So-So YA Dystopian Story

Before I review this book I think it needs to be said that with the high quality of YA fiction that is being written right now, it’s going to be tough for Christian YA fiction to catch up. With the popularity of trilogies like The Hunger Games, Divergent and Legend, where every series seems to be better than the previous, we are bound to come across a book that seems to take a few steps backward. Aquifer by Jonathan Friesen is such a book.

In 2250 water is a commodity and sixteen-year-old Luca knows this all too well as it will one day be his job to negotiate with the people who have the water and bring it to those he lives with. In a world where feelings, emotions and individuality is frowned upon, Luca sees himself as different (or Other) than everyone else. When Luca’s father does not return from getting the water, the boy is forced to figure things out. He goes under to find the water and instead finds secrets and mysteries that shed new light on what he has been taught from society since childhood.

Friesen’s dystopian world feels forced sometimes. Some of the characters are not developed well. The story is slow moving at times but it does have its parts that engage the reader as well. The Spiritual angle in this book is one that you will not find in the more popular YA novels that are popular right now. Aquifer does have death, destruction and pain in its pages but it also has hope.

I give this book three out of five stars.

*****Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson Publishing provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a positive or negative review.