Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
Ashfall #2
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Source: Netgalley
Rating: Essential

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. - Goodreads

It's hard to pull off a sequel when the first book is so brilliant, but Mike Mullin pretty much did it. I didn't enjoy Ashen Winter quite as much as Ashfall, but I definitely still loved it. 

The main draw for this book is the post apocalyptic setting. Everyone is still struggling to survive after the super volcano has erupted, and food is getting scarce in some places. Alex, the main character, finally leaves the farm to search for his parents, who left to look for him in the previous book. Alex and Darla travel around the state, and that means that the reader gets to read about how other towns are coping, and also what gangs have formed. 

Darla isn't in this book as much, which was a little disappointing. She was my favourite character in Ashfall, so it's a shame we don't get to see more of her in this. I'm kind of hoping for a novella so that I can read about what she got up to when she wasn't with Alex, and how she managed to survive. 

I must applaud Mike Mullin on his ability to make me feel extremely uncomfortable. There are not many writers that can do that, and still have me love their work. I mentioned in my review of Ashfall that some scenes were hard to read, but they were nothing compared with the scenes in this book. There is a lot of talk of prostitution and sex slaves that made a great story and provided some really great scenes (which sounds totally weird now I've put it like that, but I didn't mean it that way, I promise!) but like I said some parts made me very uneasy.

The ending was absolutely epic. Action packed, fast paced and gripping. I may have shed some tears for certain characters, who I won't name, despite seeing their fate coming from a mile away. It was so sad. And then there was the VERY end, which I also won't spoil (obviously), but it's left me wanting more. I cannot wait for book three! 

The Ashfall Trilogy: 

1. Ashfall

2. Ashen Winter

3. Untitled (2013)

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Ashfall by Mike Mullin
Ashfall #1
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Source: Bought
Rating: Essential

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. Goodreads

There needs to be more disaster novels like this one! I don't know about you, but I love reading about natural disasters in fiction, because I love reading about how the government reacts, how the 'normal' people find the strength to survive and all that jazz.

Ashfall is action packed and quicks off right from the start when a huge rock (from the supervolcano) hits Alex's house and he's forced to leave. His parents had left earlier that day to go to his uncle's farm, so Alex is left worrying over them and he's desperate to find them.

Mike Mullin certainly knows how to pack a punch. There are so many gory scenes in this book, it's not for the faint hearted, and the author does an amazing job of making you feel for the characters involved. I felt ill at some points because, while the descriptions weren't overly graphic, there were some shocking moments and it really made my stomach tighten.

Trigger warning: While the act is not described, there is implied rape. I wanted to give a warning because some people may feel extremely unsettled by it.

Ashfall is a fantastic adventure story that will stay with me for a long time. Alex was a great character, and while he was a bit hopeless at the beginning, he really started to learn from his mistakes by the end. I should hope so, too, because those mistakes nearly got him killed numerous times.

I loved Alex's relationship with Darla. It didn't feel forced in the slightest and they really took their time to fall for each other. It was obvious it was coming, but I started to root for them way before it happened. Darla was the perfect match for Alex, and I really feel that they balance each other out. Darla is a BAMF!

I highly suggest reading this book if you're a fan of adventure novels, or if you're looking for a great story told from a guy's point of view. Those are rare in YA! I don't think there's anything I didn't like about this book because I was kept entertained all the way through.

I can't wait to read the second novel which comes out in October of this year!

The Ashfall trilogy:

1. Ashfall

2. Ashen Winter

3. Untitled