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.
My Review
Fennel lives in an apocolptic world were she is a Groundling. She and her people live on the ground or sometimes in caves. The Groundlings have a rival counterpart to them call the Lofties. The Lofties live high above in the trees. They most of the time keep to their own groups only interacting when they have get togethers to have competitions to celebrate another year passing or for the leaders to talk. They also get together when the Scourge come. The Scourge are mindless beings only after one thing any kind of living flesh. They ususually only stay a few days or a week at most. During this time it becomes Fennel's job to get water for the people. The Scourge doesn't bother her for some reason because she is blind.She is still protected by a Loftie called Peree. It is his job to shoot any Scourge who gets to close to Fennel. Together they must get the water their people need to survive in the times of the Scourge. For some reason the Scourge don't seem to be in any hurry to leave and Fennel and Peree must go look for something special to help their groups. What they find may just shatter everything they have known.
Fennel is the type of character you really get to know and love as you read about her. She is blind but doesn't let that slow her down or stop her. She will even risk her life to help people when she can't even see the danger coming. Going to gather water she is scared but doesn't let it keep her from doing her duty. She holds it in until she can let it out. You see her character really grow as you read this story. Peree here is another boy destined to be a few peoples crush. He is very strong and protective. He has a job to do and he does it well. You also get to see the sweeter side of him as he and Fennel get to know each other. The love between these to is so sweet and one you grow to love even if they shouldn't be together you want them together. The book does have zombies but they are more in the background so don't let that put you off if that is not your thing.
This is a great edition to the dystopian world of books. If you like those type this is one you need to pick up and try. It stays a good pace the whole way through the book. Once you pick it up you won't want to put it down. I loved reading about Fennel and Peree growing closer. It really is a type of Romeo & Juliet match. You can see it. Fennel has to make some very hard decisions about what she should do. As you know I don't do spoilers but several things are revealed that makes her question all she has ever known and makes it hard to pick which path to take. Some of these secrets you can kinda see coming but really it doesn't take anything away from the book at all. It is a great read and I will look for more of the Authors work. I have seen people compare this book to others like the village and even tho I usually never compare books I think they hit it right on the head. To me The Scourge feels like the love child of The Village and The Forest of Hands & Teeth. Be sure to check it out.
4 out of 5 Bats~Pam
Fennel is the type of character you really get to know and love as you read about her. She is blind but doesn't let that slow her down or stop her. She will even risk her life to help people when she can't even see the danger coming. Going to gather water she is scared but doesn't let it keep her from doing her duty. She holds it in until she can let it out. You see her character really grow as you read this story. Peree here is another boy destined to be a few peoples crush. He is very strong and protective. He has a job to do and he does it well. You also get to see the sweeter side of him as he and Fennel get to know each other. The love between these to is so sweet and one you grow to love even if they shouldn't be together you want them together. The book does have zombies but they are more in the background so don't let that put you off if that is not your thing.
This is a great edition to the dystopian world of books. If you like those type this is one you need to pick up and try. It stays a good pace the whole way through the book. Once you pick it up you won't want to put it down. I loved reading about Fennel and Peree growing closer. It really is a type of Romeo & Juliet match. You can see it. Fennel has to make some very hard decisions about what she should do. As you know I don't do spoilers but several things are revealed that makes her question all she has ever known and makes it hard to pick which path to take. Some of these secrets you can kinda see coming but really it doesn't take anything away from the book at all. It is a great read and I will look for more of the Authors work. I have seen people compare this book to others like the village and even tho I usually never compare books I think they hit it right on the head. To me The Scourge feels like the love child of The Village and The Forest of Hands & Teeth. Be sure to check it out.
4 out of 5 Bats~Pam
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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