The Water Wars Review (Spoiler-free!)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Title: The Water Wars
Author: Cameron Stracher
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: January 1, 2011
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 240
Source: Personal Copy

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.
The Water Wars follows Vera, a teen living in the Republic of Illinowa, a region decimated by lack of rain, harvesters, and people snatching every ounce of water from the sky. Inland and in trouble, class differences are vast, and Vera and her brother Will are very little more than middle class. When she meets Kai, the beautiful blonde boy with a mysterious background and every stranger wealth, she finds a friend in the midst of her bone-dry life. But Kai mentions a river, hidden and coveted, and Vera and Will are determined to find it and quench their unending thirst. This dangerous goal sends them on a perilous journey of life and death because in a world without water, every drop is worth killing for.

I’ve been cover lusting after The Water Wars for months now, and when release day came, I couldn’t wait to get my paws on this one. Cameron Stracher has created an eerie dystopian world in which water is more valuable than oil or any other natural resource. Led by a government known as the Water Authority Bureau (WAB) that is rumoured to be corrupt, what’s left of what was once America is dry and desolate with pirates searching for water, a government providing synthetic food and poisonous ocean water, and families slowly withering away. The world of The Water Wars is beautifully dark and intricate, letting the reader into a world where we’ve wasted our most precious resource until the last drop.

I’ll admit, The Water Wars got off to a bit of a rocky start for me because there was a lot that Stracher was trying to introduce to the reader. The details of the Republics and Empires of the world, as well as the technology and government overshadowed some of the initial character development because I wanted to know who the heck Kai, Vera, and Will really were. Once the scene of The Water Wars was established though, the action propels forward, spiraling darker and darker and letting us see the true colours of the characters. With just a hint of romance and a true familial bond, I was very pleased with how The Water Wars progressed.

Overall, The Water Wars was a very good read with an incredibly powerful and poignant message for the reader. A fictional book about conservation and the need to store, rather than waste, our resources, The Water Wars is great for a younger generation. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I recommend The Water Wars for a YA audience, especially those who enjoy a hint of sci-fi and dystopian stories.

45 comments:

  1. YAY! Super excited for this book! Glad the book was good. I just ordered it so it should be coming in. Thanks for the review :)

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  2. I was waiting for this review! Considering all that the summary gives us, it makes sense the beginning would be rocky and overloaded with new information. But good to know it gets better. :]

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  3. Another book I have been waiting to get to. Glad you found it moved forward in a pleasing way and that there is that an environmental message came through too.

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  4. I've heard mixed things about this one (maybe because of that rocky start you mentioned?) but I'm glad to hear that overall you enjoyed it! I like the concept of this futuristic one because it's a little closer to reality than some of the others out there...water is becoming more and more of a precious commodity, and sounds like this book really plays off of that. Thanks for the review, Melissa!

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  5. I've been waiting for your review of this one! I wanted to know how dystopian it was. As one of my goals is to broaden my reading comfort zone, I think I might like this one. It sounds like an adventure.

    As always, you gave a great review letting us know what was going on without spoiling it.

    Thanks,
    Heather

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  6. This one sounds really interesting, I love the sound of how it focuses on water shortages. I might try it for the Out Of My Comfort Zone challenge as I don't normally read books with a hint of sci-fi. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Melissa!

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  7. I am very curious about this one...I downloaded the first couple chapters onto my Kindle and wasn't overly impressed...but you said in your review it gets off to a rocky start so that gives me hope :) I'll have to pick up a copy one of these days!

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  8. Awesome review! I'm excited to read this one.

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  9. The cover is totally mesmerizing. I've been lusting after it too ;) But I'm glad the The Water Wars sounds good, even though the beginning was a little rough for you. It all becomes worth it in the end. Thanks for your review, Melissa!

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  10. I've seen a lot of this book around in the last few days, and I think I'm going to give it a shot. From what you said, I think it definitely has some potential! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  11. Sounds like Im really gonna like it!!! Looks awesome, great review :)

    -Mariana S
    http://smartgirls-read.blogspot.com/

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  12. I've been curious about this one. I'm glad you liked it. I'm going to have to get it. If for no other reason but because there is a sort of water wars going on in CO. Maybe I'll get some ideas. ;) Thanks for the review. I will def. have to read this one.

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  13. This sounds so interesting! I normally love stories like this, so I will definitely check this one out. (Plus, the cover it awesome!) Great review! :)

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  14. I bought it! It's on my Nook! LOL I loved your review, and I was anxious to see what you thought since people seem to have mixed feelings about it. So phew, I'm glad you loved it :)

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  15. I'm really eager to read this book! I'm totally in a dystopian mood :)
    I'm glad to read you like it, because I've read many disappointed reviews... I was becoming hesitant! Now I'm sure I'll give it its chance :)

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  16. I think I'll have to buy this one. I've been cover lusting as well, but wasn't sure if I'd really enjoy the book. It sounds interesting enough, so I'll pick it up soon. Thanks for the review :D

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  17. This is on my 'to read' list Nice spoiler- free review!

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  18. I'm happy to hear it's a good dystopian. I'll definitely have to read The Water Wars, the world sounds so interesting.

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  19. Great review! The cover is gorgeous and it is nice to know the content is good :)

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  20. Enjoyed your review of Water Wars. I love dystopian but this one just didn't interest me at all. Maybe I'll have to give it a go.

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  21. I was worried that this was just a pretty cover but a so-so story. Thank you for the review! Can't wait to get my hands on it!
    NC
    http://trulybookish.blogspot.com/

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  22. Way too late where I am, so sleepy. But doing my rounds :)
    I am glad I do not live in that world, way too scary, and I would be thirsty, so thirsty

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  23. Oh good to know. I love knowing if a beginning is going to be slow or technical ahead of time. I still can't wait to read it :) Thanks for the fab honest review :)

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  24. I love the message of this one, as well. In fact, it sounds a bit too true to the way things are already...

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  25. I've been so curious about this one (with a cover like that, who wouldn't be?)...Glad to hear that it's great, except for a rocky start :)

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  26. Glad to know that even though this one took a while to get going, you ended up enjoying it. I find that a lot with the dystopian books, they all seem to start a bit slow while I get used to everything, and then I get sucked in:)

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  27. When I read I will remember to hang in there through beginning. Thanks for review.

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  28. I enjoy dystopian books a lot. The Water Wars has a good message too - I really want to read it. Thanks for the review!

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  29. Great review Melissa! I've been lusting over The Water Wars for awhile now too and I can't wait to get it. The idea of water being so special is really great and I couldn't imagine not having water in the world we live in today.
    -Danna
    http://friendlyreaderohyeah.blogspot.com/

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  30. I wanted to get my hands on The Water Wars too but then I saw all the mixed reviews for it. I'm glad you liked it though despite the rocky start. I'll be keeping this one on my wishlist then.

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  31. Glad to see that this was a winner for you. I have read his adult books and enjoyed them very much; seems that he has the ability to adapt to his target audience no matter what it is.

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  32. Wonderful review! I think I'm going to have to think on getting this book. Sounds great and something I might enjoy. thank you!

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  33. Thank you for the warning about the slower beginning. If I read this one, now I'll know to push through past that part and not to give up on it. Great review!

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  34. I bought this for my nook and am very excited to read it. It's definitely an interesting storyline and I can't get enough dystopian fiction. Thanks for sharing your awesome review Melissa :)

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  35. I LOVE this cover, but for some reason hadn't added the book to my TBR. I really don't know what exactly I was waiting for, but your review was the final push I needed.

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  36. I've been wanting to read this one for a while now, but I'd been reading mixed reviews so I was getting a bit apprehensive! Glad to see another one swing a little in the positive direction! :)

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  37. Yay! I'm so glad you liked this book despite the rocky start. Now I'm anxious to get my hands on a copy! :)

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  38. I really want to read the book since I read from Teen Fire last year. Glad you like it!

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  39. This sounds awesome! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the great review!

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  40. Glad to hear you enjoyed this one! I bought it a couple of weeks ago! I love me some dystopian novels! :D

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  41. It's always tough when world building takes precedence over characters and plot, but I'm glad that it got better. This sounds like quite an interesting book with a strong message, like you said.

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  42. It looks like such a great dystopian read! And yes, the cover is epic :)

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  43. I love dystopia. And the cover is awesome! The premise sounds so unique, and timely to our society. I haven't heard of this one until now, but I just added it to my TBR. Thanks Melissa!

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  44. I don't remember ever even hearing about this book! I love dystopian books though so I'm definitely going to have to check it out!

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  45. If this book is weak, it is Shiva, aims to cover water issues in the world just over 150 pages, it provides details of solutions and the skins of the many fascinating stories.
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