Sunrise

Starred review from March 1, 2014
Survivors must rebuild society in the conclusion to the Ashfall trilogy. After Stockton's invasion of Warren in Ashen Winter (2012), Warren's residents take refuge at Uncle Paul's farm. Determined to take back their town and unwilling to listen to teenagers who think the plan's tactically unsound, Mayor Petty leads a frontal assault on Stockton. It ends badly, but that gives Alex the chance to lead a bold, unexpected counterstrike. Once Warren's retaken, Petty disagrees with Alex's argument that they need to fortify against future assaults and manipulates Alex into running for mayor against him. Dirty politics create hostility toward Alex's family. They face abandoning more than just their farm for a defensible location. Their small group ingeniously battles long odds and starvation while creating their new home and greenhouse, necessitating daring stealth raids of Stockton's stockpile--raids with terrifying stakes. Throughout the novel, every decision has consequences, and characters must constantly decide what they are willing to pay. Reluctant Alex's leadership is presented as a burden rather than privilege, and his coming-of-age doesn't prevent other characters from shining. As the small community's population increases through new arrivals, everyone must learn not only trust, but how and when to forgive. The writing, even in transitory moments of peace, never lets readers forget that potential catastrophe lurks around every corner. A story about how hope is earned, as heart-pounding as it is heart-wrenching. (Speculative fiction. 14 & up)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Alex and Darla are still together and still fighting for survival in a postapocalyptic America in the third and, sadly, last book of this trilogy. Following a cataclysmic volcanic eruption and a devastating plunge into an ice-age, the teens have established a core group of survivors. Darla, with her gift for engineering, has cobbled together greenhouses, and the additional food and shelter have attracted both potential friends and enemies. In spite of his youth, Alex has developed into a charismatic leader but lacks the support of the older members of the community. Living on the knife-edge of extinction has taken its toll on the pair physically and emotionally, and enemies from within and without besiege them relentlessly. Themes of cannibalism, torture, sexuality, death, and emotional anguish may distress some readers, but more mature teens (and many adults) will find this series a worthy addition to the postapocalyptic literary pantheon.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Grades 8-12 Eleven months after a supervolcanic eruption, 16-year-old Alex finds himself mayor of a newly formed town called Speranta. Despite his age and the fact that he is dealing with shrinking food supplies and a never-ending winter, Alex must establish himself as a leader. There are graphic moments in this conclusion to the Ashfall trilogy, though fewer than in the previous entries, as Mullin's characters shift to the process of establishing and maintaining a civilization. Egocentric adult politicians, a sadistic guerrilla leader in a nearby town, and some spiffy strategies for creating power and safe places to live (STEM alert!) round out the believable state building. Although there are some losses, Alex and Darla's romanceas well as the fate of most of those they lovewraps up in a very satisfying conclusion. This involving narrative would be enriched by reading Ashfall (2011) and Ashen Winter (2012) first, but it can be enjoyed on its own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)