Ashfall reviewed by Paige Espinosa

 

 

 

     Alex is just one of those typical, unremarkable guys in high school who likes playing World of Warcraft and wishes he could get a date. That is, until the volcano in Yellowstone National Park finally erupts and the world is buried in ash. With no electricity, no indoor plumbing and a scarcity of clean water, Alex faces a trek through multiple feet of choking ash to find his family who were on a trip while he was left home alone during this catastrophe. Along the way, of course he meets a girl who travels with him and since the world is seemingly ending and there is no one of the opposite sex for miles around, you guessed it, there's a bit of a budding romance there.
     I gave this book three and a half stars because it was a believable and original apocalyptic storyline. My biggest issue was with a few characters who were just way too ridiculous for me. For example, the recently-released-from-prison-axe-murderer that just seems to pop up everywhere! Even Alex and his friend that's a girl, Darla, seem a bit ridiculous at parts. Darla is 17-almost-18 and is giving this 15-recently-turned-16 year old boy the time of day? All I can say is gross. As a girl Darla's age, I personally want nothing to do with guys younger than me. As an adult, that age difference is nothing but as a teenager, that's like a 5-10 year age gap! Despite some of the unbelievable parts of this book, I still might read the rest of this trilogy.