Shauna Granger

Monsters are real in this sinister post apocalyptic world…

The world as we know it has gone. The pestas appeared in the night, spreading disease to all corners of the land. Kat, one of the few survivors of the plague is forced to flee her home as they attempt to contain the deadly pox. She knows she will never see her parents again. As she leaves he mother tells her to seek out a relative in Washington, someone who will take her in and shelter her from the chaos. But Washington is a far show more distance from LA, will she be able to survive the disease as well as the rabid gangs of humans?

What an addictive book! As soon as I started I was hooked, and completely unable to put it down. It was really realistic and paints a very stark picture of what’s likely to happen if ever such a thing was to happen. The military quarantine, the chaos that humanity descends into, fighting each other and tearing each other apart for cans of food.

This book set me constantly on edge, there was always something at every turn and I had no idea what was going to happen – or if Kat and Dylan were safe. The writing is fabulous, very dark and tense. Perhaps my favourite thing about the whole book was the characterisation, particularly of Kat. Sometimes you read dystopian novels and instantly the protagonist knows exactly what they have to do to survive. This is not the case with Kat, she struggles to carry her heavy pack, struggles every day to find food and water, and has a constant inner turmoil about the kind of person she wants to be now that the world is ending. I really enjoyed seeing the growth from the beginning of the book to the end, especially as she becomes stronger and more resilient.

The book is paced well and definitely has plenty to offer. I loved that as Kat is walking we are treated to stories from the past, haunting things she has seen on her travels. It really added another dimension to the story, and of course made me desperately want Kat to succeed. Despite being a privileged girl who worries about her hair, she’s an immensely likeable character and strong willed to survive all that she has. The same can be said for Dylan, who despite everything remains kind and caring. Together they make a pretty tough team.

The one thing I wish the book had mentioned is how the pestas came to be. Why they’re spreading the pox, where they come from etc. but with two more books in the series, I'm hopeful we’ll find out. World of Ash is an exciting story, and the Ash and Ruin series is definitely one to watch! show less

Shayna and her two close friends have a very special bond. They can work with the elements ti do amazing things. Shayna's particular element is earth. While they are learning to master theses forces though, someone rocks their town with dark magic and sacrifices. Shayna and her friends know they have to do something about it. As they learn more information, they realize they may be more closely tied to these events than they thought. On top of that, Shayna keeps having dreams where something show more is after her. They are so real that she wakes up injured. Someone is trying to tell her something, and Shayna knows she's going to have to take a risk to help other people.

This was a great book! I feel like it was a more "realistic" paranormal fiction than many. The magic was very earthy and natural. Shayna and her two friends were an awesome trio, and they were very smart. This wasn't like a horror movie where the characters are in danger because they are doing things that make no sense. Their actions and reactions were normal. That's almost a breath of fresh air. Another breath of fresh air was getting a little bit of diversity in this book. Having one of Shayna's partners in crime be a secure and confident gay teen was awesome to see. There was a fairly interesting mystery and a tiny hint of romance.

The ending was a tiny bit of a let-down for me as I wanted a little bit more closure. However, I can see why it was done this way. There is clearly room being left for the sequel, and I can't wait to read it. This book is fun, smart, and full of action. This book will appeal to people who like paranormal book and even some who don't normally like them. The more realistic nature of the plot makes everything very believable. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Book provided for review. show less

I could use the excuse that I read YA books because my 13 year-old is reading them and I want to know what she is reading. But, in this case, I just told her she had to read this book. I did caution her there is some language that she should not repeat out loud.

What did I love about this book? First, the relationships. The featured relationships between the three main characters (Shayna, Jodi and Steven) are solid. They have their issues, but they stick with each other. At times, I wished show more there was a little more exploration of the friendship between Shayna and Jodi. I felt the attachment between Steven and Shayna. And it was deep. They loved each other, held each other accountable and protected each other. There were moments when I wished Shayna wasn’t quite so emotional, but hey, they’re teenagers. Who wasn’t emotional at 16 and 17?

Shauna Granger, the fabulous author, further distinguishes her books with the use of elemental magic. I’ve read a few YA books about magic and “Earth” was different. It was fascinating to read about the connections each character had with each element. I loved when Shayna described how the earth felt both pain and healing. I hope to learn more about how Jodi controls air or Steven fire. And who will be water? I’m sure that’s coming in the future books.

And, probably one of my favorite things about this book, the lack of a serious love interest. Although, there was hint of one and it may emerge in the future books, this book really focused on the friendships and the crisis at hand.

Bottom line: a fun YA read that blazes its own trail. show less

Somewhat torn on this one. On the one hand I started yesterday during a hair appointment, and quite enjoyed the beginning, then I read the rest in an afternoon. The way the magic was explored with the three main characters was really good, refreshing and original to see aspects from different religions playing into magic use. Very well written and engaging.

The plot was reasonably fast paced, and for a YA novel focused on magic, no real romantic subplot, which was slightly surprising. My main show more issue with the novel was I didn't particularly like the main character Shayna. She came across to be as being obnoxious and something of a know it all. And too powerful. And even though she and her two friends were supposed to be in the magic thing together she did a lot on her own without bothering to get their input and that annoyed me. And she was rather rude to the new guy she was trying to pretend she didn't have a crush on several times. And she kept referring to her home town as "my city" "my town". Particularly when dark magic rituals were showing up. I can understand being pissed off at dark magic when you're a white witch, but from her tone it was like she and her friends were the only ones who had the right to be doing any magic and having her talk about her town came across as stuck up for a seventeen year old.

Also, over use of the word "dude". Do seventeen year old girls really use that word in every other sentence?

But the plot itself was compelling enough for me to read the bulk of the novel in an afternoon. I would definitely like to read more by this author, but I don't know if I'll be reading the rest of this particular series. show less