And here we are… the last leg of the trilogy. I was oddly reluctant to pick it up. Yes, yes, I knew things ended on an exciting, ominous note in book two, Ashen Winter, but still I hesitated. I didn’t want it to all end, but, since it was ending, I wanted it to end strong like the first two books. Obviously, I was having a reader gal moment.

As you can surmise since you’re reading my review, I got past that. And… wow, this one was for all the marbles. It was darker, grittier, and full of hope and triumph over all. The end of Alex, Darla, and the other survivors’ story closed in a way in keeping with what had come before and more than met expectation. I’m actually going to skip the summary because I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do one without spoilers.

Sunrise was a strong last leg to the trilogy as I pointed out earlier. The premise is a post-apocalyptic what-if scenario. What if the supervolcano under Yellowstone erupted? What would be the fall-out right away? Months? A Year? A few years? That is what this trilogy is about as it follows the individual lives of Alex and Darla.

Alex was a typical teenager living in suburban town Iowa when it happened. His folks and sister were away visiting his relations in Illinois and he was alone. He managed to survive and make his way to Illinois meeting the intrepid Darla along the way. Fortunately for Alex, Darla was studying to be a farmer so understood living off the land, machinery, and survival stuff. Now, in the final installment, both have come a long way and learned to grow up fast, make hard decisions, live with mistakes, and stay strong in the face of a world that has returned to a more primitive age. Resources are few and hoarded as well as fair game to those more ruthless. Some people descend into cannibalism, criminal gangs, and savagery. Others seek to dominate when they have little skill to lead.

Alex is a natural leader, but he is young and untried. Darla encourages him. They have a small band of survivors, but must find a way to protect their home, their meager assets, and also find a way to sustainable energy and food supplies. This leads to courage and daring and even turning away from family or friends who refuse to try to change with the new world they are in.

The author balances a strong story of people, their development and their exciting lives with drawing a believable and practical picture of what life after a mega disaster would be like. I was glad to see the meticulous work that added the layers beneath and did more with the truth of the descriptions making it so much more.

All in all, I am sad to let go of these books. I will be getting the prequel novella from Darla’s perspective because I’m not ready to say good-bye. I think these are powerful and any post-apocalyptic story lover worth their salt needs these books.

Only survivors are allowed the luxury of sadness.

The eruption of Yellowstone Super volcano plunges Iowa and Illinois into darkness. All modern luxuries such as electricity and all forms of communication have been destroyed.
The population has been reduced to 25% or less. Everyone remaining is struggling just to survive in the resulting Nuclear Winter where many feet of snow covers everything and temperatures remain below freezing.

The details of life’s daily struggles after the disaster are very realistic. The author obviously put a lot of thought into what survivors would be faced with, the challenges, the short and long term needs.

I liked the main group of characters, even when it seems odd that a 16 year old (Alex) would emerge as leader over several adults. Girlfriend, Darla, is a powerhouse, super skilled, wonder woman. In fact, most of the improvements to the groups homestead would not have been possible without Darla's knowledge and skills. (behind every great man, is an even greater and more powerful woman).

Alex and Darla’s group of survivors' challenge is to create a sustainable future. When the neighboring town's food runs out, they turn against each other and attack. The other town's attacks and those random groups of survivors turned cannibal don’t help their odds.

I don’t usually read these apocalyptic type books. This is probably the 1st one I’ve read. I wasn’t aware there were 2 previous books; that this was the 3rd in a series. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. I wish I had read the previous 2 books. It would have added more depth to the stories for me.
It was a great read and I guess I’ll be adding this genre to my reading list – as long as there are no zombies.

reviews also shared via Twitter @Moonshinearts, Facebook via Moonshineart & MoonShineArtSpot, LinkedIn, G+, Goodreads, Amazon, and http://moonshineartspot.blogspot.com/2017/01/review-sunrise.html by both bloggers Lisa Miller & Aunt Meanie (co-blogger).

I was given the opportunity to read an electronic copy of Sunrise via NetGalley and Tanglewood Press. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Having read Sunrise previously, I was glad to be given the chance to read it again with a fresh pair of eyes. Alex and Darla have been strong main characters throughout the series, but they really make the transition to adults in this book. The chance to lead a community and protect it from outside harm is nothing new in postapocalyptic fiction, but the author did a good job of allowing the reader to relate to the main characters in a meaningful way. Alex and Darla are the center, the ones that their friends and family look to in times of crisis. As the community struggles to survive in the new world, challenges are presented that threaten their very existence.

The first book in the trilogy, Ashfall, was the best of the three. Ashfall contained an interesting premise and was a fresh take on a survival novel. Sunrise, although it does include nonstop action and a fast paced plot, bothered me because the main characters are always taking chances and getting into trouble. Considering the fact that they have had enough time to take stock of their changed world and the inhabitants within it, it would seem more likely that they would have learned how to exist as safely as they could. That being said, the author left nothing on the table and gave a strong conclusion to the series. I look forward to reading more by author Mike Mullin in the future, as his characters are relatable and his plots are interesting.