Review: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Title: Sunrise

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Publishing Date:  April 15th 2014

Pages: 466
Genre:  YA Post Apocalyptic

Series:  Ashfall #3
Source: ARC 

  

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions.

When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.

This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

I was so very excited to get to the last book of this series. This was a series I read pretty much in one after the other and I was really anxious to see how the series would end. Its hard to see hope in apocalyptic and post apocalyptic books, this was book was able to give a bit of hope in the end. Hope wasn't the only thing that filled the pages, there was more romance, more action, more death, and more laughs. Its hard to believe that it all exists in one book, but it does. It was a great book to a really good series. 

Alex and his family have been through hell and back. They need some hope, they need to rebuild, they need to live again, but first they must take back their town, their food, their lives. Once they have what's theirs, they will learn to protect, fight, and become a community. To build towards a future. 



This book was really really good. I am glad to see it take a bit of a different trail than the second book. This time, for the most part, Darla and Alex stay put. They do travel some to find supplies, food, and rescue others, but for the most part they make a home. A good home. A home with  all the things they need to survive and think about reclaiming a future for themselves and their family and friends. 

This book had a great mixture of battles, exploring, surviving, and living. I never bored, every time I started to get the hang of the going ons, it would switch modes and bring some excitement with it. I never knew what I was in for. It was intense too. The author is not afraid to kill people off,  get bloody and gross, or throw in some real action just for the fun of it. The author also doesn't shy away from the romance either. There was the deep love between Alex and Darla, puppy love, and new relationships that came with a jump start into the fast lane. 

The first two books were more about surviving and rescuing, this book really focused on rebuidling. I enjoyed watching Darla and Alex as they made a community, government, and plans for going forward. Darla was such a great character. She was so awesome in this book. The brains on that girl just amaze me. She had street smarts, book smarts, and a real smart mouth. Loved her. There was more of her brains in this book with getting things to work right in the new community and it was just so intriguing to watch her work. 

Alex of course was a smart cookie too but he had more of the leadership smarts. It took some practice, some failures, and so mistakes, but he was able to lead and he was great at it. Alex was much smarter in this book but still made quick decisions on the fly that sometimes ended him in big trouble. No matter what the outcome, how bad the pain was, or what was sacrificed, he survived and he fought for his friends and family. 

There were good guys, bad guys, and guys in between. I felt this series, this book, kept pretty true to what would happen in a situation of survival. Some made it honestly and some did  horrible things, some did what needed to be done and asked for forgiveness later. Not everyone deserved to survive but they all deserved the chance to do it right. 

The story was great, the pacing was great, the characters just awesome, and the ending, ending was epic. I loved the way the series ended. 

Just wonderful, Just wonderful. Sad its over but happy to see it end on a high note. 

 

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.
Website: http://mikemullinauthor.com/