Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the World of Ash Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the full blog tour schedule! :D
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Title: World of Ash
Author: Shauna Granger
Release date: December 2nd 2013
Genre: New Adult, Post-apocalyptic
Source: Review Copy
~ Synopsis ~
There are two inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are real.
The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne, Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance to stay alive.
That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life - if they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles of burning, pox-ridden bodies.
~ My Thoughts ~
My Rating: 5 / 5
My first reaction is wow! World of Ash is my first book by Shauna Granger, and it definitely won't be my last. Her writing is fantastic, and the world she built is so realistic it's scary. The idea of the Pestas - some sort of monsters who infected and caused the plague that's wiped out most of the population - really freaked me out. The plague is terrifying as it is without monsters spreading it around. It was a nice break from zombies, which if you hear me saying that, then you know this book has to be good.
I thought it was different how Kat was living a happy and privileged life before the apocalypse - many times the main character in a post-apocalyptic world possessed skills that would enable her/him to face the hell that has become the world. But in Kat's case, she was living a cushy life before and has no delusions that she didn't have any idea how to survive in the beginning. That's what makes her character so impressive; she's struggled and fought to survive, learning along the way.
If I imagined what the world would be like after an apocalypse, this is the kind of world I think it would be. In World of Ash, the government takes action in ways that are so awful, I could feel Kat's emotions coming through the pages. Kat feared other human beings who were healthy as much as she did the plague and the Pestas.
Her mother was wise in warning her before she left that she wouldn't be able to trust other people. She finds an exception in Dylan, and I was happy she had companionship and help. I loved Dylan and Kat's relationship - they were partners in this new world, and each carried his/her own weight. They saved each other in so many ways. He's just the kind of guy you'd be lucky to have around in an apocalypse. He was naive at first, thinking the government would help healthy people, but Kat helped him see it's everyone for him or herself.
I loved World of Ash from it's front cover all the way through to the back cover. Kat and Dylan are two of my new favorite characters. Please tell me there's going to be a second book - I can't help wanting to find out what happens next!
~ Purchase Links ~
~ About the Author ~
Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, starring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.
~ Social Links ~
~ Giveaway ~
2 - Signed paperbacks of World of Ash (US Only)
2 - eBooks of World of Ash (INT)
Blog Tour hosted by:
Thank you so much! This is a great review! I just wanted to pop in and say, yes, there will be a follow up! This is the first in a planned trilogy :D
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Thanks so much - that's a huge compliment as a reviewer. :)
DeleteYes! Yes! Awesome - I wasn't 100% sure if it was going to be because on Goodreads it didn't have a #1 next to the title, lol, but I was hoping! :D
A-ha! So that's where the confusion is (you are not the only one asking this question)! Because GR changed their policy, I didn't create the book. I will investigate and see if I can fix that. Thanks for the heads up!
DeleteI didn't know GR changed that, too. They don't allow authors to add their own books anymore? Welcome, Shauna! :D Super excited for the next one plus the new series you're working on, too. :D
DeleteI so want to read this. You wrote a great review. Thanks for sharing. Now I want to read it even more.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'm glad to hear it, and I hope you get to read it asap! ;D
DeleteOops. Forgot to answer the question!
ReplyDeleteTo survive, I'd say find someone you can trust and stick together. And load yourself down with weapons, of course.
Hell yeah, I agree with you totally! :D I hope we never have to worry about this!
DeleteFantastic review, Jennifer! I'll have to give World of Ash a whirl. It sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Brandee! I hope you get a chance to read it soon - I absolutely adore this book! :D
DeleteI guess my tip would be take advantage of how time slows down when the world is going under. This sounds so good, Jennifer. First, I'm glad you loved it so much. Second, holy cow! It all sounds so plausible, disastrous plague, the government turning against the people, and monsters roaming free. Actual monsters? You always draw me into the read with your reviews, Jennifer. Gotta say, plague stories freak me out...except Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Oh good times. I hope all is well. Oh, and happy birthday to your daughter (if I'm remembering that correctly).
ReplyDeleteThanks Robyn! That's such a huge compliment - I'll take it, lol. ;D It freaked me out thinking about how quickly a plague like this could spread. It's described as a possible mutation of smallpox and spreads through the air. I didn't go into detail about the government turning on its own people - just wait until you find out what they do. It's horrific! I wanted that to be a surprise for everyone when they read this, to allow the full impact to sink in like it did for me.
DeleteLove Monty Python and the Holy Grail! Brilliant flick! :D
God you have a great memory! Her birthday is coming up on the 12th. I'll tell her you said happy birthday. My husband and kids have heard about you many times, lol, all good of course! :D