I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, and while it's not a bad book, I think it just wasn't for me. It felt slow a lot of the times and I never really connected to the characters, unfortunately. I think I just wasn't the right audience for it.

The dry, hopeless and kind of depressed atmosphere is already there in the first chapters of this story. The world seems to be getting to it’s end, and the only survivors live in small groups, desperate for a way to stay alive. Delta is one of them and perhaps one of the strongest too. From the moment she takes her sister to Zuly to save her, to the times when she has no choice but to do what she has to to stay alive. The world she grew up in is parched, starving and everyone seems tob e looking out fort he promised land: the Verdant.

Soon it becomes clear that Delta is one of the few that does not only think about themselves. She thinks in the interests of her group, her family. But that doesn’t come without any problems. With a scarce supply, but just enough to survive, Delta travels through the parched landscape looking for a way to save her people. The few things she owns all serve a great purpose. The author uses Delta’s knowledge to show the reader what it would take to survive in such circumstances. In such a way, it turns out quite realistacally. As a reader you can almost feel the discomforts during reading.

Although Delta always has a plan in mind and her purpose remains quite the same throughout the story, there are plenty of things that thwart her. It if isn’t the barren and hopeless landscape, then it’s an old acquantance who turns against her or a ruler who’s looking for answers and thinks they can find them on the map on Delta’s back. There is constant danger, but Delta’s character brings a little positivity from time to time. Also some of the contacts she makes brighten up the place no wand then. The more people Delta gets to know, the more interesting the concept of the story becomes. Delta is discovering more and more secrets, but with those secrets, the world is also becoming more dangerous. Family, survival, trust and self-interest are important and recurring topics in this story. The currption of mankind as supplies in the world become scarcer is almost unbelievable. And so Delta comes in contact with things she never expected to find.

While she’s on the run from several oppenents and looking for a way to rescue her people, Delta’s past continues to unfold. She discovers secrets about her group and about herself that she never thought possible. Quite a bit of time passes during the story and the author doesn’t hesistate to use time jumps. So the story keeps on going quite well and the story doesn’t get tedious. The writing style is also very pleasant to read. The author has woven some ‘older’ but als new terms into the story. Which makes it possible for this story to have happened in the past, or in the future. The chapters are also not too long and since the story is entirely written from Delta’s perspective makes the story less predictable.

As Delta and her henchmen get closer to the final battle, the story seems to slow a bit down. Plans have to be made and this takes up quite some time. Fortunately, the author does not describe all of it and the showdown takes place fairly quickly. All events from the story have led tot his one moment and the end has become a true spectacle.

There is absolutely no shortage of action, adventure and survival methods in this sory. In Dustborn it’s all about surviving, power, knowledge and most importanly: water. This is a great dystopian YA story!

3.5★

This book is very fast paced, which is great since it's a standalone. The world isn't very complicated, so not too many pages were dedicated to world building. The blurb basically says it all: Delta and the rest of humanity live in a desert-like world that is plagued by all kinds of geomagnetic storms and dust squalls. There is hardly enough water for everyone, and you can imagine that crops aren't plentiful either. There is no central government; everyone lives with their own pack, and no one really travels because the chances of survival are very slim. I did love this world, because it's very harrowing. Bowman really doesn't beat around the bush with how harsh this world is to live in, and I really liked that.

The plot was very interesting, too. There is an air of mystery to this story, and you want to find out more about the Verdant, and about the General. I really had no idea where the story would go, which to me is great, because that makes it unpredictable. There are some slight twists in the story that I didn't even consider as a possibility, so that was a lot of fun.

However, even though this was a fun and fast read, I do think that some aspects of the book were a little underdeveloped. The characters, for instance. The whole story is told from Delta's perspective, so we don't get the chance to know the other characters as well. I liked the characters, but they fell a little flat for me. In my opinion there wasn't enough emotional development, so in the end I wasn't really attached to any of them. I did like Delta's character development, though. She went from being incredibly harsh to... well, she's still harsh, but also a lot nicer.

I loved the idea of this story, the sandy and hot atmosphere reminded me of Dune and Mad Max. There were, however, a few things I did not love but I will get to that shortly.
Delta is a badass female MC and she has a good reason to be. Not only does she live a hard life at Dead River, but she also is one of two people with a secret map to Eden branded on her back. One night she takes her sister to receive help with her pregnancy and although Delta loses her sister to childbirth that night, she takes the baby and returns to her people, her family... only to find out that raiders trashed their settlement and took her family to Bedrock which is where a man known as the General rules like an overlord.
The story honestly just gets better and better. What I had difficulty with was not being able to really feel that the characters were being genuine and realistic when they communicated with one another. The way they spoke felt forced to me personally.
I do think this was a fun and fast paced read, definitely original with some mystical touches to it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc. All opinions are my own.

This book didn't thrill me.

The plotline seemed good, I liked the juxtaposition of sci-fi and old western, it had Dune vibes. But the MC did not seem realistic at all to me. I just could not connect with her.

SPOILER ALERT!

She loses her sister and mother and doesn't mention them again. She talks about saving the rest of her pack and yes, I get that it's a pretty big distraction from her grief. And maybe she's holding it in for later? But the book never says that, she hardly even mentions them again. So I was never very invested in the outcome. The plot twist was excellent though, I never saw it coming and was glad I finished the book to read that part. I almost wish she had taken it further, that they had tried to send out a distress signal, that we could find out more about this Federation that abandoned them. The bits and pieces we got were so interesting, and then the book just ends.

This book bridged a very fine gap between Western, Dystopia and Scifi and did it extraordinarily well. Erin Bowman managed to create captivating characters against a bleak wasteland of a post apocalyptic world to the point where you felt their pain and their loss of family and their need for hope.

The most disappointing aspect of the book was definitely the lack of development in certain areas. With the issues the author faced with publishing the book and reducing what should have been a multi book series into a single standalone meant that certain aspects could have done with more development.

but despite this single short fall - the book was gripping and entertaining.

Delta of Dead River has a secret literally branded on her back, and she has been told since her earliest years to never reveal it to anyone. It is the location of Verdant, a rumoured paradise. Living in a wasteland that is dust squalls, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares by constant drought, dust storms and raids, Delta wants more for her village, so when they are all taken by the General, she sets off to find them all.

While traversing the Wasteland with a newborn baby, Delta is taken hostage by someone she thought she would never see again, and that is only the start of a very thrilling adventure.

It started off slow and I put the book down a few times before the story gripped me. Dustborn reminds me of Mad Max with the desperation, the sand, the grittiness, and survival. I enjoyed Delta's determination and temerity. One factor that annoyed me was the lack of diversity with the characters--how are there no brown or dark-skinned people? How did a bunch of pale-skinned people end up in the desert? Overall, a decent read but did not jump off the page for me.

Living in a post-apocalyptic land where water is scarce, Delta struggles to interpret the map carved on her back that will lead to a land of plenty. Will she find it in time?

Reading this will bring to mind images of Mad Max or even Waterworld. Like the former, the world is a wasteland that suffers devastating dust storms. Like the latter, a girl has a map tattooed on her back that provides clues to a possible safe haven.

Delta lives in the post-apocalyptic world where the few people who have survived are desperate for water. As she searches for the Verdant, a safe haven that is rumored to exist, she becomes enmeshed in the isolated towns that have managed to band their populace together in a last-ditch effort to survive. One of these towns enlists workers using drugs to keep them enslaved. This is where Delta’s mother and her handful of friends have been taken.

On the road to find help, Delta meets up with cutthroats who would sell her. But she also crosses paths with Asher, a young man she once cared for but who has long been considered dead. The reunion is not the celebration she expected. Instead, he may be aligned with her enemy. She feels his betrayal very deeply but Asher also has a matching map on his back and the need to work together becomes ever more apparent.

Bowman’s arid world of desperate people is not unlike the settings of numerous other futuristic tales. Besides the barrenness, there’s a hopelessness that permeates the novel. Delta is the lone figure of hope. Her determination to save her tiny community and free the drugged workers is truly a David and Goliath scenario. Her character is well-drawn and the story has appeal, even if it isn’t totally inventive.

Dustborn definitely feels more like you're being peppered for a series, not a standalone, so in that respect it's a disappointing read only because there's clearly aspects of this book that needed more exploration. Things that would most certainly get ironed out over the course of two or three books.

That being said, what's in-between these covers is mostly good, Fury Road/Waterworld/100 comparisons notwithstanding. Erin's ability to make you feel the environmental conditions Delta and the rest experience is the strongest aspect of the story. You feel the heat, the cold, the sweat beads, the sunburns, the wind, and most especially the thirst...you feel every bit of it as strongly as they do. The downside is that she doesn't explore the space enough, with geography taking a bit of backseat to convenience as all the landmarks feel way too close to have them not factor more into the narrative. And the passage of time is mostly a blur as they measure it in moon cycles, something I'm sure most folks have no idea about, although is an easy fix with a quick google search.

The aesthetic is familiar yet pleasing but ultimately falls flat as a story, where it's just too much of been there done that. It's a confusing mix of the above mentioned properties that is so on the nose it's distracting at times. The good news is that the character work is strong and creative as she populates the wasteland with an intriguing populace, but again, not breaking too much ground here. But I did find myself rooting for them, especially Delta, even if the romantic angle felt a little too easy.

Overall, I recommend this book if you happen to enjoy the wasteland/western motif.

Absolutely fantastic young adult fiction. It reads as a dystopian novel with fantasy vibes but also had some excellent reveals at the end, that were surprisingly thought provoking. This book will definitely have wide appeal. As the blurbs promise, there are definite Mad Max and Hunger Games vibes. The main character is also fierce badass that I could not help but root for. I think this book will appeal to adult readers of the genre as well.

An engaging post apocalyptic page turner. Wonderful world building and relatable characters, this YA novel will appeal to a broad range of audiences.

Postapocalyptic ranks as one of my favorite genres, and I’ve been wanting to read this author for a while. And behold that gorgeous cover!

In Delta’s world, water and food are scarce. The Wastes is barren and unforgiving with sweltering daily temperatures. Geomagnetic storms and dust storms are regular occurrences and can last for days. After her pack (the community of people she’s lived with for years) is taken, she sets out on a quest to find them. It’s not an easy journey, and the odds are nowhere close to being in her favor. For most of the book, nearly every decision she makes is based on saving her pack (which includes her mother) from the General. Anyone could understand her motive, but her pack is introduced briefly at the beginning of the story, and they have very little interaction with Delta. I never felt like I knew them, which made it difficult for me to care about them as much as she did.

Delta is clearly a survivor, but she’s so blinded by her need to find her pack she doesn’t see the consequences of her actions or the domino effect they could trigger. Luckily, she meets some characters along the way that help her see the broader picture and put things into perspective. By the of the story, she’s undergone a tremendous amount of growth and has a wonderful character arc.

There’s a jaw-dropping plot twist I doubt most readers will ever see coming – possibly a couple. One is such a gamechanger I wish more time had been spent on it. With Dustborn being a standalone, I think it could easily have been made into a duology to delve deeper into this significant development. I sure wouldn’t have minded reading another book set in this intricately crafted world.

This book gives off some Mad Max and Waterworld vibes with a splash of Western, so if you’re a fan of those movies this could be the novel for you. It’s a dark, brutal adventure that hooked me from the beginning.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Dustborn is a fast-paced YA post-apocalyptic standalone. The story is unique and fun and has loads of Mad Max vibes.

Water is extremely limited and there are dust storms and our protagonists mentions never having seen a tree before. Everyone is hoping to one day find <i>The Verdant</i>, a city said to be a lush and green paradise. In order to one day find their way to this paradise, Delta is branded with a map to <i>The Verdant</i> at a young age. The only problem is that no one know how to read the map.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed but most of just felt really <i>okay</i> to me. I enjoyed the vibes and the setting of the story. I enjoyed the twist, although i believe it should’ve been given more time to develop.
There was a part about 65% in where our MC senselessly kills an animal and that really upset me. Animal cruelty in books is just so unnecessary.

I do think this could’ve been a duology, the second book starting right after the twist, where the author could’ve explored the lore/history of the land and what happened to the earth all those years ago. When we finally learned what happened, it was done too fast and felt a little rushed.

Overall, it’s a pretty good book and one I would recommend to those interested in post apocalyptic stories.


Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s book group for the e-arc!

I couldn't finish this. It didn't make sense or wasn't believable on may levels: not the characters, not the world (or the spaces), not the travel, not the character relationships.

I'll preface my two-star review with the comment that I thought this book was okay, and I would definitely recommend it to some YA audiences. Its dusty, gritty, and desert aesthetic is something I'm always drawn to in a novel. With great excitement, I picked up this book . There's a few common tropes you'd find in any gritty YA book, and I typically forgive those. However, as I continued through the story, there seemed to be more and more plot hole questions I never found an answer to. Characters seemingly make random decisions around the main character with not much explanation, and it propels the main character forward, and that started to dampen my immersion in the story. Towards the end, there's an (in my opinion) unnecessary scene of animal cruelty and death, and it really soured how I looked at the rest of the book. I figured it's probably to show how desperate and rash the main character is in that moment of the story, but I think there are better ways to show it. However, by that point, I was hooked enough in the setting and worldbuilding itself that I wanted to know how the story ended. I didn't completely dislike this book, and my favorite part of this novel was the aesthetic and the world building, and I was very interested in the mystery that the main characters unravel throughout the novel, even if it felt a bit predictable at times. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a post-apocalyptic YA survival book.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review, this review will be posted on Goodreads and shared on my Twitter.

Delta has just lost her sister to childbirth and is struggling to care for the daughter left behind when she discovers that her village has been burned and her family taken. She sets out with the baby and is captured to be sold as a slave. She is about to be beaten because she resisted the baby being taken when it is discovered she has marks branded on her back. She has always been told to show it to no one. Now her secret is out and she has to get away. Will Delta be able to decipher the marks and save the people from her village? Is there anyone that Delta can trust as she seeks these answers?

Dustborn is a stand-alone post-apocalyptic adventure. This story pulled me in right away and I was invested in Delta and the world she lived in. Readers will love the back story that slowly unfolds and the strong female protagonist is a force to be reckoned with. Bowman weaved tidbits of the answer throughout the storyline and when Delta discovers the truth, most readers will have an a-ha moment with her. I loved that the story is complete and I believe that readers will be satisfied with how everything ended.

CW: death during childbirth

Ahhhh Dustborn was so freaking good! Though I knew what I was getting into with a book by Erin Bowman. Dustborn was exactly what I was after. A bit of Fury Road, a bit of The 100 (esp S2), and a whole lot of post apoc sci-fi Western goodness. Throw in a childhood friend (Asher) whose motivations are suspect and I'm hooked.

The world building is epic-level and, for me, steals the show: brutal and harrowing, and quite possibly my favorite thing about the book. That, and Delta, our protagonist. Her sister dies during childbirth, and Delta must now care for the kid. Needless to say she has it rough (of course she does >> see previous bit about the unforgiving world) but she's a fighter, even when the ever-rising stakes are against her. I liked Delta from the start.

A fun read with great twists and a satisfying ending. 4 stars!

This is a story about Delta, a girl struggling to make it on the wastes, where nothing grows and water is scarce. It's a story about how she loses everything. About how she goes in search of what she's lost and ends up finding so many unexpected things. 

Dustborn is full of action and emotion, and I was glued to my e-reader from start to finish. Bowman does not pull any punches, and she doesn't force Delta into any boxes. Our protagonist is strong but fallible, motivated but sometimes hopeless, and the world Bowman built for her story is vivid and unforgiving. 

This book gave me Life L1k3 vibes, with just a hint of Hall of Smoke, but the story is entirely its own. Don't miss this one!