Ashfall by Mike Mullan

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.
Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.


Goodreads Summary

Another great 2011 dystopian!  If you're a reader who loves action mixed with romance, this is the book for you.  Alex is the main character.  He is easy to connect to and fun to read about.  When Yellowstone erupts, the world is thrown into chaos.  Alex desperately needs to find his family, who were away when the eruption took place.  He leaves his home with just enough to cover his basic survival and begins to pick his way out of the ash.

He comes across many odd and dangerous people along the way.  One of them being the eventual love interest.  He stays with her and her mother until yet another bad events occurs and the two take off.  The reader will love watching their relationship develop, even though they were thrown together due to the eruption, the reader will still feel as if they truly love each other.  Often, male characters miss the mark, but author Mike Mullan manages to infuse Alex with just the right amount of young, strong "teen boy" that will make the reader believe they are hearing the story from a teenage boy. 

The book reads quickly, the reader will likely finish within a day or two of starting.  There are many high-energy, exciting scenes that will have the reader rooting for Alex.  The ending is both satisfying and will leave the reader wanting more-which he/she will find is coming up soon in a sequel!  This book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars


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