Review: The Ward by Jordana Frankel

The Ward by Jordana Frankel
Publisher -Katherine Tegen Books 
Release- April 30th 2013
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N / Chapters

Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.Jordana Frankel’s ambitious debut novel and the first in a two-book series, The Ward is arresting, cinematic, and thrilling—perfect for fans of Scott Westerfeld or Ann Aguirre.

My Thoughts:
Well now, this one really impressed me. I went into this book with zero expectations so I was surprised with how much I ended up really enjoying this. Don't you just love it when books do that?

The Ward is a heart-stomping, action packed story centered around a crumbling world in water-logged lower Manhattan. After the great Wash Out struck in 2048, years of pollution contaminated the water supply, riddling the world with a disease called HBNC, or, Blight. The search for a freshwater source may be the only way to find a cure. 16 year old Ren, loves two things in this world. Racing and her sister, Aven. So when she accepts a secret mission that may lead to clean water she has no choice but to do it. Aven is sick and she's her only real reason to live. Only Ren never thought she would trip over so many lies and deception. It's a race to find a cure, and to save Aven's life, but at what price? And who can she really trust? 

This is the kind of book where when you look at the bigger picture, it stretches your heart in all the ways that makes human emotion shine the brightest in a world that is bleak and depressing and filled with so much death. It challenges your humanity and makes you pause in thought. It will demand in hope and in the end make you believe that anything is possible if you live and love hard enough. 

Jordana Frankel's writing is passionate and strong. It's also brilliantly paced and filled with heart pounding moments of pure adrenaline, then slowed down long enough for us to connect with these characters in a more intimate and raw level.  

Ren is such a fierce and passionate character. Someone  you will want to follow till the very end, as well as someone I was incredibly proud of. The way she loves her sister (not by blood) was heartbreaking and inspiring. The lengths in which she would go to get medicine and money for her was so touching. It proves that kindness can melt a numb heart, that dying has nothing to do with loving someone and that even though they live with so much death, you still remember that life still exists and it's worth fighting for.

Aven is such a sweetie. Your heart truly goes out to her. Benny is Ren's mechanic. He's good people, loyal and protective and has always been there for her. Derek is Ren's bookie, but he's also something more. He conflicted me the most throughout this book, but when push comes to shove, I wanted to believe in him just as badly as Ren did. And then there's Callum who I really loved. I love what he stood for and what he was always fighting for.

Then we have the races, which were some of my favorite moments. Soaring from rooftop to rooftop was some pretty wicked stuff and so exciting and imaginatively written. I could totally see this on the big screen, larger then life, awing, thrilling and captivating.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed this book. It's a very intriguing and entertaining dystopia debut with a sci-fi fantasy edge. The story line is moving, touching but it's also calculating and thought provoking. The concept is fresh and the characters are flesh and bone, heart and soul and make you want to hold on till the very last page. The ending doesn't leave on a cliffy, but I can't wait for the sequel! I desperately want to know what happens next! A fantastic debut!

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