Monday, April 7, 2014

Mark This Book Monday: Ashfall by Mike Mullin!!

I'm starting this week's Mark This Book Monday with the first book of a trilogy that was quite a fantastic read. Very much disturbing in the way it made me think of how human nature can go from worst to best and how sometimes extreme situations make us less human.

I have this one as part of two of my challenges! It's a series that I had been thinking of reading for a long time, so it's part of my 2014 Series Challenge, and since it's a dystopian & postapocalyptic book, it's also part of my Dystopian Reading Challenge 2014!






Ashfall (Ashfall, #1)Ashfall by Mike Mullin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ashfall has been in my TBR list forever and this time during my vacation time, I decided it was about time I started it!

It starts with the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano, we experience it from afar through Alex's experience. Even if he didn't live that close to the actual volcano he could feel a lot of after effects. Insane noise from the explosions, ash rain thicker than snow, darkness for days on end... And Alex starts trying to adapt and survive without his family, but once things seem to have got a lil more stable, he decides to leave to look for his family.

Everything has been changed by the one event, nothing works as it used to. There's no telephone, no electricity, the roads are useless... So Alex decides to sky to his uncle's house where his family were travelling to when the eruption happened.

Ever since the start of the book we see the different ways people are reacting to such a extreme change. Some are kind and focus on survival and banding together to help each others. But others just go berserk and try to grab as much as they can, not matter who they hurt.

Alex is a very normal teenager at the start but as the action progresses he shows that he's made of tougher and kinder stuff than he even imagined. He then meets Darla and her mum that help him when he really needed it, and in turn he then helps Darla when she needs it most.

Alex and Darla make a fantastic team, both with different sets of skills and with different approaches to situations and they work so well together! Their relationship develops over time, getting to know each other, working together so them developing feelings for each other was a natural progression and it never takes over the story but strenghten them as a team.

This was a fantastic read that got me turning pages faster and faster, wondering how they were going to get through what was coming next and then the next thing, and even when you think they're getting a break... something else happens! And the thing is... this is so plausible! We don't know when but that volcano can erupt and it will be as life changing and scary as we can read in the book, and it might just be nightmare inducing!

A great dystopian & postapocalyptic book and the most promising start for a trilogy! Very much deserved 4 to 4.5 stars!



View all my reviews

4 comments:

  1. This looks really good. I saw a bit about when it first came out and then I have not heard anything since! I love a dystopian/post-apocalyptic that that portrays an array of reactions from people. I always get curious to see what people besides the main bunch are doing.

    I am gonna have to check this out.
    Thanks for sharing and great review, Pili. :)

    Alex @ The Shelf Diaries

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You really ought to check it out, Alex! It was quite awesome!

      Delete
  2. Aw, yay! I'm glad you enjoyed this book. <3 It's been so so so long since I read it.. agh. But I did enjoy it as well :) Thank you for sharing sweetie. <3 Hope you will like the rest of the books :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So far it's a great series, I just need to read the final book, hopefully today or tomorrow!

      Delete

¡Muchas gracias por vuestros comentarios, leerlos me alegra el día!/ Thanks a lot for all your comments, reading them brightens my day!!