Friday 15 June 2012

Review: Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Title: Dust Girl
Author: Sarah Zettel
Publication date: June 26th 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 5/5
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository


Description: 

This new trilogy will capture the hearts of readers who adore Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series. Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she's never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone, when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west" (California). Along the way she meets Jack a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there's also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.
My thoughts:
It is honestly quite hard to find words to describe how much I adored Dust Girl! I completely devoured this book from the very first page; it gripped me and would not let me go! From the minute I started reading this book, I knew it was exactly my kind of thing and I most definitely enjoyed every single second of it. Dust Girl is a unique book which will certainly stay with me for a long time and I'm sure I'll return to it more than once.

The setting of this book is what made it very special and unique to me! Calliope lives in Kansas with her mother; her town is being destroyed by dust storms and times are hard. I think Sarah Zettel did an amazing job at describing Slow Run and its dismal state and I had no trouble picturing it. It all felt so real- and seriously scary! The mood of the town shone through easily and had me eager to find out what was going to happen. When Callie's mother goes missing, her life gets even crazier.

I loved Callie. I thought she was simply wonderful. She's a really refreshing and strong character who is incredibly easy to like. Callie's been through a lot but her personality is still great and she seems like a person anybody would be happy to be friends with. Jack was a great addition to the story and I found their interactions together really interesting. I definitely enjoyed following Callie and Jack on their journey and I was genuinely terrified at times! The mood in this book is so creepy and my heart was racing at some points. I was so caught up in this story and I love when a book can do that to me.

I honestly did not know much about the Dust Bowl before reading this book, and it has made me want to find out more about this particular period in history. So not only was this book captivating and entertaining, it has also been educational for me! I just loved everything about this book and I hope others will too. It's an original and memorable take on fae and I can't wait to read more by this author.

12 comments:

  1. This sounds absolutely amazing, Nicola. :)
    I've seen the cover, but I've never read the synopsis. Now that I've read it and your review, I'm intrigued.
    The whole concept unique. It's so great that Callie is a strong character. They are my favorites ! :)
    Plus, it's educational. I love books that teach you something. :)
    Lovely review, Nicola ! :D

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  2. I've never heard of the Dust Bowl either. And its about the fae? I'm really intrigued. Great review :)

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  3. This sounds like a fascinating read Nicola! And the cover is gorgeous! I love those books which take you completely by surprised and keep you hooked from the first page! I'm glad to know this is one of those books! Wonderful review! :)

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  4. Wow! I have only read pretty negative reviews of this so I was so surprised to read your rating! You've made it sound really unique and I can tell that you really enjoyed it :)

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  5. Amazing review hun! I don't think I would have even considered this if I didn't see how much you loved it. I love it when a book grabs your attention so much that you lose yourself in the story. It sounds like you had a great time reading this! :)

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  6. I have to read Dust Girl now that I read your amazing review Nicola!!! I always like reading books where I'm actually scared for the characters and where I gain new knowledge. Absolutely fantastic review!!

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  7. I haven't heard about this book before so I'm happy I'm aware of it now, Nicola! I'm so glad you enjoyed it: the premise does sound fantastic and books which grip you from page one are always a good sign :) I love strong characters so I'd probably warm to Callie quite easily too! Thanks for another wonderful review, Nicola <3

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  8. Yay, so happy that this is a book that grabs you from the beginning! My biggest beef right now is with books that don't hook me because I've developed this (really bad) tendency to set books aside for later if I can't get into it quickly LOL x) And Callie's refreshingness and strangth make me sure I'll love her too!

    Amazing review, Nicola! <3

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  9. I honestly haven't heard much about this one but it already sounds really great and if you enjoyed it then I shall have to check into it.

    Thanks for the awesome review, glad you came to love this book.

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  10. Gosh, I need to get a grip: I read this review as soon as you published it, and I was SO convinced that I commented on it. Silly me.
    Anyway, I love the creepiness of a small town atmosphere, that sort of thing will draw me right in, and since I've been hearing nothing but praise for this one, count me in.
    Lovely review as always, Nicola!

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  11. Wow, Nicola, this book sounds amazing! I'm glad that you really enjoy this! I love it when the author can make me feel the atmosphere of the town, so I'd definitely check out this book when it comes out! :)

    Anyway, the background of this cover is a bit creepy looking in my opinion hehe! Not the kind I'd love to see in the night. :P

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  12. This one is completely new to me, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. Amazing review, you have sold me on this and I will definitely be adding it to my ever-growing TBR pile :)

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So sorry about the word verification, it's the only way to stop the huge amounts of spam!

Thanks SO much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.

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