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!
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.
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