The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: Book of M

Author: Peng Shepherd

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 489

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Book Club - Told in Non-chronological Order

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

After reading Shepherd’s later book, The Cartographers, I wasn’t sure that I would like this one. But a ton of people thought I might, and they were right. This is a very thought provoking and moody tale. It reminds me of The Road and The Walking Dead but without the absolute bleakness of those stories. The story starts out pretty straight forward, but becomes weirder and weirder as we go along. At some point, the reader just has to accept the weirdness and keep moving forward. Many aspects of the shadowless are not explained, but that’s not really the point here. The point is an examination of how memories make us, how memories create our identities and allow us to live in the world. I found myself wondering about all the things that make up me. A much more thought provoking book than her later works.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Title: The Drift

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2023

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 340

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Published in 2013

Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. Evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They’ll need to work together to escape—with their sanity and secrets intact.

Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She’s in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board. They are heading to a place known only as “The Retreat,” but as the temperature drops and tensions mount, Meg realizes they may not all make it there alive.

Carter is gazing out the window of an isolated ski chalet that he and his companions call home. As their generator begins to waver in the storm, something hiding in the chalet’s depths threatens to escape, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails—for good.

The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg, and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater danger—one with the power to consume all of humanity.

What an absolute ride! Usually books billed as thrillers really fall flat for me. They just lack the oomph that I’m looking for or the characters are so incredibly unlikeable that I’m wishing all of them would get murdered. This one I went in blind except for a recommendation from my favorite podcast. The host purposely left the summary mostly hidden so as not to spoil the reveals and that’s exactly the way to go with this one. I dove in and immediately started piecing the big connections and storyline together. We are plopped right into the middle of a bus crash, a stalled ski lift gondola, and a mysterious locked “retreat.” From there, we have to understand exactly what is going on in the outside world, who each of the characters actually are, and how they intend to survive the situation and the elements. I got so wrapped up into the story that I ended up finishing this book in one day. I was completely along for the ride. Once the big reveals happen, I actually gasped out loud (I hardly ever do that.) It was just so good! A great book to end my work on.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

Title: The Stranded

Author: Sarah Daniels

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 2022

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Pages: 450

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Dystopian Fiction

Welcome to the Arcadia.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States―a leftover piece of a fractured USA.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.

When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever...

Another Currently Reading made me pick it up, but unlike the last one, this book did not land for me at all. Red flag #1: this is a Young Adult thriller. Somehow I totally missed this fact and came into the book expecting something very different. YA Thrillers are not usually my cup of tea and this definitely fits into that. Red flag #2: the main female protagonist is incredibly annoying. I could not stand her at all. And she never really grew throughout the book. I could not at all. Red flag #3: I never could really understand the world and why the rebellion was happening. Things just didn’t make sense to me at all. Random red flag #4: I somehow got through most of the book before realizing that Hadley was a full adult, and not the same age as Esther and Nik as I thought. The end result was a bit of a mess and a massive cliffhanger on the last page. I really really disliked this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer Vol. 3

Title: Snowpiercer Vol. 3: Terminus

Author: Olivier Bocquet , Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics 2016

Genre: Comic

Pages: 232

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

On a future, frozen Earth, humanity has been packed onto self-sustaining trains, doomed to circumnavigate the globe until the end of the interminable ice age - or until the engines give out.

When a scrap of music piques their interest, the inhabitants of the Icebreaker take the ultimate risk and cross the frozen ocean, a vast expanse with no train tracks... and no way to return to them.

This was the standout volume for me! We pick up right where Volume 2 left off and eventually find ourselves in a hidden world. I loved the imagination in the creation of this underground world. I loved the reveals as we finally understand what is happening with the mice. A much more thrilling story from start to finish. I only wish the art was a little less stark and dark.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer Vol. 2

Title: Snowpiercer Vol. 2: The Explorers

Author: Benjamin Legrand , Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics

Genre: Comic

Pages: 144

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train known as Snowpiercer while the outside world remains encased in ice.

The occupants aboard the Snowpiercer believed themselves to be the last humans alive, yet they soon learn that they are not alone. There is another train that could potentially spell destruction for the passengers of the Snowpiercer as it carves a trail through the endlessly freezing terrain. 

This second train houses a small band of people that are willing to brave the relentless cold in search of the truth and discover what is left of the world by any means necessary.

We get the next chapter in the Snowpiercer saga, but suddenly we’ve jumped forward in time and somehow are on a different train. There were multiple Snowpiercers? Very confusing… Once I settled in, I started to like the story, but there wasn’t enough there to keep my attention on high alert. I Don’t always need everything explained, but the utter lack of any explanations in this volume bothered me. And I’m still not a fan of the art at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowpiercer Vol. 1

Title: Snowpiercer Vol. 1: The Escape

Author: Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette

Publisher: Titan Comics 1984

Genre: Comic

Pages: 110

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train while the outside world remains encased in ice.

The surviving community are not without a social hierarchy; those that travel at the front of the train live in relative luxury whilst those unfortunate enough to be at the rear remain clustered like cattle in claustrophobic darkness. Yet, things are about to change aboard the train as passengers become disgruntled...

Okay, so I was very disappointed by the Prequels. The original comic was so much better. We get to actually see the train and the inhabitants. We find out the situation between all of the social classes. And events are set in motion to radically change the status quo. Although after reading this first volume, the prequels make even less sense. There was so much reconning it’s not even funny. Oh well.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

Title: Agnes at the End of the World

Author: Kelly McWilliams

Publisher: Little, Brown Books 2020

Genre: YA Scifi

Pages: 432

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Theme

Agnes loves her home of Red Creek -- its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town's strict laws. What she doesn't know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet.

Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn't a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek?

As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn't safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?

I started reading this book and had such high hopes. The first part of the book intrigued me. I find cults to be fascinating and I was very into learning more about the inner workings of the cult. I was on the edge of my seat through Agnes’s coming to terms with the lies she had been told. And I was desperate to see her escape the cult. But then, the book started taking a turn… and I got very concerned about the topics of the book. The second half of the book is all about Agnes accepting God (yes, uppercase G) and following his plan. SPOILER In fact, the book ends because Agnes realizes that she can cure the virus by becoming God’s new prophet. I was not prepared for this turn. The book became a whole story about accepting religion, a very specific religion. I just couldn’t. By the time I realized where this was going, I was 78% complete so I finished the book. Now I’m wishing that I didn’t.

Next up on the TBR pile:

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag

Title: After the Flood

Author: Kassandra Montag

Publisher: William Morrow 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 432

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America’s great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.

Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Arctic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.

On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world. But secrets, lust, and betrayals threaten their dream, and after their fortunes take a shocking—and bloody—turn, Myra can no longer ignore the question of whether saving Row is worth endangering Pearl and her fellow travelers.

I heard great things about this book and the author is from my town. I sped through the pages wanting to see what happened to the characters, but ultimately I didn’t really care about them. Most of the characters had too many flaws and not enough redeeming qualities. The amount of secrets kept really grated on me throughout the book. I was not so enamored with the world setting even though post-apocalypse is one of my go-to settings. And the ending really fell flat for me. I just couldn’t seem to muster any concern for the characters or their futures. I was constantly confused by the tone of the book and still can’t decide if it was optimistic or pessimistic. Definitely not a book for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Title: Across a Star-Swept Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2)

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 2013

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages: 469

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - YA Retellings; I Love Libraries;  Seasonal Series - Duology

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction--the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars--is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries' weapon is a drug that damages their enemies' brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo... is her most dangerous mission ever.

Hmmm.... so I loved the first book in this duology (For Darkness Shows the Stars), but this retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel just didn't wow me. I couldn't quite connect to any of the main characters. I was not completely on board with the terminology used throughout. The first book felt like a logical adaptation of a classic work redone into a post-apocalyptic world. This one felt a little too fantasy/candy-colored future for me. My mind wandered throughout attempting to get through the pages. Just really not my cup of tea. 

For Darkness... Short Stories by Diana Peterfreund

Title: Among the Nameless Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars #0.5)

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Publisher: 2013

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages: 54

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

Four years before the events of FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS, the servant Kai left the North Estate, the only home he’d ever known, and Elliot North, the only girl he ever loved, in search of a better life. But the journey was not an easy one.

Loved this little short story focusing on Kai's adventures directly after he left the North estate. I loved meeting some interesting characters and the overall progression of the story. 

Title: The First Star to Fall (For Darkness Shows the Stars #1.5)

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Publisher: 2013

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages: 34

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

New Pacifica was designed to be a tropical paradise, a refuge for humanity filled with natural wonders and technological marvels. A place of perfect peace where "war" was only a world out of history... or so the privileged teen Persis Blake was always taught.

But then comes the revolution and the death of a queen, and suddenly it's no longer enough for Persis to trust the words of her parents, the lessons of her teachers, and the decrees of the men in power. 

One terrible night, Persis witnesses the truth: there are those who will stop at nothing to destroy her world... but is there anyone who can save it?

So this was definitely a departure from the pervious story. I'm intrigued by where this is going... Guess it's time to pick up the companion book.

For Darkness Shows the Stars

• #0.5 Among the Nameless Stars
• #1 For Darkness Shows the Stars
• #1.5 The First Star to Fall
• #2 Across a Star-Swept Sea

Next up on the TBR pile:

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Title: For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars #1)

Author: Diana Peterfreund

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 2012

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages: 407

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - 365 Young Adult, YA Retellings; A to Z - F; Seasonal Series - Free Space

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go. 

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

I remember hearing about this adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion when it was published, but promptly forgot about it. Thank goodness I saw it on my perpetual lists and finally got it from the library. This is such.a treat! Peterfreund has taken the amazing story of Anne Elliott and Captain Wentworth and set it in another time and place. We still get the social commentary on social classes, but now it's in a post-apocalyptic society. We get an interesting society to explore and fun side characters to liven up the party. We get a bit of mystery concerning the Fleet Posts. And we get the amazing spirit and courage of this books Anne, Elliott North. I sped through this volume just waiting for the letter from Wentworth, Wentforth, to Anne, Elliott. And I wasn't disappointed. I'm very interested to see what Peterfreund does in the sequel, but first, I think I'll read the two short stories. 

For Darkness Shows the Stars

• #0.5 Among the Nameless Stars
• #1 For Darkness Shows the Stars
• #1.5 The First Star to Fall
• #2 Across a Star-Swept Sea

Next up on the TBR pile:

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

Title: Birthmarked

Author: Caragh O'Brien

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press 2010

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 361

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Popsugar - Ugly Cover; Seasonal Series - On My Shelf For Years

Sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone and her mother faithfully deliver their quota of three infants every month. But when Gaia's mother is brutally taken away by the very people she serves, Gaia must question whether the Enclave deserves such loyalty. A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

Overall a real disappointment for me. I usually like post-apocalyptic fantasies, but this one was just way too familiar. A world ravaged by climate change? Check. Society divided for the "good fo the people"? Check. Clothes colored for position in society and fertility issues a la The Handmaid's Tale? Check. The future of the society hinging on one young girl? Check. The result was fairly boring. I just didn't connect to any of the characters. I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next. I just didn't really care. I'm sure there are people out there that loved this one. I just found it very boring and won't be continuing the series. At least, I got one more book off my unread shelves. 

Birthmarked

• #1 Birthmarked
• #1.5 Tortured
• #2 Prized
• #2.5 Ruled
• #3 Promised

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Title: The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

Author: James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 361

Rating: 3/5 stars  Movie: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NPR YA, 100 YA); Book to Movie

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

I didn't have super high expectations for this sequel, but I was still disappointed. There's too much misdirection and confusion. I didn't feel that the characters grew at all. We just get nonstop action for 361 pages. Overall, I just wasn't interested in the book...

Title: The Scorch Trials: The Graphic Novel Prelude

Author: James Dashner

Publisher: kaBoom 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy, Comic

Pages: 96

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Randomly saw this on the shelf and grabbed it. The volume contains a few different short comics about people and events before The Scorch Trials. I loved the story centering on the creation of WICKED and the big players. Plus we get some interesting insight into Brenda and Jorge. I actually liked this volume more than The Scorch Trials.

Movie:

J and I finally watched the movie last night and basically picked it apart the entire time. I'm so not impressed with the movie. They changed a ton of major events and added some characters. I was so confused the entire time. And the victims of the Flare? Atrocious! The filmmakers went all Resident Evil with them when I saw them more like Reavers from Firefly... As J said, "by tomorrow, I will have forgotten the entire movie." Yep, my thoughts exactly...

The Maze Runner

• #0.5 The Kill Order
• #0.6 The Fever Code
• #1 The Maze Runner
• #2 The Scorch Trials
• #2.5 Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare
• #3 The Death Cure
• #3.5 The Maze Runner Files

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Title: Station Eleven

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Publisher: Knopf Books 2014

Genre: Fantasy -- post-apocalypse

Pages: 333

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Popsugar - Dystopian Novel (although I would classify as post-apocalyptic...); Women Authors

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

I've heard such great things about this book. Finally picked it up at the library as one of my random choices for February. I sped through this one, reading it in two days while home sick. At first, I felt like Mandel was telling too many unrelated stories, but quickly it became apparent that all these stories were connected. We just had to dig into these characters to see the connections. Pretty soon, I was deep into their characters and their survival (or non-survival as the case may be). I was fascinated by the recurring appearance of water and its importance to the character. I loved the Shakespeare connection. While the plot focuses on survival in a post-apocalyptic world, I felt like the book was really focused on the human condition. We dug deep into these characters, finding out their motivations, secrets, and dreams. I loved it! Kirsten was such a great main character. I wanted to spend so much more time with her. Highly recommend.

The Postman by David Brin

Title: The Postman

Author: David Brin

Publisher: Bantam Books 1985

Genre: Scifi - Post-Apocalyptic

Pages: 428

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Dystopian; New Author; ebook; 52 Books - W22

How I Got It: iPad read

He was a survivor--a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war.  Fate touches him one chill winter's day when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker to protect himself from the cold.  The old, worn uniform still has power as a symbol of hope, and with it he begins to weave his greatest tale, of a nation on the road to recovery.

Another science fiction book J has been bugging me to read for the past few years.  I went into it skeptical, but was hooked after Gordon's first encounter on the mountain.  I immediately latched onto this reluctant hero, the pretend postman, who eventually becomes something much more than a man.  I loved the discussions of society and civilization.  I loved seeing the different sides argue about which way was right. I even liked the gender arguments (although I must say Brin paints feminism in a very specific manner that I personally disagree with).  The characters are intriguing.  The action sequences kept me on the edge of my seat.  And by the end, I was rooting for the band of misfits to beat to the survivalists and remake a nation.

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2)

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press 2012

Genre: Post-Apocalypse

Pages: 584

Rating:  4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA

How I Got It: Netgalley

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

I have a major confession to make: I just didn't love this one as much as the first, Ashfall.  It had ongoing adrenaline.  It had suspense.  It had heart.  And yet, there was something wrong with it.  After spending a few minutes thinking, I finally can down to the conclusion that Alex made one too many stupid decisions.  I was excited to see Alex grow as a character throughout the first book.  It was something you just don't see in many YA novels.  I loved that aspect even more than the natural disaster parts (and I love me some natural disaster stories).  So I expected Alex to continue growing throughout the second novel.  But it just didn't happen.  Starting with his determination to catch the wheat barges on the Mississippi, he continued to make stupid decisions. I just wanted to smack him way too many times.  Don't get me wrong, overall I love this series.  If there's another book in the series, I will definitely be reading it.

Ashfall

• #1 Ashfall
• #2 Ashen Winter
• #3 Sunrise

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall (Ashfall #1)

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press 2011

Genre: Post-Apocalypse

Pages: 476

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA

How I Got It: Library Loan

Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the Earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when the supervolcano erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter.

Wow!  I think that was the scariest post-apocalypse novel I have ever read.  It has everything you would want: romance, thrills, suspense, joy, mystery.  I couldn't put it down.  In fact, I sped through it in only two days.  I didn't think I was going to finish another book for July, but I did.  Now I have to revise my monthly wrap-up post.  (Such a chore...)  Anyway, back to the book.  Mullin creates a crazily realistic world after the eruption of a super volcano.  I can just imagine the horrors some people would inflict on others just as can imagine the kindness of others (like Elroy and Edna, loved them).  It was also a great coming-of-age story.  Alex starts the story as a sullen teenager quick to fight with his parents and focus on the trivial.  Throughout his journey, every obstacle and accomplishment help him grow into a strong, determined young adult.  I loved seeing his changes.  Darla is a great foil for Alex.   They are so different, and yet find they compliment one another.  I can't wait to read what happens in the sequel, Ashen Winter.

Side note: Mullin lists a few great books on super volcanos in the back.  I've actually read one of them, Krakatoa.  It was an amazingly written account of the legendary eruption gleaned from a variety of sources.  I added the other books to my never-ending TBR list.

Ashfall

• #1 Ashfall
• #2 Ashen Winter
• #3 Sunrise