Hear Me Scream

Rating:

About the Author:
(Taken from her website: http://thedarkreviews.blogspot.com/)

R.M. James wrote plays as a child and forced her sisters to read them. As she got older, her stories evolved into short movies. Her film and literature studies edged her into one of her truest callings: fiction writing. The majority of her time goes into caring for her family, taking nature shots, and imagining new scenes for another novel. She lives in Las Vegas.

Blurb:  

A global economic crash and the release of a deadly virus exterminates most of the world's population. From the ashes of a ruined nation, a new breed of humans arise. 

Raven Carrier, guided by a strange voice inside her head, is on a dangerous mission to find her stolen son—or else die trying. Along the way, she meets Ata, a blue-haired girl with an uncertain mission of her own. Together, the two survivors tackle the evils of a lawless state.

Nico Lowell travels from county to county curing the sick and injured. While his healing and sharp senses have saved many lives, he is unable to heal his own weakening body from self-destruction. He cannot fully exist without another, one he has searched for his entire life, until he catches the scent of her spilled blood from miles away. He puts everything on the line to reach her before it's too late. 

Imprisoned by the rebel soldiers who brutally abused and murdered his family, Camden Sickles struggles to conform to the vicious militia overpowering the southern region. In captivity, he learns of the Sorrows, the next step in human evolution. This northern government have deprived the people of basic liberties, including the right to exist. Camden, a southern slave, is forced to do unspeakable acts of degradation until the day he breaks and discovers what it takes to fight for freedom. 

For Raven, Nico, and Camden, their destinies coincide around Ata. For family, Raven follows the girl to a decaying city. For life, Nico vows to protect her from harm. For freedom, Camden guides her to the uncharted wilderness. For survival, humanity must keep her alive. 

The girl screams and all hear. 

Review:

This story is told with rotating POVs.  Each character has their own desires, and their stories only connect in that they cross one another's path, and in this post-apocalyptic future, it's better to travel with people than alone.

Because the characters are all driven by their own needs and they are not working together towards a single goal, this isn't a mindless read.

The characters are fully fleshed out and have individual personalities.  Raven is a hardened woman with a single goal, and no one can prevent her from finding her son.  Ata is a young girl a little naive about the world, but her journey shows her how cruel some people can be.  Nico is empathetic and wants to save just about everyone he comes across.  And Camden... I started off not liking his character, but by the end, the horrible things he witnesses and what is done against him makes him way more sympathetic.

The plot is very rich, playing on themes of trust and love.  I can't say too much along these lines, but the end of the novel shows that one character is willing to do what ever it takes to be with the one person he/she is closely linked to.

Overall, I highly recommend this book.