The Rain by Virginia Bergin
Genre: Dystopian
Goodreads Summary:
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.
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.
**Spoiler Free Review**
I was incredibly excited to read this book when I heard about it. I love dystopian novels and the concept of The Rain (In the USA I believe this book is called H2O ), trying to survive in a world where the rain can kill you, intrigued me so much as it sounded like a very unique storyline. I have to say, however, I was pretty disappointed with the book overall, especially as it had the potential to be so much better.
The main character, Ruby, was one of the most irritating characters I have ever read. Some of the things she did, particularly at the beginning of the novel, I agreed with and empathised with her position. However, I feel like she became extremely ridiculous and unbelievable. Some of the decisions she made were just plain stupid. I understand that she is a teenager but that was no reason to make her downright dim, rather than someone who could just make a mistake. Despite the fact that the world is ending, she is always more concerned with her appearance and who she might run into without make-up on than survival, which I think is just ridiculous. As much as some teenage girls so focus on their appearance, I do think that if most of the population was dead, that would be the last thing on their mind, rather than the first. She didn't act like her age and was almost child-like in her decisions. Teenagers are not stupid, despite not being adults.
Occasionally the writing bothered me, but I think that was more to do with the main character than the writing itself. The other main thing that I disliked about this book was that I was under the impression from other people that it was a standalone. I was so unbelievably thrilled to read a dystopian novel that was only one book long. It would've been so unique and interesting. However, I reached the end only to discover that it ended on a (sort of) cliffhanger and the next book is due to come out next month.
I know I've said a few bad things about this book but there were a few positive things that I did really love. The fact that it was set in the UK was extremely refreshing and, being from the UK myself, I felt a lot more attached to the story purely for that reason. It made me empathise with the characters as I understood immediately what it would mean for people in the UK if we couldn't go out in the rain! I could also imagine the places much more easily, particularly the Devon roads. I also really loved the character of Ruby's Step Dad. he was incredibly interesting to read about and I felt he was the most thoughtful and caring character in the book.
As I said earlier, this novel and the plot idea had so much potential to be something wonderful and I just found the main character such a disappointment that it spoiled some of the story for me. I will be picking up the second book (The Storm) to see if that main character becomes any more likeable and to see how the story develops. I am hoping it will pick up more in the second book. I know this opinion may be an unpopular one as I know many people loved this book but I just found the main character too frustrating to look past.
I was incredibly excited to read this book when I heard about it. I love dystopian novels and the concept of The Rain (In the USA I believe this book is called H2O ), trying to survive in a world where the rain can kill you, intrigued me so much as it sounded like a very unique storyline. I have to say, however, I was pretty disappointed with the book overall, especially as it had the potential to be so much better.
The main character, Ruby, was one of the most irritating characters I have ever read. Some of the things she did, particularly at the beginning of the novel, I agreed with and empathised with her position. However, I feel like she became extremely ridiculous and unbelievable. Some of the decisions she made were just plain stupid. I understand that she is a teenager but that was no reason to make her downright dim, rather than someone who could just make a mistake. Despite the fact that the world is ending, she is always more concerned with her appearance and who she might run into without make-up on than survival, which I think is just ridiculous. As much as some teenage girls so focus on their appearance, I do think that if most of the population was dead, that would be the last thing on their mind, rather than the first. She didn't act like her age and was almost child-like in her decisions. Teenagers are not stupid, despite not being adults.
Occasionally the writing bothered me, but I think that was more to do with the main character than the writing itself. The other main thing that I disliked about this book was that I was under the impression from other people that it was a standalone. I was so unbelievably thrilled to read a dystopian novel that was only one book long. It would've been so unique and interesting. However, I reached the end only to discover that it ended on a (sort of) cliffhanger and the next book is due to come out next month.
I know I've said a few bad things about this book but there were a few positive things that I did really love. The fact that it was set in the UK was extremely refreshing and, being from the UK myself, I felt a lot more attached to the story purely for that reason. It made me empathise with the characters as I understood immediately what it would mean for people in the UK if we couldn't go out in the rain! I could also imagine the places much more easily, particularly the Devon roads. I also really loved the character of Ruby's Step Dad. he was incredibly interesting to read about and I felt he was the most thoughtful and caring character in the book.
As I said earlier, this novel and the plot idea had so much potential to be something wonderful and I just found the main character such a disappointment that it spoiled some of the story for me. I will be picking up the second book (The Storm) to see if that main character becomes any more likeable and to see how the story develops. I am hoping it will pick up more in the second book. I know this opinion may be an unpopular one as I know many people loved this book but I just found the main character too frustrating to look past.
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