Water & Storm Country by David Estes

Huck Jones, the son of the admiral of the Soaker fleet, has a legacy to live up to. Haunted by the distorted memories of his mother's untimely death, he must face his demons and the man who raised him as he strives to take the courageous step forward into manhood. When he's transferred to the worst - performing ship in the fleet, everything he believes is called into question when he meets a lowly brown - skinned bilge rat girl. Huck walks a deadly rope...

Meanwhile, Sadie, destined to be a Rider in the Stormer army, seeks to avenge her brother's death at the hands of the Soakers. Trained hard by her mother, an experienced Rider, Sadie knows strength and determination more than most. Her father, a Man of Wisdom, has shown his cowardice more times than she can count. As her world and family fall apart, she must cast aside her anger and focus on the wisdom she's always brushed off as foolishness.

Amidst everything, a Plague ravages all, discriminating against no one.

When four worlds collide, lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, victory will be sought. Death will be wrought. The mysteries of the Cure for the deadly Plague will be uncovered. Who will survive? And what will those who do learn about themselves and the ones they love?


Huck is a Soaker, a native of Water country. On his fourteen birthday, he officially becomes a man. He isn't cut out for the savage life upon The Merman's Daughter, the son of the tyrant admiral, he lives under the cloud of disappointing his father.

Sadie lives in Storm country, at almost sixteen years old, she isn't a warrior like her mother, but she longs for the days she can shirk her weak willed father, and stand on her own two feet. Stormers are a strong, proud people, fighting for every breath of their meager land, against the tyrant head of the Water ships.

Upon becoming a lieutenant, Huck is sent to oversee Mayhem, the slowest and non productive ship in the fleet. Aboard, he never expected to find a sassy bilge rat, a girl stolen from heater country and used to work the ship as a child slave. The Heater girl whispers truths about the slave trade, about his father and life beyond the Deep Blue.

There has been an attack in Storm country, two males presumed to be from Ice country and one Marked from Fire country. Some are calling for blood, but for Sadie, only revenge will quench her thirst for all that she's lost. Slowly, more citizens from foreign lands join them, those they call the Wilds, Heaters and those from Icers. There's a call to arms, the Riders from Storm country and their new allies are preparing for war against the battered ships of the soakers. 

Change is upon them. It's more than war, it's a fight against justice, bringing peace between the regions and questioning what you thought you knew... And what the reality of the new world is.

War is just a prelude to bigger things to come.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of David Estes and both the Dwellers and Country saga series. Like so many who were giddy over The Hunger Games series, I've never been able to fill that void... Until David came along. He creates tough, sassy and independent female heroines that can only be rivaled by the likes of Katniss Everdeen and Allison Sekemoto of The Immortal Rules. I can't recall any author having two current series that merge into one epic story, it's brilliant and well thought out.

Throughout both series (Country Saga and The Dwellers), all the characters are connected, knowingly or not, cross paths and share each others journey. Each new edition in the series have a similar feel, but the 'country' quirks set them apart, especially the slag terms. It's endearing.

I NEED The Earth Dwellers... And everything I read between now and it's release, is just going to feel like I'm biding time. It's going to be epic, worlds will collide and I want a front row seat.

Goodreads
Water & Storm Country
(The Country Saga: Book Three) 
Written By David Estes
Published 06 / 06 / 2013
380 Pages
Purchase from Amazon or Smashwords
© Diva Booknerd. Design by Fearne.