Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

A friend borrowed me this series since she liked it so much, and I couldn't put them down!

Drowned Cities is the second installment in Paolo Bacigalupi's dystopian / post-apocalyptic series, but can certainly be read as a stand-alone. This time we follow Mahlia and Mouse through hell and back on their journey to escape endless civil war. The halfman Tool makes an appearance again, and his character rapidly develops beyond what his scope seems. With child soldiers and mutations running wild in a world not too far in our future, only the lucky or smart survive.

I can't wait for another book in this series. I thoroughly enjoy the characters and storyline, and appreciate that they are different from book to book. I am hoping eventually all the main story lines will converge into a spectacular finish of victory for the underdogs of a fallen society. We will have to wait and see.

Much like it's predecessor, Drowned Cities touches on themes of loss, redemption, and survival. War can take everything - except the survivor's will to live. What's interesting is most of the characters left are children. I can't wait to see if they grow up. Happy reading!