Ashen Winter (Ashfall #2)

Having just read Ashfall and Ashen Winter back to back, I can say without a doubt:

1) The "realness" of this story has scared the "you-know-what" outta me but Alex and Darla are two of the BEST characters in YA.

2) A zombie apocalypse would be a lot easier to survive than THIS. (I think)

3) #2 is merely a confidence boost for me because let's be honest, I'd be lucky to make it 48 hours before someone put me out of their misery. (Yes, you read that right.)

Ashen Winter picks up six months after the events of Ashfall and you'd think author Mike Mullin would've have run out of ideas about how to make this apocalyptic world worse than it already was, but no. Not only do Alex and Darla have to deal with a lack of food and resources, but winter has set in for what feels like forever. (That right there would be enough to take me out because winter and I are not friends.)

These really are some of the best characters YA has to offer and once again, I was immediately sucked into their story and their world. In fact, I'm pretty sure I held my breath the entire time I was reading. I was also treated to some pretty vivid nightmares, so thanks for that Mr. Mullin. ;)

Alex is a character who shows strength, kindness, and a willingness to help others even when it comes at great personal cost to himself. With all that he's forced to deal with, it's easy to forget he's only 16 but many times he shows more maturity and grace than the adults in this story. (They could stand to learn a few lessons from him.)

Darla is badas*! She's fierce, courageous and determined to survive despite the odds being stacked against her. She's like a superhero without a cape, although I've no doubt she could whip one up if she so desired. Her straightforwardness can seem harsh at times but walk a mile in her ice covered boots and your words might not be sugarcoated either.

The relationship between Alex and Darla may not be ideal but it is a good example of sacrificial love and loyalty. Not a stereotypical teen romance with hearts and flowers, theirs is more bonding over how to butcher a rabbit and outwitting a military outfit that should be trying to help them. Even with their challenges, there is a sweetness to what they share that's heart-achingly romantic at times.

Ashen Winter is a tough story to read because it could actually happen but I found the lawlessness (cannibalism, rape, murder) to be the scariest. A great deal of people have lost hope and are making choices based on fear, but there are some, like Alex, who recognize that moral responsibility doesn't change just because circumstances do.

Mike Mullin has done an exceptional job presenting a broken world in all it's ugliness without being overly graphic or grotesque. He's also managed to show the positive side of humanity trapped in darkness that's both encouraging and hopeful and I'm excited to see where this journey takes Alex and Darla next.

Ashen Winter is massive for a YA book, but don't let that put you off of reading this series. The 570 pages go by very quickly. I read most of this in just one evening. Mullin's book is jam-packed with action, explosions, cannibals, fighting and car chases. If you liked Ashfall, you will love Ashen Winter for its even colder vision of the future.

The thing that I love most about this series is Darla. She is straight up awesome. I also love that she was written by a male author. Alex is strong and does a lot of cool stunts in Ashen Winter, but he knows that his girlfriend is stronger and more capable than he is. And he loves it. You know I love a powerful heroine, and I love even more when people respect her for that strength.

Of course, this brings me to my second point: if I were Darla, I would have dropped Alex's ass so fast. The boy is like a magnet for destruction. He has all the worst plans. You can pretty much assume that anything that he has he will either give away or lose before he hardly gets to do anything with it. Except for his physical capabilities, the boy has no damn survival skills. Worse, he reacts entirely on instinct, without considering the inevitable consequences. People you don't know about to be attacked and you don't have weapons? Clearly you should step in. This could not possibly end poorly. Oh wait, yes it will, every single time. The journey is pretty much detour after detour as Alex continually makes the wrong choices.

One of the most monumental logic fails is the basic premise for Ashen Winter. In case you don't remember, at the end of Ashfall Darla and Alex finally made it to his Uncle's farm in Warren, only to discover that his parents' had set out to search for him. Bandits attack the farm and happen to have the gun Alex's dad was using. Thus, Alex decides that he simply must go hunt for his parents. This irritated me so much, because going to find people was what got us into this situation in the first place. Had his parents not gone searching for him, they would all be together now. The parents know where Warren is, and you don't know for sure where they are, so STAY PUT.

Despite my issue with Alex and his (lack of) reasoning, I really enjoyed reading Ashfall from beginning to end. Mullin's world building continues to be excellent and make me sincerely hope something like this doesn't happen (at least in my lifetime). Cannibalism has increased. Not only that, but as towns that were previously friendly run increasingly low on food, they begin to attack other towns. It's a person eat person world out there.

Adding some spice to Ashen Winter are a host of new characters. Although initially skeptical, I came to really appreciate Alyssa, who could have been a terrible stereotypical slut-shaming character. I hope to see her really develop in the next book. I also really enjoyed Ben, Alyssa's autistic and strategically brilliant brother. There are a couple of other folks that turn out to be surprisingly interesting, but I'll leave those for you to find and enjoy.

Readers that like their dystopias full of action will not want to miss out on Mullin's Ashfall Trilogy. I highly recommend this series to those who enjoy David MacInnis Gill's Black Hole Sun.