Books of Amber

10 October 2012

WoW: White Lines by Jennifer Banash

White Lines by Jennifer Banash
Release Date: April 4, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Goodreads

09 October 2012

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)

08 October 2012

New Releases: October 9 - 15, 2012

I'm back! I hope you all had a great week, because I certainly did. I missed blogging and discussing books, though. And reading, because I haven't been able to read properly since Tuesday!

All links go to Goodreads.

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

This is a book about time travel and it sounds AWESOME.

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

All I know about this one is that it's about mythological warriors. EEP!

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay

This is the sequel to Juliet Immortal.

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

I have a copy of this! I'm so excited to read it, it sounds great. There's magic, feuds and all that good stuff!

The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab

This sounds really interesting. It's about a girl whose older sister moves back into the family home and the older sister acts like a total stranger. Lots of sibling rivalry and mystery!

The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges

This is a sequel.

Winter White by Jen Calonita

This is the sequel to Belles, which came out a little while ago. And I still haven't read it. Oops!

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

EEEEEEP! I read and adored Ashfall a couple of months ago, and this is the sequel to that. I've read it already and LOVED it. It's so well written, and has some really uncomfortable moments which, to be honest, I love. My review is coming up tomorrow, so look out for that!

Let me know which books you're looking forward to this week! Have you read any of the prequels to these releases?

02 October 2012

I'm Off to London...

... to stay with some friends. I doubt there will be any posts from me until Monday. I was trying to schedule some things, but then I got distracted by the amount of things I need to sort out before I leave. Sorry about that.

But here, have this picture of shirtless Dylan as a temporary parting gift. See you next week!

01 October 2012

New Releases: October 2 - 8, 2012

Disclaimer: I got the dates from Goodreads, so I can't be sure how accurate they are. Hopefully I got them right, though!

Feedback by Robison Wells

I haven't read Variant yet, but a couple of my friends have loved it! Now that the second book is out, I might buy them both together.

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

I first heard of this a while back, and while it didn't really intrigue me then, it certainly does now! It's about parallel worlds, which is a concept that I ADORE.

Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean

This is set in high school, is slightly paranormal and is written in verse. I'm not planning on checking it out immediately, but it's definitely on my list!

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

I read this a couple of weeks ago and loved it! I thought it was a bit cliché in regards to the plot, but the world and the writing were A+.