Waterproof
By
Amber Garr
MY REVIEW :
In a dystopic world where clean water is a commodity and water
rationing is normal, Zach and Vivienne try to live a normal life.
This is a well written young adult dystopia, which is my favorite
kind of genre. I liked the characterization. I thought the pacing and
writing was really good. The story held my interest. Lots of exciting
things were happening. I am interested in continuing this series. 4
stars.
Waterproof (The Water Crisis Chronicles)
by Amber
Garr
I read Waterfall, the novella prequel
first which I liked. Waterproof is full of action and excitement.
Zach and Vivienne are members of a rebellion fighting for survival
and water. I thought the writing and pacing was really good. I really
like these charactes. Vee is tough and prickly and Zach loves her so
very much. I liked the dual POV style. My favorite genre to read is
YA dystopia and this was a good one. It is very plausible that
without clean drinking water, how quickly civilization and life as we
know it would cease to exist. 4 stars
Dying
of thirst is the new reality.
Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.
Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart.
A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?
Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.
Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart.
A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?
In
this life, it pays to be waterproof.
Link to Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPyeJa4PWZ8
Series Website:
www.thewatercrisischronicles.com
Excerpt
1
Ten more steps.
My legs ached with every jarring
move, growing heavier the closer I got to my destination. The weight
of my bounty pulled against me like a prisoner’s chain. If I
dropped it, I would be safe. The idea taunted me as I ran through the
abandoned junk yard, dodging large pieces of scrap metal and sliding
over the rusty hoods of skeletal cars.
“Drop them or I’ll shoot you
dead,” a gruff voice yelled behind me.
I didn’t dare turn back. Something
whizzed past my ear and slammed into the side of an old van blocking
the path in front of me. A reddish dust full of steel splinters
exploded in my face as the unmistakable sound of tearing metal
pierced the dusk air. I’d gravely misjudged this group of
deserters.
Heart hammering in my chest, I slid
to a stop before crashing into the bullet hole meant for my head. Two
bottles slipped from my arms and rolled underneath the van before I
could stop them. Shit. There wasn’t enough time but I
couldn’t go back with only those left in my hands.
I braved a look behind at my
pursuers. The three men tearing after me had nothing but revenge in
their eyes. If the two sawed-off shotguns didn’t represent their
intentions, then the man firing the military rifle at my head made it
very clear.
Another bullet slammed into the van
just as I ducked down to retrieve the bottles. Footsteps pounded
against the broken pavement and dead leaves, sounding more like an
army than a handful of survivors like me. I reached as far as my
shoulder would allow, ignoring the pain searing through my tired
muscles. My fingertips brushed the plastic container just before it
rolled further under the van.
“Where’d he go?” one of the
men called out. He sounded close.
Dropping to my stomach, I nestled
the remaining bottles under my left arm, while trying to retrieve the
others with my right. After squeezing half my body underneath the
van, I finally grabbed the first, then the second. Another shot
ricocheted off the ground in front of me. They were trying to flush
out my position and if they found me now, I was dead.
Scooping up the prized possessions
I’d risked my life for, I prepared to run. Trapped between two
vehicles, only one option presented itself - I’d have to get to the
old cargo containers. This particular group of deserters set up their
camp inside a metal scrap yard. Smart and resourceful. The
dilapidated containers had been pushed to the sides, creating a
barrier and providing some semblance of safety. Although I’d
slipped through them easily on my way in, my arms were now full of
water bottles that slowed me down.
Water. Wars were fought and lost
over it. People died. Billions of humans perished in the days leading
up to the end. And now I risked my life for a mere eight liters
because we’d used the last natural drop of clean water on the
planet five years ago.
Metal cracked above my head. Dust
fell into my eyes and tiny pellets showered over my back like a swarm
of bees.
“I’ve got him!”
I looked up in fear, only to see
that I still had a clear path to my escape. Shotgun man had his
sights somewhere else. Now was my chance.
Sucking in a deep breath, I
scrambled to my feet and ran as hard as I could toward the narrow
crevice between the containers. Forcing myself not to turn and look
where they were, I ignored the shouting and distinct sound of shells
hitting the ground.
Five more steps.
Excerpt
2
Vivienne yelled out
and I whipped my head around to see what happened. The last man
standing held an impressive hunting knife in his hand, while Vivienne
had a fresh cut on her arm. Still, she held steady, sword gripped
tightly in front of her, legs in a fighting stance.
Something stirred
inside of me at the sight. Time slowed when I watched her wield the
sword like an ancient warrior. It was hard to imagine that just a few
years ago we were in high school worrying about football games and
which party to go to on the weekend. Now we stayed in abandoned
houses, scrounged for water, and spent most of our lives running. If
things had been different, Vivienne and I would be graduating college
this year. I had plans to go into medicine, and she wanted to be a
vet. Funny how those dreams seemed so far away now.
A loud thump echoed
through the now darkened night. She almost fell to the ground with
the amount of momentum needed to decapitate the man. He dropped to
his knees like a sinner begging for mercy, head rolling further down
the hill. My stomach fluttered with admiration and annoyance.
“I didn’t need
your help,” I said to her, getting up on my feet and trying not to
wince at my injuries.
“Sure,” she
huffed. Ripping her bandana off her face she tore it in two. “Here,
wrap that up.” She nodded toward the tear in my sleeve and I
stubbornly yanked the cloth out of her hand.
“I had everything
under control,” I said between clenched teeth. It was the only way
to mask the pain. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I followed the
girly shrieks,” she said without missing a beat. I looked down at
her in time to see a smirk pull at the corner of her mouth. “Let me
do it.”
Once again, I allowed
Vivienne to rescue me. It killed every part of that male ego inside,
but I knew she’d let me do the same for her. In fact, I had. We
always saved each other.
“Ow,” I said when
she tightened the bandana a little too rough around my arm.
“Stop being a baby.”
“Stop showing off
your man strength.”
She pulled even
tighter but let a small laugh escape. I sucked in a breath at that
sound, realizing how close I’d come to never hearing it again.
“Are you hurt
anywhere else?” she asked, turning me around and patting her hands
along my body. I froze, trying to ignore how comforting her touch
felt. We’d been friends for years, and she was the only person in
this world I trusted. Why had I risked so much for this run?
I stepped away from
her, not liking where my thoughts were headed. “I’m fine,” I
mumbled. “Stop mothering me.”
“I wouldn’t have
to if you’d listen to me.” She stopped in front of my face and
stared me down. I stood a little over six feet tall and she was just
a few inches shorter. Together with that glare, almost any man would
cower under her. “Was it worth it?”
“Huh?”
“The water. How much
did you get?”
I hung my head in
embarrassment. “I had eight, but they shot through one. So six, I
guess.”
“Six bottles?” She
looked impressed.
“No, six liters.”
Silence.
“You just made me
kill three men for six liters of water?”
I shuffled my feet.
“You only killed two.”
She reached out so
quickly, I couldn’t defend myself. Both hands pushed against my
chest and I stumbled back, falling to the ground.
“I could make it
three,” she hissed. “I should kill you for your stupidity alone.”
Buy
Links
Smashwords -
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/357057
Barnes and Noble -
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waterproof-amber-garr/1116958419?ean=2940045278089
About
the Author
Amber
Garr spends
her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Born
in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland with her husband and their
furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch,
Halloween is sacred, and she is certain she has a supernatural sense
of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner,
author of The
Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels,
The Water
Crisis Chronicles,
and the upcoming Death
Warden Series.
When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing,
reading, or enjoying a good movie.
Social
Contact
Website: http://www.ambergarr.com
Email: amber@ambergarr.com
Twitter: @AmberGarr1
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Thank you for reviewing! :)
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