After the Green Withered by Kristin Ward – Blog Tour

A huge Thank you to Dave @The_WriteReads for organising this #ultimateblogtour and to Kristin Ward for putting her faith in all of us and allowing us to review her book in exchange for a copy.

#thewritereads #ultimateblogtours #afterthegreenwithered

 Synopsis

They tell me the country looked different back then.

They talk of open borders and flowing rivers.

They say the world was green.

But drought swept across the globe and the United States of the past disappeared under a burning sky.

Enora Byrnes lives in the aftermath, a barren world where water has become the global currency. In a life dominated by duty to family and community, Enora is offered a role within an entity that controls everything from water credits to borders. But it becomes clear that not all is as it seems. From the wasted confines of her small town to the bowels of a hidden city, Enora will uncover buried secrets that hide an unthinkable reality.

As truth reveals the brutal face of what she has become, she must ask herself: how far will she go to retain her humanity?

My Thoughts

Unlike many reviewers who are part of @The_WriteReads , I am not predominantly a fantasy or YA reader although I am beginning to step into this world.

What I do know is that I loved this book!   

The book is set in a dystopian future where water supplies are limited and have become the global currency. Much of the world has been destroyed by drought, war and disaster and all that is left is controlled by DMC (Drought Mitigation Corporation).  Kristin Ward has created a world that although totally fictional, could be our future which is terrifying and shocking in itself.  With all the environmental issues we currently have, it isn’t difficult to fill in the gaps and see ourselves in a similar position in the future.

As I was reading I became totally immersed in this world and it was difficult not to be affected by some of this issues raised.  So many ethical questions around the environment, class divides and fate are raised as the story progresses and it becomes a whole philosophical exercise whilst reading.  The world building is so clever, keeping it grounded just enough to make it totally believable but with lots of detail and elements that sets it apart.

The character of Enora is up there in my opinion with Katniss Everdene and Triss and although we were just getting to see her rebellious tendencies by the end of this novel, I am certain that we will see an even more rebellious and determined Enora in Burdon of Truth – Book 2.  The thing I love about her is that she was/is just a ‘normal’ teenager – and her journey to get to her thought processes by the end of the book was fascinating to read.

I am hoping that in book 2 we will explore other characters a little more.  By the end of Book 1 we were left with many questions about which characters were trustworthy and which were not and to be fair, it’s still a large unknown.  We were starting to get a better idea about Springer (or were we?) and I have a theory about Bram which I hope is true.

The story itself is similarish to other famous YA dystopian novels and that’s okay by me as I loved these too.  The book flies over and is a great read for anyone looking for something highly entertaining and not too heavy or long.  From my perspective it is also a great book for someone , like me, who is new to this genre.

Highly recommended for fans of Hunger Games and Divergent.

Author Bio – Kristin Ward

Kristin Ward has loved writing since middle school but took thirty years to do something serious about it. The result is her Best Indie Book Award-winning novel, After the Green Withered, followed by the sequel, Burden of Truth. She lives in a small town in Connecticut with her husband, three sons, and many furry and feathered friends. A SciFi geek to the core, she is fueled by dark chocolate and coffee and can be heard quoting eighties movies on a regular basis.

Kristin Ward Twitter: http://twitter.com/YA_Author

Kristin Ward Website: https://www.writingandmythreesons.com/