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Source: E-Copy provided by Kismet Blog Tours
The Scourge on Goodreads
Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Groundling, Fennel, is Sightless. She's never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings' tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be.
And she's always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone.
The Sightless, like Fenn, are mysteriously protected from the Scourge, the gruesome creatures roaming the forests, reeking of festering flesh and consuming anything—and anyone—living. A Sightless Groundling must brave the Scourge and bring fresh water to the people of the forest. Today, that task becomes Fenn's.
Fenn will have a Lofty Keeper, Peree, as her companion. Everyone knows the Lofties wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow through the back of an unsuspecting Groundling like Fenn, but Peree seems different. A boy with warm, rough hands who smells like summer, he is surprisingly kind and thoughtful. Although Fenn knows his people are treacherous, she finds herself wanting to trust him.
As their forest community teeters on the brink of war, Fenn and Peree must learn to work together to survive the Scourge and ensure their people’s survival. But when Fenn uncovers a secret that shatters her truths, she’s forced to decide who and what to protect—her people, her growing love for Peree, or the elusive dream of lasting peace in the forest.
About the Author:
A.G. Henley is the author of the young adult novel, THE SCOURGE. She is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they’ve had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she’s not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she’s inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at www.aghenley.com
Connect with Henley:
My Thoughts:
I devoured this read! I urge everyone to go and buy an
e-copy of Henley’s debut. It’s just that good!
Honestly, The Scourge reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games,
in respect to the atmosphere and tone of the book. We’re given a futuristic
society that’s in destitude, food and shelter are a luxury, and citizens are
forced to hunt (or grow/harvest) their food, as well as collect their own
water. This society is broken into two “factions” the Groundlings who dwell on the ground and the Lofties who live in the safety of the trees. Both
factions have a common enemy though- The Scourge (think forest zombies).
Our heroine, Fennel, is a Groundling as well as Sightless,
and so she is tasked with having to get water for both her Groundling peers as well as the Lofties, in exchange for their security. And that security comes in the form of Loftie Keeper, Peree. These two begin their daily trips to the lake amongst the ravenous Scourge, Fenn slowly making her way on the ground, while Peree takes aim from up above. This is when the fun really begins...
The journey these two take, and the discoveries they uncover, had me laughing, holding my breath and sighing all simultaneously. I actually found myself asking out loud, at one point, WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Major revelations and plot twists that had me up well into the night saying, "Just one more page" I ended up finishing this one in one reading and not going to be until 5:30am, because I just had to know how things were going to work out for Fenn and Peree and I'm so glad I did!
Fenny is an epic heroine! I loved absolutely everything about her. She's brave, loyal, kind, honest- just a strong character and role model. I had to keep reminding myself of the fact that she was blind because Henley does such a brilliant job of narrating Fenn's surrounding environment through her other, heightened, senses. I routed for Fenn the entire way through this book, she really wants what is best for everyone, and puts the needs of others before herself. She's not bitter about her Sightlessness but uses it to her advantage to help those who need it. To put it simply, she's awesome!
And then we have Peree- he's Fenn's equal counterpart in every way possible. He's brave, kind, I would imagine handsome and willing to do anything for Fenn. They're romance definitely has a Romeo and Juliet aspect to it. They know they shouldn't want each other, but they can't fight their feelings. I couldn't get enough of these two and can't wait for book #2, I need it yesterday!
Thank you so much to Henley for allowing me to join Fenn and Peree on their journey!
BUT WAIT!!! Before you go be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win an E-COPY OF THE SCOURGE! Good luck to all!
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Great review! Sounds like a really good read!
ReplyDeleteJulie K
kornhsl@yahoo.com