Victoria Williamson – Feast of Ashes

Today, I am happy to be on the blog with my post for Feast Of Ashes by Victoria Williamson. Thanks to Dave and the gang at The Write Reads and Neem Tree Press for the lovely box full of all sorts along with a copy of the book to write my honest review.

Genre: YA, dystopian fantasy
Length: 334 pages
Published: 5th October 2023

The Earth’s ecosystems have collapsed, and only ashes remain. Is one girl’s courage enough to keep hope alive in the wastelands?

It’s the year 2123, and sixteen-year-old Adina has just accidentally killed fourteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-six people. Raised in the eco-bubble of Eden Five, Adina has always believed that the Amonston Corporation’s giant greenhouse would keep her safe forever. But when her own careless mistake leads to an explosion that incinerates Eden Five, she and a small group of survivors must brave the barren wastelands outside the ruined Dome to reach the Sanctuary before their biofilters give out and their DNA threatens to mutate in the toxic air.

They soon discover that the outside isn’t as deserted as they were made to believe, and the truth is unearthed on their dangerous expedition. As time runs out, Adina must tackle her guilty conscience and find the courage to get everyone to safety. Will she make it alive, or will the Nomalies get to her first?

I’m so lucky to be able to read my favourite authors books and get to rave about them as well! Feast of Ashes is a dystopian young adult novel. The first in a series, too! Victoria Williamson has written some real belters that I have had the pleasure to blog about. Feast of Ashes is different again from her other books. I was so happy when I could sit down and read this one.

Set in a biodome 100 years in the future. Adina is a 16 year old who has just accidentally killed thousands of people. A handful of people survive and decide to embark on a journey across the barren land to find safety. What they don’t realise is that it may not be that easy.

The first sentence of this book hooked me straight away. It is a darker book than what I am used to from this author, but I hung on to every word she wrote! Adina is an intriguing girl and one who drew me right into her world. As always, the characters are so well fleshed out that I needed to know everything.

Victoria Williamson manages to highlight important issues of the day and weaves them so skilfully into the narrative. I was dying to know how this was all going to play out. The fact I couldn’t put it down until I found out who, if anyone, survived. After reading this, I am so looking forward to Book 2!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feast-Ashes-1-Victoria-Williamson/dp/1911107879/

Author Bio

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and a historical farm estate, which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China, and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part-time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels and visiting schools, libraries, and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle-grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organization working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits, and free resources for schools on her website: https://www.strangelymagical.com