Ashfall

Ashfall was a book that took me a little bit to fully appreciate, but I ended up falling fully in love with it. I won't deny that the first few pages of Ashfall left me a bit angry towards Alex. As a main character he starts out the book just like most stereotypical teenagers. He is not at all appreciative of his family or the life they've built for him. Then again though, I quickly reminded myself that this was a dystopian novel. What better character to teach how important all that is, than one who doesn't know what he has until it's gone? Once I let myself become invested in Alex's struggle, I was hooked.

The world that Mullin builds is dark, volatile and eerily easy to envision. It is apparent that research has been done into supervolcanoes, because the world just bleeds off the page and into reality. As Alex and Darla slogged through feet of ash, battled ever changing weather conditions, and fought just to stay alive, I was on the edge of my seat. A quick warning to more sensitive readers: this book is very realistic. It shows mankind at their lowest and most afraid. There is violence in this book, there is death, that makes it all the more real.

It was really Alex and Darla's character growth through this story that struck me most though, and kept me reading on. These are kids, teens. However they have so much heart and will to live, that it's hard not to become immersed in their struggle for survival. Mullin doesn't take it easy on these two. There were moments where I just wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell “Give them a break already!”, but then I'd quickly go back to reading to see what happened next. Truth be told the pacing in this story is just perfect. There's always enough to keep you reading, without making it seem forced. I loved that.

Again, I won't deny that at first I had a little bit of a tough time getting into Ashfall. Still, once I started really becoming invested in this story, it was all over. I couldn't have put this book down even if I wanted to! That's the truth. If you're looking for a fantastic dystopian novel, one with a world based in reality, this is one for you.