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The Rain #1
The Rain
It's in the rain...and just one drop will kill you.
They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."
Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.
They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the partygoers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."
Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.
386 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
886 people are currently reading
13427 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Bergin
4 books341 followersAuthor of the H2O duology (H2O and The Storm) (UK titles: The Rain and The Storm), and The XY (UK title: Who Runs The World?).
Born 1966 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK. I studied psychology and (briefly) fine art/film and video at university. I have had lots of different jobs – so many I’ve lost count – including writing tv documentaries and online education projects. I live on a council estate in Bristol, UK.
Born 1966 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK. I studied psychology and (briefly) fine art/film and video at university. I have had lots of different jobs – so many I’ve lost count – including writing tv documentaries and online education projects. I live on a council estate in Bristol, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,007 reviews
August 5, 2014
DON'T LISTEN TO BAD REVIEWS!!! THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT
I have looked at reviews of this book and many bad ones are from adults, I am a teenager and I do understand where they are coming from however people are reviewing this book badly for the wrong reasons. They do not like the idea of the apocalyptic rain as it is a creepy idea, or they don't like Ruby as they think she should not have been able to get that lucky and survive. I understand these comments but is it not the same with any book? People are happy to accept science for zombie apocalypses, or magic skeletons, but not for rain that kills you? It's ridiculous!
Personally I think this is the best book I have read this summer, beating the trilogy "the hunger games" which I would describe as similar in the style of writing, e.g strong female character leading it, with a few traumas thrown in. There are people slating what ruby does in the book, such as her own mini riot, but as a teenager I can safely say this book is extremely relatable. I may not smear myself in make-up but would steal and go crazy if people are dying all around me, and although there are traumas for ruby, there are many bits of good humour in the book.
So to sum up...the bad reviews are for the wrong reasons, get this book it's brilliant.
Jamie
Age 17
I have looked at reviews of this book and many bad ones are from adults, I am a teenager and I do understand where they are coming from however people are reviewing this book badly for the wrong reasons. They do not like the idea of the apocalyptic rain as it is a creepy idea, or they don't like Ruby as they think she should not have been able to get that lucky and survive. I understand these comments but is it not the same with any book? People are happy to accept science for zombie apocalypses, or magic skeletons, but not for rain that kills you? It's ridiculous!
Personally I think this is the best book I have read this summer, beating the trilogy "the hunger games" which I would describe as similar in the style of writing, e.g strong female character leading it, with a few traumas thrown in. There are people slating what ruby does in the book, such as her own mini riot, but as a teenager I can safely say this book is extremely relatable. I may not smear myself in make-up but would steal and go crazy if people are dying all around me, and although there are traumas for ruby, there are many bits of good humour in the book.
So to sum up...the bad reviews are for the wrong reasons, get this book it's brilliant.
Jamie
Age 17
April 14, 2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley.)
15-year-old Ruby is more concerned with snogging some boy than the ‘Rain’ – contaminated water that kills you if you touch even one drop.
Will Ruby survive the Rain? Do we really want her to?
Not only did this book have a really stupid and annoying main character, it had a really rubbish ending!
Ruby was annoying. It was that simple. Why on earth you’d be worried about your make-up, wear a sequined dress, or go looting stores for rhinestone jewellery when 99% of the population was dead was a bit beyond me. How she even survived for as long as she did was pure luck, this girl was just a little too stupid to survive in my opinion.
The storyline in this sounded good, but just didn’t work out all that well. Whether it was just Ruby’s stupidity that ruined it I don’t know, but I didn’t really enjoy this book. I usually like this kind of dystopian/survival story, but this one just didn’t cut it. I also wonder why the heck the animals that were chewing on dead people didn’t die when this thing was supposed to be so contagious?
There was one surprise in there, that was a bit shocking, but unfortunately that was it, and ultimately it just led me to believe that Ruby was even more doomed.
As if this darn book wasn’t bad enough, just when I was thinking I might be generous and give this book 2.5 stars, we got to the ending. So, did this end with a happily ever after? Did we get some idea that Ruby might be safe? Might go on to live a long and happy life?
In short. No. The story just stopped. Ended. Dumped Ruby right back to square one, and abandoned her there (moaning about the loss of her mobile phone). I kid you not. Do I have to tell you how unimpressed I am about that?
Overall; an annoying main character, and a non-ending,
4 out of 10.
15-year-old Ruby is more concerned with snogging some boy than the ‘Rain’ – contaminated water that kills you if you touch even one drop.
Will Ruby survive the Rain? Do we really want her to?
Not only did this book have a really stupid and annoying main character, it had a really rubbish ending!
Ruby was annoying. It was that simple. Why on earth you’d be worried about your make-up, wear a sequined dress, or go looting stores for rhinestone jewellery when 99% of the population was dead was a bit beyond me. How she even survived for as long as she did was pure luck, this girl was just a little too stupid to survive in my opinion.
The storyline in this sounded good, but just didn’t work out all that well. Whether it was just Ruby’s stupidity that ruined it I don’t know, but I didn’t really enjoy this book. I usually like this kind of dystopian/survival story, but this one just didn’t cut it. I also wonder why the heck the animals that were chewing on dead people didn’t die when this thing was supposed to be so contagious?
There was one surprise in there, that was a bit shocking, but unfortunately that was it, and ultimately it just led me to believe that Ruby was even more doomed.
As if this darn book wasn’t bad enough, just when I was thinking I might be generous and give this book 2.5 stars, we got to the ending. So, did this end with a happily ever after? Did we get some idea that Ruby might be safe? Might go on to live a long and happy life?
In short. No. The story just stopped. Ended. Dumped Ruby right back to square one, and abandoned her there (moaning about the loss of her mobile phone). I kid you not. Do I have to tell you how unimpressed I am about that?
Overall; an annoying main character, and a non-ending,
4 out of 10.
October 14, 2014
After awhile, any Apocalyptic books will have a similar twist to it, either it's the zombies or some sort of sickness that ends the world. But H2O sounded promising. The deadly rain, the water all around people has some sort of bacteria that eats the people alive, turning it into intense and slow death.
With such summary, I was excited to read it because it was something new. It started out great, with a funny narrator in a "diary" form of Ruby. She was witty and funny and I really thought that I was going to like her. Plus there was actually an explanation of why the rain might have turned deadly (umm meteor?) and even though it wasn't perfect, it went with the story.
however...
Ruby sucks. I can't even grasp why she survived until the end of the book. I really can't. For example:
"We son't like to go outside when it's raining; we don't like drinking water (it's boring); we don't like eating fresh fruit and vegetables (because THEY are always going on about how we should)". <- explain this bs, please. Umm water is boring? Yeah okay sweetie, you're boring.
"I would get Simon's backpack, and I would use every bottle of water or soda water or tonic water or whatever - whatever was left - to scrub and wash my skin and my hair" <- Maybe you shouldn't waste water because it's the only one you have left to drink, you dumb b****.
"He'd said kiss me, and I'd... Oh my !!! It was too awful to think about... and in a way, it was just as well. Pretty much everyone at school must be dead because if what had happened in the spongy-snake closet every got out, my life wouldn't be worth living" <- How selfish could you be that you wish everyone was dead because you would get embarrassed if someone found out that you kissed a Geek Boy (what she calls him). Blah,killit
Sadly, I can come up with more examples about how immature and absolutely dumb Ruby is. The whole reason why my rating is so low is simply because of her. Well.. and the ending. Meh
With such summary, I was excited to read it because it was something new. It started out great, with a funny narrator in a "diary" form of Ruby. She was witty and funny and I really thought that I was going to like her. Plus there was actually an explanation of why the rain might have turned deadly (umm meteor?) and even though it wasn't perfect, it went with the story.
however...
Ruby sucks. I can't even grasp why she survived until the end of the book. I really can't. For example:
"We son't like to go outside when it's raining; we don't like drinking water (it's boring); we don't like eating fresh fruit and vegetables (because THEY are always going on about how we should)". <- explain this bs, please. Umm water is boring? Yeah okay sweetie, you're boring.
"I would get Simon's backpack, and I would use every bottle of water or soda water or tonic water or whatever - whatever was left - to scrub and wash my skin and my hair" <- Maybe you shouldn't waste water because it's the only one you have left to drink, you dumb b****.
"He'd said kiss me, and I'd... Oh my !!! It was too awful to think about... and in a way, it was just as well. Pretty much everyone at school must be dead because if what had happened in the spongy-snake closet every got out, my life wouldn't be worth living" <- How selfish could you be that you wish everyone was dead because you would get embarrassed if someone found out that you kissed a Geek Boy (what she calls him). Blah,
Sadly, I can come up with more examples about how immature and absolutely dumb Ruby is. The whole reason why my rating is so low is simply because of her. Well.. and the ending. Meh
October 5, 2015
“H2O” is an apocalyptic thriller centering around the premise of deadly rain, and I found it quite enjoyable. For maximum scare factor, be sure to read it during a rainstorm, as I accidentally did.
Ruby, the main character, is pretty much a mean girl everyone knew in high school. Of course, she doesn’t actually realize that she is mean. I’ve read some complaints about her character and, while I agree that she is not always pleasant, she is realistic. She just turned fifteen and from her own story she was never overly mature for her age. The rain didn’t suddenly make her smarter, more likable, or super brave. I appreciate the author keeping it real in that way. She does have some admirable qualities, and she also realizes some mistakes she has made along the way. It’s definitely a love/hate situation with her.
Along with Ruby, there are many intriguing characters met along the way. As it is a disaster situation, most of them are not in the story for long, but I believe that is the way things would be in such a situation. Not every story will get a resolution.
I absolutely loved the premise of the killer rain. The panic and breakdown in society from the fear of the environment and limited supply of water is a terrifying thought, and the author did an excellent job of writing that. She also did a good job of invoking the pain and sadness of so much loss of life, which is the basis of my one complaint. There is one chapter that is totally unnecessary and what I would call emotional blackmail. I won’t spoil what happens, but while heartbreaking, it did not need to be present, as the author had already given multiple reasons for the reader’s heart to be broken that were actually cohesive with the plot. Contriving situations to evoke an emotional response from the reader is one of my pet peeves, as it seems there is no trust put in the reader to pick up all of the emotions already present. I would have dropped it an entire star had I not loved the rest of the book so much, but I still feel the need to point that out here.
In short, if you love a good natural disaster novel and don’t mind having your heart broken, “H2O” is a wonderful choice for upper middle graders and up.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Ruby, the main character, is pretty much a mean girl everyone knew in high school. Of course, she doesn’t actually realize that she is mean. I’ve read some complaints about her character and, while I agree that she is not always pleasant, she is realistic. She just turned fifteen and from her own story she was never overly mature for her age. The rain didn’t suddenly make her smarter, more likable, or super brave. I appreciate the author keeping it real in that way. She does have some admirable qualities, and she also realizes some mistakes she has made along the way. It’s definitely a love/hate situation with her.
Along with Ruby, there are many intriguing characters met along the way. As it is a disaster situation, most of them are not in the story for long, but I believe that is the way things would be in such a situation. Not every story will get a resolution.
I absolutely loved the premise of the killer rain. The panic and breakdown in society from the fear of the environment and limited supply of water is a terrifying thought, and the author did an excellent job of writing that. She also did a good job of invoking the pain and sadness of so much loss of life, which is the basis of my one complaint. There is one chapter that is totally unnecessary and what I would call emotional blackmail. I won’t spoil what happens, but while heartbreaking, it did not need to be present, as the author had already given multiple reasons for the reader’s heart to be broken that were actually cohesive with the plot. Contriving situations to evoke an emotional response from the reader is one of my pet peeves, as it seems there is no trust put in the reader to pick up all of the emotions already present. I would have dropped it an entire star had I not loved the rest of the book so much, but I still feel the need to point that out here.
In short, if you love a good natural disaster novel and don’t mind having your heart broken, “H2O” is a wonderful choice for upper middle graders and up.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2014
Bell, Book & Candle | H2O Review
I feel like I was bamboozled! Led astray! Hoodwinked! This book was supposed to be spectacular! It's an apocalyptic world with killer rain! How could you go wrong with that! Obviously a lot because I seriously had to force myself to finish the book, and even then I was really only skimming the last half. What a waste of a perfectly good book cover...
The plot and ending isn't difficult to guess; I mean, you already know everyone is going to die, so there's no real mystery to it. Which kind of sucks about the premise because there isn't much to write about. The main character, Ruby, made me want to give her some serious side eye action-- she was just too superficial. I'm still trying to figure out why she is worried about her hair and makeup? Or why she is concerned about cute guys or her female competition? Honey, you have much bigger problems to worry about like, oh I don't know, the people rapidly dying around you! I would be more worried about the safety of my loved ones and how I'm going to survive without water, but hey, that's just me.
Speaking of which, how would one prepare for an apocalypse involving killer rain? I haven't a clue, but I do have an awesome, kick** survival plan for a zombie apocalypse!
Besides, there wont be any of this happening..
While reading this book, I was insanely thirsty: I downed a whole bottle of Arizona Green Tea in two minutes! Anyways, This book is nothing to write home about, unless you see killer rain happening anytime soon-- which in that case, let me know. Otherwise, this book is a massive snoozefest.
I feel like I was bamboozled! Led astray! Hoodwinked! This book was supposed to be spectacular! It's an apocalyptic world with killer rain! How could you go wrong with that! Obviously a lot because I seriously had to force myself to finish the book, and even then I was really only skimming the last half. What a waste of a perfectly good book cover...
The plot and ending isn't difficult to guess; I mean, you already know everyone is going to die, so there's no real mystery to it. Which kind of sucks about the premise because there isn't much to write about. The main character, Ruby, made me want to give her some serious side eye action-- she was just too superficial. I'm still trying to figure out why she is worried about her hair and makeup? Or why she is concerned about cute guys or her female competition? Honey, you have much bigger problems to worry about like, oh I don't know, the people rapidly dying around you! I would be more worried about the safety of my loved ones and how I'm going to survive without water, but hey, that's just me.
Speaking of which, how would one prepare for an apocalypse involving killer rain? I haven't a clue, but I do have an awesome, kick** survival plan for a zombie apocalypse!
Besides, there wont be any of this happening..
While reading this book, I was insanely thirsty: I downed a whole bottle of Arizona Green Tea in two minutes! Anyways, This book is nothing to write home about, unless you see killer rain happening anytime soon-- which in that case, let me know. Otherwise, this book is a massive snoozefest.
August 23, 2014
Straight away the writing style threw me off a little bit; Ruby is writing this looking back at her experience but there were so many instances where I just didn’t understand what she was thinking and why she was making such stupid decisions at points. She seemed to care more about her make-up and the colour of her hair than she did about checking whether it was raining killer-rain before stepping out of the door. Her priorities just seemed to be all wrong and as a protagonist she was infuriating to read about.
The plot itself, the killer rain, was definitely an interesting premise for a novel, but I was disappointed with the end of the book because nothing was resolved. Ruby ended up in the same situation as she was in nearer the beginning, I don’t feel like she grew as a character at all and there was no resolution or explanation for the killer rain. This book is the first in a series but I don’t think that is any excuse to not have at least a little explanation by the end. It hasn’t made me curious enough to pick up the next in the series because I know I would be really disappointed and frustrated if there, again, was no real conclusion.
I have to say, overall I did like reading this novel and it was enjoyable to a point. It was fast-paced but there were just so many irritating things about the protagonist and the plot itself for me to be able to recommend this book to anyone. Obviously this is just my opinion and there are people who love this book but personally, I just found too many things that annoyed me.
The plot itself, the killer rain, was definitely an interesting premise for a novel, but I was disappointed with the end of the book because nothing was resolved. Ruby ended up in the same situation as she was in nearer the beginning, I don’t feel like she grew as a character at all and there was no resolution or explanation for the killer rain. This book is the first in a series but I don’t think that is any excuse to not have at least a little explanation by the end. It hasn’t made me curious enough to pick up the next in the series because I know I would be really disappointed and frustrated if there, again, was no real conclusion.
I have to say, overall I did like reading this novel and it was enjoyable to a point. It was fast-paced but there were just so many irritating things about the protagonist and the plot itself for me to be able to recommend this book to anyone. Obviously this is just my opinion and there are people who love this book but personally, I just found too many things that annoyed me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2016
3.5 stars
I picked this up to read because I needed something easy and this one has been on my TBR for awhile. I thought the voice of the protagonist was pretty authentic - this could be a plus or a minus for you depending on how you feel about privileged middle-class teen girls. Even though Ruby was doing some rather silly things, like looting for make-up and impractical clothes as opposed to getting serious about survival, I thought that it was actually pretty realistic. I can see a fifteen year old girl acting this way quite easily.
Ruby isn't the most likeable of characters, but I enjoyed seeing her progression in the story and picked up the concluding book, The Storm almost immediately upon finishing this one.
Funny thing about this book - I read one with a very similar title and cover earlier this year, although that one was about a zombie/alien invasion rather than killer rain. Check out the similar covers!
(killer rain)
(killer zombie/aliens)
I picked this up to read because I needed something easy and this one has been on my TBR for awhile. I thought the voice of the protagonist was pretty authentic - this could be a plus or a minus for you depending on how you feel about privileged middle-class teen girls. Even though Ruby was doing some rather silly things, like looting for make-up and impractical clothes as opposed to getting serious about survival, I thought that it was actually pretty realistic. I can see a fifteen year old girl acting this way quite easily.
Ruby isn't the most likeable of characters, but I enjoyed seeing her progression in the story and picked up the concluding book, The Storm almost immediately upon finishing this one.
Funny thing about this book - I read one with a very similar title and cover earlier this year, although that one was about a zombie/alien invasion rather than killer rain. Check out the similar covers!
(killer rain)
(killer zombie/aliens)
August 25, 2014
I'm so sick of almost every single YA book is the first in a series. So what it means is that you read a bunch of running around crap and then it cuts off abruptly. NOT EVERY YA BOOK NEEDS TO BE THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES!
October 4, 2014
I couldn't handle this book ("H2O" or "The Rain" or whatever it's called). The writing was sloppy and messy (and I quote: "The traffic was moving slower still--not a crawl, faster than that but slower than it should be. The road was really busy.") Dear God, did a 7-year old write this? Off the top of my head: "I, the MC, am concerned about the turn of events because I am actually capable of expressing emotions. I willed the creeping traffic to move faster, but to no avail." See how easy that is?! The main character was an absolutely horrid human being. The focus of the MC was so far off what it should be that I spent the whole 50 pages I finished wanting to smack her. This is NOT what teens would be doing in this situation. I work with teens--even the most shallow among them wouldn't focus more on boys and prettiness than people's faces being melted off by rain. I'm offended for my students. I don't want them to read this.
Apologies to netgalley for not being able to stomach this for a single page more. Thank you for the arc!
Apologies to netgalley for not being able to stomach this for a single page more. Thank you for the arc!
July 21, 2014
I loved the concept, got immersed in the world and felt the dehydration almost physically. Some nice twists, most not predicted by moi. BUT, I wanted to finish off the main character myself. Selfish, childish, a 'popular' kid who thinks lower beings should be grateful to breathe the same air as her, with little to no character growth, but as all her family and friends die a bloody, rainy death she somehow manages TO FORGET TO CHECK FOR RAIN. EVERY TIME. SHE JUST STOMPS OUTSIDE. She does remember to dye her hair and turn herself orange with fake tan though, so at least she'll be a well groomed corpse.
April 18, 2015
Oh, so I'll be honest here. I totally judged the book by the cover on this one. But could you blame me? It just looks so cool.
Anyway, the concept for this book is actually really cool, and unique. The rain has turned deadly, and if it makes contact with your skin it devours your flesh. It's just the execution that's bothering me. For one, Ruby m-f'n Morris has got to be one of the worst main characters ever. She's your typical snotty 15 year old high school girl who's way too preoccupied with her looks and stuff. Half of the books she's whining about her phone, (hey, guess what? There's no service anyways because in case you haven't noticed, there's rain killing everyone!) or about other things that don't matter like her hair makeup and what she's wearing.
Holy crap (SPOILER) your whole family is dead and you just want to steal thousands and thousands of dollars worth of designer anything you can get your hands on. (END SPOILER)
I cannot express enough how much she irked me throughout this book, I just wished I could have enjoyed her death because I don't understand how such an air-headed person survives something like this. She is that girl in your class that you either want to be, or punch as hard as you can in the face. Personally, I'll go for the latter. Secondly, the pacing seems really weird to me, but maybe that's because she's always over-analyzing irrelevant stuff such as the popularity hierarchy of her school. I really wanted to like this book. It sounded like a cool book, my boyfriend actually recommended it after reading the blurb on the back because he knows I love dystopians but I really wish I didn't waste my money and time on this. I'm so angry about this book I can't even organize my thoughts to properly convey my feelings, so I apologize about the ramblings (and probably multiple typos) above. I just want to stop thinking about this book
Anyway, the concept for this book is actually really cool, and unique. The rain has turned deadly, and if it makes contact with your skin it devours your flesh. It's just the execution that's bothering me. For one, Ruby m-f'n Morris has got to be one of the worst main characters ever. She's your typical snotty 15 year old high school girl who's way too preoccupied with her looks and stuff. Half of the books she's whining about her phone, (hey, guess what? There's no service anyways because in case you haven't noticed, there's rain killing everyone!) or about other things that don't matter like her hair makeup and what she's wearing.
Holy crap (SPOILER) your whole family is dead and you just want to steal thousands and thousands of dollars worth of designer anything you can get your hands on. (END SPOILER)
I cannot express enough how much she irked me throughout this book, I just wished I could have enjoyed her death because I don't understand how such an air-headed person survives something like this. She is that girl in your class that you either want to be, or punch as hard as you can in the face. Personally, I'll go for the latter. Secondly, the pacing seems really weird to me, but maybe that's because she's always over-analyzing irrelevant stuff such as the popularity hierarchy of her school. I really wanted to like this book. It sounded like a cool book, my boyfriend actually recommended it after reading the blurb on the back because he knows I love dystopians but I really wish I didn't waste my money and time on this. I'm so angry about this book I can't even organize my thoughts to properly convey my feelings, so I apologize about the ramblings (and probably multiple typos) above. I just want to stop thinking about this book
September 22, 2014
This book is awful. Seriously, great concept destroyed by completely idiotic main character, narrated by said main character. Ruby is your stereotypical don't care teenage girl. By don't care I mean she cares about her looks, her phone and her reputation on the popularity chart, in that order. She doesn't care about anyone else except for how they can make her life better, and take care of her after most of the world's population dies because our entire water supply is contaminated by a bacterium that kills only humans. What are the chances, eh? We destroy a meteor headed for Earth and inadvertently cause it to rain down upon us. The bacterium also breeds in water insanely fast, so all the water is contaminated in a few hours.
Anyway, back to what made this book so nauseating for me. Ruby. Every one knows she's an idiot. When the deaths first start, her stepfather sits her down and tells her ten times that she must not drink or touch the water. Why? Because she needs to look after herself and live. What does she do as soon as the conversation ends? Goes to rinse her plate in the sink. *Sigh* righto Ruby, not the sharpest tool in the shed. After a while, when her stepfather is no longer there to advise her, she goes to fill a jug AT THE GODDAMN SINK. You seriously can't be that stupid! She's watched her neighbors clawing at their windows covered in blood. Her make out buddy from the beginning spent ten seconds in the rain and was practically dead in the back seat of the car ten minutes later. RUBY IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THIS APOCALYPSE. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST MEANS SHE SHOULD HAVE WALKED IN THE HOUSE AFTER THE PARTY AND GONE FOR A SHOWER, SAVING ME FROM READING THIS BOOK FROM HER PERSPECTIVE.
OK, so she doesn't understand water from the sink is contaminated. If rain is bad, don't you reckon you might stick your head out the window occasionally and check the sky for clouds, plan when you're going to get food and rescue animals and phones? Nope, she just rides off on her bike, thinking half way to her destination how silly she was for not checking. Well duh. Then she gives a big speech on how she shouldn't eat any vegetables or fruits that have been outside in case they are contaminated as well, and picks up a rock to suck on to relieve her thirst. I give up.
In later adventures of Ruby, she finally decides to go out and open the houses of her neighbors and set their pets free. She does this so she can get them killed later or abandon them. She also releases the prisoners in the police station, something I assumed would have a point but didn't. She tries fake tan, takes all the make up and designer clothing she wants, and promptly loses most of it. She dyes her hair red and eats lots of chocolate. Basically she does what a five year old with no grasp of the situation would do, instead of a fifteen year old.
Finally there is the introduction of characters that aren't Ruby. There's a nerd from her class, but he's only worth a quick snog in a cupboard and not really a love interest because he thinks she's stupid. Even the army thinks she's stupid, because they assess her skills and send her of with people in wheelchairs and the elderly because they're trying to only support members of the community with skills worth saving for the future. Nice one, Ru, you have zero skills and don't deserve to live with the other survivors. That dumb that even at 15 everyone thinks you have no future. Haha.
I admit I got a twisted pleasure from this book. Ruby is that bad that I had to read on and hope she died. Unfortunately she didn't, and she learned no discernable skills, made no friends or allies, and went back to living in her same house after returning from London. All the animals she helped are dead or gone. She has no supplies, no car but unfortunately seems to have picked up her story for a sequel. I wonder how stupid she can get next time?
Anyway, back to what made this book so nauseating for me. Ruby. Every one knows she's an idiot. When the deaths first start, her stepfather sits her down and tells her ten times that she must not drink or touch the water. Why? Because she needs to look after herself and live. What does she do as soon as the conversation ends? Goes to rinse her plate in the sink. *Sigh* righto Ruby, not the sharpest tool in the shed. After a while, when her stepfather is no longer there to advise her, she goes to fill a jug AT THE GODDAMN SINK. You seriously can't be that stupid! She's watched her neighbors clawing at their windows covered in blood. Her make out buddy from the beginning spent ten seconds in the rain and was practically dead in the back seat of the car ten minutes later. RUBY IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THIS APOCALYPSE. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST MEANS SHE SHOULD HAVE WALKED IN THE HOUSE AFTER THE PARTY AND GONE FOR A SHOWER, SAVING ME FROM READING THIS BOOK FROM HER PERSPECTIVE.
OK, so she doesn't understand water from the sink is contaminated. If rain is bad, don't you reckon you might stick your head out the window occasionally and check the sky for clouds, plan when you're going to get food and rescue animals and phones? Nope, she just rides off on her bike, thinking half way to her destination how silly she was for not checking. Well duh. Then she gives a big speech on how she shouldn't eat any vegetables or fruits that have been outside in case they are contaminated as well, and picks up a rock to suck on to relieve her thirst. I give up.
In later adventures of Ruby, she finally decides to go out and open the houses of her neighbors and set their pets free. She does this so she can get them killed later or abandon them. She also releases the prisoners in the police station, something I assumed would have a point but didn't. She tries fake tan, takes all the make up and designer clothing she wants, and promptly loses most of it. She dyes her hair red and eats lots of chocolate. Basically she does what a five year old with no grasp of the situation would do, instead of a fifteen year old.
Finally there is the introduction of characters that aren't Ruby. There's a nerd from her class, but he's only worth a quick snog in a cupboard and not really a love interest because he thinks she's stupid. Even the army thinks she's stupid, because they assess her skills and send her of with people in wheelchairs and the elderly because they're trying to only support members of the community with skills worth saving for the future. Nice one, Ru, you have zero skills and don't deserve to live with the other survivors. That dumb that even at 15 everyone thinks you have no future. Haha.
I admit I got a twisted pleasure from this book. Ruby is that bad that I had to read on and hope she died. Unfortunately she didn't, and she learned no discernable skills, made no friends or allies, and went back to living in her same house after returning from London. All the animals she helped are dead or gone. She has no supplies, no car but unfortunately seems to have picked up her story for a sequel. I wonder how stupid she can get next time?
February 23, 2015
I’ve heard amazing things about The Rain in the past, but it wasn’t until I attended an event where Bergin spoke that I knew that I had to read it right away. Whilst I often don’t willingly choose to read dystopia and don’t actively seek it out, there was something about The Rain that urged me to start reading as soon as I picked it up.
Imagine this: It’s a warm, sunny Bank Holiday (rather unusual for the UK), you’re in a hot tub with the boy of your dreams, and it starts to rain. It’s not, however, normal rain. One drop can, and will, kill you.
The Rain reads like a totally crazy but completely realistic inner monologue from a protagonist who is the embodiment of annoying, teenage girls everywhere. I warmed up to Ruby instantly, seeing myself in her at many times during the novel. I know I would have reacted just as she did, and she had so much depth; it was hard not to love her and want to be her best friend.
Breaking out of the typical YA apocalypse mould, I couldn’t put the book down because Bergin has created such a scarily imaginative concept. I couldn’t go out for days without wondering why people were jumping in puddles when there was the chance they could get infected!
There was something so familiar about the way the novel was written that instantly hooked me. Although not the easiest subject to read about, I wanted to read more and more and more.
The book is set in South West England and it was obvious that Bergin knew every single detail about the places she was writing about. I loved spotting locations I knew about!
I loved The Rain and I’m incredibly excited to read the sequel. I’ll be recommending this to everyone!
Imagine this: It’s a warm, sunny Bank Holiday (rather unusual for the UK), you’re in a hot tub with the boy of your dreams, and it starts to rain. It’s not, however, normal rain. One drop can, and will, kill you.
The Rain reads like a totally crazy but completely realistic inner monologue from a protagonist who is the embodiment of annoying, teenage girls everywhere. I warmed up to Ruby instantly, seeing myself in her at many times during the novel. I know I would have reacted just as she did, and she had so much depth; it was hard not to love her and want to be her best friend.
Breaking out of the typical YA apocalypse mould, I couldn’t put the book down because Bergin has created such a scarily imaginative concept. I couldn’t go out for days without wondering why people were jumping in puddles when there was the chance they could get infected!
There was something so familiar about the way the novel was written that instantly hooked me. Although not the easiest subject to read about, I wanted to read more and more and more.
The book is set in South West England and it was obvious that Bergin knew every single detail about the places she was writing about. I loved spotting locations I knew about!
I loved The Rain and I’m incredibly excited to read the sequel. I’ll be recommending this to everyone!
May 25, 2017
I DNRed this book because the main character is just so annoying. She is such a brat and her inner dialogue makes me want to bash my head in a car door.
December 9, 2016
1.25/5
Such a dissapoitment! Worst book in 2016! I HATE RUBY!
I
HATE
RUBY!
She is the most annoying character I've ever read! I HATE RUBY!
Such a dissapoitment! Worst book in 2016! I HATE RUBY!
I
HATE
RUBY!
She is the most annoying character I've ever read! I HATE RUBY!
March 17, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An original plotline paired with the most infuriating main character I’ve ever known created a book that sadly, just didn’t do it for me.
Opening Sentence: If this was a really good story, like the kind you read for fun, it would have such a great beginning.
The Review:
Ruby is a teenager, living out her life like any teenager — concerned for her next party, her crush, angry at her parents. But when the rain begins to fill with a lethal virus that attacks and kills within seconds, it’s obvious that Ruby’s problems just got a whole lot bigger. Where will she get water? How will she survive the killer rain? Where is her family? Can she get back to them? An original, unique plotline paired with the most infuriating MC I’ve ever had the misfortune to read about create this lively novel.
In general, I am not the kind of reviewer to rant. I like to present my opinions in a calm, presentable manner. But with H2O, I don’t think I will be able to control the snarkiness. Mostly, I found the book enjoyable. The plotline seemed stable and unique, there was an interesting love interest, and it was paced well. But I hated the main character. I hated her so, so much. Honestly, my emotions toward her the whole book were either humor at her stupidity or anger at her inability to be a good human being. And her point of view was so immature. It was like basking in a fifth grader’s Instagram comments, with all of the uppercase sentences. Actual quote from the book: “‘IT WAS JUST THE KILLER RAIN WHISPERING “I WANT TO KILL YOU'”. It was very hard for me to go into the book respecting the story when the main character was such a horrible girl. I tried, I really did, but my feelings around the book began to crumble as she became more and more intolerable. Ruby was to H2O as the iceberg was to the titanic.
Let’s delve more into that. The first glimpses of her lack of a filter are shown with her stepfather. He’s a wonderful man and you can tell he’s doing the best that he can in taking care of her and her mother, as well as the newborn, Henry. Once, she tells him she��d rather be dead than spend another minute with him because she hates him. Harsh much? Look, girl, I know you don’t want Simon becoming your replacement dad, but that does not give you a license to be a [insert butterfly here]. (In the book, she uses little butterflies to represent curses. Yet another reason I don’t think she’s mature enough to actually survive a worldwide crisis.) Also, when she first meets Darius, a boy that is kind of nerdy but really helpful and kind, she is a jerk to him. She tells him goodbye and thinks about how lucky he is, because girls like her don’t even acknowledge guys like him. Actually, her jerkiness to Darius extends over a long period than when she first meets him. Poor Darius.
Okay, so that was Ruby’s need for an attitude makeover paragraph. This one is about her stupidity. She seems to have the IQ of a snail. For example, they just found out that there is something in the rain, something fatal, and one drop can kill you. Her boyfriend runs out into the rain to get his MP3 player. Of all things, an MP3 player. But it’s Ruby’s response to it that sent me into hysterics. She kisses him! She basically tells him he was awesome and brave running into the killer rain that’s fatal and she kisses him where the killer rain touched. Then he begins to deteriorate in front of her, blood running down his face. I bet she regrets it then… Another thing that irked me was Ruby’s need for prioritizing. She’s freaked out about her cell phone being at her friends house, more than she’s scared that her family will get ill, her friends are dying, or the global crisis. No, her cell phone is number one. She puts a bad face to teenage girls everywhere. When she could be rooting the stores for clean water, food, anything useful, she heads straight towards the makeup. I suppose I can’t argue too much — the makeup was a distraction, and she needed it. But at the same time, a good chunk of this book was her choosing whether to get plum lipstick or orange lipstick and taking both because she can.
You might have noticed I’m not Ruby’s number one fan. Yeah, I might have gotten pretty riled up with the snarkiness but I have been waiting to rant this review since I started this book. (Mission complete!) I’m sure that others will have different feelings, but for me, after finishing, I just didn’t think it was that great. Eh. I feel that the writing style would appeal more to middle grade, but with the mention of drugs, alcohol, and sex, there’s material not for that crowd. The idea was so fresh and unique so I’m disappointed it wasn’t carried out to its full potential! Ruby’s development was more in terms of surviving better than it was in, you know, becoming a respectable human. The last line was something about her cell phone. She’s just so superficial, ugh. Nevertheless, the idea for this story was a good one that I found intriguing and I’m sure someone who relates better to Ruby may have a better time with the book.
Notable Scene:
I looked over my shoulder at the two of them, just standing there.
“Bye!” I shouted, which I thought was very charitable of me, considering.
Charitable and also a sign of how serious the situation was: girls like me don’t even acknowledge the existence of boys like Darius Spratt. It’s a basic law of nature.
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of H2O. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An original plotline paired with the most infuriating main character I’ve ever known created a book that sadly, just didn’t do it for me.
Opening Sentence: If this was a really good story, like the kind you read for fun, it would have such a great beginning.
The Review:
Ruby is a teenager, living out her life like any teenager — concerned for her next party, her crush, angry at her parents. But when the rain begins to fill with a lethal virus that attacks and kills within seconds, it’s obvious that Ruby’s problems just got a whole lot bigger. Where will she get water? How will she survive the killer rain? Where is her family? Can she get back to them? An original, unique plotline paired with the most infuriating MC I’ve ever had the misfortune to read about create this lively novel.
In general, I am not the kind of reviewer to rant. I like to present my opinions in a calm, presentable manner. But with H2O, I don’t think I will be able to control the snarkiness. Mostly, I found the book enjoyable. The plotline seemed stable and unique, there was an interesting love interest, and it was paced well. But I hated the main character. I hated her so, so much. Honestly, my emotions toward her the whole book were either humor at her stupidity or anger at her inability to be a good human being. And her point of view was so immature. It was like basking in a fifth grader’s Instagram comments, with all of the uppercase sentences. Actual quote from the book: “‘IT WAS JUST THE KILLER RAIN WHISPERING “I WANT TO KILL YOU'”. It was very hard for me to go into the book respecting the story when the main character was such a horrible girl. I tried, I really did, but my feelings around the book began to crumble as she became more and more intolerable. Ruby was to H2O as the iceberg was to the titanic.
Let’s delve more into that. The first glimpses of her lack of a filter are shown with her stepfather. He’s a wonderful man and you can tell he’s doing the best that he can in taking care of her and her mother, as well as the newborn, Henry. Once, she tells him she��d rather be dead than spend another minute with him because she hates him. Harsh much? Look, girl, I know you don’t want Simon becoming your replacement dad, but that does not give you a license to be a [insert butterfly here]. (In the book, she uses little butterflies to represent curses. Yet another reason I don’t think she’s mature enough to actually survive a worldwide crisis.) Also, when she first meets Darius, a boy that is kind of nerdy but really helpful and kind, she is a jerk to him. She tells him goodbye and thinks about how lucky he is, because girls like her don’t even acknowledge guys like him. Actually, her jerkiness to Darius extends over a long period than when she first meets him. Poor Darius.
Okay, so that was Ruby’s need for an attitude makeover paragraph. This one is about her stupidity. She seems to have the IQ of a snail. For example, they just found out that there is something in the rain, something fatal, and one drop can kill you. Her boyfriend runs out into the rain to get his MP3 player. Of all things, an MP3 player. But it’s Ruby’s response to it that sent me into hysterics. She kisses him! She basically tells him he was awesome and brave running into the killer rain that’s fatal and she kisses him where the killer rain touched. Then he begins to deteriorate in front of her, blood running down his face. I bet she regrets it then… Another thing that irked me was Ruby’s need for prioritizing. She’s freaked out about her cell phone being at her friends house, more than she’s scared that her family will get ill, her friends are dying, or the global crisis. No, her cell phone is number one. She puts a bad face to teenage girls everywhere. When she could be rooting the stores for clean water, food, anything useful, she heads straight towards the makeup. I suppose I can’t argue too much — the makeup was a distraction, and she needed it. But at the same time, a good chunk of this book was her choosing whether to get plum lipstick or orange lipstick and taking both because she can.
You might have noticed I’m not Ruby’s number one fan. Yeah, I might have gotten pretty riled up with the snarkiness but I have been waiting to rant this review since I started this book. (Mission complete!) I’m sure that others will have different feelings, but for me, after finishing, I just didn’t think it was that great. Eh. I feel that the writing style would appeal more to middle grade, but with the mention of drugs, alcohol, and sex, there’s material not for that crowd. The idea was so fresh and unique so I’m disappointed it wasn’t carried out to its full potential! Ruby’s development was more in terms of surviving better than it was in, you know, becoming a respectable human. The last line was something about her cell phone. She’s just so superficial, ugh. Nevertheless, the idea for this story was a good one that I found intriguing and I’m sure someone who relates better to Ruby may have a better time with the book.
Notable Scene:
I looked over my shoulder at the two of them, just standing there.
“Bye!” I shouted, which I thought was very charitable of me, considering.
Charitable and also a sign of how serious the situation was: girls like me don’t even acknowledge the existence of boys like Darius Spratt. It’s a basic law of nature.
FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of H2O. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
May 26, 2015
This book was a good read. It had its mix on humour, post-apocalyptic horror, and tragic situations. It was such an interesting idea for a post-apocalyptic story. The book really made you think about how much water affects our everyday lives. I also ended up reading the second half on a very rainy day and I did catch myself being very cautious when I opened the back door and windows. I enjoyed Ruby's humour, I did find her a bit immature as well but that is to be expected for a 15-year-old girl. I also really enjoyed that it took place in England. The worst part about the whole book is what happened to Whitby, I had to put the book down for a little bit. I ended up reading that page three times. I own a golden retriever so it hit home.
Anyway good post-apocalyptic book, give it a try!
Anyway good post-apocalyptic book, give it a try!
April 30, 2017
Gerade so noch 3 Sterne, weil die Story echt gut war.
Hier meine Rezension: http://lovelybooksbytine.blogspot.de/...
Hier kommt die Reihenrezension oder eher eine Vorstellung der Bücher, denn viel darf man nicht mehr sagen, ohne dass es spoilert.
http://lovelybooksbytine.blogspot.de/...
Hier meine Rezension: http://lovelybooksbytine.blogspot.de/...
Hier kommt die Reihenrezension oder eher eine Vorstellung der Bücher, denn viel darf man nicht mehr sagen, ohne dass es spoilert.
http://lovelybooksbytine.blogspot.de/...
July 4, 2016
**3.5 stars**
**No spoilers**
I feel like it's some kind of ironic omen that it started raining pretty hard halfway through typing this up!
Not a bad book but nothing spectacular. I chose to start this book because I was really in the mood for something apocalyptic and I definitely got that, but from a very interesting premise comes a very just-okay book.
I'll start with the things I liked. The story itself was actually fairly good and the pacing was enough to keep me just the right level of interested. I think the panic of the population was captured well and I could definitely imagine people acting in the ways they were acting with all the looting etc. Trying to think of more to say...
I didn't particularly enjoy the main character. Granted I'm probably being a too harsh because she was only 15 but she was really quite irritating at times. She started off kind of alright and seemed like she was going to grow and become a lot more mature but she really didn't. After all the dying or dead people she encountered because of the poisonous rain, the amounts of times she just went outside without even looking to check and see if the sky was cloudy was really quite ridiculous. And some of the stuff she does is just silly but I won't really get into that for spoilers. I thought she would go on this journey of becoming a more tolerable character when she eventually teamed up with the school nerd but she just didn't.
Also, because it was told in an autobiographical way, I think I would have enjoyed it far more if I was a bit younger. The ending was a bit meh for me too.
While it was a quick read with an interesting and unique concept and a decent plot, I just couldn't get past my issues with the MC to give a higher rating. I hope she changes more in The Storm.
**No spoilers**
I feel like it's some kind of ironic omen that it started raining pretty hard halfway through typing this up!
Not a bad book but nothing spectacular. I chose to start this book because I was really in the mood for something apocalyptic and I definitely got that, but from a very interesting premise comes a very just-okay book.
I'll start with the things I liked. The story itself was actually fairly good and the pacing was enough to keep me just the right level of interested. I think the panic of the population was captured well and I could definitely imagine people acting in the ways they were acting with all the looting etc. Trying to think of more to say...
I didn't particularly enjoy the main character. Granted I'm probably being a too harsh because she was only 15 but she was really quite irritating at times. She started off kind of alright and seemed like she was going to grow and become a lot more mature but she really didn't. After all the dying or dead people she encountered because of the poisonous rain, the amounts of times she just went outside without even looking to check and see if the sky was cloudy was really quite ridiculous. And some of the stuff she does is just silly but I won't really get into that for spoilers. I thought she would go on this journey of becoming a more tolerable character when she eventually teamed up with the school nerd but she just didn't.
Also, because it was told in an autobiographical way, I think I would have enjoyed it far more if I was a bit younger. The ending was a bit meh for me too.
While it was a quick read with an interesting and unique concept and a decent plot, I just couldn't get past my issues with the MC to give a higher rating. I hope she changes more in The Storm.
March 19, 2018
1.5
DNF
I have never willingly not finished a book before, but this book was so frustrating that I couldn't go on.
First, let's start off on a semi-good note (and unfortunately there are only two good things that I can say about this book):
1. The Plot
I have never read a horror book before, and when I first purchased this book, I thought it would be more dystopian than horror, but oh well. The idea was interesting, about not being able to go out in the rain, and it might have even been tolerable had it not been for the main character, Ruby.
2. The Writing Style.
The writing style was good, it was honestly the only reason I got as far as I did. There was just something about it that made it hard to put down.
And now, onto the bad:
I got half-way through it, and the MC, Ruby, didn't get any smarter, didn't even LOOK AT THE SKY WHEN SHE WENT OUTSIDE.
I skimmed the last couple of chapters, so I have a pretty good idea of what happens between the part that I stopped at and the end.
I hate that I can't finish this book, but it is just so FRUSTRATING.
She is the DUMBEST character I think I've ever read. And not only that, she's a bitch.
She's snobby, disrespectful, and did I mention STUPID? I mean, the girl packs up practically all of her belongings, several neighborhood dogs , and then gets in the car.
She did not bring any water or food.
And that's when I lost it. I just couldn't deal with her stupidity anymore.
I could go on and on about how much this book pissed me off, but I won't, because I have already written this review several times and it always ends up rambly so... yeah.
DNF
I have never willingly not finished a book before, but this book was so frustrating that I couldn't go on.
First, let's start off on a semi-good note (and unfortunately there are only two good things that I can say about this book):
1. The Plot
I have never read a horror book before, and when I first purchased this book, I thought it would be more dystopian than horror, but oh well. The idea was interesting, about not being able to go out in the rain, and it might have even been tolerable had it not been for the main character, Ruby.
2. The Writing Style.
The writing style was good, it was honestly the only reason I got as far as I did. There was just something about it that made it hard to put down.
And now, onto the bad:
I got half-way through it, and the MC, Ruby, didn't get any smarter, didn't even LOOK AT THE SKY WHEN SHE WENT OUTSIDE.
I skimmed the last couple of chapters, so I have a pretty good idea of what happens between the part that I stopped at and the end.
I hate that I can't finish this book, but it is just so FRUSTRATING.
She is the DUMBEST character I think I've ever read. And not only that, she's a bitch.
She's snobby, disrespectful, and did I mention STUPID? I mean, the girl packs up practically all of her belongings, several neighborhood dogs , and then gets in the car.
She did not bring any water or food.
And that's when I lost it. I just couldn't deal with her stupidity anymore.
I could go on and on about how much this book pissed me off, but I won't, because I have already written this review several times and it always ends up rambly so... yeah.
March 4, 2017
Realistisch post-apocalyptisch verhaal dat me angstig naar de regen en zelfs het water uit de kraan deed kijken. Ik zat meteen helemaal in het verhaal. Leuk vond ik ook dat het verhaal, ondanks de sombere toekomstvisie, een hoop humor bevatte. Ik ga meteen boek twee bestellen!
Mijn complete recensie lees je op Oog op de Toekomst.
Mijn complete recensie lees je op Oog op de Toekomst.
October 27, 2016
On Amazon the title was "H2O" and on Goodreads it's "The Rain."
Dang it. This book was hard to find. I had to google everything from the original name to the changed name to the author on here.
10-26-16
DNF at like 10 pages.
What fresh hell is this? The writing? The characters? Mainly freaking Ruby what's-her-face?
I can't do this. Sorry?
.5/5 annoyed stars. I didn't read the amount of pages I was supposed to, but my friend asked me go give it a try.
Dang it. This book was hard to find. I had to google everything from the original name to the changed name to the author on here.
10-26-16
DNF at like 10 pages.
What fresh hell is this? The writing? The characters? Mainly freaking Ruby what's-her-face?
I can't do this.
.5/5 annoyed stars. I didn't read the amount of pages I was supposed to, but my friend asked me go give it a try.
January 9, 2022
This flips between 2 stars and 4 stars a lot. Ruby, the protagonist, is sometimes passable, but often she's stupid and annoying, causing many of her own problems and then demanding sympathy from the audience. It got grating quick.
I did enjoy the apocalyptic concept though, so if that sounds good, go ahead and read it.
I did enjoy the apocalyptic concept though, so if that sounds good, go ahead and read it.
January 24, 2015
The concept for this book is there. A dystopian world where the rain is deadly. What more could you want? A lot actually.
The Plot
The plot was alright. Not brilliant, although I did want to keep reading to find out what happened. I guess the suspense was there.
The Science
So tiny little aliens who multiply in water are invading trying to get into your blood stream because your body's full of water in case you didn't know! Great, but it wasn't very science-y. The one page where Ruby explained it to us was miserably childish.
The Characters
Argh!! By far the worst thing in this book was the main character, Ruby. She's popular, she's good-looking and she's an all round prat. While most of the population is dead or dying Ruby is worrying about her make-up and her friends seeing her wearing an embarrassing hat. She chooses to wear a sequin dress when she knows she might be running for her life. She doesn't bother checking to see if its raining when she goes outside and she would have wasted all her drinkable water washing her ruined make-up off if...
Ruby is NOT a realistic teenager. I can't even tell you how annoying she is. Basically ARGH.
The Ending
Lame. The book just ended. Even if there's a sequel it doesn't save the ending of this book.
I wouldn't recommend The Rain by Virginia Bergin.
The Plot
The plot was alright. Not brilliant, although I did want to keep reading to find out what happened. I guess the suspense was there.
The Science
So tiny little aliens who multiply in water are invading trying to get into your blood stream because your body's full of water in case you didn't know! Great, but it wasn't very science-y. The one page where Ruby explained it to us was miserably childish.
The Characters
Argh!! By far the worst thing in this book was the main character, Ruby. She's popular, she's good-looking and she's an all round prat. While most of the population is dead or dying Ruby is worrying about her make-up and her friends seeing her wearing an embarrassing hat. She chooses to wear a sequin dress when she knows she might be running for her life. She doesn't bother checking to see if its raining when she goes outside and she would have wasted all her drinkable water washing her ruined make-up off if...
Ruby is NOT a realistic teenager. I can't even tell you how annoying she is. Basically ARGH.
The Ending
Lame. The book just ended. Even if there's a sequel it doesn't save the ending of this book.
I wouldn't recommend The Rain by Virginia Bergin.
March 10, 2015
Meine Meinung: Die Idee ist genial und zugleich erschreckend nah an der Realität orientiert. Giftiger Regen, verseuchtes Grundwasser oder gar kein Wasser. Leider gibt es Länder, die sich schon lange mit ähnlichen Problemen auseinandersetzen müssen. Ich kann mir gar nicht vorstellen, nicht nach Belieben zu duschen oder Wasser zu trinken.
Allein die Idee gibt so viel Potenzial für Konflikte, dass ich dachte, das Buch könnte gar nicht nicht unterhaltsam sein. Allerdings traf mich die volle Wucht der Wahrheit spätestens nach den ersten paar Kapiteln. Der Schreibstil.
Zuerst dachte ich: Das ist ungewöhnlich und interessant, aber vielleicht gewöhne ich mich ja daran. Dann wollte ich irgendwann nur noch, dass die Protagonistin endlich den Mund hält, weil ich es nicht mehr ausgehalten habe. Ihre verdrehten Gedankengänge plus dieser grausame, Leser unfreundliche Schreibstil.
Es gibt unnötige Absätze, zusammengewürfelte Wortkombinationen, verwörtlichte Geräusche (Bsp. WUUUUUUUMMMMMSSSS oder so etwas) und Schimpfwörter werden mit Schmetterlingszeichnungen ersetzt (das fand ich irgendwie cool, muss ich sagen).
Das alles und dieser unsympathische Charakter von Ruby, der Protagonistin, hemmen den Lesefluss ungemein. Zuerst erhofft man sich, dass Ruby ihre unreife Einstellung zur Seite legt und endlich mal anfängt nachzudenken. Später verflucht man sie nur noch, weil sie sich so doof verhält, dass kein einziger Mensch, in einer apokalyptischen ENDZEIT wo die Ressourcen so rar sind, sich so verhalten würde. So putzt sie sich die Zähne mit Cola (genau, es gibt nichts zu trinken), trinkt alles Wasser auf, das sie sich angesparrt hat und übergibt sich dann (es gibt immer noch nichts zu trinken) und in dieser lebensbedrohlichen Welt macht sie ungeschützt eine Radtour (der Regen ist giftig und es könnte jederzeit anfangen zu regnen) und von ihrer Eitelkeit will ich gar nicht erst anfangen.
Manche Dinge haben mir aber auch gefallen. Rubys Stiefvater, der leider nur ein Nebencharakter ist und von dem ich gerne mehr gelesen hätte. Der Mann hat es drauf, wenn ich mal in einer solchen Lage stecken sollte, wünsche ich mir jemanden wie ihn an der Seite.
Auch einen andereren Nebencharakter, der sich alleine durch die Welt durchschlägt, fand ich sehr interessant. Natürlich wird er für seine Vorsicht und Logik von Ruby erst mal ausgelacht … Dieses Mädchen, mir fehlen die Worte.
Außer dem sehr gelungenen Anfang und dem sehr guten Ende ist ein Hänger im Mittelteil drin. Wir begleiten Ruby (und ärgern uns über sie), allerdings wird die veränderte Welt total gut verbildlicht, wodurch man etwas entschädigt wird. Die Autorin scheut sich nicht verwesende Leichen zu beschreiben, was zur tristen Atmosphäre viel beiträgt. An manchen Stellen sieht man auch, dass die Autorin eigentlich einen sehr flüssigen Schreibstil hat. Die Betonung liegt auf eigentlich.
Fazit: Wie kann man nur eine derart tolle Idee in den Sand setzen? Antwort: indem man den Leser mit einer unverbesserlichen, unreifen Protagonistin und einem im Kopf schmerzenden Schreibstil matert. Noch bin ich mir unsicher, ob ich den zweiten Band lesen möchte. Einerseits will ich wissen, ob Ruby endlich an Verstand gewinnt, außerdem gibt es einen Cliffhanger am Ende des Buches. Andererseits ist da dieser Schreibstil. Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat, für diesen ersten mäßigen Band ♥♥,♥ Herzchen. Mehr ist leider nicht drin.
Allein die Idee gibt so viel Potenzial für Konflikte, dass ich dachte, das Buch könnte gar nicht nicht unterhaltsam sein. Allerdings traf mich die volle Wucht der Wahrheit spätestens nach den ersten paar Kapiteln. Der Schreibstil.
Zuerst dachte ich: Das ist ungewöhnlich und interessant, aber vielleicht gewöhne ich mich ja daran. Dann wollte ich irgendwann nur noch, dass die Protagonistin endlich den Mund hält, weil ich es nicht mehr ausgehalten habe. Ihre verdrehten Gedankengänge plus dieser grausame, Leser unfreundliche Schreibstil.
Es gibt unnötige Absätze, zusammengewürfelte Wortkombinationen, verwörtlichte Geräusche (Bsp. WUUUUUUUMMMMMSSSS oder so etwas) und Schimpfwörter werden mit Schmetterlingszeichnungen ersetzt (das fand ich irgendwie cool, muss ich sagen).
Das alles und dieser unsympathische Charakter von Ruby, der Protagonistin, hemmen den Lesefluss ungemein. Zuerst erhofft man sich, dass Ruby ihre unreife Einstellung zur Seite legt und endlich mal anfängt nachzudenken. Später verflucht man sie nur noch, weil sie sich so doof verhält, dass kein einziger Mensch, in einer apokalyptischen ENDZEIT wo die Ressourcen so rar sind, sich so verhalten würde. So putzt sie sich die Zähne mit Cola (genau, es gibt nichts zu trinken), trinkt alles Wasser auf, das sie sich angesparrt hat und übergibt sich dann (es gibt immer noch nichts zu trinken) und in dieser lebensbedrohlichen Welt macht sie ungeschützt eine Radtour (der Regen ist giftig und es könnte jederzeit anfangen zu regnen) und von ihrer Eitelkeit will ich gar nicht erst anfangen.
Manche Dinge haben mir aber auch gefallen. Rubys Stiefvater, der leider nur ein Nebencharakter ist und von dem ich gerne mehr gelesen hätte. Der Mann hat es drauf, wenn ich mal in einer solchen Lage stecken sollte, wünsche ich mir jemanden wie ihn an der Seite.
Auch einen andereren Nebencharakter, der sich alleine durch die Welt durchschlägt, fand ich sehr interessant. Natürlich wird er für seine Vorsicht und Logik von Ruby erst mal ausgelacht … Dieses Mädchen, mir fehlen die Worte.
Außer dem sehr gelungenen Anfang und dem sehr guten Ende ist ein Hänger im Mittelteil drin. Wir begleiten Ruby (und ärgern uns über sie), allerdings wird die veränderte Welt total gut verbildlicht, wodurch man etwas entschädigt wird. Die Autorin scheut sich nicht verwesende Leichen zu beschreiben, was zur tristen Atmosphäre viel beiträgt. An manchen Stellen sieht man auch, dass die Autorin eigentlich einen sehr flüssigen Schreibstil hat. Die Betonung liegt auf eigentlich.
Fazit: Wie kann man nur eine derart tolle Idee in den Sand setzen? Antwort: indem man den Leser mit einer unverbesserlichen, unreifen Protagonistin und einem im Kopf schmerzenden Schreibstil matert. Noch bin ich mir unsicher, ob ich den zweiten Band lesen möchte. Einerseits will ich wissen, ob Ruby endlich an Verstand gewinnt, außerdem gibt es einen Cliffhanger am Ende des Buches. Andererseits ist da dieser Schreibstil. Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat, für diesen ersten mäßigen Band ♥♥,♥ Herzchen. Mehr ist leider nicht drin.
February 19, 2017
Although I found Ruby to be a brat who made very poor decisions (and keeps being alive - how it's possible, I'm not sure), I enjoyed this book. It reads very easily. It makes you think about what would happen if pure water would run out. I freaked out a bit about this and started to imagine it. Talk about obsessed.
Downside for me: I know that Ruby is supposed to be a 15 year old, but I don't appreciate poor spelling or slang in the books I read. I could have gone without the "so's" and "doncha". It's not because kids talk this way that you have to write it down. Nothing wrong with some proper spelling.
Downside for me: I know that Ruby is supposed to be a 15 year old, but I don't appreciate poor spelling or slang in the books I read. I could have gone without the "so's" and "doncha". It's not because kids talk this way that you have to write it down. Nothing wrong with some proper spelling.
July 20, 2022
I don’t know why I love this book so much because objectively it isn’t amazing BUT I still love it so much.
Read
April 26, 2022Dnf 25%
September 22, 2014
H20 or The Rain (if you're from Britain) is a book that I've been really looking forward to reading for quite some time. We all need water to survive so the concept was equally terrifying and ingenious. Now take that idea of tainted water and add in a pathogen of some sort that eats you from within and replicates in said water and you have yourself a pretty damn interesting story.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about H20 was how realistically portrayed the characters were. Ruby acts exactly as you'd expect a teenager to behave. Yes, she maybe isn't the most likable protagonist but then again a lot of that stems from her probably watching everyone she's cared about die in pretty horrifying ways. I know a lot of people took issue with the character obsessing over her phone and also going on a looting spree but I think that's exactly the response I'd expect from a teenager in that situation. Speaking of the characters, I also really enjoyed her companion Darius. He was so sweet and caring and tried so hard to be a good friend to Ruby even when she was rejecting him at every turn. I really hope he's alright and that we see him again. Lastly I loved the dogs, my heart broke in pieces during one scene and I really, really, (did I mention?) really hope we see one of them again. That scene guys, my heart hurt.
Another thing that I found to be interesting was how the characters dealt with the sudden lack of water. Some stuck with drinking the obvious (soda, bottled water, juices etc...) while others sought out less common sources like Indoor Pools to fill their fluid needs. One of the best things I saw took place when Ruby and her stepfather were looking for water in a grocery store. By happy accident they realized the plants in the floral section sitting in buckets of water were left untouched. I actually had never thought of that as a source myself but now that I've seen it I'll definitely be adding that into my survival knowledge memory bank.
Now although I really enjoyed H20 I did find fault with a few small things.
First off, while I liked the character Princess, being mute did make it hard to connect with her character. I understand she was traumatized and that's why she didn't speak but she could still have a personality despite that. You just have to be a bit more creative with making it known.
Secondly, I wish the ending wasn't so ambiguous. I'm not sure if this is going to be a series either so that definitely adds to the “huh,that's it” factor I experienced.
Lastly, I know it might seem like I'm nitpicking but Ruby's refusal to drink the baby formula bugged me. When you don't know where your next drink is coming from you don't turn your nose up at a source untouched and safe. Plus it is filled with bonus calories so it's an extra win necessity wise.
Final Thoughts
In the end, even though H20 might not have been a perfect read I can't deny that I enjoyed the book despite the stories few issues to the contrary. The Author is if anything a talented writer and the fact she turned a concept like flesh eating rain into something non gimmicky is a credit to that. I definitely will be reading the sequel should one be released and I would certainly recommend reading H20 if you haven't already.
With that being said, I'll be rating H20 by Virginia Bergin ★★★★.
Reviewed orginally @Blood,Sweat and Books
*Copy reviewed provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any which way for providing them.
July 11, 2014
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing a proof copy to read and review.
The world has already had to deal with worldwide pandemics spread by animals and birds such as swine flu and bird flu. What if there was a fatal disease in the rain? How would humanity cope? This is what Virginia Bergin explores in her debut novel aptly titled The Rain. If anyone were to come into contact with the rain, even a single drop, or contaminated water they would have an immediate reaction and be dead in less than three hours. Fifteen-year-old Ruby Morris, who has so far managed to survive this disaster, narrates the story starting from the first day that the disease arrived in Britain.
Ruby describes the losses of her friends and immediate family, the surprising improvement with her relationship with her stepfather Simon. She explains at length the things she had to face in order to survive, firstly with Simon and then with a particularly nerdy boy from school.
Despite hints from the title (and the blurb, of course) it is a long time before Ruby reveals what has actually happened. She talks to the reader as if they are experiencing the same thing and therefore know what she is referring to. Whilst this was probably an attempt to create suspense and to encourage the reader to keep reading it was slightly galling. What was really wanted was for Ruby to get to the point so that she and her audience would be on the same wavelength.
Whilst some readers may be able to relate to the main character: a teenage girl who loves to spend time with her friends and going to parties but has strict parents (and/or step-parents) who never let her do any of those things, which means she cannot easily have the thing she most desires – a boyfriend; she is actually a rather annoying, snobbish brat. She’s the kind of person that could be described as a “clueless bully”, a selfish girl who mostly, if not only, cares about appearances. Even in the face of the potential end of the world, or at least mankind, she is constantly worrying about the way she looks and what she wears, and is thrilled that she can break into expensive shops and take whatever make-up or clothing she wishes. There was probably a point in this character flaw – the exploration of how not only a young person copes on there own in dire situations, but someone of this particular mindset – however it was exasperating to read. She did change a little over the course of the story but not enough for her to become a likable character.
The Rain is more appropriate for young adult readers due to the nature of the main character, however it does deal with rather disturbing themes such as death and violence. Having said that there is nothing to stop older readers from enjoying the novel. It is an interesting concept, which, although highly unlikely to occur, will make people question how they would behave in the given situation. Would they be one of the first to die, or would they be in supermarkets fighting for the quickly disappearing food and drink? It is a thought-provoking idea!
The world has already had to deal with worldwide pandemics spread by animals and birds such as swine flu and bird flu. What if there was a fatal disease in the rain? How would humanity cope? This is what Virginia Bergin explores in her debut novel aptly titled The Rain. If anyone were to come into contact with the rain, even a single drop, or contaminated water they would have an immediate reaction and be dead in less than three hours. Fifteen-year-old Ruby Morris, who has so far managed to survive this disaster, narrates the story starting from the first day that the disease arrived in Britain.
Ruby describes the losses of her friends and immediate family, the surprising improvement with her relationship with her stepfather Simon. She explains at length the things she had to face in order to survive, firstly with Simon and then with a particularly nerdy boy from school.
Despite hints from the title (and the blurb, of course) it is a long time before Ruby reveals what has actually happened. She talks to the reader as if they are experiencing the same thing and therefore know what she is referring to. Whilst this was probably an attempt to create suspense and to encourage the reader to keep reading it was slightly galling. What was really wanted was for Ruby to get to the point so that she and her audience would be on the same wavelength.
Whilst some readers may be able to relate to the main character: a teenage girl who loves to spend time with her friends and going to parties but has strict parents (and/or step-parents) who never let her do any of those things, which means she cannot easily have the thing she most desires – a boyfriend; she is actually a rather annoying, snobbish brat. She’s the kind of person that could be described as a “clueless bully”, a selfish girl who mostly, if not only, cares about appearances. Even in the face of the potential end of the world, or at least mankind, she is constantly worrying about the way she looks and what she wears, and is thrilled that she can break into expensive shops and take whatever make-up or clothing she wishes. There was probably a point in this character flaw – the exploration of how not only a young person copes on there own in dire situations, but someone of this particular mindset – however it was exasperating to read. She did change a little over the course of the story but not enough for her to become a likable character.
The Rain is more appropriate for young adult readers due to the nature of the main character, however it does deal with rather disturbing themes such as death and violence. Having said that there is nothing to stop older readers from enjoying the novel. It is an interesting concept, which, although highly unlikely to occur, will make people question how they would behave in the given situation. Would they be one of the first to die, or would they be in supermarkets fighting for the quickly disappearing food and drink? It is a thought-provoking idea!
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