Parched: The Days Before Exile

by Anne Joyce, Anne Rasico

It's the 2040's and the world has become a more terrifying place than anyone could’ve foreseen. The country is recovering from a devastating nuclear war that has left much of the earth scourged and uninhabitable. Some billion-dollar corporations took advantage of the destruction by purchasing the rights to water and selling it back to the public at ridiculous prices.

Joshua Wyman and Maria Perez struggle to adapt to this new violent world where muggings and murder over water are a common occurrence. The new water barons assign an army of brutes called "Purifiers" to instill order, but when people start mysteriously vanishing, Joshua and Maria begin to wonder if the Purifiers are behind their disappearance.

When Maria receives a frantic email from a friend in danger, she learns of the water barons’ plans for the “indigents” who can’t afford water. She desperately searches for someone to share her dark secret with who might be able to help. When her information falls into the hands of a violent anarchist group, their beaten down, oppressed city must confront what its inhabitants have long since hinted about, but never dared to whisper. Uprising

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2022

About the author

This author also writes under the pen name Anne Rasico.

Reviews

[Karen Inkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world was becoming a scarier place as Joshua witnessed the desperation of people fighting frantically over water. Supplies were becoming scarce, as huge companies used their purchasing power and then inflated prices beyond reach. fearsley protected supplies. People who couldn't pay their water taxes start to mysteriously disappear but when it affected Joshua's extended family, things had to change, and quickly!
A fresh and unique storyline set in a fragile world where protection of your loved ones is paramount and can lead to dangerous encounters where lawlessness is the order of the day. A well written, creative plot that has your interest piqued from the start. It certainly makes you think about what could happen in reality if there was to be a severe water shortage! Love the unexpected curve ball at the end and look forward to finding out what else is in store on the desolate path they have chosen.

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parched: The Days Before Exile (The Wastelands #1) by Anne Joyce is a story of fear, desperation, and violence caused by the fall out of a war. In this new world, water, as well as trust in humanity, is becoming scarce.

When diving into this book, I highly recommend having Arid ready to go. You’re going to want to see what happens next immediately! But if you’re like me and read them out of order, this one is a lovely step back to see how we got to the situation in the second book.

I highly recommend checking these two books out if you’re a fan of dystopian stories!

Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-...

[Tom Leverett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story moves right along and has plenty of action and a believable dystopian world. Too believable, or rather, too close for comfort, it's a world where the "Purifiers" are police without conscience, water is precious and owning guns is a crime punishable by death. My only complaints are that we lose track of some story lines, namely Maria who goes underground, and the line between good and bad gets blurred when Joshua risks his life and others', for a woman who he barely knows, daughter of a water baron, who the resistance is trying to get at. Wouldn't resisters of such a cruel system be good? But the story pulled me along quite well, in spite of the tragedies left in the main characters' wake.

[R.K.Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scary possibility

A world where you have to fear for your water supply?
Like I said, what a scary possibility. I hope we never see something like this but I didn't mind reading about it.
I hope to read more about the villains of the story in the next book: Arid

[Rebe H]

A definite page turner

I really enjoyed this fast paced story about a futuristic world where there's a shortage of water. The characters are likeable and there's a lot of unexpected twists and turns. It's a series (which I didn't realize at first) but I'll definitely be reading the next book to see what happens!

[Craig Stucko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Premise.

Ann Joyce takes us into a not to distant future where the gap between the rich and the poor gets wider and shows us one, not too pleasant, scenario. A quick read that moves along fast and leaves you wondering what will happen next!

[E. Lyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close to home

It's creepy how similar a lot of this is nowadays. It's set in the future - but dang! I wanted to hear more of Maria! I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book. I'm so glad I also have the second one to listen to.