Will Rise from Ashes

By: Jean M. Grant

Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt, Andrew Perkins

Living is more than mere survival...

Young widow AJ Sinclair has persevered through much heartache. Has she met her match when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, leaving her separated from her youngest son and her brother?

Tens of thousands are dead or missing in a swath of massive destruction. She and her nine-year-old autistic son Will embark on a risky road trip from Maine to the epicenter to find her family. She can't lose another loved one.

Along the way, they meet Reid Gregory, who travels his own road to perdition looking for his sister. Drawn together by AJ's fear of driving and Reid's military and local expertise, their journey to Colorado is fraught with the chaotic aftermath of the eruption.

AJ's anxiety and faith in humanity are put to the test as she heals her past, accepts her family's present, and embraces uncertainty as Will and Reid show her a world she had almost forgotten.

©2019 Jean M. Grant (P)2020 Jean M. Grant

A great character-driven story

As a story of women's fiction, Will Rise from Ashes is an enjoyable read. As an audiobook, it is one that is easy to follow even when my attention wasn't fully focused on the book - I could browse and post on social media and format blog posts easily while listening.

The narrators did a good job, though Andrew Perkins doesn't sound like a 9-year-old child. He sounds more like a teenager, though that may be more of a result of the writing than the voice. It did give me a little trouble remembering how old Will was supposed to be (I kept thinking he was 11 years old). I think it was a good idea to have two narrators as neither provides much differentiation to characters within their respective chapters. They do provide subtle differences in the characters' voices so it wasn't difficult to know who was talking.

Unique and Compelling Story

You can feel the author's heart and soul in "Will Rise from Ashes." From the detailed, post-apocalyptic world brought on by a volcanic eruption, to the unconditional love a mother feels for her children, the story rings true.


The characters themselves are expertly developed. AJ's strength in the face of endless trials challenging her and her children, Reid's compassion, and Will's optimism and curiosity are implemented so masterfully that you never question why they charge into a disaster zone to rescue AJ's youngest son.


I highly recommend "Will Rise from Ashes" to anyone looking for a compelling, unique read with emotion and depth.

Both narrators delivered a quality performance which made listening a pleasure.

I was captivated by this unique story.

A natural disaster. A family separated. A mother's love.
AJ is a mother divided. When she allows herself to be separated from one son, how can she leave another behind to go find him? She can't. so despite her own fears, sorrow, and anxiety, she and Will, her autistic son load up tha car and go looking the youngest.
During this cross country trek, they meet both the best and worst in a society falling apart.
A well developed and unique story captivated me.
I loved the two sided narration between AJ an Will.

Good Listen

I enjoyed this audio book. The story is well written and the narrator did a good job. The story flows well and tells the story of natural disaster and the steps a mother takes to retrieve her child on the other side of the country. The poor woman has many obstacles to over come and a special needs child to haul around the country. There are of course the people who try to take advantage of a bad situation but they are handled by local law enforcement. She is a widow and meets a man who is able to help her with her issues and maybe she can love again. The separate and he follows to make sure she is okay and saves her from a man and woman who want to steal her vehicle and supplies. It is a great story and performance.

I received a free copy of this audio book from Story Origin for an honest review.

Very Disappointed

I received a free copy of this book & am very disappointed. The story might be good but I could not stand all the swearing coming from the mother's mouth even after she says she knows she needs to stop. So I only got through the first 3 chapters. Skipping to the end only confirmed by assumption- the swearing had not stopped. I loved the voices of the narrators but that is all I liked about this book. Now I need to find out how to delete it from my library.