Blight

Reviewed by: Will Brown - Falmouth Memorial Library, Falmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 7, 2017

Review

The future world described by Blight is one that's all too believable: A world in which massive agricultural corporations have taken full legal control over the production of food. They have patented the plants themselves, and maintain strict control over what food is grown to provide enough for society.

There are those who try to live outside the corporation's controls. They're called Scavengers, and they will steal food, grow illegal crops, and do whatever they have to in order to survive.

Tempest is an AgraStar security guard, helping to protect the crops and resources of the corporation. AgraStar provides food, a home, and a group of fellow workers who are the closest thing she has to a family until the day an industrial explosion sets off a catastrophe that changes everything and has her questioning all that she knows.

In the chaos that follows, Tempest runs into other people who present a very different view of the world than AgraStar has given her thus far, and in a classic coming-of-age story she has to come to grips with these differing views and decide the truth for herself. Strong worldbuilding, dramatic conspiracies, and exciting action keep the story gripping and the pace moving right along. This dystopian story has broad appeal for fans of the genre and is clearly only the first of a promising new series.

Overall Book Score: very good