DUSTBORN is a danger-filled, gritty, dusty trek through a post apocalyptic wasteland where our MC Delta of Dead River is on a journey to find her kidnapped family. The trek takes a dangerous turn as she too is taken captive, though by who is a mystery. The only thing she knows that whoever it is? They’re dangerous. And wherever they’re taking her? Also dangerous. This world is as harsh and unforgiving as it comes, and the only thing more punishing than the wastelands are the people in them.

This book had a lot going for it that appealed to me on so many levels — post-apocalyptic, a world that resembles what could happen if global warming isn’t addressed, danger lurking everywhere, and a constant fight for survival. I also really liked Delta — she’s as tough and gruff as the world demands she be, but she still retains a softer side and she’s fiercely loyal to those she cares about.

The pacing is the one thing that didn’t work for me. DUSTBORN takes quite a while for anything of note to happen, though once things take hold the pace is pretty much nonstop. There are quite a few twists and turns thrown in the second half and those were definitely worth the wait.

Bottom line — DUSTBORN is a dust-filled adventure that definitely has that Mad Max feel with a little Western thrown in for good measure. 3.5 very entertaining stars and like all of Bowman’s other books, you should definitely read this one as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Dustborn is a genre-blending young adult novel that follows 17-year-old Delta of Dead River, who, after a raid on her village, sets out to rescue her family from a ruthless dictator and discovers a secret that will reshape her world. Delta and her pack live in an unforgiving post-apocalyptic desert landscape surrounded by thick dust that coats everything it comes into contact with, the searing heat and a deadly wasteland where untold dangers lurk at every turn. They struggle by the arid river as water is extremely scarce, which becomes a bigger problem as the fatal heat of the summer months arrives and people fight for survival. She and her family used to believe that the gods would look out for them as they traverse this perilous place but Delta’s faith has long since been extinguished, however, her mother assures her that they will return if she places her trust in them once more; Delta isn't sure. While her people pray to the stars, asking the gods who abandoned them aeons ago to bring water and green back to the wastes, Delta just wants her family to move somewhere safer. No one is coming to save them, Delta believes. They have to save themselves. Despite Delta’s predicament, she does have something of great value that many would quite literally kill for. When she leaves Dead River and heads on an expedition to the neighbouring settlement with her pregnant older sister, Indie, as she had gone into early labour, Delta is under instruction to seek the medical expertise of a local healer named Zuly.

The pack midwife believes she cannot safely deliver the baby herself. Across the arduous, excruciating terrain of endless sand dunes, Delta must pull a cart laden with her ailing sister and her unborn baby in order to save her life. But tragedy strikes Delta once again when her sister perishes while giving birth and she must make her way back to Dead River with the baby and her grief in tow. But nothing could've prepared her for the anguish and hell about to be unleashed. She discovers the village has been raided and its inhabitants either forcefully abducted or brutally murdered. Believing those who came were looking for her due to the priceless, unreadable map of symbols that was branded into the skin on her back when she was five-years-old, she is both distraught and angry. The map is said to show the way to the mythical ”Verdant”, a lush and lost oasis or ”green paradise” long sought after but no one truly knows whether it really does exist. This is what the General, who ordered and organised the attack, was seeking. With very few supplies and Baby alongside her, Delta sets out across the humid, barren landscape that seemingly goes on forever in a desperate attempt to save the only family she has left, not to mention wreak vengeance.

She hopes to reach Powder Town, a place she can achieve some respite after a torturous journey. However, she is soon captured by those who do the General’s dirty work. Can Delta use her only bargaining chip, her map, to assure her and her pack’s safety? This is a riveting, enthralling and truly exciting read with a very strange melding of many different genres, but it works so well and creates a stunning tale. A blend of western/dystopia/post-apocalypse/sci-fi in which the complex, kickass characters fight for survival in a hostile, high stakes environment. Delta is a morally grey yet powerful protagonist who is stubborn, intelligent and fiercely protective of her family. The harsh, rugged landscape is that of a western and this richly described setting becomes a character in its own right; this is the foundation upon which the fiction plot is embellished. The portrayal of grief in this gritty and propulsive novel was superbly done and the epic twists just kept coming. A fast-paced adventure featuring wonderfully detailed worldbuilding that follows Delta as she gains a deeper understanding of love, faith, truth and trust, and although a young adult novel, this will be loved by all ages especially those who enjoy unique multifaceted stories and those who have adored Bowman’s previous books. Highly recommended.

DUSTBORN was interestingly new, heartbreakingly necessary, and even taught me an important lesson (which I've taken the liberty of shortening into one cliche line (refer to the end)).

This world was fabulously built, meticulously outlined, and intriguing to no end. I couldn't get over how amazing this world was even as I continued to learn about it. It was just so unique to any other world I've read about. It was almost like crash-landing on some world from Star Wars and getting to stay on it instead of jetting to the next world. But without all the creatures.

I thought Delta, the main character, was a good main character. She had to endure so much heartbreak in this book, on top of all the hard things she already went through in her life, but she remains strong. She was the only character who could have been the heroine in this book. I also thought her development from girl-who-is-just-trying-to-survive, into girl-who-will-help-others-to-thrive was fabulous. She's truly one of the most thoughtless characters out there.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the romance. You better stack up the wood and sit back with a nice glass of whatever you drink because this is a sloooooooow burn. She burns long and slow and is agonizingly agonizing (in the best way). I loved getting to know Asher and seeing how he contrasted and clashed with Delta. They were so good together. But we don't get to meet him until 1/3 of the way through the book!

I was honestly pretty bored until about 1/3 of the way through the book. That's when things start speeding up. I wish it could have started a little sooner, but I was happy with the book once it did pick up the pace.

Moral of the Story: Don't drink the kool-aid.

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:
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4,5*
Pros: Reading a dystopian book after all this time feels like wearing a well-worn sweater, pure comfort. Incredibly well-executed world-building and narrative. Full of plot-twists and mystery. The suspense will keep you on edge, along with incredible characters ready to save the day and fearsome villains. Tells the story of a world without water, leading to scarcity of fauna and flora, and resources in general, which may very well be our future.
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Cons: Lacking in emotional depth and relatability.

I loved everything about this book! Erin Bowman does such a fantastic job with building out the worlds her characters inhabit and from page one (really...the cover) Delta of Dead River had my attention.

A lot happens quickly in this book and I could feel the tension throughout. Delta is our main character and she lives with her mother and sister (along with her pack) in a world where it's thought their Gods will save them from the challenges they face just trying to survive.

The character development was done well in this story. Not only is there Delta, but we know who her family is and how they balance her out. I also appreciated the backstory of how their pack came to be what they are now because it sets the stage for the introduction of some additional characters and clarity further into the story. I know I'm being vague but I don't want to give anything away here...

As the story progresses, we learn what truly happened to the people on the planet and what they have had to do to survive. There is plenty of action and there were some twists and turns that I didn't necessarily see coming so kudos to Bowman for throwing them in and keeping me guessing!

I'll definitely be adding a copy of this book to my shelves and can't wait to read more books from Bowman. She knows how to write a great post-apocalyptic tale and get me invested in characters that I don't want to let go of. Consider picking this one up when you can - I promise you won't regret it!

Dustborn is the story of Delta, a young woman who lives at Dead River with a small pack of people trying to survive. Dust has overtaken the land, water is scarce, and there are dangers at every turn. Many people, including Delta’s mother, believe that their gods have abandoned them but that if they’re faithful, their gods will return.

It’s been a long time since Delta’s had much faith in the gods.

Delta’s life has been checkered with tragedy. After her pack split in two, she was separated from the person she was closest to as a child. Her pack later learned that the people who’d remained, including her cherished childhood friend, had been slaughtered. Delta carries a lot of guilt and grief with her, and this is compounded at the start of Dustborn when she’s instructed to take her pregnant sister to a healer. Something’s wrong, and her pack’s midwife can’t deliver the child safely. Delta has to use a cart to pull her sister across the sand dunes to try to save her sister’s life.

Things take a tragic turn, and when Delta returns home with just the baby, she discovers most of her pack is missing. Some have been slaughtered. Once is barely alive and able to tell her what happened.

Delta sets out with her unnamed niece to try to find her pack and is soon captured. Her captors plan to sell her to a buyer.

That’s the set-up for this novel, and it’s important to understand Delta’s origin story because this is a coming-of-age survival story that has a lot of surprises in store. It’s almost tragic for people to know the genre before reading, because this reads very much like a dystopian fantasy or post-apocalyptic story of survival. The revelations about where Delta and all the people are and their origins are major turning points later in the story.

Ultimately, Delta struggles with trust and must learn to trust others and choose a path for the future. She also has to learn that sometimes, the best way to help others isn’t always what you think. Ultimately, she also has to grapple with the truths she learns and what they mean for the people struggling to survive.

Dustborn really knocks it out of the park because the author subverted a lot of common tropes. This makes the story feel fresh and it kept me on my toes. As much as I expected some developments, things never happened quite the way I projected, and there were a lot of credible surprises. I don’t believe a story needs a twist to be compelling and effective, but the surprises in this novel were earned because the foundation for the twists was incorporated into the story in subtle ways.

Dustborn is a compelling story about coming to terms with the truth and having the courage to take your fate out of the hands of the gods and control your own destiny. It shows the power of the human spirit and how, despite all the evil in the world, it’s possible to learn to trust and have your faith in people validated. Delta’s one of the more memorable characters I’ve spent time with. She’s fleshed out and flawed, but capable of growth, and her organic growth propels the plot forward in a realistic way. 5 out of 5 stars.

Book Review
Title: Dustborn by Erin Bowman
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: 3 Stars
I haven’t read much by this author before but science fiction mixed with dystopia and a touch of a western caught my attention and I managed to get an ARC for this blog tour. I have seen this particular mix of genres before and I am eager to find out whether it is something I enjoy. We are introduced to Delta of Dead River, her sister and their mother who live on the banks of the Dead River with the rest of their pack. It seems that this is a post-apocalyptic world where there seems to be a worldwide drought and the packs are the remaining pockets of humans trying to survive in this new world. Delta is under the impression that the pack should have moved in the winter but they can’t move now because of the heat and the numerous dust storms that happen in the summer months but more than this people are against moving with young children and Delta’s own sister is pregnant. We learn that these people read the stars in order to make decisions and there is something called the Verdant. The Verdant is a map that has been handed down through their pack for generations and when the physical map began to disintegrate they branded it onto a pair of children and the most recent pair were Delta and Asher. However, no one can read the map but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people looking for it as their previous home on Alkali lake was raided after the pack split in two, Asher stayed behind while Delta left and everyone on Alkali lake was killed by the raiders including Asher.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Delta’s sister goes into labour early and something is wrong. They decide that she needs to go to Zuly in another compound for healing and help with the birth and Delta offers to take her sister despite her feelings on her sister’s pregnancy. Delta’s carries her sister through the night to reach Zuly and gives the necessary payment but when she is woken the next morning, Delta learns that her sister died in childbirth but the baby survived. Delta wants to see her sister but her body has already been disposed of and Delta doesn’t want to take the child back but when Zuly threatens to kill the child if she leaves it behind, she decides to take her back with her. Delta makes the journey home with the child who she only calls Baby to learn her home has been raided and almost everyone is dead. She manages to find Old Fang alive and he tells her that some where taken by the raiders and Delta decides to go after them despite having a new born to look after as well. Delta is making good progress when she finds an outpost and someone is there asking for help but this is a trap and she and Baby are captured. It turns out that the boy she saw there is Asher and that he didn’t die but he has been helping their enemy for years as a means of survival but Delta’s feelings are all over the place. They are being taken to the Barrell to be sold, but when they try and separate Delta from the baby who is now being called Bay, she freaks out and fights back where they uncover the brand on her back and she is now being taken to the General. Asher gives Delta instructions on where to meet him if she manages to escape but he isn’t sure she will survive what is to come. Delta is taken to meet the General where he makes a copy of the map on her back and he wants her to read it but Delta can’t and doesn’t know anyone who can. The General shows Delta that her family is ok but she realises they are being drugged with the water and continues to follow Asher’s advice of not drinking anything they give her. The General tells Delta she is going to read the map for him in the next three days or he is going to kill her family and she knows she needs to help them escape as well as get baby Bay from the nursery but there doesn’t seem to be a way for her to do this.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Delta’s three days are up and she is no closer to solving the riddle of the map even with the help of the Oracle whose father helped Asher escape the compound. Delta has learnt that the General has been looking for people who are God touched but in a cruel and sadistic way as these people have a star on the inside of their skulls and he collects these forming a necklace he wears constantly. When Delta tries to stall for time telling the General the map is encoded with language that aren’t from the Old World and she needs time to find them out he kills her mother and tells her that every three days he will kill another member of her pack ending with Bay before he sends her to work in the fields taking her mother’s place. She knows that she won’t be able to get any fresh water but after several days working in the blistering heat she gives in and drinks the drugged water. However, one of the General’s closest advisor, Reed, gives her fresh water and urges her to come clean about the map as no one believes that she doesn’t know how to read it. Eventually Delta learns the only way out is with the dead and sneaks out on the wagon carrying her mother’s body where they are going to be burnt. Luckily for her one of the guards leaves to visit his girlfriend giving Delta the chance to overpower the guard and escape. She ends up killing this guard and taking his horse away from the compound but knows she is leaving behind everyone she loves including Bay to meet with Asher at the tavern he suggested so that she can unravel the mystery of the map in time to save her pack.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, I was getting interested in the story but it seems to be really slow paced and not a lot has actually happened so I am hoping for something exciting soon especially since this is a standalone novel. Delta manages to meet up with Asher in the tavern like planned but the General has obviously learnt of her escape and is shutting down the Barrell so they don’t have much time to escape. Asher knows the way through the mines thanks to his last escape and Delta trusts him to lead her out which he does. Once they are back in the wastes he tells her their plan should be to go to Powder Town where they might be able to learn the secrets of the map but in order to stay ahead of the General they are going to have to take a more direct and dangerous route. They manage to get close to Powder Town before they General’s army is bearing down on them and they have to pledge serve to the Prime and to work for the Trinity in order to be allowed refuge. Once inside Powder Town they guards are able to turn back the General’s army because of their trade agreement for the black powder for weapons which is made in Powder Town but in order to be allowed to stay they have to plead their case to the Prime and it might be hard for Asher as he has already fled Powder Town once before breaking his agreement with them. They meet with Kara the Prime and Delta pleads her case without explicitly stating she is in possession of the map the General wants and while she is allowed to stay, they won’t offer her any help in solving the map as it puts their trade agreement in danger. However, they want Asher to leave but Delta swears he won’t leave again as he left before to find her and he is also allowed to stay. They get settled in Powder Town where Delta learns that Asher was paired up with a woman for reproduction and she was getting sweet on him despite his obvious chilliness towards the whole situation but it sets Delta on edge for some reason.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, things are slowly starting to get more interesting but the main point of the novel is Delta and Asher figuring out what the map means and there has been little progress in that area, so I was getting a little bored. Delta figures out through talking to the Prime that Zuly might be able to read the map and tells Asher that she wants to leave Powder Town and head there immediately since she has learnt from Clay, her sister’s partner that the General has delayed killing her pack in order to lure her back. Asher, however, has been lying to her and he has no intentions of leaving Powder Town again as he won’t be allowed back in but Delta is determined to leave and it seems like they are parting ways again. However, during her escape attempt Delta is caught and banished from Powder Town along with Asher driving a wedge between them as he wanted no part in her plan but since she vouched for him he has to leave too. Now in the wastes with little supplies and what could be an inaccurate map to the Verdant, they have no choice but to press on despite how little Asher wants to be with Delta right now. They eventually come across a settlement that belongs to Harlie, thinking it is abandoned but it isn’t and Delta offers to help her with building her wind wagon, a device to cross the wastes in return for its use to go north together. Delta very quickly solves Harlie’s problem of stopping the wind wagon and they plans to create a brake for it the next day which means very soon, the trio will be heading out into the wastes on a ride or die journey that they might not come back from. I had some issues with how easily Delta solved the riddle of the map as it was too simple and it seems like anyone could have figured it out if they had seen both maps which the General has as Asher was trapped in Bedrock for a while, the same as Delta so it seems like he will figure it out very soon or the Oracle will.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, they begin building the wind wagon only to see Reed coming upon their location so Asher hits his falcon, Rune out of the sky breaking her wing. Reed rushes to defend Rune claiming to be there to help Delta despite not knowing what she is doing and having the means to communicate with the General. None of them believe this and Delta kills Rune which is heart-breaking for Reed and he refuses to eat her even when the others do. However, he is able to speak to Delta and explain he got a loadstone like her from a traveller claiming to be their father meaning Reed and Delta are half-siblings and she decides to bring him along even though she doesn’t completely trust him. After making sure the wind wagon works they head out in the wastes hoping to come across the Verdant and they do find the place called Eden which is marked on both Delta and Asher’s maps. However, once they get inside they don’t find anything that is supposed to save them but they all realise that Eden was meant to be a safe haven just not for them. They find video logs of the people that sheltered there and learn of a revolt that took place between the Federation and those criminals working for them with implanted microchips in their brains. However, a Geostorm killed all of their technology and one of the Federation men, David Amory realises that those who had chips implanted in them are losing their memories and he decides to create new ones inventing the story of the gods; Feder and Ation and the myth of the Verdant. This is most heart-breaking for Delta as there is no safe haven and nothing she can trade her pack for. After getting drunk she realises that something about the storms stop the mag-rifles from working but they function fine in normal weather. She comes up with the plan to trade the mag-rifles for her pack before heading back to Powder Town to tell them of the General’s increased strength but she will also give them the design for the wind wagon allowing them to cross the wastes quickly to carry out the plan the Prime has for bringing down the General once and for all. Even though they know this isn’t a permanent solution they hope they can use the General’s water supply for his drugged flowers for survival instead but eventually it is all going to run out.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the group return and begin carrying out their plans after convincing the Prime to go through with it as they appear to have lots of time. They also send Reed back to Bedrock as a spy and to blow up the General’s powder supply when the time comes. Weeks pass and the solar storm grows closer but they are called into action when Reed blows the powder early for some reason and they have no choice but to attack. The group from Powder Town doesn’t have as many teams as it wanted as they hadn’t yet built enough wind wagons but they push on and meet the General’s forces head on. Harlie’s wagon is blown up and Delta believes that Asher has died too since he was on that wagon followed by the Prime getting injured so she rushes in to face the General alone but it turns out that she has Reed watching her back the whole way. Things don’t go to plan when they actually face the General as he uses Reed as a shield and Delta has to shoot through his arm to hit the General and even then he doesn’t go down. It takes Delta cutting his throat to finish him off for good and before Reed passes out he gives her the signal she needs for the General’s forces to stand down and for her to take control of them. Relatively speaking this epic battle is over very quickly and with very little consequences which meant for me as a reader it didn’t really have an impact and while the aftermath and the conclusion of the novel was interesting to see it left me really underwhelmed. For me personally, Dustborn has a lot of potential that it didn’t live up to and with the slow first half and the choppy second half it isn’t something I am likely to return to. It was interesting to read in the moment and it created a dystopian world that hasn’t been seen in a long time as dystopian novels went out of fashion for a while but overall it was a bit of a disappointment.

Dustborn is the perfect novel for fans of Mad Max and Gunslinger Girl – and that was more than enough to catch my attention and get me reading.

Delta was born and raised in Dead River. It's all she has ever known. Well, that and one other thing. Her whole life, she has been told that she needs to hide her back. You see, there's a map branded onto her back. Yes, really.

Supposedly that map leads to a paradise, or at least, that is the dream that Delta holds onto. In reality, it is a place known as Verdant, and the time is coming for Delta to head that way. However, her journey will be tough, and she'll have to be cautious about who she trusts. Always cautious. Always on the lookout.

“Rotten place. Rotten weather. Rotten land.
We need to move.
We can't move.
Like always, there's no good answer.”

Dustborn is a fun and epic read. It features a badass heroine, a dramatic world, and countless threats. What isn't there to love about this thrilling tale? If you're looking for an imaginative book to pick up, try this one.

What blew me away (no pun intended) more than anything is the world-building. Erin Bowman really knows how to create a compel ling world. Then again, I think my imagination might have brought a little bit into this mix. Everything about this book, from the cover to the narrative, gives off a dystopian/Mad Max-esque vibe. I know my expectations probably colored the story at least a little bit, but honestly? I'm okay with that.

While I'm talking about honestly, I should mention that it did take me a little bit of time to get into Delta's story. Don't get me wrong, I was enjoying it, but I think it wasn't until about halfway through that I found myself invested in what was going to happen next. So if you're struggling, try hitting that point before you put it down.

Actually, now that I stop and think about it...I think that Dustborn really reminded me of Wool in many ways. No wonder I found myself enjoying it so much. There are a lot of different elements between the two, but they still hit on similar notes. So if you read Wool, give this one a go (and if you haven't read Wool, you should!).

I have read that originally this book was pitched as a series instead of a standalone, and I really wish it had been stretched into more than one book. The first half was slow, but it had really good, necessary world building. The second half moved quickly, almost too quickly at times, and I was a lot more invested in the second half.
Delta was a great main character. Once she loses her pack (including her sister's newborn child) to the General, she will stop at nothing to bring him down and get her pack back. She meets some other great characters along the way (some of whom I will not mention because spoilers), but one I did love was Harlie. She's a sassy old lady living out in no man's land by herself trying to build a "wind wagon" to find the Verdant.
Delta's other main goal is to find the Verdant. Their world is literally what the title implies, dust. There is hardly any water or food and big fatal dust storms constantly. Every generation, 2 of Delta's pack get branded with a map to the Verdant, but no one knows how to read it. The Verdant is said to be the last green place, their salvation. Delta has the map. She cannot show anyone outside the pack. I loved the way these 2 goals came together. Prove the Verdant exists, get the pack back.
Like I said before, the first half was pretty slow moving, but once the action started, I was all in. Everything just came together perfectly. I really enjoyed how it ended. And even after it ended, we got a peek at what new life looked like. It was left in a really good place for either a standalone to end, or for another book/spin off to pick up!

One of my very favorite things about Erin Bowman's writing is her world-building. Her ability to draw you into raw, barely inhabitable landscapes. The way she makes the world one of the most important characters in the entire story. This was no different in Dustborn.

The world here is just as it sounds and just as the cover suggests: a dusty desert landscape with smatterings of people just trying to get by. One of these people is Delta.

Delta is honestly one of Bowman's more memorable main characters (not to say her other characters are bad by any means). Delta's flaws make her interesting and her reluctant devotion to her niece and driving-force devotion to her family and pack make her a great character to follow. Her development over the course of the story was really excellently done.

The plot wasn't 100% my favorite, but the world and Delta's character made this so worth reading. It was a little slow to start--there was a lot going on, but it was difficult to get fully wrapped up in it until the story started unfolding a little bit more. And when it did--I have to say one of the biggest twists was so cool for a reason that I won't say. But. Like. Just brilliant.

I think part of the problems I had with it could have been solved if Bowman's publishers had been on board with the original pitch as a duology. Bowman writes great duologies and I am so disappointed that they didn't see the merit in this story. This book was so full of rich details and fun plot things, but I'm guessing a TON had to be taken out when she had to squeeze two books into one. That being said, this definitely feels like a complete story, so I applaud her hard work there.

Overall, this was a fun ride. If you love Erin Bowman for ruthless worlds and complex characters, like I do, you won't be disappointed in this one.

Author Erin Bowman's Dustborn is a bleak yet hopeful tale that follows 17-year-old Delta of Dead River as she attempts to change the world and save her pack from the machinations of the General. The story begins with Delta and her pack of mostly females struggling to survive in a world reminiscent of Mad Max: Fury Road. A band of raiders has everyone on edge. Whenever they appear, bad things happen. What makes Delta interesting you ask? She has a map branded to her back. What is the map to you ask? Read the book!

After her sister Indie dies in childbirth, Delta and the baby who she names Bay, discover that her pack was attacked, and part of the pack was taken away. To make matters worse, Delta is taken by traders including a very familiar face. Asher, who was Delta's childhood friend, was supposed to be dead but now it appears he's in league with the General. I mentioned the General above, and now we shall get into the meat and potatoes of the story. You see, the General has been looking for a specific map that leads to a place called Verdant. A map that Delta and Asher both have branded to their backs.

Life is harsh in this world, but it's even harder for those visited by raiders, or sold to work for the General. He controls Bedrock, a cache of weapons, and a source of water used to grow crops. To consolidate his power, he rules with fear, guns and drugged water, turning laborers into mindless drones. Children aren't taught anything but how to fight or harvest; if they spontaneously know how to read or any other skill, they're "gods touched" and given a place of respect.

There are plenty of interesting characters in this book as well a curious places like Powder Town where the women create their own explosives. The author hits on a bit of the Old World, and what apparently happened. The tale of Verdant haunts everyone, the hope for a life with water, greenery, and relative ease compared to the desert and dried up ocean beds. Delta transforms from a disgruntled older teenager who hates having been stuck with a baby that isn't hers, into a determined, fierce heroine who would do anything to save Bay.

The worldbuilding comes about so organically. We're treated to descriptions of the landscape, sure, but then pieces of the history are woven into the prose and dialogue as naturally as could be. There's no shortage of action in any of the four parts in which the book was split up. Wind-wagons, falcons, hybrid “Old World” guns and new, this book had a wide variety of tools to pull you in. It is fair to say that I have read almost everything the author has written. From the Taken trilogy, to the Vengeance Road duology, to the Contagion duology. It's apparent that the author has a curious mind that can create strange and interesting new worlds. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

Honesty time: I didn't think I'd like DUSTBORN. Surprise time: I totally did.

YA post-apocalypse books have burned me before, and even though I'm an absolute dumpster for them, I'm always skeptical going in. So I thought I'd have to slog through Bowman's DUSTBORN in order to write a review and get on with my life. Little did I know I'd enjoy it so much that I'd lose track of time.

Delta lives with her pack--the people who make up her little caravan, including her mother and sister--in a post-environmental-disaster America. My guess is they're somewhere near the Gulf of Mexico based on the geography. When her pack is kidnapped while she's away at a healer, she has to follow the meager trail of clues left behind to save them from a life of indentured servitude. All the while, she hides a map branded into her back to a place called the Verdant, the US's last oasis teeming with water.

Bowman can write characters like nobody's business. Delta transforms from a disgruntled older teenager into a determined, fierce heroine. There were a few "Holy smokes" moments as well, and usually I can see a twist coming. Her fight against the General really put goosebumps on my arms, because guess what? Bowman knows how to write villains too. All of the characters here are complex and believable, and they sucked me right into the story.

The worldbuilding comes about so organically. We're treated to descriptions of the landscape, sure, but then pieces of the history are woven into the prose and dialogue as naturally as could be. Don't even get me started on the very niche love in my heart for all things Americana, because Bowman delivered 100% on that front. I can't adequately describe how hard I search for things exactly up my alley, but this fits the bill, and I'm SO happy I requested this. What a book.

Erin Bowman has such cool ideas for books and she always pulls them off. I've been a huge fan since Contagion and safe to say I loved this book! Can't wait to read more by her!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Bowman was already one of my favorite authors. I adored this stand alone set in a world that felt strangely similar to mine living in dusty west Texas. The characters come alive and the twists and turns kept me shocked until the end. Would have loved a series for this!

The book blurb touting comparison to "Mad Max" did not disappoint. This book was so intense and everything in it - the people, the post-apocalyptic world, every aspect of survival - was so so unforgiving. I could be that my headspace wasn't the best for this book, but the level of unforgiving intensity felt a bit too heavy for me to fully enjoy the book as a book. I also wanted a lot more about how the world came to be this way, or just more explanation rather than the constant battling and fights for survival. There were several places that felt a bit lagging, keeping me from pushing on as fast/hard as I have been known to, and I think the some of that is due to just the unforgiving nature of the entire world. This kind of story also has me revisiting my "what would I do if the world ended" philosophical question -- and this world had me 100 percent sure I'd rather just have not survived than have to be in this place, whew.

Another incredible read from Erin Bowman! I feel like this is the perfect bridge for fans of Taken or Vengeance Road to help them jump genres.

Delta of Dead River lives in a desert wasteland with her pack, struggling to survive day to day. Every generation, her pack burns a map into two of their young members' backs, in hopes of one day finding the promised land of the gods, Verdant. Delta is one of them, and her best friend, Asher, was the other, before him and the other half of their pack were slaughtered. When Delta is sent off on a mission to save her sister, she comes back only to find the members of her pack killed and the rest kidnapped. To help save her family and possibly bring them to Verdant, Delta will have to trek across the dangerously barren landscape and face dangers even worse than dehydration.

I think the main draw for this book is the setting. Bowman does a great job creating this atmosphere of an absolute wasteland. You can feel the sand whipping in the wind and the sun beating down. This type of setting is something you don't really see in YA scifi/fantasy, so it's cool to see. (Note: as much as this is definitely a science fiction/dystopian book, I would argue that it has some elements that give it a fantasy feel, so I would categorize it as SFF.) Delta is a really interesting and determined character; she's a bit impulsive and headstrong like many YA protagonists, but she's clever and she's got a good head on her shoulders. She's got her priorities in order which I can really respect. I also thought that the reveals toward the end were really fun and original. I liked how the history of these people is established and then the peek behind the curtain we get. As for what I didn't like as much, there was a bit of a drag in the middle. There's also several locations and characters that we meet briefly, and I think a bit of establishment with any of the side characters would have done this a bit more justice. Overall, this was a fun ride and I'd definitely recommend this to fans of dystopian fiction!

DNFed this at 26%.

Things I liked:
- It is in a setting that I haven't read much in books but have encountered a lot in movies and games.
- It's fast-paced and readable.
- It features a strong and independent female main character.

Things I did not like:
- The descriptions: it feels like the author is describing what Hollywood thinks a desert or post-apocalyptic wasteland should be. Nothing feels organic or lived in.
- The worldbuilding: for the sake of novelty, it changes the names of known concepts to make it feel like the people have created a new language of sorts. All it does is sound irritating.
- It keeps trying to work in messages that ~humanity/Old World ruined the earth blah blah~ without acknowledging ALL of the factors that have led to it. It feels very lazy.

Dustborn by Erin Bowman is a standalone YA sci-fi novel.

The book follows Delta of Dead River who carries a secret, on her back is a map that supposedly leads to a green paradise called the Verdant. In this dusty, dry world such a thing truly would be a paradise, especially as water resources are dwindling and this could be the answer to so many problems. Unfortunately no one in her tribe has known how to read the map for a long time but continue the tradition of branding the map down the line when an older map wearer passes. Delta only knows that she’s not supposed to tell anyone about the map unless she trusts them with her life.
While Delta is away from camp one day her tribe is attacked and taken, she decides to take it upon herself to get her people back from this General. She can’t afford to lose anymore of her people. When Delta was younger her best friend Asher, a fellow map branded person, died after their tribes split and the side he was with was attacked by raiders, all of them killed.
(Or well, Delta thought he was dead, imagine her surprise to find out otherwise. That’s not a spoiler btw, it’s spelled out in the book summary that Asher is alive.)
The General wants the secret on her back and he’s willing to kill for it, Delta has to work quick to unravel what the map is supposed to be saying if she wants to save her people and she has to learn how to trust the man that was once a boy who was once one of her most important people.
The answers the map hold though are world changing and could change everything depending on how it’s used.
***
The story was fun enough, the first 50% were interesting in a world building way but things really pick up and carry on after that. I’d give the book 3.5/5 stars.
Delta is a teen who is struggling with the faith her family holds, she’s not sure the gods are listening if they ever were and is convinced they’re not coming back to make things better. She would like to believe but what she sees and what she’s told aren’t meshing, but she is definitely a girl of conviction. She is single mindedly dedicated to freeing her tribe from the General, so much so that some of her decisions are pretty bad sometimes (and how she reacts to things other people try to tell her) but she’s growing and learning.
I enjoyed this book, fast quick read, will be recommending.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Delta of Dead River has a map tattooed on her back leading to the rumored paradise land of Verdant. Though most people in the wasteland can't read it, the people would kill for that map. Delta and her family travel through the wastes, and most people can't be trusted, even the friend that disappeared a decade ago. Finding Verdant is one problem: the secrets hidden there could undermine the foundations of her world.

Dustborn is a cross between Waterworld and Mad Max Fury Road. In a desert world, water and supplies are at a premium, and it's certainly apocalyptic. The Old World made jars with lids that screwed tightly, knives of metal and molded plastic, rovers and rifles. Life is harsh, but it's even harder for those visited by raiders, or sold to work for the General. He controls Bedrock, a cache of weapons, and a source of water used to grow crops. To consolidate his power, he rules with fear, guns and drugged water, turning laborers into mindless drones. Children aren't taught anything but how to fight or harvest; if they spontaneously know how to read or any other skill, they're "gods touched" and given a place of respect.

The bits of Old World history, as well as the land of this world, is very subtly laid out as Delta moved through it. The tale of Verdant haunts everyone, the hope for a life with water, greenery, and relative ease compared to the desert and dried up ocean beds. Delta resents additional burdens at first and losing everyone she loves, some in brutally horrible ways, makes her realize that she can't live in isolation. While she originally counts those she grew up with as her pack, it's the relationships along the way that truly matters most.

The apocalyptic landscape was not exactly what we thought it was, and the twist was one that had me grinning for the author's ingenuity as well as feeling the characters' pain. It's splendidly done, as was Delta's gradual change from the start of the book. I was engrossed by her story from the start, and wished her luck in her future.