Post-apocalyptic coming of age

An Inheritance of Ashes

By Leah Bobet

Age Range: 12 and up

Grade Level: 7 and up

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Clarion Books (October 6, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 054428111X

ISBN-13: 978-0544281110

Approximate Lexile: 750

 

Publisher’s Blurb:

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm. 

 

When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.

 

My Thoughts:

This is a beautiful book. Although it is set in a post-apocalyptic future, you could meet any of these people today. They are real, and their struggles are real. This is a story of people who have been broken, both by their pasts and their presents, and how they cope and move past that. There are grudges, and silences, and misunderstandings, and those things drive Hallie, the protagonist and point-of-view narrator, to do some things that end up causing more damage—even though she only wants to make things better.

 

Some reviewers have complained about the relationship between Marthe and Hallie, but I get it. They are both walking on eggshells, nursing their hurt feelings, and letting things stew until the lid blows off.

 

Likewise, I love the growing relationship between Hallie and Tyler. They have known each other forever, and Hallie is taken by surprise when she discovers that Tyler has more than friendship in mind. They are both broken—she by her father’s abuse, him by service in the war—and they grow into their love, rather than experience the insta-love that bothers me so much.

 

The supporting cast are realistic, and Bobet’s town is populated by people of a variety of colors, morals, and orientations.

 

The mysterious Heron’s secret wasn’t overly difficult to figure out, but his agony over both his past and his future are believable.

Some reviewers have complained that this book is not what they thought it should be. It’s not about the war, and rising up and fighting the mysterious forces threatening the town. This story isn’t about a quick-moving plot. The plot doesn’t race you along pell-mell; it’s true that it’s actually rather slow. This story is about the people, and all kinds of forgiveness, and moving past adversity to discover peace.

 

The writing is lovely, full of imagery. My favorite line as Hallie wakes up one morning with the need to tell her sister, Marthe, the truth hanging over her: “When dawn crawled hand over hand through my cracked window…”

 

Possible Objectionable Material:

There’s a same-sex couple. Magic and the killing of a “god”. Verbally abusive parent. Some violence and details of the recent battles.

 

Who would like this book:

Anyone who enjoys character-driven stories and doesn’t need a quick-moving plot. Those who enjoy coming of age. Although the protagonist is female, I believe this book could be equally interesting to both male and female. I believe the lower end of the recommended age range might not like the book much, lacking the maturity to understand the deeper themes.

 

Thank you, NetGalley, for a lovely read!