The reviews are in for

The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell

Kirkus Reviews

“In the late-21st-century Ozarks, a teen seeks revenge against the man who destroyed her family.

Seventeen-year-old Dinah lives a hardscrabble life with her mother and asthmatic younger brother, Warren. Their only saving grace is their well: As drought has ravaged the land, this precious resource allows them to barter with neighbors for food. But Gabriel Gates, a violent, corrupt landowner, won't rest until he has dominion over Charlotte County; his latest show of intimidation leaves Dinah’s mother dead, and, tragically, Warren dies too as he and Dinah run for their lives. Bent on making Gates suffer, Dinah hunkers down with Johnny, a boy who is also on Gates’ wanted list, in the caves he has converted into a home and moonshine distillery. The two scheme to take Gates down and reform local society with the help of others living on the fringes, but Gates is deeply embedded in county politics, law enforcement, and business, and it’s hard to know whom to trust. Dinah desperately misses Kara, her best friend and longtime secret crush, and develops (requited) feelings for Johnny. The evocative worldbuilding and action-packed opening will suck readers in, and the monumental challenge Dinah faces will keep them reading even though the characters never feel well-rounded enough to deepen the emotional stakes. Most main characters are White; Kara has Dominican and German ancestry, and there is diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in the supporting cast.

A thriller that takes on enduring questions of loyalty, vengeance, justice, and equity.(Dystopian. 14-18)”

Booklist

“After her father left them, Dinah has struggled to help her family survive on their farm in the Ozarks. Additionally, she must fight off the land baron Gabriel Gates from foreclosing on her family’s farm, just as he’s done to so many other homes and farms in her county. Dinah’s world changes, however, when her mother’s body is found—with Gabriel standing over it. As she flees him and his henchmen, escaping into the mountains, Dinah becomes hell-bent on revenge. Alone and unprepared for living in the wild, she meets Johnny, another outcast, who shelters her and introduces her to his bootlegger friends. Together, they all attempt to take back their homes and land. Brauning’s sophomore novel is a Hunger Games-esque story of survival, set in a futuristic world where a third world war has occurred and corporate magnates, like Amazon and John Deere, dominate technology and manufacturing. An excellent combination of action and romance will hook readers into this dystopian revenge thriller.”

— Savannah Patterson

Dahlia Adler for buzzfeed

“Dinah and her family are making it work since her father abandoned them and their farm, but when her mother is killed over the family well, her focus on survival turns to revenge. Armed with her best friend, Kara, and a bootlegger named Johnny who's got a target on the same back Dinah does, she aims to take him down and free not just herself and her brother but the entire county from the deadly man keeping them all under his thumb. But all three teens have secrets (and Feelings, because yes, this is a polyam YA), and even as they grow closer their pasts threaten to destroy them for good.”

From the Buzzfeed list 16 LGBTQIA+ Young Adult Novels To Devour This Fall

Darcy Woods, award-winning author of Summer of Supernovas and Smoke

“A genre-bending thriller with undeniable grit. Kate Brauning delivers a stunning symphony through her evocative prose, diverse characters, and unrelenting action. The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell will strike unforgettable notes in the hearts and minds of readers from the first to final page!”

Chelsea Mueller, author of Prom House

“A fiery shot of family, perseverance, and a bit of moonshine.”