Drought by Pam Bachorz

Drought

Pam Bachorz

400 pages

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: January 25th, 2011

Source: ARC from Author

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?

   Drought is one of the first stand-alone novels I've read in a long time. At least, it seems to be a stand-alone novel for now. I know I say this with quite a lot of books, but I loved it. From start to finish, it was a beautiful, heartfelt ride. I felt I could connect with Ruby, the protagonist, through out most of the events. Even the bad guy - Darwin West - had cruelty that could be imagined. It's not the type that's impossible in this world, if you get my meaning.


   I really liked the plot of the story. It was difficult to comprehend at first. But after about 75 pages, I fully understood what was going on.


   Ruby's blood is sacred, just like her father's blood. Mixed with water, drops of her blood can heal any wound and save lives. Her father, Otto, is the Congregant's - the people who work for the horrible Darwin West, the people who gather water with pewter spoons from the leaves and plants and fill their cups to meet his impossible quotas - savior. They all wait for him to come and take them away from Darwin West.


   But they've been waiting for 200 years (the Water, water mixed with Ruby's blood, lengthens their lives dramatically), and Ruby is tired of waiting. Tired of listening to her mother and the Congregants who tell her they must wait and endure until Otto returns.
Thoughts of rebellion and freedom fill Ruby's head. The new Overseer only makes it worse. But she can't leave them - she is the Congregants' Leader. They need her. But would they help her in return? Do they even love her for who she is, not her blood? Ruby learns the truth in the most horrifying way.


   Pam Bachorz came up with an amazing storyline for Drought. You will definitely enjoy Ruby's unique voice and have no sympathy for Darwin West. All in all, Drought is one book you just can't miss, and ironically, it will leave you thirsting for more.

The cover fits really well with the story. The woods and Ruby's face on the cover blend in to suggest Ruby is part of the woods, it's where she has lived all her life. The color of her eye adds a bright contrast against the dark cover and, to me, signifies water, the thing they need most.