I was initially intrigued by this book because of a review that likened this book to the highly-revered dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games, but was sorely disappointed by the lack of characterization, urgency, or plot.

In a rapidly deteriorating world that has undergone a wave of devastating natural disasters, millions of people are forced to leave their homes and relocate to the remaining edges of the country that have been left untouched. Among those affected are Ashley McPhee and her mother, Sara, who resettle in a small community called Beartooth, and attempt to live peaceful lives despite the challenges of their changing society. As Ashley approaches womanhood, she embarks on a new journey, where she must navigate marriage, the growing fear of her community's future, and her mother's declining health.

While Refuge from the World is marketed as a YA science fiction/fantasy, the novel lacks the key elements of the genre that hook in young readers and allow them to identify their own feelings within the text. Throughout the novel, Ashley's experience is told through third-person limited narration, which creates a disjointed inner monologue, as well as robotic dialogue between characters. Because the characters and plot lack urgency, the pacing of the novel is extremely tedious, and fails to convey the much-loved YA themes, such as "coming of age," "firsts," and an exploration for identity. Almost every chapter relies on an overuse of cliches and summary, which forces the characters to remain static and unreachable throughout the novel.

The greatest hinderances to this book's potential stem from the lack of action, authentic dialogue, and chemistry between the characters. I think because this book was marketed as YA without the clear style, voice, and pacing from the genre, it fails to communicate the dystopian intrigue or the base idea of the synopsis. Unfortunately, the only time the novel begins to pick up in its pacing and intrigue is toward the very end, which makes the first 90% of the novel almost unnecessary to the overarching storyline.

Because the writing style of the novel leans more toward expository than narrative, I found it nearly impossible to immerse myself in the storytelling of the novel.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-arc!

This is a wonderful, YA dystopian book for fans of Hunger Games. It depicts a future society dealing with the chilling consequences of global warming. The main character, Ashley, lives in Beartooth, a small mountaintop community, with her mother, Sara. Their town is separate and independent from the rest of the USA, including the government. But as the state of the world worsens, governments contemplate using a potentially devastating scientific experiment to cool the planet. The residents of Beartooth worry about the survival of their crops and beehives, and they also fear their small community will be discovered and attacked by outside groups looking to control their sustainable resources. I can't wait for book number two.