The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

The Water Wars

author : cameron stracher

pages [paperback] : 240

favorite characters : vera & will

summary :

Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil—and worth killing for
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that’s impossible to forget.

review :

A stand-alone dystopian novel?! Is it possible that I found one? Yes! And it wasn’t completely centered on romance. And it was completely gripping. And it was just really, really awesome.

Vera was a great character. She wasn’t stupidly brave but she also wasn’t afraid to stand up for her friends and what she believed in. Coming from almost nothing, she wants to make the world a better place. Whenever she has the opportunity to do so, she immediately takes it. I loved reading about her and Will. I wasn’t entirely sure where the book was going when it started and was afraid it would take a turn for the boring. But then the action started and the siblings started out on a strange, dangerous adventure that had me flipping the pages, wanting to know what might happen to them next.

Though there is a romantic interest in this story, it isn’t the main focus at all. Relationships between the family and bonds between friends are more prevelantly explored, which I thought was a nice change. I liked seeing how everyone was handling this tough, harsh world and what might happen to everyone in it. And the two found unexpected allies along the way, which was equally awesome.

I really like the world building, even if it’s a place I’d never wanted to live in. Vera comments on the extravagance of the past and it’s odd having my reality be her fantasy when she can’t even get enough to drink. They’re all slowly dying and there’s nothing that they can do about it, if they’re not one of the few rich people who have their own private supplies.

I’d recommend this book to just about anyone. It was a quick and great read that I’ll definitely keeping rereading. The characters were awesome, the plot just kept getting better, and the ending was fantastic.

4/5 stars

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