The Water Wars in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Mar 16, 2011 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it liked it

This book really didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it too. While the story was good, the plot failed to grab me. It reminded me very much of Drought, just a different scenario. The plot fighting over water seemed not as action packed. There was fighting and running around. There were also some extra elements in the book that I didn't see coming. Like how some people can smell fresh water? It seems like you are living in a normal world, but there are some people who can do extraordinar ...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Marcie rated it liked it

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher is a dystopian novel set in the not so distant future. Many of the natural resources that we enjoy today have been depleted. The population is left to depend on the government for the means of survival. However some people hold out hope for a better future, some take it at the cost of others, and some are set to destroy it.

I think the concept of this book is really interesting. We use water everyday for many different things but have you ever stopped to think w ...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Colleen rated it liked it

The Water Warsby Cameron Stracher was a well-written, gripping novel about times we can only hope we don't encounter. Stracher brings to light, through a fictional platform, what the future could possibly hold if we don't become more aware of our over use and waste of our natural resources. It certainly was a gripping tale as Vera and her brother Will, travel across the country on a journey that they don't even know where they are headed or who they can trust.

The two kids seemed somewhat shelte ...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Moonlight Gleam rated it it was amazing

Welcome to a world where nearly all of the freshwater has dried up and where the very limited supply is in the control of the government and very wealthy citizens. Humans would be lucky to have a glass of the government distributed ocean filtered water each day which seems to cause more illness than satisfy one’s thirst.

Vera and Will are siblings who must endure the reality of what has happened to earth’s most valuable and natural resource. They are left to take dry showers and breathing in the ...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Lillie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, for-review, received-for-promotion, review-copy, paperback

See the full review at: Read My Mind

My Review:
I read the premise for THE WATER WARS and it basically hit every spot that I like when I think about reading a dystopian or post-apocalyptic YA. What really caught my eye was that, although the girl meets boy was there, it seemed as if it would be more of an adventure story as opposed to a romance, that inevitably would introduce some kind of love triangle. I’m over love triangles, just for the sake of bad boy versus good or best friend that’s be See the full review at: Read My Mind

My Review:
I read the premise for THE WATER WARS and it basically hit every spot that I like when I think about reading a dystopian or post-apocalyptic YA. What really caught my eye was that, although the girl meets boy was there, it seemed as if it would be more of an adventure story as opposed to a romance, that inevitably would introduce some kind of love triangle. I’m over love triangles, just for the sake of bad boy versus good or best friend that’s been ignored for years. But, I digress from my review.

This book started off really well. Cameron Stracher sets up a world that has experienced catastrophic environmental change, and now water is the most valued commodity. I liked the included inherent friction of humanity that occurs when something that everyone needs is in short supply. The government and even private citizens were not above damming rivers to the detriment of other citizens, and even clouds are taken from the sky for the water they hold.

One thing that went wrong for me was the convenience of rescue that Vera, Will and Kai encounter during their adventures. I don’t want to include any specific spoilers here, but it just seemed as if there was too easy an out whenever they were in danger. In this type of story, I don’t mind if the protagonists and her (or his) companions get a little hurt; in fact it helps with the idea that they have to really overcome some terrible obstacle. I like to see them work their way out of the problem, not just miraculously have a savior.

I liked Kai, the boy that seems to have an unlimited supply of water, know the government’s secrets about the water shortage, and gets himself kidnapped, which sets off Vera and Will on their journey. Kai was an interesting character, but unfortunately Vera was not as captivating. Something was missing with her, that I was just unable to connect fully with her as a character. There was no defining event that made me want to care whether she survived the trials, and perhaps because there was always a convenient rescue, I didn't need to entertain the idea that she might be in real danger.

I read this whole novel in just under 3 hours. I’m a fairly fast reader, but even for a moderate or slower reader, the action sequences keep the book moving. As well as the pace, the chapters, which are just long enough that I found myself reading more pages than I thought, but just short enough that I kept saying, “I’ll just read one more”, make this a book that I would suggest for a reluctant reader. THE WATER WARS is kind of science-fiction, dystopian, and post-apocolyptic lite.

While THE WATER WARS seemed like it just missed being a great book for me, I also think that there are plenty of readers who would enjoy it. There are pirates and government conspiracies and a great journey with a brother and sister relationship. The premise posits a future that we could all be facing sooner rather than later, and as a YA it is appropriate for younger teens, as well as opening up a contemporary fantasy world to readers that doesn’t have the world-building over taking the plot.

3.5/5 for plot
2.5/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language

My Rating: 9.5/15 (3 stars) Worth Trying
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Feb 14, 2011 Divya rated it really liked it

It was a great read. Nice book to just sit down and read outside on patio or porch... kinda... Really good, anyone who likes dystopia would love it. I love the concept of Water being so scarce.

After finishing this book the reader gets a sense of wonder and amazement. Its finish lets small, thoughts into your head that keep you wondering late at night about water.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher has a plot with many twists and a tinge of romance between Vera and Kai. It is mainly for the group It was a great read. Nice book to just sit down and read outside on patio or porch... kinda... Really good, anyone who likes dystopia would love it. I love the concept of Water being so scarce.

After finishing this book the reader gets a sense of wonder and amazement. Its finish lets small, thoughts into your head that keep you wondering late at night about water.

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher has a plot with many twists and a tinge of romance between Vera and Kai. It is mainly for the group of people who love "what if this happened to the earth" books that include the characters salvaging for something that the world outside the book has taken granted.
Water is severely scarce in the sometime in the future world that Cameron Stratcher creates. The now split-up United States is in pieces, each called a republic. Vera and her brother Will live in the Republic of Illinowa, once the Midwestern states. Access to clean water is incredibly difficult to find. There is a minuscule ration for each family in Vera's city that gives them a small amount of water for each person in the family. Vera and Will's mother is ill and Vera firmly believes that it is because of thewater they receive from the government.
While walking to her school bus stop one day, Vera sees Kai, drinking what looks like pure water and then spilling what's left on the scorched ground. This is greatly forbidden and Vera confronts Kai of his wastage of something so special and valuable. Later in the book, they meet again and become friends. By then, Will also meets Kai. Vera discovers that Kai is the son of a Driller, someone that if theey find water become very rich. This explains Kai's behavior. Kai takes Vera to show her the spring that he finds that is filled with fresh, clean, and clear water. The day after there trip Kai is missing and the rest of the book goes on about Vera and Will's attempts to retrieve him from water pirates. During this journey they all learn many things about life.
The book was an intriguing novel with many qualities need for an excellent read! It contains many elements including the brimming romance between Kai and Vera. In some parts of the book, I was really frustrated by their lack of acknowledging each other. I really wanted to yell 'just kiss' in a scene.
The Water Wars' mainly concentrates on what could happen to the world if water was extremely hard to find. There is fighting between the republic for the control of any water supply leftover. After I finished the book it made me realize how really important water is. Thebook moves in a fast-paced style and changes settings rapidly. It really takes you on an amazing odyssey. The cover of the book, as you can see in the image, is a fantastic piece of artwork. It supports the feeling of the book and its theme. Some parts of the book toward the beginning were just a bit droopy for me to read but that feeling was erased later on in the book.
In total the novel, The Water Wars, was impressive and a book that was highly made with the greatest care by Cameron Stracher.

Rating:

4 Star Book. Super but not superior.

I want to thank RT Book Reviews for the giveaway in which I won this book.

-Roshini (Divya) ...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Jennifer rated it liked it

After becoming quite addicted to dystopian novels, it was easy to add "The Water Wars" to my forever growing reading pile. While I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from this one, I was sure I would enjoy it, but I find myself torn 50/50.

"The Water Wars" tells the story of a brother and sister that are in search of a friend, Kai. They find themselves in a number of sticky situations along their journey. With major shortages of water across the land, they find that the government is hoarding th ...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Lyndsey O'Halloran rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya

Unfortunately, as interesting as the premise is, it doesn’t stay amazing for very long. The story starts off extremely fast and never really has chance to slow down. So much happens in so few pages that it all seemed far too rushed. The characters would move from one place to the next within the space of a couple of pages and I never really thought there was enough time spent in each place. This book would have worked so much better as a trilogy or at least two books to slow down the pacing and Unfortunately, as interesting as the premise is, it doesn’t stay amazing for very long. The story starts off extremely fast and never really has chance to slow down. So much happens in so few pages that it all seemed far too rushed. The characters would move from one place to the next within the space of a couple of pages and I never really thought there was enough time spent in each place. This book would have worked so much better as a trilogy or at least two books to slow down the pacing and to spend time on the things that really mattered.

The idea though, is where the book excels. Dystopian is a genre in the YA market that is extremely popular now and I think had this one been done better, it would have been a huge hit. The Water Wars is set in a time where fresh, real water is a rare commodity and it has people at war. The world is a changed place and with the rivers and lakes drying up as well as a massive drought, water is so hard to come by that people will kill for it, literally. As well as this, people are getting sick due to the lack of real water and all of the other things that come with that problem. The thing about this book is that the possibility for this is happen is so real and so possible and that is what I found so good about it.

Where do I start with the main character?! Vera was supposed to be a strong, confident and exciting girl but she fell so, so short. What started off well, with the promise of her character growing an awful lot, went downhill extremely quickly. I did like Vera to begin with but it didn’t take long for me to want to slap her. It isn’t that she is stupid or anything and she is quite brave but she does make some silly mistakes and runs into danger at every possible chance she gets. Also, there wasn’t that likeability factor with her that I was wanting to get. The times where she is supposed to show her courage are the times where she appears weaker than anyone else in the book and I think that she could have been written a hell of a lot better.

As dull as the main characters are, some secondary characters make up for that. The water pirates were characters who were really fascinating and funny at the same time. As a whole, they had all of the fight, charisma and attack that Vera was supposed to have but didn’t. These characters, along with a couple of others, make the book go from passable to being OK for me. Without characters like these, I think I would have given up on this book quite early on and although I said the pacing was off earlier on, here is a spot where it did work. Without the fast pacing, these characters may not have appeared until much later on.

The Water Wars was definitely not a book for me due to its uneven pacing and weak characters but the initial idea is what made me read it the whole way through.
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