The world-building in this story is fantastic! It takes place years after a mysterious event where the rain literally stopped mid-downpour and returned to the clouds, leaving Earth as a completely barren wasteland. It somewhat reminded me of the dystopian setting in the animation, Raya and the Last Dragon.

The story follows Zane, the leader of a group called The Freeborn, who strikes a dangerous deal to trade a prized prisoner to the Soldiers of Fortune in exchange for water. However, things go horribly wrong when they are ambushed by bloodthirsty, mutated mythical creatures born from the disaster! On top of that, they end up getting captured by a group of mysterious women who kill some of the team and spare others for a dark, final sacrifice. The fight to survive in this brutal dystopian world kept me completely on the edge of my seat!

The absolute highlight of this book for me is the character growth of the main character, Zane. He wasn't always the hardened leader we see. He actually grew up as an orphaned boy named "Biebi," nurtured by his grandparents before the world ended.

After going through devastating losses—including the heartbreaking loss of his grandmother, and enduring a very long trek, he encounters the courageous Captain Zane and adopts his name. Watching his dynamic shift from being a "nobody" into developing a tough skin and stepping up as a leader is so incredibly beautiful to read. The author captured the heavy emotional weight of his journey so well.

I absolutely loved how the title, Barter, is subtly woven into the core of the story. It perfectly captures the haunting theme that a massive exchange—a barter—must be made for things to be restored back to order. (Aside from the exchange between clans that was one of the core event in the story.)

But we have to talk about the ending! I did not see that ending coming at all. It was so brutal and messed up that I literally had to just sit there and stare into the distance for a while after finishing it to process what just happened! Justice for all the unfortunate parties.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves Afrocentric, post-apocalyptic thrillers, and stories featuring survival, deadly monsters, and incredible emotional depth.