3.5/5 stars. - To Be Released in April 2021.
Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

To quickly sum up the premise, Dustborn is Waterworld + Mad Max. Water is limited, dust storms are constant, and the everyone lives with the hope of finding the Verdant - a lush, green, and prosperous area of the earth. Delta of Dead River has been branded with a map to the Verdant on her back as a child and told never to show it to anyone.

Dustborn had some excellent moments and an excellent twist, but unfortunately the rest of the novel was just okay. The twist was the best thing about this book, and looking back the author did a great job planting hidden-in-sight clues. Regardless, if you enjoy post-apocalyptic survival books, Mad Max, and/or Waterworld (which I have probably seen way too many times), this book will be right up your alley.

Dustborn by Erin Bowman was a page turner that will delight readers of all interest. Delta struggles to ensure the survival of herself and her pack in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. She holds out hope for a better life, and with the help of a map, searches for it against all odds. The novel is not only about survival, it is about community and hope for a better tomorrow, something we all need.

I accidentally posted the wrong review here. I'll be back when I finish the book and do it right this time. My apologies.

I was a major fan of Erin Bowman’s 2019 science fiction YA horror Contagion and I am delighted to say that she has followed it with an absolute corker in Dustborn. It has a superb setting; a world completely parched of water, where the rivers have tried up and the last surviving ‘packs’ of people scavenge to survive and follow the last traces of water. ‘Old Tech’ is mentioned frequently and is highly prized and sought after, the last functioning binoculars or compasses. Most survivors live in small groups and rely upon trading to survive, the main character is seventeen-year-old Delta of Dead River, whose ‘pack’ has shrunk drastically and is struggling to survive. Also, her sister is pregnant and in this very cruel world babies are a hinderance. With the baby coming soon, and her sister sick, Delta must try and find a medicine woman to try and help.

The setting of Dustborn is superb and you will be thirsty just reading it. It vibrates with echoes of both cult films Mad Max and Hardware and it will be easy to get behind leading character Delta who finds herself not only trying to survive but looking after a new-born baby. About a third of the way into the novel the story really opens up and Delta realises she has a much more complex part to play when she comes up against ‘The General’ who is also a very nasty piece of work. Delta also has an extensive and cryptic tattoo on her back which The General takes a very special interest in. I highly recommend this novel, which is an exciting blend of science fiction, action, strong characters in a very cleverly plotted post-apocalyptic thriller which teens should lap up. AGE 12+

I enjoyed reading Dustborn; a good dystopian book with a strong female character. It put me in the mind of Blood Red Road, as well as Gunslinger Girl and Bullet Catcher (all of which I'd recommend!). Delta of Dead River is a survivor and fierce lover of her tribe. When her tribe is captured and threatened with execution, Delta leaves on a search for answers that will save not just her family, but possibly all human life in a world (planet?) with dwindling water. Delta is not necessarily that easy to root for, but I feel it's that it's because she's a complex character bent on the simple mission of surviving and saving her loved ones. Partnered with someone she once thought long dead, Delta's journey leads her to potentially become a life saving goddess to people desperately looking for reason of existence. #Dustborn #NetGalley