Series: Ashfall #3
by Mike Mullin
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Genre: YA Post Apocalyptic
The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors’ constant companions.
When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever—and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.
This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.
Purchase:
My Thoughts:
I was beyond excited to be able to read the final book in this series for this blog tour!! I fell in love with the way Ashfall scared the crap out of me. It kept me up at night and gave me nightmares when I was finally able to sleep. But as crazy as it sounds, I loved that. I love a book that keeps me on the edge of my seat and gets the wheels turning in my brain. I could not wait to crack this book and see what else could possibly happen to Alex and Darla in this crazy post-Yellowstone world.
When Ashen Winter left off, Alex and crew had finally made it back to Uncle Paul's house... only to find all of Warren camped out on the lawn. It seems that Stockton, a town nearby, had ambushed Warren so as to take their food supplies. Now facing starvation, the people who are left of Warren and Alex's family decide to fight to take back their city and their food. From there we follow them on a series of struggles and events that take place over the next 3 years.
This book was all about Alex being molded into a leader. Everything he had been through in the first 2 books felt like it had led to this. It gave credibility to a 16-year-old being trusted to make decisions for groups of people who were usually all older than he was. But he had been through and survived so many situations. He'd also seen so much more of the landscape than most of the people around him. I was super grateful to have Darla back in this book. She's the voice of reason for him, and without her, there's no way he could done anything good.
This book was once again action, action, action. And it was a lot more about the politics that the small towns in the Mid West are facing. Everyone is vying for resources and it seems like each town is like it's own separate country. I didn't exactly love all that stuff. It's typical for post-apocalyptic novels, but I'm more into getting to know the characters and I just wanted Alex's crew to build a life on Paul's farm rather than joining with an entire community. But I guess the point is that they needed to ban together if they were going to live long-term. The title is very fitting for this book because it's all about trying to rebuild. And not just the physical rebuilding. It is rebuilding of trust and community and hope... not that trust would be easy to rebuild after all the terrible things people have been doing to each other throughout this whole series.
Even though there wasn't as much danger going on as physically walking across the mess that Iowa and Illinois had become in book 1 and 2, there were still plenty of scary-ass moments that gave me nightmares. I really put my mind through a lot while I'm reading these types of books. I think about what would happen to me and my family if something crazy/world-ending would happen. Would I be able to do all the hard things in order to survive? Could I really skin an animal?? Would I shoot someone who was trying to take what we had? All I can do is pray that it never happens!! But thank you Mike Mullin for writing a series that simultaneously scared and entertained me... and made me fall in love with Darla and Alex.
OVERALL: If you haven't read this series, you are missing out!! It's a super realistic look at one family's journey through a major society-ending catastrophe. As for this particular book, I loved it!! The first book was so super amazing, that I needed to know what happened to all the characters we met... and I was super happy that the book lived up to the title!!
I was beyond excited to be able to read the final book in this series for this blog tour!! I fell in love with the way Ashfall scared the crap out of me. It kept me up at night and gave me nightmares when I was finally able to sleep. But as crazy as it sounds, I loved that. I love a book that keeps me on the edge of my seat and gets the wheels turning in my brain. I could not wait to crack this book and see what else could possibly happen to Alex and Darla in this crazy post-Yellowstone world.
When Ashen Winter left off, Alex and crew had finally made it back to Uncle Paul's house... only to find all of Warren camped out on the lawn. It seems that Stockton, a town nearby, had ambushed Warren so as to take their food supplies. Now facing starvation, the people who are left of Warren and Alex's family decide to fight to take back their city and their food. From there we follow them on a series of struggles and events that take place over the next 3 years.
This book was all about Alex being molded into a leader. Everything he had been through in the first 2 books felt like it had led to this. It gave credibility to a 16-year-old being trusted to make decisions for groups of people who were usually all older than he was. But he had been through and survived so many situations. He'd also seen so much more of the landscape than most of the people around him. I was super grateful to have Darla back in this book. She's the voice of reason for him, and without her, there's no way he could done anything good.
This book was once again action, action, action. And it was a lot more about the politics that the small towns in the Mid West are facing. Everyone is vying for resources and it seems like each town is like it's own separate country. I didn't exactly love all that stuff. It's typical for post-apocalyptic novels, but I'm more into getting to know the characters and I just wanted Alex's crew to build a life on Paul's farm rather than joining with an entire community. But I guess the point is that they needed to ban together if they were going to live long-term. The title is very fitting for this book because it's all about trying to rebuild. And not just the physical rebuilding. It is rebuilding of trust and community and hope... not that trust would be easy to rebuild after all the terrible things people have been doing to each other throughout this whole series.
Even though there wasn't as much danger going on as physically walking across the mess that Iowa and Illinois had become in book 1 and 2, there were still plenty of scary-ass moments that gave me nightmares. I really put my mind through a lot while I'm reading these types of books. I think about what would happen to me and my family if something crazy/world-ending would happen. Would I be able to do all the hard things in order to survive? Could I really skin an animal?? Would I shoot someone who was trying to take what we had? All I can do is pray that it never happens!! But thank you Mike Mullin for writing a series that simultaneously scared and entertained me... and made me fall in love with Darla and Alex.
OVERALL: If you haven't read this series, you are missing out!! It's a super realistic look at one family's journey through a major society-ending catastrophe. As for this particular book, I loved it!! The first book was so super amazing, that I needed to know what happened to all the characters we met... and I was super happy that the book lived up to the title!!
My Rating:
AUTHOR BIO
Mike Mullin
Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really glad this writing thing seems to be working out.
Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Ashen Winter is his second novel. His debut, Ashfall, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association.
Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Ashen Winter is his second novel. His debut, Ashfall, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association.
Author Links:
- (1) Complete Set of the Ashfall series from The Book Depository
- Sponsored by Books With Bite
- Open to wherever The Book Depository ships
Loved your review! This whole series has made me think I need some kind of doomsday bunker cuase you never know right? LOL. Thanks for being a part of the tour!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that this series has continued to go on strong for you Michelle, and that the characters showed so much realistic growth over the three books. I only read book one in this series, but your enthusiasm for these books does seem to be catching! Fab review!
ReplyDelete