Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Release Date: 1st June, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 343pgs

The Story

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts -- for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued by from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

The Review

In Ashes, Ashes, the world has been hit with a series of natural disasters including droughts, floods, wild weather, and then of course there's the whole plague thing that wiped out 99% of the human and animal population. Unlike those who died, Lucy is a survivor. After losing her entire family to the mysterious plague, she's forced to live alone in the wilds of New York's Central Park . . . trying to stay alive as each day comes and goes. However, one of Lucy's main priorities is to keep away from the Sweepers - a group of people who kidnap the remaining survivors and infect them with the virus.

One day when Lucy is out looking for food, she comes face-to-face with a vicious pack of hunting dogs belonging to the one and only Sweepers. But with the surprise help of another human - that being a boy named Aidan, a survivor just like her and the first real human she's met in a very long time - she manages to escape them. But when she learns more about Aidan and the other groups of survivors who are out there beyond the wilds of her so-called "home", she suddenly is faced with the question: Can she continue to survive alone? As everything she knows changes and romance builds, the lies and secrets are also revealed.

When I first heard about Ashes, Ashes I already expected dystopian and one hell of an adventure. And that's exactly what I got. Reading about Lucy was as interesting as the depressing and yet creative world Jo Treggiari created. Lucy was a pretty tough chick at the beginning of the book and remained so in the end. Where other survivors formed community groups, there's Lucy trying to do it all on her own, managing to survive with lot's of hard work and determination. When it comes to Aidan, from his wit to his devil-ish smile, he too was a very likeable character and had his own means of surviving. As did the other characters you were introduced to.

Like any other young adult book, it must have some romance in it. When it comes to Lucy and Aidan's romance it wasn't love at first sight . . . thankfully. But you could definitely see the attraction between the two of them when they first meet. I think what I loved most about their relationship was how it started as a solid friendship, before hitting the characters with some romance. It gave them more depth and some that seemed believeable, if you were in their circumstances. But they took their damn time! As for the plot itself, while the beginning was a little slow and I already knew what direction we were heading toward in the book, I loved all the twists and turns the author put in. Some of them had me on edge.

Without any spoilers, Ashes, Ashes is a fast-paced adventure that all you Hunger Games fans can appreciate if you're craving for more dystopian. With the book full of hope and lot's of questions, it was a nice solid read. I liked the characters, the plot, the setting - but I find somethng missing. Maybe it's because I want more! I feel like Ashes, Ashes is the first book of a series, so I wouldn't be surprised if Jo Treggiari has another installment coming in the future! So be on the lookout for a sequel! If you like dystopian, a little romance, and some fast-paced action, then be sure to pick up a copy of this awesome debut novel!

The Rating

4/5 stars