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melt27's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
alicebme's review
4.0
Oh my. I couldn't decide whether I should put this in my middle school library or not. There are a couple of intense scenes involving violence against women. Books like this make me think that I need a really clear collection policy, at least in my own mind. Anyway, this book was a page turner, and I just whipped through it the moment I picked it up at Powells (10 year anniversary splurge!). I even read it on the airplane, which was intense. I know airplanes aren't directly related to explosions of supervolcanoes, but they do present me with freaky scenarios, and I usually don't combine books that make me uncomfortable with situations that make me uncomfortable.
book_concierge's review
3.0
3.5***
From the book jacket: 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 alone for the weekend means freedom from his parents and the chance to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek, searching for his family.
My reactions:
As post-apocalyptic novels go, I found this one is pretty interesting, engaging and compelling. I was quickly drawn in by Alex and his situation. Harrowing is certainly the right word for Alex’s journey in search of his family. But he’s smart, resilient, and trained in taekwondo. He also happens on a few people who will help him. He is, after all, only fifteen (“almost sixteen” he reminds us). First, his neighbors who take him in when his house is hit by a large piece of molten rock, and later by townsfolk and strangers who agree to share their own meager supplies in return for his labor.
Make no mistake, however, the journey is difficult in the extreme, and he runs into many dangerous people, including some who one would think would be helpful. Fortunately, at a critical point he comes across Darla Edmunds and her mother, who are managing (just) on their farm, thanks in part to Darla’s gift for mechanical invention.
Darla and Alex make a great team. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Where one is rash, the other is deliberate and cool under pressure. More importantly, they are fiercely loyal to one another.
Although this ends in a sort of cliff-hanger (it’s the first in a series), I forgive Mullin for that. Mostly because I want more of Darla. She is one strong female lead!
From the book jacket: 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 alone for the weekend means freedom from his parents and the chance to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek, searching for his family.
My reactions:
As post-apocalyptic novels go, I found this one is pretty interesting, engaging and compelling. I was quickly drawn in by Alex and his situation. Harrowing is certainly the right word for Alex’s journey in search of his family. But he’s smart, resilient, and trained in taekwondo. He also happens on a few people who will help him. He is, after all, only fifteen (“almost sixteen” he reminds us). First, his neighbors who take him in when his house is hit by a large piece of molten rock, and later by townsfolk and strangers who agree to share their own meager supplies in return for his labor.
Make no mistake, however, the journey is difficult in the extreme, and he runs into many dangerous people, including some who one would think would be helpful. Fortunately, at a critical point he comes across Darla Edmunds and her mother, who are managing (just) on their farm, thanks in part to Darla’s gift for mechanical invention.
Darla and Alex make a great team. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Where one is rash, the other is deliberate and cool under pressure. More importantly, they are fiercely loyal to one another.
Although this ends in a sort of cliff-hanger (it’s the first in a series), I forgive Mullin for that. Mostly because I want more of Darla. She is one strong female lead!
maryquitecontrary_22's review
2.0
This book was sort of a disappointment for me for falling short of my high expectations. I love the premise of the Yellowstone volcano eruption and subsequent chaos, but I didn't attach to the characters at all. What bothered me the most was the author's diction-- he would regularly throw in obscure vocabulary, which was off-putting, especially since it's a young adult novel and told in third person.
alex_watkins's review
3.0
What to say about this book? It was good but not great. The concept was good, the description of survivalism I always enjoy (aka the rummagig for canned food in an abandoned supermarket trope). It just didn't feel original enough, it was like a more explicit The Road. The opening is fantastic, from the house collapse, to the protagonists hiding out with his gay neighbors it felt new and exciting. But after he sets out on the road, our hero runs into a menacing series of cliches. Seriously can we get over the farmhouse off the highway bit with people that are alternatively welcoming/not welcoming (sometimes both!) Many times I had felt like, hey I've read this before.
It picks up again with a love interest, a horrific barn incident and some spoilers ahead FEMA camps. Though I was expecting this, I still wasn't quite expecting this. I added the dystopia to the genre because of the end. Essentially the US government has gone pretty bad in the wake of the mega-volcano and is totes putting people in FEMA camps. It's sort of a tea-partiers fever dream. The author avoids going too hard right by saying the government contracted out the FEMA camps to corporations who run them for-profit. So we can all be satisfied with the dysfunction of the government.
I may read the sequels, since I want to know what happens. Especially with the IRONY (seriously a bit heavy handed) at the end.
It picks up again with a love interest, a horrific barn incident and some spoilers ahead FEMA camps. Though I was expecting this, I still wasn't quite expecting this. I added the dystopia to the genre because of the end. Essentially the US government has gone pretty bad in the wake of the mega-volcano and is totes putting people in FEMA camps. It's sort of a tea-partiers fever dream. The author avoids going too hard right by saying the government contracted out the FEMA camps to corporations who run them for-profit. So we can all be satisfied with the dysfunction of the government.
I may read the sequels, since I want to know what happens. Especially with the IRONY (seriously a bit heavy handed) at the end.
earth2alaysia's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lynnea713's review
5.0
Absolutely loved it! I would love to read this to my students too (the author is coming to our school in December) but I think I'd have to skip a few parts. It's scary in the fact that this could happen but the characters are incredibly realistic.
Great storytelling!!! I can't wait for the sequel!
Great storytelling!!! I can't wait for the sequel!
kimlynn77's review
4.0
I really hope the super volcano in Yosemite National Park does not blow up in my lifetime!
ajb24's review
4.0
I really liked this book. I loved how it started out quickly. It didn't go on about Alex and his life and stuff; it was just "Alex was at home when bam! volcano explodes" and then Alex has to figure out what to do. That way the entire book was just about his survival.
Now I know that a super volcano has not exploded and/or been recorded in human history, so we have no way of knowing what it's actually like, but I could tell that the author did his research. It was very descriptive and plausible. The descriptiveness and plausibility added to the story line and I always wanted to continue reading.
The characters were great too. I loved Alex and Darla separately and together they were also really amazing. I didn't expect to like Darla because at first she seemed pretty rude, but then she became my favourite character. I'm nothing like her, but she was strong and stubborn and smart and that was awesome.
So obviously, I really liked this book. I would definitely recommend it to a friend or someone who likes survival stories. Although (and maybe this is just me) I thought that the book pushed the boundaries of being "young adult" at times because there was a lot of violence/murder as well as some sexual content, but I didn't like the book any less because of it. I just wasn't expecting it when I first started.jeez I sound like I'm twelve years old
One of my new favourite books :)
Now I know that a super volcano has not exploded and/or been recorded in human history, so we have no way of knowing what it's actually like, but I could tell that the author did his research. It was very descriptive and plausible. The descriptiveness and plausibility added to the story line and I always wanted to continue reading.
The characters were great too. I loved Alex and Darla separately and together they were also really amazing. I didn't expect to like Darla because at first she seemed pretty rude, but then she became my favourite character. I'm nothing like her, but she was strong and stubborn and smart and that was awesome.
So obviously, I really liked this book. I would definitely recommend it to a friend or someone who likes survival stories. Although (and maybe this is just me) I thought that the book pushed the boundaries of being "young adult" at times because there was a lot of violence/murder as well as some sexual content, but I didn't like the book any less because of it. I just wasn't expecting it when I first started.
One of my new favourite books :)