Release Date: January 25th, 2011
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal, Religion, Cult
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 400
Rating: or
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Ruby Prosser dreams of escaping the Congregation and the early-nineteenth century lifestyle that’s been practiced since the community was first enslaved.

She plots to escape the vicious Darwin West, his cruel Overseers, and the daily struggle to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive and gives Darwin his wealth and power. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient that makes the Water special: her blood.

So she stays.

But when Ruby meets Ford, the new Overseer who seems barely older than herself, her desire for freedom is too strong. He’s sympathetic, irresistible, forbidden—and her only access to the modern world. Escape with Ford would be so simple, but can Ruby risk the terrible price, dooming the only world she’s ever known

Review:  You probably noticed the variable rating. I'll get to that later.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It had some crazy stuff in it. First of all, it was essentially about a cult. And at first it didn't bother me, but as the book progressed I started to feel really weird and uncomfortable. Secondly, the whole "supernatural/religion" thing was really odd. I wanted to know more about it. How it worked, why it worked, etc. etc. But that wasn't ever really flushed out.

And now we'll get to the variable rating.

The ending of this book was very unsatisfying and inconclusive. When I finished it I thought "well, that was lame. But I'm excited for the sequel!" However, when I asked Pam Bachorz when there was going to be a sequel, she responded: "Would love to do a DROUGHT sequel but not sure yet."

Wait. There might not be a sequel?

Therefore, if this book is the first part of a series then I think it's pretty good. It had plenty of twists and turns and I'm excited to find out more.

HOWEVER, if this is a stand-alone, then I really don't like it. It doesn't explain anything enough and the ending was WEAK.

So my recommendation would be that you read this book IF there is a sequel announced at some point. However, if this is a stand alone then I don't think this book is worth it. It's got a lot of really strange stuff in it that, if not explained, is just annoying.



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