Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Ashfall

Hardcover, 466 pages
Published October 11th 2011 by Tanglewood Press 
Edition language: English
series: Ashfall #1
setting: Iowa
Illinois (United States)

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet. 

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.


We all have our weird little quirks right? Me? I Love books and movies about Natural disasters. examples: books- Life as we knew it series by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Movies- Dante's peak and Twister. Funny thing is.. they terrify me. Like seriously, I still have nightmares about Dante's peak which I watched about .. 9 years ago for the first time? I guess I love them because they really make me think.. and freak out. Possible scenarios scare me much more than horror movies and books about vampires and werewolves *though I love those as well. * 

Ashfall is now added to my love/hate list. 

I was hesitant at first. You start out learning about Alex - A giant geek, World of warcraft addict and sci fy fan. I didn't see him surviving this world well. But he came into his own and really surprised me! And when he meets Darla ? It was fun to watch the banter and interactions :) 

This is told from Alex's perspective, so it was a little harder for me to connect with him as an MC, simply because I am not used to male MC's. While at times I found it interesting, other times when he was thinking.. certain male thoughts.. I couldn't help but think " ew TMI " haha. But at the same time that helped keep the reality feel to it. You have to expect some of that stuff in the thoughts of a Teenage boy. 

The world Mike Mullen created was dark, and intense, and full of harsh realities. Food is scarce, people will do just about Anything to survive, and when it all comes down to it, there is no way of knowing who will live and who will die. 

A little bit of light humor, some real feeling teenage romance ( as romantic as you can get when covered in Ash and day old dirt, grime and sweat. ) and an intensity that held my attention. Ashfall was just what I needed to help me get out of my book slump. 

Keep in mind I do not recommend this for young teens. There are some gory scenes that had even me cringing, and some sexual references that made me blush a bit >.<  But it's not over the top. 

Be prepared to feel an urge to run out to the store and stock up on nonperishable foods, and a plethora of survival gear! ( Including Ski's ) :D 

If you are looking for a book that feels real, and will make you think I highly recommend this one! ( as well as the series I will share below ) 

My only real negative is that at times the pace was a bit too slow, I had to remember that SOMETHING was going to happen soon.

Rating : 4.5/5 

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11 comments:

  1. I really want to read Ashfall! I'm excited about the male protagonist but not so much for the gory scenes. :S

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  2. OMG WASN'T IT CREEPY???? I remember being so freaked out by it but so intrigued!!! I'm definitely looking forward to the next one, it's going to be AWESOME! :D

    Anna @ Literary Exploration

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  3. I LOOOOOOOVED this book! Mike is awesome!
    Oh if either the commenters or you are interested...Mike let me make a facebook book page for Ashfall!
    https://www.facebook.com/Ashfallbooks

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  4. I really enjoyed this book. I did find I had to take breaks from the book because the situations were just that intense. It is a little over the top, but I think that stresses the point about the survivial aspects.

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  5. I am intrigued! Requested this book at the library. Male perspectives and gore don't bother me, but I also have the spookies about natural disasters! I used to have tsunami nightmares while living on the coast, even though I loved living on the coast. And I got freaked out watching the trailer for 2012 even though the movie itself was terrible... lol. Looking forward to this book!

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  6. I've heard many things about this book but I didn't pick it up because I wasn't sure if it fits my taste but after reading your review I will definitely be reading it! However the fact that it's kind of slow and creepy is a bit of a bummer. Great review!!!

    New follower!
    Jaskirat~SeeitORreadit

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  7. This sounds like something I would like!! I'm going to add it to me to-read list for sure :3

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  8. Oooh! I've been wanting to read this one for awhile now, definitely checking it out now based on your review!

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  9. Hi Michelle,
    I really enjoyed your review! from what you said, it seems that this book is similar to the Gone series by michael grant.
    Thanks for introducing me to this book.
    New follower :)
    Rachel

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  10. I've heard about that book, and I'm so glad you like it. =)

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  11. Okay so I read this book in about 2 days, THANK YOU for the recommendation! I absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down. I definitely agree though, not for younger teens. There were some scenes in there where even I was grossed out / horrified, but I'm glad they were in there because it made the book that much more realistic. I can't wait to read the second one!

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