bluntjedi's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Torture, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Slavery
howlinglibraries's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Considering how much I've loved most of the other Erin Bowman books I've read and how incredible the premise of this book is, I had very high hopes that Dustborn would be a new favorite; unfortunately, though, it fell short for me in a lot of ways. Despite a lot happening in the first half of the book, it dragged by, and the second half, while being substantially more action-packed, was still hard to connect with.
Delta's a protagonist who should have worked well for me in theory (she's grouchy, pragmatic, and yet her maternal urges are overwhelming - all of these are typically ingredients for a main character I can root for), but somehow, I never was able to emotionally invest in her, and I think part of that may be due to this being a stand-alone.
While I love an SFF stand-alone as much as the next person does on occasion, this is a story that I personally feel would have lived up to its potential so much more if it'd been further embellished upon and split into a duology. I would've had a chance to grow to genuinely love these characters, and so the stakes would have felt higher, but as it was, none of the risky moments of action ever struck a chord because I simply didn't care what happened to anyone (other than Bay and Rune - and frankly, I could knock off an entire star just for how furious I was over that scene with Rune).
The romance was lackluster, the twist was very interesting (and surprising) but ultimately not enough to save the story leading up to that point, and the ending felt anti-climactic and strange. Again, I sound like a broken record here but I truly believe that splitting this book into two installments would have gone a long way to allow it to live up to the tremendous amount of potential the synopsis held.
I'm excited to read more from Erin Bowman because I know what she's capable of, but Dustborn was disappointing and unmemorable, and I strongly recommend that people who are new to Erin's work start with Contagion or Vengeance Road instead.
✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters; queer side characters; multiple side characters have disabilities (including missing eyes and prosthetic limbs); the main character and love interest are heavily scarred
Delta's a protagonist who should have worked well for me in theory (she's grouchy, pragmatic, and yet her maternal urges are overwhelming - all of these are typically ingredients for a main character I can root for), but somehow, I never was able to emotionally invest in her, and I think part of that may be due to this being a stand-alone.
While I love an SFF stand-alone as much as the next person does on occasion, this is a story that I personally feel would have lived up to its potential so much more if it'd been further embellished upon and split into a duology. I would've had a chance to grow to genuinely love these characters, and so the stakes would have felt higher, but as it was, none of the risky moments of action ever struck a chord because I simply didn't care what happened to anyone (other than Bay and Rune - and frankly, I could knock off an entire star just for how furious I was over that scene with Rune).
The romance was lackluster, the twist was very interesting (and surprising) but ultimately not enough to save the story leading up to that point, and the ending felt anti-climactic and strange. Again, I sound like a broken record here but I truly believe that splitting this book into two installments would have gone a long way to allow it to live up to the tremendous amount of potential the synopsis held.
I'm excited to read more from Erin Bowman because I know what she's capable of, but Dustborn was disappointing and unmemorable, and I strongly recommend that people who are new to Erin's work start with Contagion or Vengeance Road instead.
✨ Representation: BIPOC side characters; queer side characters; multiple side characters have disabilities (including missing eyes and prosthetic limbs); the main character and love interest are heavily scarred
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Drug use, Pregnancy, Murder, War, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Animal death
Minor: Sexual harassment
aoifestardust's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
siobhanisreading's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Drug use
Drug is fictionalSpoiler
Drug used as a means to control/numb captured people working in the fieldsinkyteacups's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
§ I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. §
Delta lives in a barren world in which survival is tough. The water becomes scare by the day, the crops are harder to plant and there are bandits waiting for their chances. After a journey through the wastes, Delta finds that her whole pack has been attacked and taken to the General for slave labour. So she sets out to find them. During this journey she gets captured and sold to the General who learns of her secret:
Delta carries scars on her back, a map passed down through generations that is meant to lead to salvation and an ever green place with plenty of water. Nobody can read it. When the General learns of it, he threatens to kill one of Delta's pack each third day until she shares the route with him. But Delta cannot give him something she does not have.
"Dustborn" managed to create a fantastic atmosphere with which I fell in love. There are mentions of old world relicts and that the ancient language had gotten lost. Those are the touches of familiar, but it is clear how much time has passed and that these people struggle. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is anything but easy and kind. Delta mentions it time and again that the wastes are harsh and unforgiving. Yet, there are still moments of kindness. So overall, it is incredibly immersive and I loved the world from the very first moment on.
The only nitpick I have with the story is that at times, Delta seems emotionless. After all, it is told from her point of view. Yet, the emotional struggles and conflicts are often skipped or cut short in favour of the story. She watches a horrible thing happening and hardly has any emotional reaction. There is only one memorable time when she screams, truly struggles and breaks down and this does not last either.
While I would have wished for more exploration of these aspects, the overall story still remains a good, if not great one. There are morally grey aspects as one would expect from such a world. The characters are likable and the story, including plot-twists, kept me hooked. Furthermore, this book is one of the best paced books I've ever read - there are no slumps - it remains a constant and steady pace.
A full review of Dustborn is available on my blog.
Delta lives in a barren world in which survival is tough. The water becomes scare by the day, the crops are harder to plant and there are bandits waiting for their chances. After a journey through the wastes, Delta finds that her whole pack has been attacked and taken to the General for slave labour. So she sets out to find them. During this journey she gets captured and sold to the General who learns of her secret:
Delta carries scars on her back, a map passed down through generations that is meant to lead to salvation and an ever green place with plenty of water. Nobody can read it. When the General learns of it, he threatens to kill one of Delta's pack each third day until she shares the route with him. But Delta cannot give him something she does not have.
"Dustborn" managed to create a fantastic atmosphere with which I fell in love. There are mentions of old world relicts and that the ancient language had gotten lost. Those are the touches of familiar, but it is clear how much time has passed and that these people struggle. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is anything but easy and kind. Delta mentions it time and again that the wastes are harsh and unforgiving. Yet, there are still moments of kindness. So overall, it is incredibly immersive and I loved the world from the very first moment on.
The only nitpick I have with the story is that at times, Delta seems emotionless. After all, it is told from her point of view. Yet, the emotional struggles and conflicts are often skipped or cut short in favour of the story. She watches a horrible thing happening and hardly has any emotional reaction. There is only one memorable time when she screams, truly struggles and breaks down and this does not last either.
While I would have wished for more exploration of these aspects, the overall story still remains a good, if not great one. There are morally grey aspects as one would expect from such a world. The characters are likable and the story, including plot-twists, kept me hooked. Furthermore, this book is one of the best paced books I've ever read - there are no slumps - it remains a constant and steady pace.
A full review of Dustborn is available on my blog.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Torture
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