title: Waterwight: Book 1 of the Waterwight Series (Volume 1)
author:  Laurel McHargue 
description: ". . . McHargue ("Miss?", 2013) taps into dreamscapes with their myth/dream logic very effectively in this entertaining novel. The section where Celeste gets trapped in a seductive fantasy castle--her parents alive, only her favorite foods on the table, every room full of toys and games--is powerfully spooky, reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's <i>Coraline</i>. Post-apocalyptic YA fiction can be unrelentingly grim, but McHargue brings wit and warmth to this account as well as psychological insights, particularly in developing the Overleader's character. . . ."
zlib_text: ![](Images/image00195.jpeg)
  
  > Dinah Jefferies
  
  * * *
  
  BEFORE THE RAINS
  
  ![](Images/image00200.jpeg)
  
  Contents
  
  > > Delhi, India – 23 December 1912
  
  > > Part One
  
  > > Chapter 1
  
  > > Chapter 2
  
  > > Chapter 3
  
  > > Chapter 4
  
  > > Chapter 5
  
  > > Chapter 6
  
  > > Chapter 7
  
  > > Chapter 8
  
  > > Chapter 9
  
  > > Chapter 10
  
  > > Chapter 11
  
  > > Part Two
  
  > > Chapter 12
  
  > > Chapter 13
  
  > > Chapter 14
  
  > > Chapter 15
  
  > > Chapter 16
  
  > > Chapter 17
  
  > > Chapter 18
  
  > > Chapter 19
  
  > > Chapter 20
  
  > > Chapter 21
  
  > > Chapter 22
  
  > > Chapter 23
  
  > > Part Three
  
  > > Chapter 24
  
  > > Chapter 25
  
  > > Chapter 26
  
  > > Chapter 27
  
  > > Chapter 28
  
  > > Chapter 29
  
  > > Part Four
  
  > > Chapter 30
  
  > > Chapter 31
  
  > > Chapter 32
  
  > > Chapter 33
  
  > > Chapter 34
  
  > > Chapter 35
  
  > > Chapter 36
  
  > > Chapter 37
  
  > > Chapter 38
  
  > > Epilogue
  
  > > Author’s Note
  
  > > Thank You
  
  > > Follow Penguin
  
   _By the same author_
  
  The Separation
  
  The Tea Planter’s Wife
  
  The Silk Merchant’s Daughter
  
  For Richard
  
  Delhi, India – 23 D