typical middle child in the beginning. She lives a life of non-existence. As the story progresses, you see Saba grow into an individual person and not just one half of a twin.

Lugh:

Her older brother (hes Sabas twin but older by two hours) is always in the lead. Where Lugh goes, Saba follows. Saba doesnt have to think, or feel, or live beyond the four walls of her shack because no one expects her to. Lugh does the thinking.

Emmi:

Sabas younger sister Emmi is the one that gets the blame for all the problems (the rest of the family doesnt blame Emi but Sabas blame & poor Emis guilt play an essential part in the story regarding the development of the characters). If only Emi wasnt born, her mom wouldnt have died. If only happens a lot to poor Emmi. You feel for her. Emi was one of the sweetest, most enduring characters. I loved how Emi came out stronger than anyone imagined by the end of the book.

Jack:

I waited, and waited and waited for Jack to disappoint me. Hes the romantic interest for Saba and I expected the author to do the typical lack of trust route or misunderstanding route often taken with the romantic interest in the book. Did not happen. Just because there was trust and overall communication, doesnt mean the potential romance between Jack and Saba was boring. In fact, I loved their interactions. Jack not only put Saba in her place regarding the way she treated Emi but he also challenged Saba in the way she thought about herself and their relationship together.

The Setting:

Dusty. Dirty. Gritty. Blazing Sun. Deadly winds. It does not rain, it pours. The people are not civilized, they are trying to survive. Get in their way, you die. You cant fend for yourself, you starve and then you die.

What I loved:

Saba wasnt perfect. She screwed up plenty. Its easy to forget that she is so young when you really get into the book. There is a point when she is running out of water and she uses some of the water to clean her face. This is what a girl just trying to survive would do. The author made her imperfect in an imperfect world. Because of that, I loved Saba and the story even more.

The 2nd half of the book. It was more character oriented and less action/world building but I thought it was wonderful. I love how the reader is witness to Sabas transformation. The pace in the 2nd half is slower but much more personal. In the beginning, it was all about survival and tactics, and figuring others out. The 2nd half was watching Saba's walls come down and the development of her relationship with Jack, her sister and her new friends.

What I didnt like:

Small holes in the story. I really had to look for things not to like. That is how much I loved this book.

Overall:

Loved it. I want the 2nd book now!

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I absolutely loved this book! After I was finished I found myself thinking about how much I wish I wasn't finished. Can't wait until book 2 comes out!
It's about a girl named Saba who lives with her twin brother Lugh, her little sister Emmi and her Pa. They live in a wasteland. A world that was destroyed by the previous civilization. But Saba is happy as long as her brother is there. That is pretty much all she cares about. Then one day a horrific storm arrives and brings with it robed horsemen who proceed to take Lugh away. Saba and her Pa try to stop them but are not able to. Saba vows to get Lugh back no matter what. And this is where the story begins. I really enjoyed reading about Saba through her point of view. I loved watching her grow as a more stronger, responsible person. Actually, I enjoyed all the characters. Each one I either cared about or strongly disliked.
It seems that through most of the reviews on this book the most disliked part of the book was the "language" it was written in. It is Saba's POV and because of this (and possibly the little education she has) it is written in a kind of "slang hick" language. Personally I enjoyed this. Thought it added a bit more to the book. It didn't distract me. I think the first few pages I might of struggled a bit but was totally immersed after that. My suggestion would be to pick up the book and read the first chapter and see if it is your cup of tea or not. If you can handle the way it is written then I would say to devour it slowly because it will end before you know it and you'll probably be wanting more.

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Interesting book, especially for a first novel. The story keeps you turn pages quickly to find out what will happen next. Very plot driven. This book would make a good movie, lots of action. I feel like she wrote it hoping to sell it for a movie. She could use some work on scenary description and character description. I think her idea was a for a big advanture. Overall good and would read book two.

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This book is written in a long narrative style from Saba's POV. So, I admit, it took me a minute to get used to it. I honestly didn't think I'd like it and that I would get drawn out of the story. This was not the case. In fact, I easily and quickly got absorbed into the strange dystopian world where Saba resides.

The book starts out innocently enough with the family, barely surviving encounters several men on horseback. They kill their eccentric father and wound Saba while they steal her twin Lugh. There is something about their birthday and the fact he is a male that makes him valuable. All Saba knows is that she promises Lugh she would come and get him and she never goes back on her word.

If you are looking for a sedate book, then look elsewhere. This book is anything but sedate. It is almost non-stop action from the time Lugh is taken. In fact, it is hard to put down this book because you want to find out what happens next. Besides the great secondary characters in this book like the amazonian like Free Hawks, you have the characters of Nero and Hermes. Nero is Saba's crow who has a full personality of his own. Hermes is her horse who is a hero in his own right. So, those that love animals will also love this story. Oh I so loved these characters! Just reading about Nero is worth the price of admission for this book.

I give this book 5 stars. I really enjoyed it. It might take you a second to get used to the long narrative, I promise, it doesn't take long. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good dystopian book and a strong female character. Also, if you tend to shy away from YA, don't let the label take you away from this book. Adults will like it as well.

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