“It wasn’t always thus
This tragic world
Of dust and death
But the green withered
And with it
Our dreams for the future”

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?

I’m so excited to be a part of this epic adventure with TheWriteReads and joining the Ultimate blog tour. Thanks to Dave and others who’ve helped him put all this awesomeness together.

First of all, scary as hell; A world without water? Or almost no water, I mean not even a stream or pond, something? What the hell did we do?

As we begin this book, we meet Enora our protagonist, a 17-year-old about to graduate high school. She lives in a world run dry (the horror) where water is now the global currency to get by. After the tragic events that left the old world devastated we enter a new world, a dystopian society. Enora is in the lower ranks and we see her suffering as a part of that class, can you imagine not having enough water to drink on a daily basis, and you basically have to make an appointment with the shower to bathe?

Anyway, an organization called the DMC foresaw the aftermath of what was happening and put in place resources to conserve water and now they (him) control everything and everyone. Wasting water has now become a crime, who can contemplate such a possibility? But of course, deep down we know it’s possible future for us, with everything happening in our world currently, it’s an impossibility that can become possible any time, as we’ve seen in some parts of the world such as in Cape Town, South Africa whose water is rationed due to a three-year-long drought, this is how it can begin.

With graduation looming, Enora becomes fearful of where she’ll end up working, such as the Mill her parents toil in every day. She is surprised when she’s recruited into the Company, with her being from a lower class being recruited as a Sentinel is huge deal for her, and brings with it a lot of bullying by the upper classes she encounters there, although she’s befriended by a couple them she calls drones, she will learn in time if they’re friends or foe. As Enora struggles with her new life she must come to terms with must leaving her family and best friend Safa behind.

As she goes through her training she realizes her abilities have turned her into a literal weapon for the Company and she feels trapped within a system where she feels she’s being stripped of her humanity. When she’s partnered with Springer (I love that boy) to begin carrying out missions, to eliminate so-call threats to the food and water supply. She began receiving compliments for her work which enables her to provide a better life for herself and her family. But is it worth it to lose her soul?

All I can say is I might be a bit traumatized and horrified after reading this book. This is a great dystopian novel filled with suspense and amazing world building, it will leave you questioning our reality long after the last page has been turned. I can’t wait to read the sequel Burden Of Truth.

Title: After The Green Withered
Author: Kristin Ward
Originally Published: May 14, 2018
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Publisher: Independently published
Number of Pages: 287

About The Author

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.

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