My review of Ashes of Twilight

Ashes of Twilight (Ashes Trilogy #1) by Kassy Tayler
Release Date: November 13, 2012
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Wren MacAvoy works as a coal miner for a domed city that was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century to protect the royal blood line of England when astronomers spotted a comet on a collision course with Earth. Humanity would be saved by the most groundbreaking technology of the time. But after nearly 200 years of life beneath the dome, society has become complacent and the coal is running out.  Plus there are those who wonder, is there life outside the dome or is the world still consumed by fire? 

When one of Wren's friends escapes the confines of the dome, he is burned alive and put on display as a warning to those seeking to disrupt the dome’s way of life. But Alex’s final words are haunting. “The sky is blue.”  What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure, romance, conspiracy and the struggle to stay alive in a world where nothing is as it seems. Wren unwittingly becomes a catalyst for a revolution that destroys the dome and the only way to survive might be to embrace what the entire society has feared their entire existence.

Ashes of Twilight is a breathtaking steam punk novel that will captivate readers until the end. I enjoyed the action, suspense and the plot twists that I was not expecting at all! I'm very much looking forward to the sequel, Shadows of Glass.

Just imagine living in a dome, believing that you must live under it because everything outside of the glass is burning, but then you find out that someone close to you has tried to escape and they have found out something big. There is no fire. And the sky is not red and black. It is blue. The most beautiful shade of blue. Would you want to stay within the dome? Or escape? Well, that's the choice that Wren MacAvoy had to make. Along side her plotting to escape is the gorgeous Pace, a rebel guard, and some of her friends from the coalmines. Together they will begin a revolution and destroy the dome.

I knew I would love this book as soon as I read the blurb. The premise sounded exciting and I was curious to see the romance side it in. The idea did remind me of Breathe by Sarah Crossan, which I loved, but when I read Ashes of Twilight I was simply amazed. It was unique and the characters were incredibly engaging, and they all had played a significant part in the story.

I loved most things about this book but the one point that let it down was the romance. I mean, I loved the romance between Wren and Pace but I felt that their relationship was a bit too sudden; insta-love. They said 'I love you' after about two weeks after they met... and my reaction was something like, "No! Don't ruin the book with insta-love! PLEASE NNOOOOOOO!" Though, I didn't really mind that much after that brief though because the author did write about their relationship extremely well and it was like the two had known each other for years. Pace also made the book a little more exciting, and I fell in love with his funny and optimistic personality.

Ashes of Twilight is not a book that you should miss if you love the steam punk genre, and if you haven't read a steam punk novel before then you better start with this book! I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel because the book ended with such a cliffhanger. July 2013, come soon!

Rating

-Thank you St. Martins Griffin for providing me with a review copy!