Sunrise (Ashfall #3) by Mike Mullin

Series: Ashfall #3
466p.
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Published: 4/15/14
Source: From NetGalley and publisher for review

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions. 

When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish. 

This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

My thoughts:
This is the final book in the Ashfall trilogy. I had the privilege to read the other two books and I was looking forward to this one. One thing I do want to mention... when I read the first two, I read them back to back. Don't read all these books one after another. It's not that they aren't good, but they were so dark, I needed a palate cleanser in-between the books and I know a lot of people who might need something fluffy for that cleanser.

This one is as dark as the first two. What I liked about these is that it pulls no punches. Yes, you could go into the book and tear down some parts saying that it isn't realistic for some characters to get out of predicaments or injuries that easily... but you can do that in any fictional book. Still, I haven't seen it where you aren't sure that even the main characters will make it out alive and certainly unscathed. All secondary characters are all redshirts (sorry, Star Trek reference, if you aren't a nerd like me, just ignore) so you won't know who survives until the end. The stakes are as high as they have been in the other books and the danger is as bleak. It also feels like an never ending bid for survival... which is realistic. Even so, in this book we do get small snippets of light and a few people who finally come around.

There were some aspects that bothered me at first like when Alex would leave the colony to go on scavenge hunts. This was addressed in the book so I was pleasantly surprised and it added another dimension of politics to the survival story. Also, like in the other books, my favorite part was Alex and Darla's relationship. There is little misunderstanding between them because they are more mature than most and discuss problems before they actually become a problem. Yes, they fight, but they fight fairly and with the want to understand the other. I wish more books had relationships like this in them.

I give this book 4 stars. The book isn't without it's faults. I didn't love the ending, but I certainly didn't hate it. It just felt incomplete to me. Still, I feel that this is a great addition to the series and would love to have a novella to know how the colony fares and what they learned about what happened in the world after this book.