Review of Fire and Ash, the final book in the Rot and Ruin series by Jonathan Mayberry

Goodreads Book Description: Benny Imura and his friends have made it to Sanctuary, they've found the jet and they've discovered that civilization is struggling to regain its foothold in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Scientists are on the verge of finding a cure for the zombie plague. It should be time for celebration, but it's not. Benny's best friend, Chong, has been infected by an arrow dipped in the flesh of a zombie and he hovers between life and death and Dr McReady, a researcher who may have the critical formula for a cure, has gone missing. So Benny convinces Captain Ledger to mount a search and rescue mission to find the doctor and help Chong. But with the Reapers still pursuing their plan to turn all zombies into super-fast shock troops even if they can save Chong, can they save themselves? In the fourth book of the thrilling and emotionally charged Rot & Ruin series, the battle to end all battles is about to begin...

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

My Review:  I've been waiting on pins and needles for Fire and Ash, the conclusion of the series by Jonathan Mayberry that started with the wonderful Rot and Ruin. I was not disappointed. I award this book 4.5 stars.

Fire and Ash takes place a bit after Flesh and Bone, the third book in the series. Chong is in dire straits, while Benny, Nix, and Lila are at Sanctuary, finally, but with more questions than answers. The legendary Joe Ledger is also there, who stars in his own books in the adult fiction world. Together, this ragtag band strives to save Chong and the same time, save the world from the Reapers and the completely creepy Saint John.

I was thrilled to see Benny finally get his day in the sun. I've been waiting for this last part in his growth (apparently, Nix was too), and while I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Tom Imura, Benny is a pretty cool samurai himself. The pacing was as good as the previous novels. I've been struggling to get through novels recently, and this wasn't one of them. It's a good size, the size of a Harry Potter book, but I blazed through it just as fast. We also get to see some old friends, and this comes to a wonderfully satisfying finish.

It's not a perfect novel-- I'm a little sketchy on some of the details of the science, and it almost seems to wrap up too easily at the end. But that said, that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying myself from start to finish. There were some great twists that took my mind away from these small details.

Overall, a worthy ending to a phenomenal series. If you haven't read these yet, get them NOW. They'll stand the test of time. I guess I'd better start picking up some of the books on Ledger until Mayberry writes another YA novel. I hope it's soon.