Burn the Water

Gr 10 Up–A sci-fi reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. In a dystopian future of drowned cities, two warring factions of refugees and their descendants have fought for centuries, each failing to assert exclusive control over the 10 remaining acres of dry land that is all that exists of London. Each generation is raised to hate and kill their opponent. Yet, when the young captain of the Rogue army comes face-to-face with the captain from the Crown army for the first time, each sees beyond the other’s brutal reputation to recognize their own longing and loneliness reflected back. Despite being sworn enemies, they begin meeting in secret, quickly falling in love. Rafe and Jule start to see that humanity exists beyond their differences and to recognize the foolishness of their never-ending war. Their soldiers soon see them as traitors and call for their deaths. The author does a credible job of developing the romance between Rafe and Jule yet fails to flesh out the world in which they exist. Details are often confusing or overly repetitive, and sometimes nonexistent. The point of view can shift mid-paragraph, and at intervals is interrupted by a narrator who remains unidentified until the end. The race of the characters is not mentioned.