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A review by thepennotthesword
Feast of Ashes by Victoria Williamson
4.0
Set a century in the future, after an environmental disaster has caused Africa to be inhabitable, this young adult sci-fi / fantasy dystopian novel focuses on Adina who believes she has caused the deaths of 14,756 people, by not completing the maintenance tasks she was given. What follows is the fight for survival of Adina, our 16 year old FMC, as well as her six other companions; including an old man and his dog, her two sisters, her best friend, and her crush, as they make their way across the wastelands in an attempt to reach sanctuary.
This book reminded me of the 2010s dystopian novels, like The Maze Runner and Gone series. It was a lot darker than I expected, but this really added to the tension and suspense the characters, and by extension the reader, felt as you followed their adventure.
Adina is a character I couldn’t help but hate in the beginning, but this was an original concept as in most books I have read, they are designed so that you like and therefore root for the main character. Adina is an incredibly complex character and because of this, feels all too real. Someone who you can enjoy reading about, but experience anger, shock and annoyance at too. But through this decision, the author allows us to see Adina grow over the course of the book, from a spiteful and self-involved main character, to a character who will do anything for those she loves.
There was a lot of foreshadowing, especially at the ends of chapters, which kept me invested and meant that I just couldn’t put the book down! A little foreshadowing nugget would be dropped at the end of a chapter, kind of like a mini cliffhanger, which meant i just couldn’t not turn the page! I had to read it in one sitting and find out how it was all going to end!
The ending was so shocking - definitely one I didn’t anticipate - and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. This first book in the Feast of Ashes trilogy is a great book one, and sets up the series brilliantly, wrapping up most of the first book but still leaving you with unanswered questions. I will definitely be continuing this series!
This book reminded me of the 2010s dystopian novels, like The Maze Runner and Gone series. It was a lot darker than I expected, but this really added to the tension and suspense the characters, and by extension the reader, felt as you followed their adventure.
Adina is a character I couldn’t help but hate in the beginning, but this was an original concept as in most books I have read, they are designed so that you like and therefore root for the main character. Adina is an incredibly complex character and because of this, feels all too real. Someone who you can enjoy reading about, but experience anger, shock and annoyance at too. But through this decision, the author allows us to see Adina grow over the course of the book, from a spiteful and self-involved main character, to a character who will do anything for those she loves.
There was a lot of foreshadowing, especially at the ends of chapters, which kept me invested and meant that I just couldn’t put the book down! A little foreshadowing nugget would be dropped at the end of a chapter, kind of like a mini cliffhanger, which meant i just couldn’t not turn the page! I had to read it in one sitting and find out how it was all going to end!
The ending was so shocking - definitely one I didn’t anticipate - and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. This first book in the Feast of Ashes trilogy is a great book one, and sets up the series brilliantly, wrapping up most of the first book but still leaving you with unanswered questions. I will definitely be continuing this series!