I liked Ashen Winter as much as Ashfall, maybe better -- it is one of the best sequels I have ever read. I liked how Ashen Winter expanded on the thought-provoking ideas introduced in Ashfall. And the short chapters with the hooks at the end of the chapters made me want to read just-one-more-chapter....
This is a fantastic series - bonus that it's by an Indiana author! Mullin's dystopian landscape is grim, and his volcanic winter scenario is genuinely scary. He does a good job of not shying away from the grisly realities of what life would be like during and after a survivalist event like the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano, without making them too graphic.
I liked this second installment in the series much better than Ashfall. The characters have grown, and new additions to the story add some good twists. The book does suffer a bit from "action fatigue" but, hey. When you're on the run from corrupt paramilitary subcontractors, cannibalistic gangs of ex-prisoners and dangerously starving neighbors, action is kind of a given.
I liked this second installment in the series much better than Ashfall. The characters have grown, and new additions to the story add some good twists. The book does suffer a bit from "action fatigue" but, hey. When you're on the run from corrupt paramilitary subcontractors, cannibalistic gangs of ex-prisoners and dangerously starving neighbors, action is kind of a given.
I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This is the second book in a planned trilogy. It was an excellent continuation of the series, but also starts bringing in more typical post-apocalyptic themes...think cannibalism.
It is six months after the horrible volcanic events that sent the world into a nuclear winter. During this time Darla and Alex have been make a life of sorts for themselves on Alexs uncles farm. Darla and Alex leave the relative comfort of Alex's uncle's farm in an effort to find his parents.
The book is fast-paced, full of action, and hard to put down. Its a lot about survival and, as with the previous book, mostly about humanity and surviving in bleak surroundings.
In this book a long winter has set in because of volcanic ash blocking out the sun. As temperatures plummet so do Alexs hope of finding his parents. Then raiders come to their farm and one of them is carrying Alexs dads rifle. Alex and Darla decide to track down the man to get info on Alexs parents.
A couple great new characters are added to the story. One is a girl Darlas age who has had to do things to survive that no girl should ever have to do. The other is her brother, an autistic genius, who is both a great help and a great challenge to deal with.
The book is well written and progresses at a breakneck pace. You are constantly put through emotional turmoil as the characters encounter one life-threatening situation after another. The characters in this book suffer, immensely, and every gory detail is there. So if you dont like gore you might want to look elsewhere. There were a number of times when the characters were injured in ways that made me a bit queasy.
Alex and Darla are great characters, but there are times in this book when I want to smack Alex. He has a serious problem with charging into situations and it doesnt improve in this book. He gets everyone almost killed a number of times and many of the horrible situations they end up in are because of his hot-headedness.
I do love that there is some humor in here. Also Alex and Darla truly seem to love and respect each other, their relationship adds some light to a very dark story.
Mostly the story is engaging and interesting but there was one thing that had me groaning in exasperation. Guess what that was? Yep, cannibals. I mean I guess it wouldn't be a good post-apocalyptic novel unless people were eating each other. But seriously, go we have to go there again? I swear everywhere I look people are eating each other in a post-apocalyptic earth. Seriously its an uncreative and overdone idea in these types of books. Some characters build greenhouses...but others well I guess it is just easier to eat each other sometimes....
Other than the above this is a very well done book. It is well written and incredibly engaging. There is action and gore, but also situations where the good aspects of humanity really shine. Some great new characters add a lot more to the story as well.
Overall a great read and a wonderful continuation of this story. Some great new characters and a very engaging plot. The surroundings are dark and depressing, but this is lightened with a solid and loving relationship between Darla and Alex and occasional humor. The story is not for the weak-stomached and the addition of cannibalism adds to the yucky factor. This is a well written and solid YA post-apocalyptic read that should appeal to both male and female readers. I definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic novels.
It is six months after the horrible volcanic events that sent the world into a nuclear winter. During this time Darla and Alex have been make a life of sorts for themselves on Alexs uncles farm. Darla and Alex leave the relative comfort of Alex's uncle's farm in an effort to find his parents.
The book is fast-paced, full of action, and hard to put down. Its a lot about survival and, as with the previous book, mostly about humanity and surviving in bleak surroundings.
In this book a long winter has set in because of volcanic ash blocking out the sun. As temperatures plummet so do Alexs hope of finding his parents. Then raiders come to their farm and one of them is carrying Alexs dads rifle. Alex and Darla decide to track down the man to get info on Alexs parents.
A couple great new characters are added to the story. One is a girl Darlas age who has had to do things to survive that no girl should ever have to do. The other is her brother, an autistic genius, who is both a great help and a great challenge to deal with.
The book is well written and progresses at a breakneck pace. You are constantly put through emotional turmoil as the characters encounter one life-threatening situation after another. The characters in this book suffer, immensely, and every gory detail is there. So if you dont like gore you might want to look elsewhere. There were a number of times when the characters were injured in ways that made me a bit queasy.
Alex and Darla are great characters, but there are times in this book when I want to smack Alex. He has a serious problem with charging into situations and it doesnt improve in this book. He gets everyone almost killed a number of times and many of the horrible situations they end up in are because of his hot-headedness.
I do love that there is some humor in here. Also Alex and Darla truly seem to love and respect each other, their relationship adds some light to a very dark story.
Mostly the story is engaging and interesting but there was one thing that had me groaning in exasperation. Guess what that was? Yep, cannibals. I mean I guess it wouldn't be a good post-apocalyptic novel unless people were eating each other. But seriously, go we have to go there again? I swear everywhere I look people are eating each other in a post-apocalyptic earth. Seriously its an uncreative and overdone idea in these types of books. Some characters build greenhouses...but others well I guess it is just easier to eat each other sometimes....
Other than the above this is a very well done book. It is well written and incredibly engaging. There is action and gore, but also situations where the good aspects of humanity really shine. Some great new characters add a lot more to the story as well.
Overall a great read and a wonderful continuation of this story. Some great new characters and a very engaging plot. The surroundings are dark and depressing, but this is lightened with a solid and loving relationship between Darla and Alex and occasional humor. The story is not for the weak-stomached and the addition of cannibalism adds to the yucky factor. This is a well written and solid YA post-apocalyptic read that should appeal to both male and female readers. I definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy post-apocalyptic novels.
