The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac

“Eli stared at the fallen acrobat as the other performers rushed to his side screaming. There were no nets tonight. Minutes before the show began Chancellor East had confiscated and destroyed them, forcing the Night Circus to perform without any safety measures at all….Now the other performers were weeping and moaning behind their masks, but still, not one of them bared their face, and why would they? Keyland Guards lined the perimeter, waiting for even the slightest infraction.
Chancellor East gnawed on his pipe. “You’d think they’d all died, the way they’re carrying on.” He nudged Eli’s father. “That would be convenient, wouldn’t it.”

Droughtlanders versus Keylanders. Eli versus his twin brother Seth. This novel of a dystopic future time in which priviledged overlords control the weather, food, and medicine is as riveting as Nancy Farmer’sHouse of the Scorpion.