The Dawning by Judy Griffith Gill

Description from Goodreads.

In a world ravaged by biological warfare, two young survivors fight to protect a supernaturally powerful child

Following the devastating Bio Wars, in which genetically modified diseases were weaponized and used with astonishing cruelty, some survivors developed extraordinary powers, such as telepathy. These people, called Talents, are feared and hated by the Normals, who occupy the seats of power in this post-apocalyptic world. As Talents are forced to hide out in wilderness territories, two survivors among them—Serena and Andrew—team up to protect one of the youngest members of their community: a baby, named Grace, who needs protection from the territorial government at all costs.

I gave this book three and a half stars out of five 

My thoughts:

This was an interesting read. There were parts of it that I really enjoyed, but other parts that totally frustrated me. I thought that the ending was a little anti-climactic. I also felt that the plot was reasonably predictable, when you understood the rules of society that defined the world at that time.

I thought that this book was quite Orwellian in outlook, as many dystopian novels are apt to be. It is always interesting to see another person’s perception of how the future could be, and with some major exceptions, this was an almost believable vision of a possible future for the planet.

I liked the relationship between the two main characters, and the way that Serena viewed Andrew, based upon her perception of his actions in the past. It was interesting how the renewal of their relationship grew to the point that he could finally be totally open to her, revealing horrific surprises that she hadn’t expected.

I enjoyed the twist on the stereotypical view of a man not allowing the people he loves to be privy to the inner workings of his mind, his true feelings and thoughts.

I thought that it was relatively easy to divine the identity of the presence, and to foresee the conclusion of the story, but I found that this did not detract from my desire to continue along the journey with them.

This was a relatively easy read and moderately paced with many action scenes. It was always moving on towards the goal of the journey they were taking together, but with the expectation that something needed to happen before they got there.

I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy a different type of romance and that are comfortable with the idea of the futuristic backdrop against which it was set.

This review was based upon a review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher Open Road Media as part of the Retro Reads programme.