A themed tour with Prism Book Tours.

Parched
by Georgia Clark
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Sci-Fi
Publication Info: March 14, 2014 by Holiday House

Robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure novel about a utopian city struggling to keep its peace.

“A gutsy teen living on an arid, depleted Earth two centuries in the future faces danger and shocking revelations when she covertly joins a subversive group.

Sixteen-year-old Tess lived in Eden, a seemingly idyllic, domed city where access to information and water is regulated by the governing Trust. After a rogue robot killed her scientist mother, Tess fled with a terrible secret to the desperate, arid Badlands, where she’s recruited by Kudzu, explained to her as a “nonviolent collective working to undermine the Trust and free the Badlands.” Learning Kudzu plans to destroy Aevum, the Trust’s latest advanced robot, Tess reluctantly returns to Eden, where she finds the luxurious life morally unconscionable and secretly trains with Kudzu. Living with her uncle, who’s involved with Aevum, Tess is strangely attracted to his sympathetic assistant, Hunter. During a Kudzu raid on the Trust’s lab, Tess discovers that Aevum will be used to eradicate all inhabitants of the Badlands—and that Hunter’s not what he seems to be.

Tess’ first-person, present-tense voice lends chilling immediacy to her no-nonsense story of mixed loyalty, disturbing secrets, and ethical dilemmas associated with diminishing natural resources and scientific experimentation.

Bold futurist adventure with unusual romance, riveting action and ominous ecological red flags.” —Kirkus Reviews

You can purchase your copy of Parched at the retailers listed below!

Amazon – Barnes and Noble – Indie Bound

Parched is an interesting story about one young woman’s struggle to deal with the tragedy of her past and make a difference in the future for the world she has come to know. After living in the Badlands for a year after her mother’s death, Tess is recruited to return to Eden to help the Kudzu organization end the tyranny of the Trust and attempt to give life back to the struggling Badlands. In this story, there are many ups and downs, filled with intrigue and choices to be made. The question is will Tess make the right one.

Tess is an interesting young woman. She is carrying massive amounts of guilt and shame on her shoulder in regards to the mysterious events surrounding her mother’s death. She is the only person who knows what truly happened. Tess is a perfect example of a character who doesn’t quite fit in. She is an outsider in the Badlands but learns to survive. In Eden, she no longer fits in because of her time outside the cities walls. She has grown into an aware person, one who can no longer live like she used to knowing the things she has uncovered about the world she lives in. There were times that I loved Tess and other times when I didn’t, and I loved that. She is a character who continues to grow throughout the entire story. She is a real teenager. She is selfish and bratty yet she longs for acceptance and community. She lies to those around her but she longs for the exposure of truth to prevail and change to happen. She is a true YA heroine, a girl growing into more than she could have imagined and hitting a few bumps along the way.

The premise of this story was different yet similar to other books in the genre. It has the strong female heroine who must go against a tyranny and bring restoration and change to the world she lives in, placing it in the YA Dystopian genre perfectly. Yet the setting and general world environment is very different. Robots. I have never read a book or watched a movie featuring artificial intelligence. It took a bit of time and slow reading on the front end to understand what is going on in Eden and the Trust and come to understand the terminology and structure of this new world with robots. It is quite fascinating. Georgia Clark does a great job of developing a new world. I didn’t feel overwhelmed while trying to piece this new world together in my mind. Instead I enjoyed putting it together piece by piece and creating visions of robots and a world different from my own.

This story is full of other secondary characters that enhance the plot and their presence is necessary to the storyline. Abel, Hunter, Ling, Naz, Izzy, and so many more help to bring this world to life. There are Edenites, Badlanders, and robots galore. Observing such different characters interact in this story was interesting to watch develop. The story may focus primarily on Tess but these characters bring a depth to the tale and allow for growth in our heroine’s life. The interactions and relationships between the each person is well developed and important to the overall story.

Parched is exactly what I expected and nothing like I expected. You will enter a world of robots, choices, and the chance to do what is right no matter the cost. It is true to the YA Dysotopian genre but with a spin all it’s own.

Want a chance to win something awesome? Well then make sure to participate in this Tour-Wide Giveaway for your chance to win! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card (INT) or a Signed copy of Parched (US only). Don’t miss out on this chance! This giveaway ends January 25, 2015! Good luck!

Georgia Clark is an Australian writer and performer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of the young adult novels SHE’S WITH THE BAND (Allen & Unwin) and sci-fi/romance PARCHED (Holiday House). Widely published online and in print. Won some awards/grants/residencies. Has a play on at the NY Fringe festival. Pretty keen on cheese plates.

Website – Goodreads – Facebook – Twitter

Georgia is gearing up to teach a short, online writing class about writing sci-fi through a Lit Reactor course. Want to go check it out and join? Go HERE! Begins January 14th.

Want to see more about this book and what other people thought? Check out the January tour for Parched by visiting the blogs listed below!
6 – Hope To Read & Book N Blog
7 – Kelly P’s Blog & Coffee Books & Art
8 – Book-Marks the Spot, The Written Adventure & Mel’s Shelves
9 – I Am A Reader & Katy’s Krazy Books
11 – Welcome to Book City
12 – My Life Loves and Passion & Literally Jen
13 – Bookish Events
14 – Typical Distractions
15 – Lilac Reviews & Wishful Endings
16 – The Review Notes & Deal Sharing Aunt