Dustborn

Starred review from January 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up- The 100 meets Rey from Star Wars in this apocalyptic Western. Delta and the rest of her Dead River pack are trapped between staying at their waterless river and trying to move in the fatally hot summer months. Returning from a trip to a neighboring settlement, Delta discovers raiders have kidnapped much of her pack and murdered the rest. Determined to save her family and get her revenge, Delta has the ultimate bargaining chip: a map to the Verdant, a lush and lost oasis, is branded onto her back. Bowman's newest dystopia features complicated characters fighting a high stakes war against an unforgiving world-and each other. Dystopian fans will love the mix of familiar Old World tech the heroes stumble upon during their quest across the desert. Bowman's deft hand manages to make both elaborate backstory and lore passages something to look forward to, as Delta and her childhood friend Asher try to find the Verdant. The story's pacing never flags and YA readers suffering from series fatigue will enjoy this standalone's premise and world-building. While there is diversity mentioned in the large cast, the main characters' skin colors are not defined. VERDICT Bowman sets high expectations and meets them in this standalone worthy of all YA shelves. An impeccably crafted dystopian full of beloved tropes and a generous helping of plot twists.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2021
A powerful teen grapples with love and truth in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Seventeen-year-old Delta lives in a literal wasteland, deadly and unforgiving. But though she is surrounded by the dust, heat, and desiccated misery of the wastes, she has symbols branded onto her back that seem to show the way to the Verdant, a lush oasis that may or may not exist. She hides these markings, knowing--as her Ma has repeatedly reminded her--that her life would be at risk if the wrong people knew about them. When Delta returns from an expedition to find her desolate home settlement of Dead River has been raided and everyone killed or abducted, she suspects the information burned into her skin might be what the General, who ordered the attack, is after. Although Delta sets out in hopes of rescuing her family, what she discovers on her quest upends everything she thinks she knows about the brutal world she inhabits. The rule of the wastes is to trust no one, but in order to survive, Delta must challenge this foundational belief. She is aided by people she meets along her journey, including a long-missing childhood friend and mysterious others. Each encounter pushes Delta toward a deeper understanding of love and trust and the spaces in between in this intense, gritty, and propulsive novel. Main characters follow a White default. Will keep readers turning the pages. (Dystopian. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 5, 2021
Bowman (The Girl and the Witch’s Garden) sets fierce challenges for implied white protagonist Delta of Dead River, 17, as she struggles across the postapocalyptic desert Wastes, searching for her pack and for the mythical Verdant, a “green paradise” to which Delta has an unreadable map branded on her back. Venturing from her pack’s settlement at Dead River with her pregnant elder sister, Indie, Delta seeks medical attention from a healer. When Indie doesn’t survive childbirth, grieving Delta returns home with Baby, only to find that her entire pack has been killed or kidnapped. She suspects the kidnappers were looking for her because of the map scarred into her skin when she was five. With few supplies and Baby in tow, Delta heads through the hot, barren land, hoping to reach the sanctuary of Powder Town, until she, too, is captured by The General’s minions—including Asher, a boy who was once part of her pack and who also bears a secret map brand. Bowman skillfully portrays the privation and grief that Delta bears, alongside her determination to overcome each obstacle. Absorbing world-building propels this fast-paced adventure, which has crossover appeal and series potential. Ages 12–up.

April 15, 2021
Grades 7-10 The author of Vengeance Road (2015) and Retribution Rails (2017) brings hardscrabble frontier drama to a desolate futurescape in this postapocalyptic western. Delta and her pack of kin spend their days trying to survive in their sweltering, barren settlement and their evenings looking to the stars for signs the gods will return to them. When her family is abducted, Delta sets out on a harrowing journey across the dust to free them. Armed with smarts and very little water, she must figure out whom to trust, who the enemy is, and what is worth fighting for. Delta is a clever and hard heroine, and the cast of characters she forms tentative alliances with along the way are as likable as they are mysterious. A burgeoning romance with an old friend and a dramatic reveal toward the end give way to a satisfying ending, sure to please readers. Ethical dilemmas, especially about violence and sacrifice, make this novel an interesting conversation starter.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.