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tashva's review
2.0
Not very well written, and the conflict wasn't believable. Editing wasn't awesome as weapons changed from bows and arrows to slingshots and broken boards moved to different sides of bridges. Facial expressions didn't match conversations.
wildflowerz76's review
3.0
Hm. Well. I'm not quite sure what I think. This one was rather readable. However, somewhere around the time when Del came back, I lost interest. There was some behavior that was pretty obviously indicating treachery, yet no one saw it. The story felt like there was a lot missing.
reigna's review
2.0
Disappointing post-apocalyptic novel with flat characters and a plot more centered on a love triangle than surviving the dangers and trials the characters are put through.
mona254's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, it wasn't one of my favorite. But I think I'll pick up the next one, if there is a next one. It started off slow and I was desperate for some action, then it got better. I think I liked the romance more than anything :)
megobennett's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty interesting premise for a book. The main character was a strong female character who wasn't completely clueless which was a nice change of pace; however, the ending of the book was kind of ehhhh....
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
lmhwright's review against another edition
2.0
Promising concept. Couldn't stand the hyper-realism in the writing - every creak, cut, and trickle in described in overt detail. It was too much work to struggle through this serious dose of exposition.
mountie9's review against another edition
4.0
The Good Stuff
* characters are pretty realistic for a dystopian book
* Good character development with Lucy. At the beginning I really didn't like her, but she developed and grew and by the end I was cheering for her
* intriguing secondary characters that I would have liked to have more of
* Love the cover, would have picked it up for that alone
* Intriguing and creepy beginning hooks you into the story
* Fantastic job at setting the mood and the landscape. At times when I stopped reading I became disjointed because I felt so much a part of their world
* The landscape is almost another character in the story, its almost haunting
* Story was nice and fast paced and kept you intrigued with what was going to happen next
* Some nice dry humour
The Not so Good Stuff
* Needed some more back-story to characters - might have worked better as a trilogy or at least a book 1 and 2 - but hey I'm just being selfish and wanting more
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Instead of globe-eyed aliens or a gigantic meteorite headed straight for Earth, it was the resurgence of a killer disease that had reduced the global population to less than 1 percent of what it had been within three short months. Eating healthy, exercising, living in a big house, driving a fancy car - none of that mattered at all. The pox took almost everybody, and it seemed that people between the ages of thirty and sixty died faster and harder than anyone."
"You're a lot like Del," he said. "Hot-tempered. What's the nice word? Impetuous." His mouth twisted into a wry grin.
"She estimated that she was around Second Avenue and 92nd Street, although acres of road and earth had been shifted in the big quake,the landscape completely reconfigured. Sometimes she thought it looked as if a toddler had built a city out of blocks and then knocked them all down in a rage."
What I Learned
* Must get me a Survival handbook - or I am a goner if this particular scenario came true
* Have no urge to ever eat Turtle
Who should/shouldn't read
* Just sayin, probably not a good one to read after 5 days of continuous rain, it will freak you out (trust me, it was creepy reading it when the weather was so crappy here)
* This one is pretty intense, not for the sensitive reader
* Obviously fans of Dystopian fiction will enjoy
4 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
* characters are pretty realistic for a dystopian book
* Good character development with Lucy. At the beginning I really didn't like her, but she developed and grew and by the end I was cheering for her
* intriguing secondary characters that I would have liked to have more of
* Love the cover, would have picked it up for that alone
* Intriguing and creepy beginning hooks you into the story
* Fantastic job at setting the mood and the landscape. At times when I stopped reading I became disjointed because I felt so much a part of their world
* The landscape is almost another character in the story, its almost haunting
* Story was nice and fast paced and kept you intrigued with what was going to happen next
* Some nice dry humour
The Not so Good Stuff
* Needed some more back-story to characters - might have worked better as a trilogy or at least a book 1 and 2 - but hey I'm just being selfish and wanting more
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Instead of globe-eyed aliens or a gigantic meteorite headed straight for Earth, it was the resurgence of a killer disease that had reduced the global population to less than 1 percent of what it had been within three short months. Eating healthy, exercising, living in a big house, driving a fancy car - none of that mattered at all. The pox took almost everybody, and it seemed that people between the ages of thirty and sixty died faster and harder than anyone."
"You're a lot like Del," he said. "Hot-tempered. What's the nice word? Impetuous." His mouth twisted into a wry grin.
"She estimated that she was around Second Avenue and 92nd Street, although acres of road and earth had been shifted in the big quake,the landscape completely reconfigured. Sometimes she thought it looked as if a toddler had built a city out of blocks and then knocked them all down in a rage."
What I Learned
* Must get me a Survival handbook - or I am a goner if this particular scenario came true
* Have no urge to ever eat Turtle
Who should/shouldn't read
* Just sayin, probably not a good one to read after 5 days of continuous rain, it will freak you out (trust me, it was creepy reading it when the weather was so crappy here)
* This one is pretty intense, not for the sensitive reader
* Obviously fans of Dystopian fiction will enjoy
4 Dewey's
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
zoemig's review
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari takes place in the near future when mother nature has gotten her revenge on the planet. Everything from tsunamis to drought to earthquakes to plague destroys the majority of the population. Left behind are the survivors, mostly kept safe from recent vaccinations either in childhood or old age, the mutated smallpox plague has wiped out most of the adults leaving behind the children and elderly. Sixteen-year-old Lucy is one of the lucky one percent left behind, and for the past year she has survived alone in the wilds of Central Park in the wreckage of New York City. However, a chance encounter with another teenager, Aidan, who saves her from a pack of hunting dogs, makes Lucy realize she can't always do everything on her own. Lucy joins Aidan and a band of other survivors, but the dangers, including Sweepers who rid the streets of plague victims and the ever present threat of mutation leading to another plague wave, are only beginning.
After reading so many dystopia novels in the last year, I really thought Ashes, Ashes would be quite similar. However, Treggiari has definitely delved into a different and unique niche with her post-apocalyptic fiction- in this book it is not the government that people have to worry about, but the world itself. The novel is jam-packed full of disasters of every kind imaginable, which makes for an intense and thrilling page-turner. Lucy makes a good main character and heroine because she is brave but not flawless, she has beaten incredible odds but she still sometimes trips or cuts herself by accident. In many ways, Lucy reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games for her strength and perseverance, refusing to give up even in tough situations. Treggiari also manages to include lots of little bits of interesting survival information that adds colour to the novel, everything from how to kill a turtle to using a hammer as a weapon.
I really enjoyed the pacing of Ashes, Ashes and I think it is definitely one of those good books for reluctant readers because of the amount of action and excitement in the book. However, because there is so much going on there were a few times when I wished for a little more description. I was also a bit let down by the resolution of the book, there were was just so much foreshadowing that even if it wasn't the sort of "twist" that I had guessed from almost the first chapter, I think it would have been hard not to get way before you reached the ending of the book. That said, the intended audience is definitely a little younger than me, and they have probably also seen a few less post-apocalyptic movies, so maybe it will satisfy them better. What I did find refreshing about how Ashes, Ashes ended was that it worked perfectly as a stand-alone novel, at a time when every book I pick up seems to be a part of a series, it was nice to get a complete story from Treggiari. There is potential for a sequel to follow Ashes, Ashes, and while I'd certainly enjoy another exciting novel with the stubborn but courageous Lucy, Treggiari has me hooked on her intense storytelling and I will definitely pick up whatever she publishes next.
After reading so many dystopia novels in the last year, I really thought Ashes, Ashes would be quite similar. However, Treggiari has definitely delved into a different and unique niche with her post-apocalyptic fiction- in this book it is not the government that people have to worry about, but the world itself. The novel is jam-packed full of disasters of every kind imaginable, which makes for an intense and thrilling page-turner. Lucy makes a good main character and heroine because she is brave but not flawless, she has beaten incredible odds but she still sometimes trips or cuts herself by accident. In many ways, Lucy reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games for her strength and perseverance, refusing to give up even in tough situations. Treggiari also manages to include lots of little bits of interesting survival information that adds colour to the novel, everything from how to kill a turtle to using a hammer as a weapon.
I really enjoyed the pacing of Ashes, Ashes and I think it is definitely one of those good books for reluctant readers because of the amount of action and excitement in the book. However, because there is so much going on there were a few times when I wished for a little more description. I was also a bit let down by the resolution of the book, there were was just so much foreshadowing that even if it wasn't the sort of "twist" that I had guessed from almost the first chapter, I think it would have been hard not to get way before you reached the ending of the book. That said, the intended audience is definitely a little younger than me, and they have probably also seen a few less post-apocalyptic movies, so maybe it will satisfy them better. What I did find refreshing about how Ashes, Ashes ended was that it worked perfectly as a stand-alone novel, at a time when every book I pick up seems to be a part of a series, it was nice to get a complete story from Treggiari. There is potential for a sequel to follow Ashes, Ashes, and while I'd certainly enjoy another exciting novel with the stubborn but courageous Lucy, Treggiari has me hooked on her intense storytelling and I will definitely pick up whatever she publishes next.
booksandbraids's review against another edition
2.0
So. It had great promise. But it sort of just failed epicly at the end.
As soon as Del and all them got taken it went downhill quick. Maybe if there really was a sequel, then it could save itself in future books, but I have a feeling a sequel will never be finished and those three chapters on her website are all we are gonna get (I'm not even gonna bother reading it)
So much more should have been done with the whole "Lucy's blood is special" thing. It could have been developed in a much better way.
I had gotten this book because I was at goodwill and there was a deal where it was so many books for so much and I wanted Looking for Alaska so I figured I would get whatever the deal was. This book looked promising and it was a pre-release review copy so I thought that was pretty cool.
As soon as Del and all them got taken it went downhill quick. Maybe if there really was a sequel, then it could save itself in future books, but I have a feeling a sequel will never be finished and those three chapters on her website are all we are gonna get (I'm not even gonna bother reading it)
So much more should have been done with the whole "Lucy's blood is special" thing. It could have been developed in a much better way.
I had gotten this book because I was at goodwill and there was a deal where it was so many books for so much and I wanted Looking for Alaska so I figured I would get whatever the deal was. This book looked promising and it was a pre-release review copy so I thought that was pretty cool.
sleepseeker's review against another edition
3.0
This book was just ok, it had some good parts but it just meh. I felt like I've read this before and I just wasn't excited about it like I am with other books.
Overall it wasn't a terrible book, but I've read better books.
Overall it wasn't a terrible book, but I've read better books.