Book Review: Drought Warning by JR Tate (Damaged Climate #2)

Ryan Gibson has been reunited with his wife and son. Those lucky enough to have survived the tornadoes have made an old church cellar into a temporary refuge. The storms have tapered off, the temperatures are climbing, and the shift in the weather pattern is cause for concern. Everyone is wondering what Mother Nature has in store for them next. The unpredictable climate has everyone looking to the sky, all fearing that if they step away from the safe haven they have created, it will be an automatic death sentence.

Their ultimate goal is to rebuild Harper Springs, but Ryan wonders how they are going to achieve their plans – with no precipitation falling and record-breaking heat, his worries are focused on the dwindling water supply and opportunity to grow crops. The surplus of non-perishable foods won’t last forever, pushing a sense of urgency to get the rebuilding going.

With Cecilia’s parents still missing, Ryan sets off on a mission to get all of the family back together for good. Leaving Steve back in Harper Springs, he feels confident his new friend will take care of business as he and his father head toward Fox Lake. They learn that tornadoes aren’t the worst thing they can encounter – blazing wildfires, massive dirt walls, and dangerous thieves and looters threaten their survival. They get their first real look at how widespread the turmoil is, revealing a post-apocalyptic wasteland they may never be able to come back from.

My Review:
Reunited with his family, Ryan faces the news that Ty's arm is badly damaged and will need to be amputated. He becomes convinced that the lack of rain will soon lead to a terrible drought as the sun gets hotter, and knows they need to try and grow as much food as they can before the drought causes a water shortage. However, his first task is to lead a dangerous mission in the heat to find out what happened to Cecilia's parents and if they are alive, bring them back to Harper Springs. With only his father and Doug for company, Ryan is about to face the most fearful part of the drought in the form of dust storms and wildfires that could threaten both them and Harper Springs.

I love the character of Steve. He is the farmer who was saved by Ryan in the first book and becomes his closest friend. Steve is determined to scavenge seeds and equipment to get things growing as quickly as he can. He is a nice guy who wants to do his bit for the community and put his talents to good use. I just wish he wasn't the sidekick for all Ryan's little scemes as I feel that Steve is the better leader. I also love Darryl because he is also trying to do what he can for the group, and is happy to go out and try to rescue Charlie and Margaret. I liked his friendship with Doug, who really grew on me in this book. I liked seeing him making friends and trying to fit in with the community. Mike fell a bit more into the background as the book went on which was disappointing as I wanted to see what others were doing for the town.   

I did like seeing the effects of the changing weather on the community. Everyone had to battle the terrible tornadoes and the flooding that came with it, but now the storms seem to be going and the heat is climbing. At first everyone is enjoying the chance to get out in the sun but soon people are getting too hot and worries about the water supply begin. This book has a whole new set of problems to worry about and I liked reading about the dust storms and wildfires that threaten the survivors. Now that Harper Springs is coming together, it is going to become a target for roving bands of looters who want to take what they have.

Ryan is getting to be a really annoying know-it-all. He went on one weather course but seems to have the knowledge of the most talented weather forecaster ever and is predicting the drought after a few days without rain. He has become focused on finding Cecelia's parents in the town of Fox Lake and persuades his father Darryl to go with them. Darryl insists on taking Doug with them and Ryan spends the whole trip sniping at Doug, even though Doug is just riding along minding his own business and being perfectly pleasant. I get that Ryan doesn't trust Doug after the events of the first book but Darryl is vouching for him and trying to give the man a second chance and a reason to want to integrate with the community rather than remain an outsider. I do understand Ryan's views on him though.

What is really bugging me is the way that Ryan is picking fights with everyone. He argues with the doctor about Ty's treatment when the man is trying to save Ty's life. Despite having a badly infected leg, he refuses to tell the doctor or Cecilia about it. I mean, c'mon you idiot! Your son has lost his arm to infection and you are stubbornly refusing to get your leg treated? When he finally does get checked out, he complains about his treatment and whines about not needing medical help. I wanted to hit him. He argues with the fire chief when Mike refuses to send his men out during a dangerous lightning storm to do something that Ryan wants done. He is always yelling at his wife and his dad when they try to talk sense to him. Ryan just has to be the centre of everything, the man on guard, the man on the rescue mission, the man to save them from doom. His hero complex gets quite frustrating as he doesn't seem to trust anyone else to get anything done, despite the fact that the town got itself together as a community again long before Ryan joined them. 

Having really liked the first book in the series, I was a bit annoyed at how poor a character Ryan was becoming. His determination to be the big hero all the time at the expense of everyone else was annoying. While I did like aspects of the book and the challenges that our survivors faced, Ryan's attitude did put a downer on my enjoyment a bit. It was still a decent read though but not as good as the first book. My review of book three will follow. 

Read July 2019
3 stars.