The Scourge by A.G. Henley ~ Review & Giveaway! ~

The Scourge by A.G. Henley

Book Synopsis:

"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." -from Goodreads.com

What I Thought:

Fennel has grown up blind, never knowing what the world truly looks like. She lives with her mother, brother, and the rest of their community in a post-apocalyptic world in constant fear of the Scourge. When the Scourge comes they have to take shelter in the caves from them, they are safe there because the Scourge will not go into the darkness of the caves. 

This darkness has no effect on Fennel because he her blindness, one of the many gifts according to her elders. Aloe, who is one of the Three of the council, used to be the Water Bearer. This job has no passed down to Fennel, because to be the Water Bearer you must be blind. Blindness gives you protection from the Scourge and you can walk among them.

Little did Fennel know that by collecting the water for her community, the Groundlings, that she would interact with a Lofty that actually seemed nice. A Lofty happens to be part of this community as well, but they live in the safety of the trees. The two groups do not get along though and they are in constant turmoil with each other. 

When the Scourge seems to be sticking around for longer than normal Fennel decides that she wants to go deeper into the caves and find the Hidden Waters. She's only heard stories of it, but she believes that it is out there. The Hidden Waters are supposed to be protected and safe from the Scourge. So she sets off in search of this, but not alone. Out of the darkness of the caves pops out Peree, the Lofty that watches over her as she collects water. And so their adventure begins...

I really enjoyed this book, a lot. I'm a little bit iffy with most self published manuscripts. Some are really great, some are not. This was one that I am just blown away by. The writing is amazing  the story just kept me going, I couldn't put it down!

The idea of having a book from the POV of a blind girl threw me off at first, but it really worked out well. Henley has a great way of describing the world that Fennel 'sees' without actually seeing it. She relies greatly on describing things with other senses. 

My only issue I had with the book was that there seemed to be a little bit of a lull in the story at one point, but it quickly picked up again. There was a little bit of a love triangle but it was nothing like what is in most YA novels. I could look past it, as it was pretty obvious most of the time who Fennel was interested in. 

If you like a full out, in your face, zombie novel...well this book probably isn't it. It's more of an adventure story, and a love story. Not so much a zombie eating your face off type of thing. That's ok though, I enjoyed the zombies being a part of the background of the story. 

I do suggest this book if you're looking for a great YA dystopian though, it's one of my favorites of 2012! 

Rating:

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

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