Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Series: Ashfall (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: adventure, cannibals, climate change, post-apocalyptic, survival, thriller, winter, love

Setting: Northwestern Illinois (Warren, IL, Stockton, Rockford…)

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Alex (male POV)

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 542 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover 

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing

Summary/ product description: “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.”

My Review: Wow, what an epic finale! This series has been so intense and I can’t believe it’s over. It’s chop-full of gruesome and thrilling events. There’s fighting and action. Survival is probably the most prominent part of this series. You can learn a lot about survival just by reading this series. If Yellowstone ever blew up for real, you’d probably want these books as a guide to surviving the volcanic apocalypse.

And even more awesome is that this book takes place in Illinois, where I live! I live in Warrenville, not Warren, which is close to Dubuque and Galena, not Naperville and West Chicago like I am. I’ve been in that area and this series has a personal connection. When a dystopian series takes place in Illinois, like Divergent did, I can’t help wanting to go to the places mentioned. The author is from Indiana, and I like that he took real towns and places into account and integrated it into the story. Below are Google Earth images of Warren.

I love Alex and Darla. I ship the so much. Alex is a great guy and narrator of the story. He’s realistic and never mean, but sometimes likes to tease. Darla is a genius at anything mechanical or engineering related. It she has the information and know how, she could do it. She’s very strong and independent and seems to be the one taking care of Alex in these books, but when she reaches a low point, Alex is able to cheer her up. They contrast each other, but they both are loyal and get along. I enjoy their banter and teasing the most though.

The book was never boring, even when long periods of time are skipped over and just explained in a diary-like way. It manages to have just enough information. All the survival information keeps us interested and we don’t get bored finding out about the greenhouses they build, or Darla’s Bikezillas. It add to the world building, even if this is near-future post-apocalyptic. We can relate to the characters. I also loved that the chapters were kept short. This kept the story moving faster. If it was all solid text with no chapter breaks, then a book this long would seem daunting and you might just skim it.

The pacing is perfect. I can’t believe it’s over. It ended at a good point, but I want to know what happens next. The book takes place over 2 years of time, so it’s a long timeline already. I can’t believe some of the stuff that happened. One event especially grossed me out. My hand started aching just thinking about it. That’s one thing I wish didn’t happen in the book, but it did add to the story. It’s realistic that bad things happen when people don’t get along with each other.

If you have not read Ashfall then you are missing out. This is the best apocalyptic/post-apocalytic dystopian series I’ve read about survival. If you read Life As We Knew (The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer) then this is similar, but from a male POV. Also if you read Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne, also similar. If you can’t get enough dystopian or sci-fi, then this series is a must read. Now with all three books out, you don’t have to wait to book binge the whole series! I

Cover Art Review: The cover is perfect for the book. The book actually mentions that Darla pictured Alex holding her left hand with his right and getting married.

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Series: Ashfall (bk. 2)

Genera: Dystopian Sci-fi (post-apocalyptic)

Subjects: Volcanic ash, climate change, survival, love, winter

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 567 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.95

Publisher: Tanglewood

Summary/ product description: “It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.”

My Rating: êêêê 1/2

My Review: Though Ashen Winter is over 100 pages more than Ashfall, it’s still just as awesome and action packed. I love Alex and Darla’s relationship and not happy when Darla was captured. They are one of my favorite kick-butt couples in YA. I also love the setting. I live in Illinois and was easily able to picture the post-volcanic winter landscape (especially since that blizzard in Feb, 2010!). I’ve actually been to the area in the book. And I found out Warren, IL is real! I looked it up on Google Earth. I live in Warrenville, which is in Chicagoland. Now I want to go back and see Apple River Canyon (also real) and the Quad Cities This story hit close to home-literally. I just hope Yellow Stone never really erupt. I do not want to end up in one of those camps!

So Alex and Darla go looking for Alex’s parents. They run into about a million problems and set-backs along the way. Alex really should shut up and take Darla’s advice. She’s pretty freakin’ smart. They have a crazy time crossing the Mississippi. They have some bike with skis they call “Bikezilla.” The chase scene in the frozen river is really crazy.

Later on in the book, we meet some new characters. One of them know a ton about guns and military stuff. He gets Alex out of trouble a few times. Alex goes after Darla, and everyone is trying to stop him because they think she’s already dead. Alex is a tough fighter, so I believed in him. But even more adventures happen. This book is like some crazy epic saga. Like the Odyssey of a post-apocalyptic future. I love it so much. Did I mention the cannibal gangs? Yeah. Not zombies. People surviving by eating people.  I also hope that doesn’t happen for real.

And the ending is epic. The way they go after Darla. There’s a lot of spoilery stuff I’m not gonna mention.

I love this series also because of its realistic survival information. I learned enough from the first book (and now probably forgot it) and this book have even more information. The author make everything so realistic. From the setting, to the character to the things that happen to the characters. All the injuries and gory details. The fact that guns don’t always work right away because Alex keeps forgetting the safety or magazine. I remember a scene from in Camp Galena from Ashfall that grossed me out. The mass toilet. You know what I mean.

Overall, great sequel! Wonder if the next book will be the last book. I’m sure it will be just as epic either way. If Yellowstone blows up for real, I’ll be glad I read these books. But I may wish that I bought them/owned them. I think I’m gonna have to find some Kale seed just in case this 2012 stuff really happens. Lol. It won’t. I know it.

Cover Art Review: Not as good as the 1^st book’s cover. The hands are nice. The cover is very texture heavy. It’s fitting, but not as great as Ashfall’s cover.

 

~Haley G

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Genera: Dystopian sci-fi
Subjects: Survival, zombies, cannibals
Length: 465 pgs.
HC/PB: Hardcover
Summary/ product description:
"Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed.
Everyone still alive has turned, some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom, an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the 'Changed' and those desperate to stay alive. A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped"

My Rating:
ê ê ê ê

My Review: If you were expecting that this book would have the walking dead kind of zombies, then you though wrong. These a teens gone cannibal zombies. Very different than the Carrie Ryan or Resident Evil zombies. No slow, shambling dead things. It was very interesting.

There was also a lot of survival info and information in this book. I felt like I learned a lot. The story was also fast paced, especially in the first two thirds of the book. It only slowed down slightly once Alex got to Rule and had to deal with more people and their cult like behavior.

A note about the setting: The Waucamaw is not a real state natural area. I looked it up. In the book it’s supposed to be on the upper peninsula of Michigan. I tried to find it on google earth, and it wasn’t there. I’m a bit of a Michigan enthusiast, so I wanted to find out. And Rule is made up too. I assume the author made these places up to create an interesting setting that she could control, rather than use real places that needed too much research.

As for the characters. Alex wasn’t too exciting. Her ability was interesting, but I couldn’t connect to her. Ellie reminded me of a lot of whiney little girls, and that made her a great supporting character. Tom was an interesting guy for a young soldier on leave. Each character seemed to bring something to the table. They helped each other survive.

I really liked this book and want to know what happens next (because the dang cliff hanger!). Give this book a shot. It’s a really cool dystopian book. If you like the Gone series, The Hunger Games, or The Forest of Hand and Teeth, this could be the next series you’ll love.

Cover Art Review: This cover wasn’t very interesting to me. It just didn’t scream YA. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover because it was a really good book. The title and the weird puffy lines with the face zombie looking thing….not the kind of book cover I would want to by the book because. That is why I got it from the library. I like good design, and this cover just wasn’t it.

~Haley G