Outback Exodus by Dawn Millen

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**Platinum Note: This review was provided by Jaime Jones, a NEW Platinum reviewer whom we have decided to add to our site. Please make Jaime feel welcome & I hope you enjoy her reviews! ~ VRS



An enthralling tale of humanity...PERSONIFIED!
You would think waking up to complete, utter silence would be a rare joy. You could kick back with your feet up, chillax, and revel in the peace & quiet. But Jenn didn't...her ever rambunctious dogs were eerily huddled down, obviously scared of something awful, the routine morning birds chipper chatter was non existent, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose, warning of immediate danger, just seconds before her world was rocked, and life as she knew it was changed forever. 
Join Jenn, as she picks up the pieces to her home, her life, and her countryside, on a quest for civilization. Follow her, and the other survivors on their rough journey to recover, thrive and develop some sense of normalcy, after their world was devastatingly turned upside down. Where their will to live, sheer determination, teamwork and camaraderie trumped all the lose, heartache, and fear they faced during this terrifying tragedy. 
This book had me on emotional overload, and not in a bad way. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The words and detailed survival instincts, flowed from page to page, and had me seriously thinking - What if this had happened to me? The awe inspiring story had me feeling like I was one of the survivors. I could smell the stew boiling, feel the ground shaking, and enjoy the beautiful Australian sunsets as if they were right there in front of me. Just when I thought they had made it safely, that Jenn and her sister would find out the fate of their parents...it was over. Well played, Dawn Miller, well played. Hands down 5 Platinum Rings! ~ Jaime


Platinum gives Dawn & "Outback Exodus":

5 Platinum Rings!

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Blurb:

An earthquake that shatters the land and puts the lives of many into a complete spin. Follow the journey of the survivors from the Australian outback to the coast.
Our hero's are real people with real problems and the solutions are real solutions. This story follows 252 people as they trek across the outback and avoid the pitfalls on the way.The storms, the crevasses in the land and the vulnerability of humans as they pit themselves against nature in her rawest forms. Along the way they find the bonds that draw survivors together during disasters. 
Join the journey of Jenn, Gavin, Rhys, Caren and their friends and families as the Outback Exodus unfolds.



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Excerpt:
The drive to Smithtown was slow and we had many stops to clear fallen trees and many diversions across the paddocks to avoid crevasses and sand bogs that had blocked the road. There were fences down everywhere and cattle and sheep wandered the roads causing further dangers to vehicles. Five weary hours later we see the township ahead and things look no better here than at John Creek. The dust pall is bigger and there is smoke mixed into the dust from burning buildings. The destruction is on a massive scale with hardly any buildings untouched, so many have little left standing and the fires have burned through great areas of the township. The suburban sprawl and smaller blocks of land mean that once the fires started it jumped from house to house very quickly.

We can see the hospital sitting atop the hill in the centre of town and it looks relatively undamaged, just a few shattered windows and some of the brick façade has fallen from the clock tower at the top. As most of the frontage is covered with a vine it is possible that the damage is worse than we can see. The vines may be hiding it from view. We will know more when we get to the building. It is the first place we will head for as it would be a refuge for the injured and for those assisting them. I just hope that there are others here who have survived.

Pulling up on the front lawn of the hospital we see that things are not as intact behind the façade as we thought, but that there is movement and life in the building. The automatic doors are wedged open just enough to get a stretcher through and inside the casualty department there are people milling about. Not many people and most have bandages on their bodies covering the wounds from the quake. Shock and confusion abound around the department and the staff members are overwhelmed by the number of people who have injuries that they are unable to treat. The theatres are damaged and there are so few personnel to perform surgery. With only three Doctors and six nurses left and over two hundred survivors with injuries ranging from minor to major there is little hope of being able to save everyone, and so many will not survive today or the days to come. I help where I can throughout the day. My old skills coming to the fore, I tend to minor wounds, check on drips and give pain medications. I do find myself present at the deaths of so many we are unable to help as they succumb to their injuries, the only help we can give them is pain medication so they do not suffer unduly. Sadness rules the memories I will carry of this day, closing the eyes of small children for the last time, seeing mothers and fathers crying for those already lost or for those who will be lost, it breaks my heart. Soon I am weeping too, along with the grieving community, grieving for them, for the friends I have lost and for myself and the life that was and will never be again....
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