Book Review: Wasteland by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Wasteland
Wasteland #1
Author: Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Dystopian
Release Date: March 26th 2013
Review Source: Harper Teen
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Welcome to the Wasteland. Where all the adults are long gone, and now no one lives past the age of nineteen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan’s post-apocalyptic debut is the first of a trilogy in which everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disesase and brutal attacks by the Variants—hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther thinks there’s more to life than toiling at harvesting, gleaning, and excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day. But then Caleb, a mysterious stranger, arrives in town, and Esther begins to question who she can trust. As shady pasts unravel into the present and new romances develop, Caleb and Esther realize that they must team together to fight for their lives and for the freedom of Prin.

With the success of Hunger Games more novels have drifted away from the paranormal and closer to the more dystopian style genre. Whether or not these new novels find success, is all up to the quality and creativity of the book. In my opinion Wasteland does a great job in both of these categories. The two authors paired together create an enticing piece of fiction. With excellent characters and fresh but sometimes rightfully grim storytelling, this book has all the characteristics of a bestseller. The two have really done a great job of writing a book that causes readers to never feel the urge to put it down.

Wasteland is set in a post apocalyptic time where everyone over the age of 19 is dead. Even with that statistic, life still goes on, for the teens of this world still have a life to live. Life in a barren world is grim but the teens of this new world strive to make it work. In the small town of Prin we find Esther, a unique girl who sees things a little differently than the other citizens of town. However, when a mysterious stranger named Caleb walks into Esther's life the two join together to face a corruption neither of them could have foreseen. Caleb and Esther soon find themselves dealing with family, death, and a romance they never saw coming. A fast-paced and emotionally filled novel transforms into a winner for me. The two authors really know how to convey their characters feelings and to fill the plot with multiple twists and turns. A great read for anytime of day, Wasteland has the potential to be a great series.