Hi friends!
I hope you are well reading wonderful things.
Today I have a blog tour review for a YA dystopian novel, Feast of Ashes by Victoria Williamson. Disclaimer: i did recieve an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
synopsis
The Earth’s ecosystems have collapsed and only ashes remain. Is one girl’s courage enough to keep hope alive in the wastelands?
It’s the year 2123, and sixteen-year-old Adina has just accidentally killed fourteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-six people. Raised in the eco-bubble of Eden Five, Adina has always believed that the Amonston Corporation’s giant greenhouse would keep her safe forever. But when her own careless mistake leads to an explosion that incinerates Eden Five, she and a small group of survivors must brave the barren wastelands outside the ruined Dome to reach the Sanctuary before their biofilters give out and their DNA threatens to mutate in the toxic air.
They soon discover that the outside isn’t as deserted as they were made to believe, and the truth is unearthed on their dangerous expedition. As time runs out, Adina must tackle her guilty conscience and find the courage to get everyone to safety. Will she make it alive, or will the Nomalies get to her first?
review
As most of you know, I have been having trouble with reading YA novels. And although there were parts of this book I enjoyed, overall I gave it 3 stars.
Following Adina, who is 16 years old I believe, she works as a techie (?) in Eden 5 which was a place (or biodome) created when the Earth itself, it’s ecosystems, etc., deteriorated to the point that humanity needed to create these sort of enclosed cities to survive. Then disaster strikes. At it’s core, this story is about survival and family – along with her two sisters and a few others, Adina treks across the ‘wastelands’ to find santuary. And there are monsters.
Not going to lie, in my big age of 29, the monsters – the Nomalies – creeped me out. It was a fast faced novel with commentary on climate change, global warming, the way we as humans treat our Earth. But I struggled. Possibly because I am 29 years old, I found this to be incredible predictable and in your face – again though, this is for a young adult audience, so take this with a grain of salt. I found the main character to be slightly insufferable and hoped to see some deep character work – and though we got some, I felt slightly unsatisfied with Adina’s character. And the possible romance? Was it a love triangle-esque situation being created? If it was, I didn’t even care enough that it existed (as I historically hate love triangles) because there was absolutely no sparks, no chemistry, nothing. I think this ties into my opinion that Adina needed more character work, and that is the same for the rest of the characters. I needed more. I didn’t connect. There is so much death but I didn’t necessarily care about who died. I was at least expecting some emotional attachement. But again, I am not the main audience.
I also want to touch on the fact that the narrator is a young black girl, written from the perspective of a white woman. I will not say anything further, but you make your own judgements and do homework with the representation element.
A very dark YA dystopian suitable for fans of Veronica Roth.
Book Info
Genre: YA, dystopian fantasy
Length: 334 pages
Published: 5th October 2023
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194228639-feast-of-ashes
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feast-Ashes-1-Victoria-Williamson/dp/1911107879/
And that’s all friends!
Until next time, happy reading!
All the love,
allie
xx
About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
✨ 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓵𝓮𝔁𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓪 ✨ 