Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
343 Pages (Hardcover)
Scholastic
June 1, 2011
Source: Publisher

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 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.

    I love dystopians, I love them! Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari is a good read for any dystopian lover. However, I did have a few mixed feelings.

    Ashes, Ashes follows Lucy, the only survivor out of her family after a plague wiped out 99.9% of the population. She is just trying to survive, but she sees the water levels rising and what's left the animal population dwindling down. She doesn't have a comfortable life, but she has a place to live, and she's figured out what it is she needs to do every day. But how much longer can she go on like this? Just as she is starting to grasp reality, she meets Aidan, the first person she's met in a long time. Everything she knows seems to change, romances emerge, lives are lost and secrets are revealed.

    This book was an adventure, and I enjoyed that aspect. I loved the world that Jo Treggiari created. Well, loved may not be the word... It was a terrifying, solemn, interesting and surprisingly hopeful. I loved how there was a group of people who didn't give up. They are still fighting to survive, even though the demise of the human race seems evident. It is groups of characters like those that are optimistic towards humanity that are somewhat comforting. That is one of my favorite things about dystopians. When the end of the world is in full swing, people still hold on.

    The book as a whole was nice. I liked the characters and the plot, but I just felt like something was missing. I felt like either this was the first book in a series, or half of the book was missing. It just needed a little more, I would have loved this book if there was. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it (hence the "liked it"/4 star rating), I just wish there was more.

    So, long story short, I would recommendAshes, Ashes ,if you like dystopians.