In a world ravaged by drought, survival is measured in drops. Maris, newly ranked as a sand ship captain, should be secure in her hard-won role—but instead finds herself hunted by the Governor, betrayed by the man she loves, and feared as something she refuses to be: an elemental.

Exiled to the deadly Wasted Lands, Maris must navigate attacks from both nature itself and those in power who want her destroyed. To save the last survivors of a waterless Earth, she must confront the truth she has long denied. Accepting her elemental power could be humanity’s salvation—or its end.

A haunting blend of environmental dystopia and elemental fantasy, Water Starved explores what it means to embrace authenticity in the face of fear, power, and impossible odds.