Review: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Ashes, Ashes 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.

 

Ashes, Ashes is a YA dystopian that takes place in future New York. The country has been ravaged by a viral epidemic and weather related disasters, the population has been decimated and there are pockets of survivors doing the best they can to manage from day to day.  Lucy, the main character, is isolated, dirty, living in caves, doing what she needs to do to survive and not draw the attention of the "sweepers". The sweepers are a sinister group that hunts down and kidnaps survivors. Lucy meets Aiden and is introduced to the people in his group when he saves her from a pack of dogs that were apparently sent by these sweepers to hunt for her.

I've really been enjoying dystopians lately, and while Ashes, ashes is not among my favorites of those, it was an okay read. It starts off rather sluggish but I think the author did a good job of showing what it would take to survive in a world like this. I think the interactions between Lucy, Aiden, and her nemesis Del are entertaining and believable. I enjoyed the rivalry between Lucy and Del. The romance between Lucy and Aiden, however, seemed rather hollow.

The plot was interesting but had an odd kind of flow to it. I sometimes found myself a little confused about where it was heading and why. Ultimately I felt Ashes, Ashes was a good debut. I believe that if the plot had been a little more developed, it would have been amazing. It held my interest and kept me reading, I wasn't blown away but I wasn't bored to tears either. I do like how this author writes, I just think this one wasn’t for me.  I would definitely pick up her next next book.

Rating – 3