Reading ASHES OF TWILIGHT by Kassy Tayler reminds me why I am such a fan of dystopian novels. Both dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories contain a strong element of human suffering or suppression and we are allowed to follow the journey of the characters as they overcome these obstacles and rise above it. If the author does a good job, we do more than follow the journey, we experience it along with the characters. That is what Kassy Tayler did for me with this book. Tayler did a splendid job creating a unique world. Although there are similarities to other dystopian worlds in which people live in a domed city or underground, Tayler sets this book in the past and not the future. The descriptions of each environment are so vivid that each setting becomes alive in your imagination. Throw in a dash of steampunk technology and memorable characters and you have a first-class winner in ASHES OF TWILIGHT!

In ASHES OF TWILIGHT, the setting is a domed city somewhere in the land that used to be England. The dome is built in order to protect the royal bloodline when a comet is on a crash course for earth. After two hundred years within the dome, resources are running low and there is dissent within the community, most of which are there solely to serve the survival and advancement of the royals. The dissension comes mostly from the younger generation, who see little opportunity in their future, trapped and enslaved in a claustrophobic environment. The author, Kassy Tayler, does a brilliant job inserting symbolism for freedom throughout the book and you long for the characters to have their wish fulfilled.

The main protagonist is sixteen year old Wren MacAvoy, a stubborn yet introspective girl who yearns for freedom outside of the tunnels where she works and lives. There is a caste system inside the dome. Wren belongs to the Shiners, the coalminers who supply the fuel that keeps machines running, including the fan that circulates the air within the dome. They live in a large cavern under the dome and most Shiners are not allowed to go above ground. The Shiners get their name from their eyes, which shine like a cat's eye and allow them to see in the dark. Wren is an outcast from her own underground society and longs for the freedom that escaping the dome would provide. Soon she becomes the catalyst for a revolution that will change the domed city, and her life, forever.

ASHES OF TWILIGHT is the first in a forthcoming trilogy and is geared toward the young adult, but readers above the recommended age will delight in this story. The main character Wren is strong and courageous, even when she doesn't believe herself to be. She doesn't always make the right decision for herself and her friends, but her humanity and compassion for others makes this only one small reason why fans of dystopian novels should march out and find this book!

Book Summary

Wren MacAvoy works as a coal miner for a domed city that was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century to protect the royal blood line of England when astronomers spotted a comet on a collision course with Earth. Humanity would be saved by the most groundbreaking technology of the time. But after nearly 200 years of life beneath the dome, society has become complacent and the coal is running out. Plus there are those who wonder, is there life outside the dome or is the world still consumed by fire? When one of Wren's friends escapes the confines of the dome, he is burned alive and put on display as a warning to those seeking to disrupt the dome’s way of life. But Alex’s final words are haunting. “The sky is blue.”

What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure, romance, conspiracy and the struggle to stay alive in a world where nothing is as it seems. Wren unwittingly becomes a catalyst for a revolution that destroys the dome and the only way to survive might be to embrace what the entire society has feared their entire existence.