I think this book had potential, but the characters lacked emotion - I mean, they are surviving the end of the world or whatever, and their friends and family are dying/dead, and they don't seem all that concerned about it. Not to mention, there's all this talk about how rough it is to eat and survive and there's the plague and stuff, but it just didn't work with the storyline. A lot of it just didn't make sense. I assume there'll be a sequel from all the loose ends, but I doubt I'll read it.

Love this book, it is amazing.Couldn't put it down and I really hope that there is going to be a sequel. READ IT you won't be disappointed!

Review: Ashes, Ashes" quite clearly draws from a 2012, 'end of the world', apocalyptic theme. The diction has a pattern that can be compared to the state of the occurring natural catastrophes that is constant throughout the book. That is to say, the first one-fifth of the whole book was clearly a time of painful waiting, and then one is hit with a medium-strengthed wave of plot advancement. From then, "Ashes, Ashes" proceeds much more effectively with a stronger storyline change. However, if one does not push through the dense, seemingly hopeless opening, then the fruit will never be tasted. The first 4 chapters was understood to be a painting of the setting and an introduction to Lucy, the protagonist, however that is not excuse for the repetition of short statements of Lucy's every single movement over such a long length of pages. I appreciate the similarity of the waiting period to that of the dull and tense period before disaster, but I was seriously going to put the book down. In addition, Lucy is an unrefined main character, and she, along with all the other characters, undergo minimal development through the book. Treggiari also used 3rd person in this work; that, paired with realistic, yet plainly average characters, it was hard to feel any personal connection to the characters. There were also notable places where the pronouns were confusing and unclear. On a brighter note, the faster-paced sections, along with the change-up in setting moved the story to a slightly more enjoyable level. The spurts of action had considerable power and were well-timed toward the end. Points for descriptively gory nuances and for the major shudders-factor. The conclusion was mediocre and unevenly paced, but other than that, decently well-rounded. Rating: 1.5/5 Full Post: http://vivaciously-vivian.blogspot.ca/2012/02/white-pine-2012-ashes-ashes-by-jo.html

Interesting story, full of action about teenagers trying to survive after a plague, etc.....sequel??

For anyone that loves post-apocalyptic settings with a lot of drama and excitement, I'd recommend this book. The characters are really interesting, and you learn a lot of things that are jam packed in a giant world you can't help but get lost in. The only issue I had with this book is the heavy concentration on relationships - I know it's a young-adult book, but I want to see more survival than cuddling and hand-holding. Other than that, it's a good book!

Post-apocalyptic; Pretty good and resembles The hunger games, but the doctor is making people sick with the plague

I liked the book. Though, it is short and not a series, it was pretty good. The ending was lame though. But the best part were the dogs. I actually laughed.

Having read the book the first time, I didn't pay attention to the way the book was structured. I had immediately adopted the characters mentality, it seemed ok then. Even though i hadn't gone far. But when I read it a second time, and hearing my friend read it out loud. The story was OK, but the contradictions and the sheer unrealistic feel to this fiction was too big. I mean if a tidal waves coming at you, you won't stroll along and look around, you'd be RUNNING! This was a nice attempt by the author and they definitely have potentials for great story. However one writing in a fashion of fiction, that to has a set of it's own realism to be aware of.

This book did not satisfy me as much as I was hoping it would! The fact that the giant wave magically disapeared at the end of the first chapter fasinated me! :P Did I miss something there? And the 1.252435262 (or whatever it was) of a mile very much confused me. I don't know if I would have time to do math while running from a giant wave, leaving a bloodtrail behind!!!! Would you?

five stars