That was tremendous! David's best book yet! You bet your tug blaze it was! SHUT UP PERRY!
I received an eARC copy of this book from the author to read and give an honest review. This in no way has influenced my review or opinion of the book.

Blurb from Goodreads:
In a changed world where the sky bleeds red, winter is hotter than hell and full of sandstorms, and summer's even hotter with raging fires that roam the desert-like country, the Heaters manage to survive, barely.
Due to toxic air, life expectancies are so low the only way the tribe can survive is by forcing women to procreate when they turn sixteen and every three years thereafter. It is their duty as Bearers.
Fifteen-year-old Siena is a Youngling, soon to be a Bearer, when she starts hearing rumors of another tribe of all women, called the Wild Ones. They are known to kidnap Youngling girls before the Call, the ceremony in which Bearers are given a husband with whom to bear children with.
As the desert sands run out on her life's hourglass, Siena must uncover the truth about the Wild Ones while untangling the web of lies and deceit her father has masterfully spun.

I honestly have no idea where to start with this book! I love David's writing. So, after reading the Dwellers series, there was no way on earth I could not dive into this sister series without knowing I was going to be head over heals for it. And I love that this is a sister series to The Dwellers. I'm interested to see how David ties them together.

The cover, well, it's gorgeous. I just love Regina Wamba's work. I have seen many of her covers and have no been disappointed with any of them. So why would this be the exception, right? I think my favorite part of this book cover is that it so puts you right in the thick of the world that David builds. The colors make me all warm, just as I imagined the characters to be in the warmth of the desert. So right away I was sucked into the world before I even started reading.

The characters are great. I love that Siena is so young. You can total see all of her 15 years in the way she talks and acts, how she carries herself, and how she feels around her peers. Because, while the landscape is very different from what we know now, the way teens act towards and with each other is so relatable. I loved Siena right away. Especially the way she spoke in her slang speak throughout the book. And she's a bit of a rebel right from the get go, which makes me understand her plight and feelings so much more. Even more intriguing is her willingness to come to terms with her feelings for a boy, a boy who she has no right to have feelings for because she's a bearer and will be placed with someone with whom she'll bear children, rather than having the choice.
And what can I say about Circ. He's an amazing friend. He is loyal and you can totally tell that he would fight tooth and nail to keep Siena safe. And yet, Mr. Estes wait for a while until he reveals that there may really be any real romantic potential between Circ and Sie. We get to watch him stand up for her. We get to watch him help her. But why else would he do these things if he didn't have a love deep down in his soul for her? I just love his strength and his willingness to fight, it certainly makes me see him as someone who will go after what he wants and get it!
And my favorite character by far? PERRY! Yup, I won't go into too much because I don't want to spoil his presence in the book. So let's just say he is certainly a bristly and sharp fellow who has a flare for the sarcastic!

And the story, well, it's amazing. Really, so different from anything else I have read. The different groups of people (Icies, Wilds, Marked) that keep themselves separated and fight each other for power. It's like watching wars between countries, but within such a short span of distance. And the scenery is amazing. David's ability to describe exactly what you see in your mind blows my MIND! I felt the world building up, I saw the tents in fire country, the sand that was the surrounding deserts, the cages where they kept the prisoners. the rocks jutting out of the ground where the wilds live, the cactus type "pricklers" that crept up in large groups. I walked with Sie on her journey, felt the pain she endured, felt the fear she had.

As for the writing, well, pretty much I can say that David has a knack of really just taking things to perfection. The words flowed so easily. And with each chapter he left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, how could you not want to move on and read the next chapter? I definitely stayed up reading way beyond my normal bed time to get to spend more time with Siena!

With a unique world, awesome writing, amazing world building, and a general knack for knowing how to keep readers engrossed in a story, David has created a story that is well above and beyond any other that he has done so far. I am very much looking forward to seeing where the journey takes us in the next installment of this series.