Review Detail

Recently, I’ve decided that while I’m not a big fan of YA dystopian, I really like post-apocalyptic novels. Orleans is yet another example of that trend. This is a strong, moving book that grabbed me at the start and held me to the end. Mostly, I was totally impressed by this book; Smith did a truly excellent job here, and this was just about perfection.

From the first page, readers are thrown into the gritty, harsh world of Orleans. Fen de la Guerre is a young survivor who’s seen it all. Her narrative (which utilizes vernacular) is gripping and intense. Fen is pragmatic and cool, traits that have helped keep her alive. But, unfortunately, they also tend to make her a bit inaccessible, since she has learned over the years to eschew emotional influence in her life.

Through some very well-done flashbacks and Fen’s general narrative, we learn about life in the Delta and what it is to be one of the infected. Instead of racism, people now persecute each other based on blood type, and the wars between clans are just as ugly as any of today’s ethnic-related feuds. Life for Fen and her peers isn’t a happy thing. It’s a rough, scratch-out-a-living-if-you-can experience. The goal is survival, nothing more.

Sherri L. Smith’s world-building here is fantastic. Without excessive info-dumping, she managed to perfectly explain what happened to create the setting Orleans takes place in. I was hugely impressed with the scope and depth of the background in this novel. I could understand perfectly how the Fever had occurred, how the USA had decided to abandon much of the South, and how those shut out from the rest of the world had adapted to their current society. All that was very well thought-out.

Though there are a few brief side-trips, the storyline of Orleans is focused on one goal. Stuck with a newborn baby, Fen has to get her out of the city and into the Outer States before the baby becomes infected with the Fever. Along the way she meets scientist Daniel, who has good intentions but is hopelessly naive as to what life behind the Wall is actually like. Moving from one serious predicament to another, Fen never has a dull moment, and by extension, neither do readers. I will say, though, that the plot “twist” toward the end felt like a bit much, and looking back, I’m a bit disappointed.

However, Orleans is still, by and large, a very successful novel. It delivers an action-packed story alongside brilliant world-building, told from the perspective of a tough and admirable young woman. As I said, this is nearly perfect.