Book Review | Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Ashen Winter is the much anticipated sequel to Mike Mullin's Ashfall.

Book Description

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

I read Ashfall last year and loved it. (You can read my review of Ashfall here if you'd like.) Ashen Winter takes place shortly after the events in Ashfall. Due to the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano and the resulting volcanic winter, the temperatures have dropped to below freezing and Alex's world is even harsher than it was in Ashfall.

The action in this series is immediate and non-stop. Some events I found to be a bit unbelievable, but it was still a really fun read. I wish I had been able to read this as a readalong. It's the kind of book you can go on and on about with your friends. The main characters are very likeable. Alex is a nice guy and Darla is a badass, but they both do some pretty boneheaded things.

Even though I have some minor issues with Ashen Winter (possibly too much action), I still love this series hard core. I love the extreme take on what it would be like to survive a supervolcano eruption. The evolution of human reaction to such extreme conditions is awesome and extremely frightening. I know I said some of the events were unbelievable, but the world Mike Mullin has created is quite realistic and very thought provoking. Did I mention frightening?

The Ashfall series is one of my favorite series. If you haven't read Ashfall, you definitely need to start there before picking up Ashen Winter. The next book in the series is called Sunrise. SUNRISE! I hope we get plenty more time surviving the volcanic winter, but hooray for surviving to see the sun!

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Storybook Sunday | Ten Creepy Monsters & Ten Little Pumpkins

Last week I mentioned ordering two new books for our Halloween book stash: Ten Creepy Monsters and Ten Little Pumpkins. I had a significant reaction to both books.

TEN CREEPY MONSTERS by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis

The kids and I had a really good time reading Ten Creepy Monsters. Ten Creepy Monsters starts out just like the title says - with ten monsters. One by one something happens to each monster.

Ten creepy monsters met ’neath a gnarled pine.
One blew away,
And then there were nine.

The premise for Ten Creepy Monsters is so cute and each monster is eliminated in a creative way fitting to that particular monster. (In the example above, the one that blew away was a ghost.) My only complaint is it was a bit over my kids' head. I had to explain what happened to each monster. It's a small complaint because I enjoy having discussion while we are reading, but it would have been even better if my kids' joy wasn't delayed before catching up to mine.

My favorite part of Ten Creepy Monsters is the ending. I absolutely love when a simple picture book gives a surprise ending. The kids and I immediately turned back to the first page so we could read it again knowing how it ends.

8/10: Great Read

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TEN LITTLE PUMPKINS, Illustrated by Jay Johnson

If you are anything like me, Ten Little Pumpkins will drive you insane. My kids enjoyed it. They loved counting the ten pumpkins in each picture spread. I don't think they even noticed how hard it was for me not to make a complete mess of the story or the numerous looks I exchanged with my husband.

Ten Little Pumpkins is a "Sing and Read Storybook". The words are set to the tune of Ten Little Indians. The idea is you can open the book and sing through the pages. The first verse of pages were fine... One little, two little, three little pumpkins... concluding with ten little pumpkins in a patch. Just like the original ten little indian boys. After that, the book is all jacked up. The syllables in the verses get more and more unlike those of Ten Little Indians finally ending with ten trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. How on earth do you sing song that?

If you can make ten trick-or-treaters on Halloween night sound like ten little indian boys, could you please call me?

3/10: Didn't like it (but my kids did!)


Storybook Sunday is a feature here on Book Den where I talk about the books I'm reading with my kids. Let me know if you'd like to join in!

Notable New Releases | Oct. 7 - Oct. 13

This was a light week of new releases for me. That may be a good thing since my TBR pile is out of control, and it makes me sad that I will never get to read them all. These are the books that caught my eye this week:

Ghost Town by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner
Publication Date: October 9, 2012

WELCOME TO EXETER, THE “MOST HAUNTED TOWN IN AMERICA,” thanks to a deadly flood that unleashed an army of ghosts decades ago. And when ghost trackers Amber, Drew, and Trevor attend a conference during Exeter’s spookiest week of the year, the ghouls grow restless. First, an innocent bookstore worker is mysteriously killed, setting off a string of strange deaths that point to a shadowy spirit known as the Dark Lady.

With a paranormal revolution ensuing, the team must stop the twisted bloodbath. But a past horror involving the death of a former teammate has them spinning faster than a specter in a storm, especially when they learn that it’s his ghost who awakened the Dark Lady. Now, with their lives on the line and the entire town at stake, the three must decide whether to trust the spirit of their old friend or to finally put a stake through his heart.

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In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill
Publication Date: October 9, 2012

Mile 81 meets “N.” in this eBook collaboration between Stephen King and Joe Hill.

As USA TODAY said of Stephen King’s Mile 81: “Park and scream. Could there be any better place to set a horror story than an abandoned rest stop?” In the Tall Grass begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another. The boy’s cries are more and more desperate. What follows is a terrifying, entertaining, and masterfully told tale, as only Stephen King and Joe Hill can deliver.

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Additional new releases that caught my eye this week:

Did I miss anything awesome this week? Let me know or link me up!

Book Review | Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Jenny Pox is a paranormal dark fantasy from J.L. Bryan.

Book Description

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

I enjoyed Jenny Pox every bit as much as I thought I would. Realistically I don't think a girl like Jenny would last until she was 18 without her secret being discovered, but I was able to suspend my disbelief and lose myself in Jenny Pox.

Jenny Pox is a cross between J.E. Medrick's Icarus Helix series and Stephen King's Carrie. That's a pretty sweet mashup. If you love either of those, you might want to check out Jenny Pox. It was a fast read that kept me glued to the pages. I enjoyed the characters, and I was anxious to find out why Jenny possessed such an awful power. I'm pleased to say there were enough red herrings to keep me from even considering the ending to Jenny Pox.

Jenny Pox is the first book in the The Paranormals series, but I have great news. Jenny Pox was a complete story. Let me say that again. Jenny Pox was a. complete. story. and I can't wait to read the next one.

I recommend Jenny Pox to adults who enjoy reading YA books. It's very much a YA book in terms of the characters and drama, but the explicit sex and drug use may make it inappropriate for readers younger than 18.

8/10: Great Read 

If you have a Kindle or use any of the Kindle apps, you can get Jenny Pox for free from Amazon.

Have you read Jenny Pox yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Wishlist | Spook House by Michael West

This week I am pining after Michael West's new book, Spook House. It's set to be released October 27, 2012 - just in time for Halloween.

There are some places in this world that go far beyond any normal definition of “haunted.” These places are so evil, so diabolical, that they become gateways to Hell itself. The Fuller Farm is one such place.

It is said that old man Fuller conducted unspeakable acts, blood rituals and human sacrifices, all in an attempt to gain the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate power. And then, he was killed–horribly murdered on his own lands, leaving the house to stand as a vacant monument to his wickedness. But once a door is opened, it can never really be closed.

Now, the stars are right. The gateway is ready to once more unleash unspeakable horror upon the town of Harmony, Indiana. And this will be one Halloween that they will never forget!

I love reading Halloween books for Halloween! Spook House is part of Michael West's Harmony, Indiana series, but they are all stand alone novels. You can read my review of Cinema of Shadows here.

Do you have any Halloween books lined up for the end of October? What are you waiting for this week?

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's "Waiting on" Wednesday.