Lotus Blue by Cat Sparks

Star and Nene are orphans.  Nene has healing skills and uses her talents to keep them alive.  Star crushes the leaves and makes the pastes that Nene uses.  They are on their way to a new town to get more supplies and help more people.  However, their trip is cut short by a storm and they have to go with the caravan to an alternate location.  That's just the beginning of their troubles.

Talos and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 7th. 

This story is set in a dystopian future.  With partly mechanical warriors, drones, weapons of mass destruction, the earth has been devastated.  There isn't much green, there are poisonous smells, deadly animals, and plants that will attack you.  It's an almost impossible environment to live in and yet people try.

When their caravan gets as far as they can go with those that are still with them, they take refuge in a safe place.  There's an old threat coming to life that no one knows about.  It's been inactive for years but it's coming back to life.  It also has no love for people.  Soon, no place is safe.

There are a lot of words in this book.  I found myself foundering in the volume of words.  It's an interesting story and a good book, just be prepared to spend some time with it.

Star learns she's not related by blood to Nene and it shocks her.  She goes to see a girl she met in the city they're in and finds out she doesn't remember her.  Then someone breaks in the house after the rich girl and they are both on the run.

By happenstance the two girls each find themselves on separate boats heading across the Obsidian Sea (not really a sea but it is black).  The boats are heading in the same direction but they have different goals.  

The ending is a stand off and several die along the way.  The future is still uncertain, but the biggest evil has been defeated.  At least the biggest evil they knew about...