The Rain Belongs Here

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Pub Date 01 Nov 2019 | Archive Date 23 Oct 2019

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Description

If she succeeds in finding him, he’ll be charged with murder. If she fails, he won’t likely survive on his own. It's 2064.

Ana lives in the City, an experimental community that has had little contact with outsiders in decades. When her older brother Finn disappears on her 22nd birthday, a seemingly impossible event given the extensive monitoring in the City, she quits school, moves into her station wagon and embarks on an obsessive manhunt.

Unable to find him on her own, she’s forced to partner with Aaron, a detective with his own complicated history and agenda. Together they comb the dregs of the outside world, encountering both the horrors of lawless survivor communities and the unclaimed beauty of the old world.

As Ana comes closer to understanding her brother’s disappearance, she's forced to confront the truth about herself and her place in the City.

If she succeeds in finding him, he’ll be charged with murder. If she fails, he won’t likely survive on his own. It's 2064.

Ana lives in the City, an experimental community that has had little contact...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781999254018
PRICE CA$9.99 (CAD)

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Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

Dystopian survival hasn’t been my thing these last years, and several books made me dislike this genre. However, I decided to give this one a chance, because I liked the sister looking for her missing brother in the wilderness trope.

I had to push through the first pages, but I absolutely do not regret it. I ended up reading the whole book in two days. I just wanted to know what happened to Finn, and I loved following Ana tracking him.

The world building was really decent, and most importantly, believable. Actually, I think it’s the first time I read a dystopia in which the new city is not bad. I mean, seriously, it has a few flaws, but it would be a way better society than the one we have, and for real, no hidden tricks like in Divergent. It turns out I really like this kind of dystopia ! Unfortuntately, the City is not the main focus of the story, so I couldn’t read much about it.

I was not too sure about the characters at first, but they really grew on me ! I even ended up shifting my liking from a character to the other, and the course of the story unraveling made me change my mind about some characters. This is definitely what I’m here for ! I love getting captivated in a book that manages to get me THAT involved with the plot and characters.

I also want to thank the author for not overdoing the love angle. I mean, I do like romance, but it’s not the focus of the book, and the author did not drift away from the main plot, and the romantic aspect is just perfectly written. It’s kind of rare in the books I read, in which a couple always has to steal the spotlight, and I’m very grateful for it.

The Rain belongs here might appeal to you if you liked Divergent, but wanted more realistic aspects of dystopia. I really recommend it !

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While I usually love dystopian survival stories, this one left me wanting a little more. In 2064, Ana is searching for her brother outside of the City, a walled community that came together after the world collapsed. She leaves the city with Aaron to look for him.

The Cons:
I want to know more of the background. What happened? The characters mention the world collapsing or the calamities, but there is never much detail beyond that it wasn't good. I like a lot of history.
Ana's brother Finn is not likeable. I didn't care what happened to him.

The Pros:
I loved the sibling search angle, the world building, and the City. Usually in a dystopian setting, the community or government is horrible, but this place seemed pretty decent. You can tell it is written by a woman. There are no overly descriptive scenes about Ana's body, which is refreshing. The characterization is amazing, so is the pacing.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. I wish the character of Finn had more to make him endearing. Him being Ana's brother just made me made that she had to deal with his selfishness. It reads very realistically for a dystopian novel. I'd definitely recommend this book.

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The Rain Belongs Here follows Ana as she desperately tries to find her older brother Finn.

The author has built this incredible, addictive world. Firstly, we have the city where people have been made to fear the outside world. It was so interesting to read about this new city that had been created to protect people from the horrors of the outside. When we head out into the old world, it was just as compelling. The different factions we read about are fascinating and I only wanted to find out more about them.

Ana was a great protagonist. Her dedication and obsession with finding her brother drew me into the story. I found myself just as invested as she was of finding her brother. I also found it interesting following her journey into the outside, and how she reacts to the new world.

I was constantly guessing about what happened to Finn and what his goal was on the outside. I found myself not believing that he would leave his sister, not for anything small, it had to be something big or important.

The writing was incredible - it kept me engaged and reading when I probably should have been doing other things. The only disappointment is that this isn’t going to be a series. I’m not ready to let go of these characters and world!

I liked the ending but it kind of left hanging on a thread. On the one hand it was mostly satisfying but at the same time it left me wanting more. I can really see the way for a potential sequel, and it’s definitely something I would pick up.

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The Rain Belongs Here by Julie Rogers. The premise is intriguing . Ana's quest to find Finn is an interesting journey into the outside, and how she reacts to the new world in meeting both the dangers of lawless refugee societies and the ancient world's natural splendor. Descriptions of the landscape, the characters, the atmosphere and the emotions are very detailed. There are some passages at the beginning that seem choppy and the flow of events is puzzling however, all in all a good read into a future world.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

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This was a really good story with the solid plotline that almost reached it's potential. A few minor niggles along the way, but I really enjoyed this - and it's a good example of the dystopian genre. Not the best, but close to it. I thought it was well worth reading and will recommend later on my blog, when we reboot :)

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
4 1/2 stars

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I really enjoy dystopian fiction. This ranks up there with some of the better ones. I loved the world that was built, the story was a little different, and I liked the characters. I was drawn into the story and wanted to know what happened next.

However, I found the brother's disappearance and the reasons not totally believable. I also wanted more background on what happened to make the world collapse.

I want to thank the publisher and net galley for the ArC. This did not impact my review.

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Totally surprise on this one.
Post apocalyptic-futurist with writing that was incredible!
Every aspect held my attention and kept me captivated.
My only disappointment was the ending. It’s not a series but it definitely left an opening for a sequel.. please write a sequel.
Go in blind and give this one a try.

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Currently a Kindle Unlimited Book on Amazon-

The Rain Belongs Here by Julie Rogers is a well written, engaging dystopian novel. I found myself wanting to know more of the backstory of how we got here in the book... what happened? The new world is attractive and enticing... would love to read more books set in this new world. Can't wait for the sequel Hanging City.

The loyalty that Ana feels toward her brother drives her motivation and focus... really could not put the book down as I so needed to know what happened to her brother. As she searches for him, I found myself really drawn to the characters and the setting. Very enjoyable read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Rogers for the Advanced Reader Copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are honest and my own.

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I've read quite a few dystopian survival stories over the past couple of years, and I'm happy to say this is amongst the best of them. I thought Ana was an excellent character and I was really drawn into her story. My only small bugbear was the lack of background information, i.e. we never find out what the awful apocalyptic event actually was. I'm sure this wouldn't bother some people, but I would have preferred some more detail. Nevertheless, this was a fantastic read that I'll be recommending.

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What I Loved: This dystopian world was really fascinating. This world had one of the better dystopian governments that I have encountered in this genre and I really enjoyed it. Electronics to monitor safety, and cameras everywhere that are only reviewed if someone’s heartbeat gets erratic so that the person can be helped. It was quite intriguing.

How I Felt: I wanted to know a bit more about what happened to make the end-of-the-world catastrophe. There were so many little nuggets throughout the story, but nothing that really told me how it went down and I would have liked that. I was happy with the character development in the book, I connected with the characters, some growing on me, while others grew on me less and less as I got to know them. Good writing will do that! I would definitely like to see a sequel and it sounds like one is coming!

To Read or Not To Read: If you are into dystopian/post-apocalyptic, this would be a great book for you! Fans of books like Divergent by Veronica Roth or Breathe by Sarah Crossen would really enjoy this book.

What’s This Book About Anyway?
Ana’s brother Finn has gone missing from The City. This is hard to do in a city that is enclosed by a giant wall with electronic monitoring systems everywhere, but somehow, he has done it. She is ready to go find him and must partner with a government official, Aaron to get outside The City. Together they explore the lawless, outside world meeting a variety of people, some terrifying, and some gentle and helpful. Will Ana be able to find her brother and if she does, what will she learn about herself?

This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

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After looking at the cover and title, I initially thought that this book would about a drought, the lack of rain and how people coped with that. The whole dry, parched looking cracked earth/mud with just patches of green grass starting to come through. Then the authors name being in a bright orange autumnal leaf design. All great things separately but they kind of led me down the wrong path for what I thought the book was going to be about. However, when you start to think about the deeper plot of the book after reading it, I suppose certain aspects of the cover does represent some sections of the book. The grass could represent the fact those inside the walls that cut themselves off from “the outside” and are beginning to reap the rewards of what they have sown? Yet the dry cracked mud/earth could represent the fact that though those on the inside of the wall are doing okay, they could still use resources that are available outside their perimeter wall. After reading the book, I would say I did enjoy it but still feel a tad confused about the actual relevance of the cover and title of The Rain Belongs Here. I think the cover is really good, it just led me to the wrong conclusion about the book, I was expecting something quite different to the book I read. This genres listed for this book are, Sci-fi, dystopian, and post-apocalyptic which I totally agree with though I would also add futuristic to that list as the book is set in the year 2064.

The main character in the book is Ana and her brother has disappeared, which is unusual as he didn’t give Ana any idea that he may be going anywhere. Even worse is the fact the friends he disappeared with have been found dead. Ana has stopped going to school to concentrate on searching for her brother, Finn.
The government are determined to recruit Ana, to team up with one of their own to go “outside the wall” and bring her brother, Finn back to face charges for the murder of his friends. Ana isn’t getting very far on her own, but has to undergo some special training to make sure she is fit enough for the mission. Ana also has to sign a contract that if anything should happen to her outside of the wall perimeter that they are in no way liable and basically owe her nothing. Ana is placed under the care and instruction of two of their operatives Noah, and Aaron. Both Noah and Aaron are considered somewhat disposable, out of favour with the government and this job is to be considered part of their way to make amends for past misdemeanours.
Ana at first kept faith that Finn was just staying at a friend’s house but she is soon forced to face the fact that Finn has intentionally left the apparent safety on the inside of the wall and disappeared into the wilds of the outside.

The book then tells the story of Aaron and Ana going outside the safety of the perimeter walls to search for Finn. Naturally Ana is wanting to find her brother Finn and prove his innocence whereas Aaron is tasked with the job of finding Finn and returning him to inside the perimeter wall and proving his guilt. Noah, Aaron’s and Noah’s daughter’s future depends on Aaron being successful. It soon becomes clear that Aaron and Ana have growing romantic feelings towards each other despite them having totally different reasons for searching for Finn. In fact, it is so clear that they are on opposing sides that at one point in the book Aaron asks Ana if she plans to hit him over the head, leave him for dead, take all the supplies and search for Finn and join him wherever he is staying. Aaron and Ana visit different pockets of communities that have been created, a commune, an Amish settlement, a woman running an orphanage to learn more about Finn, and what has happened. It seems he has met a woman called Miriam and he is somewhere with her. Then rumours abound that a tribe of people calling themselves the “Band” may have him. It soon becomes apparent that Ana will have to use all her arsenal of training and her brain as well as brawn to gain her brothers freedom from the Band.

I did enjoy the plot of the book, Ana searching for her brother and discovering he is not the same person she thought he was. Some of the things she is told about her brother don’t fit with the Finn she knows and loves. Then there’s how Ana handles things on the “outside” and her possibility of a relationship with Aaron, who genuinely seems to care for her. There’s also lots of interaction between Ana and Aaron and those that are creating their own ways of living and getting by how they can.

There were things that I wasn’t totally keen on such as the start of the book was quite slow for my personal reading taste, and in some area’s the plot just felt a little disjointed. The timeline jumped about a little too much for me. I think it would be an easy thing to fix by perhaps labelling the individual Chapters a little more clearly and a few things tightened up a little. At certain intervals whilst I was reading the book I wasn’t overly looking forward to my “reading time” like I usually do. I did enjoy the book in the end and thought it had an interesting plot and some great characters, such as Ana, Arron, Noah and Hooper. I think how the book ended, it could well read as a standalone, most things seemed to be wrapped up, except for Ana getting to really sit down and talk to Finn, so perhaps that suggests there could be more in the future. To sum up, the book isn’t the easiest read, and requires you to concentrate on certain details and remember some facts and dates, but is well worth the effort of sticking with it, and reading it until the end. When you remember relevant clues from earlier in the book as you near the end of the book it is quite a satisfying feeling. The whole “Ooo, I wondered if that was the case” or “Ooo, I didn’t see that coming despite that clue”.

**I have since discovered that there is a follow up to The Rain Belongs Here, it is called Hanging City - and yes it will be going on my want to read wish list.**

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i liked that this was a different type of scifi and I really enjoyed reading this book because of it. The characters were great and the plot was excellent.

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