Aug 22, 2012

Review: Ashfall - By Mike Mullin



Summery
Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano, so large that the caldera can only be seen by plane or satellite. And by some scientific measurements, it could be overdue for an eruption.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

Review
I'll get right to the point, this book freaked me out. Honestly. I couldn't get over the feeling that the events in the book could really happen! The story leaves you feeling intrigued by it's realness but also shocked by it's realness as well. This is definitely an emotional read. Not in an "I'm crying tears" kinda way, but in an "OMG I need to put the book down for a second" kind of way. The violence and graphic nature within the story were a little much for this reader, but entirely necessary at the same time. It made the story what it was. It made the book unforgettable.I could feel the emotions from the main character every step of his journey. I felt his hunger for food, his thirst for water, heck there were times when I swear I could feel the ash in my mouth! It was written that well.

This was a completely new kind of read for me. You don't find many books as graphic as this one was in YA. At least I haven't found many. This book definitely opened my eyes to a new kind of read. I'm interested to see where this story will go. What happens after the ashfall? What more can our hero possibly endure? Can't wait for part two!

4 comments:

  1. Oh just wait for part two. That's all I'll say... ;)

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  2. oh man that sounds good! I requested the 2nd book from NetGalley but I've yet to read the first one! But I'm scared this could happen in real life too!

    Ning @ Reading by Kindle Fire

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  3. Wow, for some reason I didn't imagine this one being that graphic! But I could see how it would be. I'll definitely have to check it out.

    Molli | Once Upon a Prologue

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  4. Glad you enjoyed ASHFALL, Amanda! The sequel is titled ASHEN WINTER and it'll be out October 8th, so not long to wait. I put the first to chapters up at www.ashenwinter.com.

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