The Drowned Cities Review

437 pages

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

Review:
This was a nice follow up to Ship Breaker. While this was set in the same world it was still a completely different stories with mostly new characters. I liked the fact that I was able to see more of who Tool really is in this novel. While Tool is for the most part seemingly extremely callous, there is more to his nature than is first apparent. Mahlia is an interesting new character who develops a lot as a person in this novel. Mahlia starts out as someone who only cares about preserving herself but she learns to care more about the survival of others. This book is extremely gritty and delves into the mindset of those in a war-torn society. The world here is harsh and unforgiven and that part of it is greatly explored in this novel. I really enjoyed reading this book and even though the ending does leave you in a bit of a shock I think that the author did a fabulous job on making this novel feel real despite being set in a dystopian future. I definitely recommend this novel to those who have read Ship Breaker and even those who haven't because this story can stand on its own.