Author: Kassy Tayler
Page Count: 320
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Ashes Trilogy #1
Source: Christmas Present
My Review:
**Possible Spoilers**I had been eying this novel for a while after it was published, so when I received it as a Christmas present, I was extremely happy.
Ashes of Twilight was different from a lot of dystopian / steampunk novels that I've read. While it had some of the same elements as other novels, the novel put a bit of a spin on things.
For over 200 years, people have lived in an underground world, known as the Dome. A comet had crashed into Earth and destroyed everything with fire. The people believe that outside the dome, the Earth is consumed by fire and therefore inhabitable. Everything that happens in their life is chosen for them; the inhabitants have very few choices of there own. Wren is a part of the lower class group of people, known as the "shiner". They live in underground cavern below the rest of the inhabitants. It is there job to mine for coal and serve the upper class royal. One day, a friend of Wren's escapes from the dome and learns the truth about the outside world. He is killed because of what he knows. His death helps to spark a revolution, with Wren at the forefront.
I was actually able to connect with the characters in this novel. There is great characterization and you learn so much about the characters. Wren has had to deal with the circumstances of her birth and I felt that it help to mold her into a strong lead character. She stands up for what she believe and doesn't back down for anyone. Pace lives above and witnessed what happened to Wren's friend. He protect Wren, while at the same time she's is protecting him.
The world building in Ashes of Twilight is phenomenal. The descriptions of the world are so vivid and life-like the a could easily visualize what I was reading. At times, it felt like I was in the novel.
The romance aspect of this novel wasn't the best, but I still enjoyed it and it added to the novel. While I am not a fan of insta-love by any means, it sort of felt necessary for this novel, in my opinion. The characters don't have a lot of time play around with their relationship, so perhaps insta-love was the right thing for this novel. Wren has finally found someone that accepts her and who isn't worried about her bloodline. So, with this novel, I liked the romance and I felt that it didn't add any distractions to the novel.
However, I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed. The whole novel leads up to it and then it ends. For me, it left many questions unanswered. Still, it does answer some and the novel does finish nicely, leave an opening for the next novel to pick up on.
I loved the cover of this novel. It is what initially drew me to this novel. At first, I didn't understand it's relation to the book, but after reading the novel, I have to say that the cover ties in wonderfully.
All-in-all, this was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. If you are a fan of dystopian and steampunk novel, I recommend this book to you. Perhaps you will enjoy it, too.
Rating: 4/5
*Review also posted on Goodreads.*
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