Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Rise from the Ashes: Lena's Story - Laura Franklin Review


17696397

Book: Rise from the Ashes: Lena's Story
Author: Laura Franklin
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, YA Adventure
Release Date: March 24th, 2013


Book Synopsis:
The Taliban have bombed the US with a chemical agent. It wiped out over half of the population and left the country in shambles. Those who are left find unexplained things happening like premonitions in their dreams and enhanced senses. Lena, a young woman from Vermont, and Mick, a young man in the US Army, grow close and become leaders as they trudge north to meet up with a military camp at Lake Champlain. Their dreams continue to get more peculiar and have even synced up in a historical setting. With the power out and gasoline a scarce resource; motorcycles, horses and bicycles have become the new mode of transport. In another group that is trying to survive, a priest leads discouraged parishioners north and is faced with tough decisions as he has to put the well-being of the group ahead of individuals. They have to band together to make it through this new chaotic situation, relying on their intuition and basic survival skills. This motley crew must reorganize the country just as was done after the revolutionary war. The clock is ticking as the persisting threats of the Taliban, drug lords from south of the border and rival gangs across the country put US freedoms in jeopardy.


Book Review:
I have always loved a good dystopic novel, haven't you? I have to tell you though this book is short (its only around 50000 words or 162 pages), it was well written and captivating. We are thrust into the middle of the chaos, but we still get to know our characters and admire, respect and love them. They show courage and strong will in times of great distress when everything they know is being tested, which is something many people probably wouldn't be able to do if we were faced with a situation such as the one taking place in this work. The scenarios were believable, as sad as that may sound. I could picture the world in the chaotic state described in the book, and I hung onto every word finishing the work in about an hour and a half. At the end it leaves you wishing for me, which I do hope we will be getting soon! One thing I really liked in this book would be that no matter how hard things got for out hero's, they put on brave faces and kept pushing onward leading those who chose them as their leaders. 

The Bad:
The only real problem that I had with this book was when the view points would change. There were several times when you would suddenly be following another hero and would have to read a paragraph or two to understand who was talking all of a sudden. Once you do though it is easy to pick up who we are traveling with. 

Favorite Quotes:
"Survival. Do you think you know what that really means?"

"The bullets hit wild. Gee, poor girls; must be hard to shoot from the back of a moving bike."

"We both had a premonition type dream before. This one was warning us, but it had already happened. The warning came too late, That's even creepier than a dream that comes true."

All In All: 
I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were very likable, the situations were painfully tense at points and you are given a glimpse into what life would be like if a scenario such as the one in this book would take place. The author has done a well job writing a wonderful piece of work and I would love for you all to go and grab a copy and see for yourself. Like it said before it is short, but sometimes good things come in the form of a small package.

About the Author:
Laura Franklin is a writer from Nebraska. She is happily married with 3 great dogs and has a background in Accounting and Finance. A newbie in the world of writing and writing is just one of her passions.
Find Laura on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/laura.franklin.31337

No comments:

Post a Comment