The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf

The Tribe #1

by Ambelin Kwaymullina

“There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below. . . . And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”

Ashala Wolf has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. A man who is intent on destroying Ashala’s Tribe — the runaway Illegals hiding in the Firstwood. Injured and vulnerable and with her Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to the machine that will pull secrets from her mind.

And right beside her is Justin Connor, her betrayer, watching her every move.

Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Indigenous

395 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Ambelin Kwaymullina belongs to the Palyku people of the eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia. She is a writer, illustrator and law academic who works across a range of genres including YA, science fiction, verse and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Navessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING:



Me, while reading:
I think I like this book. Yup, I really like this book. I totally know what’s going on. Wait, what did I just read? Um…okay. I think I still know what’s going on though, nice try. Wait…what did she just say? Crap, I have no idea what’s going on, do I? WAIT…WUUUUUUT?! FUCK! I have never known what was going on! Damn it.

So touché, Ms Kwaymullina, that doesn’t happen to me very often.

Somehow, going into this, I didn’t realize that it was a YA book. Or that it was a dystopian. If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have given it a chance as I’d previously rage-quit the genre due to the incredibly frustrating repetitiveness I’d been encountering in it lately. Thank the lawd for my mistake because this book breaks the mold, folks.

You know that annoying theme in so many dystopian books where humanity somehow reverts back to racism and sexism after an apocalypse? Yeah, this book doesn’t have that in it.

You know that annoying theme in so many dystopian books where the female lead is somehow the ONLY IMPORTANT GIRL in the world? The one where she’s the sole female in a male-dominated race or competition or position, etc, etc? And everyone else with tits is “the enemy”? Yeah, this book doesn’t have that in it.

You know that annoying theme in so many dystopian books where it’s really just a love story? Sure there are some nifty fights and some other stuff but in the end it’s about getting Mary Sue and Gary Stu together? Yeah, this book isn’t one of those.

You know that annoying theme in so many YA books where the heroine is TSTL? Or worse, the smartest person that ever smarted? Yeah this book doesn’t have that in it either.

You know ALL those annoying themes that piss you off? Yeah, this book doesn't have em.

So what IS this book, you’re asking? In short, this:



SAVED THE GENRE.

This review can also be found at The Book Eaters.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very impressive book written by an indigenous Australian author. Set three hundred years into the future, it is a dystopian story of our world after it has been wrecked by all the things our civilisation involves. Some small recovery has occurred and Ashala Wolf is the leader of a group of young misfits trying to survive under the new regime.
The book has a heavy Aboriginal Dreamtime influence to it which fits well with the idea of this new world. People are trying not to make the same mistakes again but of course there are always going to be those who are out to follow their own agendas and cause trouble in what could be paradise.
I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this Young Adult story. The writing is good and the ideas are highly original. There is a major plot twist half way through which is quite fascinating. The characters are well drawn and likeable. Oh and I loved the Saurs who I could not help picturing as very cute dinosaurs although I know that was not what the author was visualising!
Highly recommended.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging story, that feels current in its underlying social commentary without coming off preachy. I was fortunate to read this with my friend Lindsay, who was able to draw my attention to Australia's harsh policy towards illegal immigrants, of which I was previously unaware.

While the treatment of people with special abilities in this book stems from the author's experience as an Australian and as an aboriginal, examples of this type of detention and denial of citizenship rights can be found all over the world. The US is the obvious current example, with its abhorrent practice of detention and deportation of non-citizens which has included the separation of thousands of children from their parents, often with no records kept, meaning that many of these families will never be reunited. At the root of harsh immigration policies, as is the case with the people sought out and detained in this book, is both an irrational fear of the other, and a willful refusal to confront the actual dangers approaching.

Climate change is upon us and radical changes are coming, and the aftermath of one unimagined post-change world provides the setting here. The world has been rebuilt after a fashion, but much has also been lost. Ashala's reconnection with some of the lost parts of the world through the rekindling of elements of the aboriginal heritage she has never known anything about was particularly well done.

This is both a compelling story with many layers of thoughtful commentary on some issues that are difficult but absolutely require all of us to do better. The message is ultimately hopeful though, which is what I always hang on to.

People, animals, trees-everything grieves, and regrets, and mourns what's passed. But nothing is ever truly gone forever. This is the place where life began again, where I began again. Whatever we were before, whoever we were before-it doesn't matter. Because we're all made new here. We live. We survive. We belong.

[Naz (Read Diverse Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review is up on my blog! Read Diverse Books

Reasons to read this book.

Stories about kids with powers are always fun.
Are you a fan of X-Men, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Misfits, etc.? Then you’ll like this book! Ashala has the Sleepwalking ability, which is the coolest, and allows her to do practically anything while she’s in her sleepwalking mode – fight with superhuman strength, travel through objects, or essentially make her dreams come true! Other people can manipulate memories, move at lightning speed, start fires, and do all sorts of neat abilities. I’m eager to learn more about the origin of these powers and how they can be used in the real world in future books in the series.


Twists!
Who doesn’t like a good twist in a story? There’s a pretty big one halfway through The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf. I’m not going to give anything away and you’ll never guess it, but let me reassure you that it was one of the most thrilling “aha” moments I’ve had reading YA this year and I’m sure you’ll appreciate it too.


It’s Australian YA with an Indigenous protagonist.
Australia has some notable and popular YA books, but non-Australian YA bloggers probably won’t be able to name more than a handful. I am here recommending The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf to you, which is a quality dystopian fiction that also has an Indigenous protagonist! The fact that Ashala is Indigenous is ancillary to the plot, but it does influence some elements of the story. We’ll see nods to the Aboriginal Australian belief of Dreamtime and creation stories like The Rainbow Serpent. This only makes the story more unique and memorable.

I highly recommend The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf to all fans of Dystopian Fantasy. Now you can’t say you don’t know any Australian YA other than The Book Thief.

[Liz Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

“There will come a day where a thousand illegals descend on your detention centre. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lighting to strike you down from above and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from bellow. And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”
With a quote like that on the flap how could I do nothing but love it? With a writer that was going to show diversity of aboriginals which I have read very little of, how could I not love it? With the abilities described how could I not love it? How wrong was I! I am so glad that I picked this up from the library instead of buying it like I was planing.

This story follows Ashala Wolf, who has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose. Ashala and her Tribe are sort of mutants, with different powers, and of course, they are persecuted. They live in the woods hiding from the rest of humanity. But the Chief is looking to find them, and with the help of a machine that will extract what she knows from her mind, there is little she can do. Justin Connor is there too, a boy she believed to be her friend, sadly he betrayed her and her people.

WHY DID EVERYTHING GO WRONG WITH THIS BOOK? I WANTED IT TO BE GOOD SO BADLY!!!!

The big problem that I found was the lack of world-building, I actually believe that the most building we get comes from that first quote on the top of this review, since it is very easy for us to figure out a bunch of these Tribe members can control elements. Three-hundred years have passed since the flood came, and the small society where the story takes place was created. All we know is that it was an environmental disaster, and therefore the message I got was that we must take care of our planet, “[advanced technology] had isolated the people of the old world from nature, shielding them from the consequences of imbalance, and yet they’d believed, right up until the very end, that it would save them. But…advances in technology could never compensate for failures in empathy.”
People have developed abilities, as well as special connections with certain animals, Ashala is a sleepwalker and has a connection to wolves, Ember is connected to crows and has an ability connected to them, and Georgie to spiders, and I cannot recall what his skill is, consequently, these are the titles of the other two books out so far. There is a strange serpent involved but we barely get any of that. It is basically Ashala in prison, and a few flashbacks. For a book that involves Australian/New Zeland aboriginal mythology, I was expecting a world filled with legend and bewitchment, I got none.
I still have to give it credit for having in this futuristic dystopian world, no sexism or racism. In quite a few books I have read, classic science-fiction or not, the new worlds reverse into an epoch of inherent structure due to religion, sex, sexuality, or racial identity, while also adding to it, the mutants/power-filled people, as second class citizens. This has been done with various degrees of success, luckily, this book managed to bring forth the issue of all these without having them as clearly defined. Mutants have always been a metaphor for marginalized groups, and they tend to be presented in places were they are discriminated for more than one thing (example X-Men), this book managed to bring mutants forth without adding any more discrimination, it felt refreshing to read.
There is also no character development.Only through flashbacks we get to see how undeveloped the protagonists actually were. How am I suppose to enjoy a novel if there are no fleshed out characters with not only complicated or interesting backstories, but also hints at futures issues to surface that actually make sense. When I read Vicious by V.E. Schwab, I learned about the background of the characters, and the motives for what they did what they did, with this novel, it felt as if Twilight's Bella gave her side of the story, instead of us learning from the point of view of all the great side characters.
There is a love story, and luckily it did not take a major part of the novel, like most dystopian-disguised-romances that I have read recently. It is clear who is falling for who, as well as who will end up with who, but it did not feel as pushed. It was however, very rushed, and I am not a fan of instantaneous love combustion.
Another thing added, that I liked very much was the introduction of detention centerswhere the gifted people were intended to be placed. I have an odd fascination with reading about forced-labor or concentration camps, because they represent a part of humanity that can come out at any moment in history. For this, I am always interested to see how it is that they came to be, again, this was not well done, but at least it was there.

Although unoriginal and severely lacking, I finished it rather quickly (maybe because of the lack of substance), and I still ponder if I should read the second book or not. The one thing I did get out of it was this: “You can't transform a society for the better with violence, Ashala. Only with ideas.” Considering what is going on in the world right now, and was happened in history, I am not sure how to feel about the quote.

Read at own caution. It was just:

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You can't transform a society for the better with violence, Ashala. Only with ideas.”

At first, this YA novel felt like a typical story of persecution of people with ‘powers’ in a world that has been nearly destroyed. Ashala, head of the Tribe, a group of young Illegals, has been captured and is being interrogated by someone from the ruling government. Throughout her frank narration, we not only get an understanding of this world but also of this character, her instincts, and her drive to protect. It was only too easy to get sucked in this tale, especially with the ecological and cultural angles that I really appreciated.

There is however another way to experience this book. I had no knowledge of the treatment of illegal immigrants and aboriginals in Australia, and had it not been for the comments from an Australian friend, I wouldn’t have seen the blatant parallels between the story and reality. In this light, and the current political situation of the whole world, Kwaymullina’s story takes on a much stronger stand.

[✨ jami ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so so so glad I finally read this book, it's been something I've been meaning to do for ages and I really enjoyed it. Although dystopian has kind of gone out of fashion, I thought this one was very well done. It is an Indigenous Australian #OwnVoices piece, and the incorporation of Indigenous Dreamtime stories and Indigenous culture was beautiful. Ashala Wolf was an amazing protagonist, I really enjoyed her arc. I wasn't totally sold on the romance though, I like it at first but then I felt it was too rushed at the end. There was also a bit of ableism.

Full review to come - read for #DiversityBingo and #TheReadingQuest

[Kathylill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf feels a lot like this.


This book will fuck with your expectations. It’s original, unpredictable and utterly engrossing with its ingenious plot twist, imaginative dreamscapes, nightmares, memory flashbacks and sometimes even the complete loss of reality.



All your expectations and what you thought was true gets turned upside down.


”The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, poof. He’s gone.” Verbal Kint, “The Usual Suspects”

You are looking for the something akin to the originality that was Angelfall, for a female Peter Pan and X-Men characters with ethnic diversity set in a creative dystopian world? Look no further. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf has it all and more; featuring indigenous Australian elements of The Dreamtime, such as the serpent, totems and sacred places.

The debut novel The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is the start to a four book dystopian series (The Tribe) set several hundred years in the future where the world was ripped apart by an environmental cataclysm known as 'the Reckoning'. The survivors of the Reckoning live in an eco-utopia where they strive to protect the Balance of the world, the inherent harmony. But anyone born with an ability, like Firestarters, Rumblers, Boomers or Waterbabies, is viewed as a threat to the Balance. Any child or teenager found to have such a power is labeled an 'Illegal' and locked away in detention centers by the government.

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina is a picture-perfect example for the diversity that can be found in Young Adult dystopian literature.

As a YA author, I find an assumption that teenagers are only interested in a narrow category of stories about people who look exactly like them to be insulting to teenagers everywhere. Teenagers, at least in my experience, have all the curiousity about other peoples and places that some of us sadly seem to lose as we get older. What’s more, when I was writing a novel about a girl who would change the world, there was a reason that I wrote about a teenager. My teenager is Indigenous, but many of her qualities are the qualities I see in teenagers everywhere, of all races and cultures – including flexibility of thought; reckless courage; stubborn defiance; and an absolute refusal to accept that injustice cannot be changed or should not be challenged. (Quoted from the blog post: Whitewashing: the disappearance of race and ethnicity from YA covers by Ambelin Kwaymullina http://www.insideadog.com.au/blog/whi...)

In most YA dystopian fiction you will encounter the monotonous 101 heroine: the one who painfully slowly discovers the fault in the current dystopian society that makes her doubt all she’s been told her whole life, causing her to join in the secret Uprising that exists. But Ashala, young she might be, already is the leader of The Tribe; she doesn’t want to fight the system, only to change it for the better through the power of new ideas. I loved the character of Ashala. She was not only a strong female leader but also kind of a mother-figure to her tribe.

The only fault with this book I had is where the fuck to I get the second book now?

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb young adult novel with an Australian aboriginal perspective that makes comment on the historical and current treatment of aboriginal people along with the current challenge of immigration detention centers.

The story picks up with Ashala Wolf in a detention center after an apparent betrayal and due to be tortured for information and used for the political gain of the people behind the detention center. Ashala is an Illegal (a person with powers) and the leader of the Tribe, a group of Illegals who have escaped the rigid control of the cities and live in harmony with a renewed nature.

This is far heftier than many YA books, the first half in particular.

There's a particular passage around the lack of windows in () the detention center (The answer was obvious. “So no one can see in.”) that echoes real world political control of information around the issue that has only gotten worse since the time this book was written.

Another feature of the book, the Citizenship Accords, that place people with powers in a special category where they can be denied rights, is actually based on real-world legislation that existed in 20th century Western Australia.

Despite all the commentary on these extremely relevant political issues, there's also a solid grounding in aboriginal beliefs in the fantastic elements of this book, particularly with Ashala herself and her ability to access the Dreamtime. It all makes for a really solid book from a rare perspective.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another case of "it's not you, it's me."

This book should have been exactly my kind of book. Dystopia, weird mind stuff and "save the planet" kind of kids! YAY!

Instead, it was kind of....boring. Ashala is captured. From there, it's a lot of trying to figure out what on earth was going on. I think it lost me really early on, when the "dog" was leaping in the air in her dream eating "bones."

I don't mind suspense and confusion in a book, but I have to be invested in the character or the story....or the world before you confuse me. Instead, I spent almost the whole book going "wait, what?" and then having to go back and read. And the jumbly memory stuff entirely bored me and from there it was just a push to get it done (since every review talks about how amazing the end is.)

sadly, by the time I got to the end, I was so un-invested I just rolled with it. Not a series I'll be continuing.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambelin Kwaymullina is a breakout author, an Australian aboriginal writer and illustrator, who is part of the Palyku people of Western Australia. This is the story of the rebellious Ashala Wolf, who seeks to thwart the oppressive government in a dystopian society, and is told from her perspective as a captive being subjected to enhanced interrogation. Ashala herself is a idealistic indigenous protagonist, including themes such as living in harmony and tranquility, with respect for all living creatures, and sympatico with the land. There are some creative connections between living creatures, and some excellent subterfuge. I was disappointed to see that while the sequel was published in 2013, if will not be published in the U.S. until February 2016. Hopefully by then, Ambelin get the publicity she deserves here.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you have a childhood steeped in fantasy and folklore; a love of the natural world and a soul-deep recognition of its greater importance in the scheme of things; a deep fascination with 'misfit abilities' (as in The Obernewtyn Chronicles and The X-Men); and a love for adventure stories involving youngsters outwitting malicious adults, you will, hopefully, love The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf as much as I did. This didn't just hit all my storytelling 'wants', to borrow the analogy; it barrelled into them, knocked them flat, then pulled them up and charged off into the next exciting chapter with me grinning inanely the whole time (except for the times when the tension and anticipation got to me, of course).

Not so very far in our future, the apocalypse wipes out pretty much everything we know. Driven by climate change, what emerges in its aftermath is not only a drastically changed world, but a new mindset too. The new world's ideology follows the doctrine of the revered yet mysterious Alexander Hoffman, a historical figure who guided civilisation back onto the path of survival. The ideology bestowed on this new world revolves around a Balance in nature rather than Gods: the idea that harmony must be maintained or another disaster will occur, and next time it might really be the end of everything. To prevent this, the surviving society implemented the Accords, a set of laws that everyone lives by. One of these Accords, the Citizenship Accords, has in turn created an underclass of exiled Illegals: mostly children and teenagers who fled before they could be detained due to their mutant abilities, which are seen as a threat to this new world order.

One of those Illegals is Ashala Wolf, who fled Gull City with her friend Georgie, also an Illegal, four years ago. Making their way through the grasslands - inhabited by man-eating giant Saurs, the first new creature of this new world - to the Firstwood, a forest of towering Tuart trees, Ashala makes a pact with the land and its creatures. In exchange for making a home in the Firstwood, they vow not to eat any meat. Living a sustainable existence amongst the trees and within the extensive cave networks, Ashala and Georgie are soon joined by other Illegals escaping detention, and the families that would betray them. Together they form the Tribe, of which Ashala is the leader, but they never stop watching and listening to what's happening in any of the eight remaining cities in the land.

Now, everything that Ashala has built seems about to be destroyed. A prisoner at Detention Centre 3 in Gull City, Ashala knows the man in charge, Neville Rose, will use everything he has to get information from her concerning the Tribe, and their rebellious movements. And by 'everything', Ashala knows it means facing the machine. It's just a ghastly rumour, but Ashala, Georgie and Ember know that Neville Rose and Miriam Grey have built an interrogation device that goes against the Benign Technology Accords - an accord designed to prevent the kind of technology-driven disaster that befell the world before.

Betrayed by someone she had welcomed into the Tribe, Ashala is now her betrayer's captive. Justin Connor is an Enforcer, and a Citizen. With this enemy by her side, she now faces the next: an elderly, kindly man, the Chief Administrator of Detention Centre 3, who seems incredibly insane but who is no less dangerous to the Tribe for that - or anyone else for that matter. Determined to extract information from her, can Ashala Wolf beat the machine and survive the interrogation? Or will Neville Rose get his way and arrest them all simply for having abilities that some believe could be a threat?

Ambelin Kwaymullina's debut novel is a powerhouse fantasy-adventure story that has invigorated my enthusiasm - previously waning at a dreadful rate - in Young Adult speculative fiction. This is the kind of story I want to read, and want more of. Thankfully, it's the start of a series (and because I'm late getting this review up, I've already read the sequel, which I loved just as much, if not more). Kwaymullina has created a strong heroine in Ashala Wolf, who provides a new and engaging voice in the post-apocalyptic dystopian fantasy sub-genre, and an exciting new world.

Ashala is the leader of the Tribe, and her ability is Sleepwalking: when she sleepwalks, she can do pretty much anything. To make her ability do her bidding, she gives herself three very simple instructions in the half-asleep stage, because once she's Sleepwalking she can only hold onto three things. When she Sleepwalks, she can travel vast distances in a single bound, move through objects, fight with superhuman strength and so on. But it has its limits, and Ashala doesn't always feel that it's an ability she can control. Other Illegals can run so fast they're almost invisible, or control the clouds, or control fire, and so on. Some of the abilities really do have the potential to be dangerous, but so far the only Illegals Ashala has ever met have been frightened children, fleeing persecution and a lifetime of detention (something that really resonates in our world today, with our 'detention centres' for 'boat people, many of whom are frightened children - and adults - fleeing persecution in their own lands).

Georgie's ability is to see the possible futures, while Ember - a girl with different coloured eyes and a Citizenship tattoo whom they find in the Firstwood not long after they first arrive - has an ability to do with memories. While these two central characters are mostly on the periphery in this first volume, they come into their own in subsequent books.

One of the pivotal characters in the story is, and must be, the land itself, especially the Firstwood, which has its own tangible presence and almost a personality. The Saurs, too, prove to be more than they seem at first, and a love and appreciation of the natural world is a strongly embedded current throughout the story and this world. It is one of the things I love about it, along with the Australian Indigenous Dreaming mythology woven in (Ashala's grandfather is the rainbow serpent, a spirit being that even I have come across in my readings). It is this lovely balance between an exciting and fresh-sounding take on the classic misfit-fantasy-post-apocalyptic storyline (I hark back again to The Obernewtyn Chronicles - so glad there is another series out now to satisfy Carmody's hungry fans!), and a story with a conscience.

It is this element that really connected with me, and I think would with many readers: after all, it seems to me that we are constantly searching for a spiritual connection with the world, and while I'm not religious nor into chakras and crystals, I strongly believe that it is a disconnect with the natural world - privileging a life lived in boxes, amongst concrete, in cars, in front of computers and screens - that has contributed to the high levels of stress and anxiety (not to mention obesity and other health problems) that we see today. Sounds simplistic perhaps but why should it be complicated? I know I always feel more at peace/less stressed after an afternoon in the garden, getting my hands dirty, growing my own food. Adults tend to rigidly adhere to - and expect - the lifestyle with which they're most familiar, but children are less moulded and in many ways, more adaptable. Children's and Young Adult stories are great vehicles for exploring new worlds and new ways of being, as well as engaging with classic and mythological storylines, the kind of age-old stories with which we continue to explore our understanding of the world around us.

Kwaymullina's style is smooth and flowing, engaging and gripping and full of surprises. The romance aspect of the storyline is touching and genuine, to the point that I was biting my knuckles at the end. Race is irrelevant in this new, 300-year-old world, which is also refreshing. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf reads like a standalone novel, and having finished the second book, I can say that that's a continuing pattern. But there is an over-arching storyline at work here, and some Big Picture issues at play: not least of which revolves around discrimination, persecution and dehumanisation of the 'Other'. Beautifully written and absorbing, The Tribe is one series that I whole-heartedly recommend to as wide an audience as I can.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below. . . . And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”

This is a dystopian YA sci-fi by Indigenous Australian author Ambelin Kwaymullina of the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Ashala Wolf is one of the Illegals living in Firstwood, persecuted for their powers. She is captured and taken to the detention centre of Chief Administrator Neville Rose for interrogation. She fears for her life and the survival of her tribe and feels torn by the betrayal of the double-crossing Justin Connor.

This is a pacey, gripping read. It has echoes of Indigenous spirituality and culture, and touches on the ugly history of Australia and the Stolen Generations. The character of the villain Neville Rose references Chief Protector of the Aborigines, A.O.Neville. The powers reflect elements of Indigenous spirituality. This was an enjoyable read.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Candlewick Press and Netgalley.)
Ashala has a special ability, and has been on the since she was 12, not wanting to be assessed and detained because of her ability.
Now Ashala has been captured though, and she’s about to be interrogated by those who wish to assess and detain those with special abilities.


This book just wasn’t for me. I had trouble keeping up with what was going on, and I just didn’t find the story interesting.

This was one of those books where the story seemed fractured and disjointed, and I just wasn’t interested enough to be able to work out what was going on and stay interested.
The start of the book was basically Ash being questioned, and then being drugged and having some kind of memory machine used on her. Then there was something going on with a girl that she recognised from the wilds where she lived, who turned out to not be exactly who/what Ash thought her to be. We then had this part where Ash had to go back and relive 5 memories or something, and I really just had no clue what was going on. I kept going back and re-reading bits but it just wouldn’t go in, and it really didn’t interest me.
When I got to the end I really had little idea as to what had happened, and couldn’t even say that the book was bad, I just didn’t get it, and unfortunately I was just glad that I had made it to the end.
I’m not really sure who I could possibly recommend this to, because it just really didn’t work for me.
Overall; confusing, and couldn’t hold my interest.
5 out of 10.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashala Jane Ambrose is being taken to the machine that will break her. It will use her memories against her, ripping into her mind and putting the Tribe in danger.

There is nobody to help Ashala. The boy she trusted, Justin Connor, revealed himself as a traitor and is now her guard in Detention Centre 3. The infamous Chief Administrator, Neville Rose, has Ashala in his sights and will do whatever it takes to find the location of her Tribe in the Firstwood.

But within these walls are more Illegals like Ashala and her Tribe members. Illegals that are fighting in their own way. Sleepwalkers, Rumblers, Chirpers, Firestarters, Skychangers, Leafers and Menders among them.

Ashala will not stop, for she is the leader of the Tribe. They can try to break her; they can take her memories and steal her thoughts. But they will not break her, for she is Ashala Wolf – the name she assumed when she became leader of hunted children.

She is Ashala Wolf.
She will not break.
Just let them try.

I bared my teeth at him. “There will come a day when a thousand Illegals descend on your detention centres. Boomers will breach the walls. Skychangers will send lightning to strike you all down from above, and Rumblers will open the earth to swallow you up from below. There will be nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, and no way to stop them from freeing every single Illegal in this centre. And when that day comes, Justin Connor, think of me.”

‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ is the first book in a new young adult Australian Dystopian series called ‘The Tribe’ by Ambelin Kwaymullina.

Set some 300 years in the future, Ambelin Kwaymullina’s is an Eco-Dystopian, in which the current crumbled world is only just recuperating after mankind devastated it with pollution and disregard, which culminated in a terrible flood, which also shrunk the world’s population. And from these waters another change occurred in the ripples of humanity… when certain people started gaining new abilities. There are Firestarters, with temperamental combustion who can create flame from thin air. Menders lay hands and heal people. And Sleepwalkers, like Ashala Wolf, can be transported when they dream.

And although in Kwaymullina’s future society there is no discrimination of skin colour, these people with special abilities are hunted and caged for what they can do – and their potential for causing natural disaster. That’s where Ashala and her Tribe come in … because the Tribe believe in The Balance; that just as the earth has had to equalize and harmonize after environmental devastation, so too will the human race have to accept that those with abilities are apart of the same whole – neither good, nor bad, but of this new world order.

There are those who would like to see humans like Ashala and her Tribe locked up in Detention Centres – to be experimented and terminated. But it has become Ashala’s mission in life to give these ‘others’ a fighting chance, and a place to hide in the Firstwood.

I’ve been grumbling for a little while now about the fact that the once hyped Dystopian genre is losing its lustre for me. It seems to be so same-same these days, and while Suzanne Collins’s ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy had real heart and an interesting social context in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, lately it feels like everything Dystopian that has come since ‘The Hunger Games’ has been lukewarm and simply ticking trope boxes rather than genuinely provoking. A good Dystopian book should use metaphor to correlate what they write in their war-torn/dictator-led/post-apocalyptic world with what is happening to people reading the book in present day. And, honestly, I just haven’t felt that lately (especially not when so many Dystopian’s now also think a love triangle is necessary because Katniss/Peeta/Gale had one).

So when I picked up Ambelin Kwaymullina’s ‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ I felt a wee bit weary, but decided to remain open-minded. But a few pages into this Aussie YA novel and I discovered that there was nothing stale or stagnate in this new Dystopian offering. In fact, with Kwaymullina’s originality and breath-taking story, ‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ is proof-positive that the post-apocalyptic genre is still a fascinating one, but only if you have as good a story to tell as Kwaymullina does with Ashala Wolf.

First, I’d like to highlight how wonderful it is to read an Australian young adult novel with an Aboriginal protagonist, and written by an Aboriginal author (Kwaymullina heralds from the Palyku People of the Pilbara region). As I mentioned, in this future world racial discrimination is a thing of the past, but Kwaymullina makes it a point to indirectly highlight that Ashala has a strong connection to the earth, gaining strength from her dreams of Firstwood and always with a deep respect for nature. Ashala’s ancestors are undoubtedly Aboriginal; and 300 years later she has inherited their connection to the land.

I’ve written about how much I loved reading an Australian novel with an Aboriginal protagonist, and how we need more of the like for young readers. My opinion of this appearing on the ‘Kill Your Darlings’ blog (http://goo.gl/ChnDr)

My appreciation of the novel’s Indigenous ties goes deeper than merely having an Aboriginal protagonist. It’s something that is at the very heart of the novel – indeed, just as Ashala has a connection to the land, so too does this story for being a unique Dystopian with a focus on environmental disaster and mankind’s fault in killing the world some 300 years ago with greed and negligence.

It’s also the fact that Kwaymullina draws on Dreamtime themes in her book. For international readers, The Dreamtime is the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, and is a sacred era in which ancestral totemic spirit beings created the world. The Dreamtime is something all Australian children learn about in primary school (but, sadly, seems to drop off the curriculum when you enter high school and the focus shifts to colonialist ‘white’ history). But reading Dreamtime connections in ‘The Tribe’ really clicked for me – it’s wonderful the symbolism that Kwaymullina explores, in particular with serpent creatures who are another product of ‘The Balance’ and play a vital role in protecting the children of the Firstwood Tribe. All Australian schoolchildren know the story of the Rainbow Serpent – the serpent Goorialla who travelled the land searching for his tribe, and along the way made gorges and rivers with his body, caves and mountains – shaping the landscape that we now know. The Rainbow Serpent has since become a symbol of fertility and abundance, so having this connection in ‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ runs very deep and adds layers to this Dystopian world.

I also can’t deny that Kwaymullina being an Indigenous author of fantasy fiction has its own deeper intrigue and authenticity. In an interview I did with Kwaymullina for the KYD blog, I asked her what sorts of books she read growing up, and she replied with a very interesting answer which perhaps reveals why she would go on to write a Dystopian book, particularly one about a band of children with special abilities who are evading capture by those who want them eradicated from society:

Mostly, I read speculative fiction, which were the stories I felt a sense of kinship with. It’s not that speculative fiction was ever especially peopled with non-Caucasian characters (unless, that is, you count elves, fairies, or aliens). But they were often stories of the underdog, and of the outcast; of a small group of determined people fighting injustice against impossible odds. My ancestors had suffered under, and resisted, unjust policies and laws. I could relate.

But above all else, ‘The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf’ is a darn-good yarn. Kwaymullina offers a heartfelt Eco-Dystopian, with a simultaneous guessing-game plot as Ashala’s interrogation reveals the layers of her memory. Then, of course, there’s her tricky relationship with thought-to-be-friend, now foe and prison guard, Justin Connor, which adds even more slurp to an already juicy plot.

Second book in the series is due out in August 2013, and I can’t wait. Kwaymullina leaves Ashala (and readers) not on the precipice of a cliff-hanger, but standing on the threshold of a daunting new world that is so intriguing and dangerous, readers will be counting down the days until they can return to Firstwood and Ashala’s Tribe.

[Zaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas, but a lack of characterization, energy and action.

Ashala is the teenage chief of the Tribe, a group of young people gifted (or damned) with special abilities. They are considered as a problem in the society and are detained in camps. Ashala is captured and interrogated, the bad guys wanting to learn things only she knows.

The book had an unusual setting I appreciated, with wild things communicating with the superpowered kids and a special bond existing between some of them. It gave a nice connected-with-nature touch that worked well with the overall message of the story and how the dystopian society was built. I was a little disappointed that the book was really focused on the events, I would have preferred more time spent on the world building, but the knowledge was enough to follow what was happening and what had driven the characters to the current situation. I really enjoyed the abilities, some of them usual, others more original and well integrated in the story. Ashala was a nice narrator and it was lucky because all the book was about explaining and discussing stuff, with not enough time actually spent in action. I can’t say I found the read boring, but for a dystopia with a touch of fantasy and rebellion, it totally lacked a compelling rhythm and I struggled to finish the last 30%. The characters all looked interesting at first but at the end of the book, I’d the impression I knew none of them, so the character development was obviously lacking, mostly unidimensional, and saved only by the shinny abilities. Also, the male love interest "looked like an angel" which was cliché and boring. At least he made me a little curious, but with the lack of true discussions with Ashala, it felt like another lazy love at the first sight. Overall, there was good stuff (animals, super powers, indigenous Australian setting) and a pleasant writing but the rest was average, so I don't think I’ll try the next book.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ended on such a perfect note that I'm wondering how the series will continue...

[Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is a début novel. It's rich prose, brilliantly imagined world, and nuanced characters are sure to impress a wide ranging audience.

There is an inherent Balance between all life, and the only way to preserve it is to live in harmony with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth."

I love the world-building in this novel! It's a dystopian world based on Australia with Dreamtime mythologies - like the Serpent - cleverly weaved into it. Ashala Wolf lives in a world ravaged by the affects of technological mismanagement and neglect for the environment. There's only one remaining land-mass. IT is split up into seven large cities, separated by wilderness, where most of the population lives. The survivors of this catastrophe live their lives to preserve the Balance and some believe that people like Ashala - Illegals, who have strange abilities - do not fit into the Balance. Those with harmless or controllable powers are granted Exemptions from the government and are allowed to live as Citizens in the cities, but many are forced to flee and live in the wild. Ashala is one of the leaders of The Tribe, a group of children who have run away from the Cities before their assessments who now eke out a living in the Firstwood.

When we begin the novel, Ashala has been captured by Chief Administrator Neville Rose: a man bent on wiping out Illegals, who has his sights set on The Tribe. Ashala is quick-thinking, brave, and incredibly smart - everything one needs in a rebellious hero! I love how loyal she is to her Tribe, even the people she really doesn't owe any loyalty to.

Ashala leads the Tribe with the help of Ember Crow and Georgie Spider, and this amazing trio looks after all the younger children who have run away from the Cities. Ember and Georgie are great secondary characters, but I'm really excited that they each get their own books in the series. I really want to know more about both of them! Other secondary characters in the book include Jaz, a cute and super cheeky kid that Ashala has a soft spot for, and Justin, who captured Ashala and brought her to in to be questioned. They are all well-crafted, believable characters.

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is a little unusually structured - large parts of the story are told in flashback form. This is in part because of the Machine - it extracts memories from the person being interrogated - but there's another (spoilery) reason for it all (by the way, the plotting of this novel is superb!). While some books become confusing when there are time-jumps, flashbacks, and memories involved, I found this novel easy to follow. I think much of the brilliance of the book rests on how the author chose to tell us this story.

This is an excellent novel, one that I think deserves a home on the bookshelves of every reader of dystopian and post-apocalytpic fiction. Featuring a brilliant new voice in Australian literature, The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf s sure to impress. I'll running out to grab the sequel, The Disappearance of Ember Crow, and will be on the lookout for the third book, The Foretelling of Georgie Spider, which will be available later in 2015. The Execution of Neville Rose, the fourth instalment, is scheduled for release in 2016.

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sucked in immediately when I began this book. Ashala Wolf's situation and perspective had me interested and invested in the Tribe. She and the other extraordinary members of her group have a variety of unusual abilities, for which they've been feared and hunted by the larger society they live in. This society has evolved from whatever survived some catastrophic incident, or series of incidents, many years earlier. People have decided to live in greater harmony with their surroundings, though the children who display unusual abilities are treated as dangerous and lack protections and respect. In fact, the baddie of this book has dangerous plans and uses imprisoned extraordinary children to advance his cause.
Ashala narrates her tale, moving back and forth in time, and we see a young woman who cares deeply about those around her, and is willing to do almost anything to protect them. She has a strong voice, and though the story relied fairly heavily on flashbacks and memories, these were vital to understand several plot points, and were interesting at showing character motivations and moved the story forward. I am totally a fan of this author now, and want to read more of this series.

[Mandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

list of things i hated:
1. justin connor
2. the font changes, were they necessary?
3. their animal last names like what
4. ashala wOLf idk why she annoyed the shit outta me
5. the entire premise of the story
6. the writing style
7. the english faculty for making us read this
8. justin
9. connor
10. justin connor and his split personality like okay bro
11. the cover
12. neville rose or whatever his name was
13. the flashbacks and the italics and everything about the book
things i liked:

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. I thought I would struggle, there's so many different characters & timelines since the story jumps around between past events. But actually it was easy & engaging. I was invested from the first chapter & I'm definitely going to read the sequels.

[Julia Lawrinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracking story, brilliant characters (especially Ashala herself), and an interrogation of (see what I did there?!) moral responsibility that is unusual in its complexity.

[Clare Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular from every angle. That tuart forest.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this on the fence about whether it was a 2 or 3 for me and whether it was a potential 3/4 for YAs. Ultimately, I am splitting the difference.

I like the Aboriginal flavor of the dystopian post apocalyptic world created here. And there's also lots to like about the environmental message and outlook espoused by the positive characters in the novel. However, it's the baddies who run the government who use the term "balance" to justify their prejudice against those with abilities, those called "Illegals" and denied acceptance and full citizenship. Ashala's Tribe is a group of runaways with abilities--it's a little X-men there, I suppose. She can do almost any task with superhuman abilities--IF she is dreaming. Others in her group can run very very fast or predict the weather or even read the future's possibilities. We know very little about her world until the novel's somewhat unusual narrative structure unfolds after Ashala has been taken into detention, where unscrupulous officials plan to use a vile machine to learn about the Tribe and how to destroy it--to interrogate her, yes.

She knows she hates angel-perfect Justin Connor, who came to the tribe in the guise of a friend who just happened to work for the government, but he ultimately gave her up to his bosses. The Tribe, her relationship to Justin and the others of importance in her life, and what brought Ashala into the wilds and landed her in detention all come across in a series of flashbacks and intentionally buried memories. Often, I felt those segments reported on incidents and elements of Ashala's life without actually breathing much life or vitality into them. Lots of telling and not much showing. I wasn't particularly psyched about finishing the book, but I did. There was some potential that I needed to follow through to the end and see whether it was borne out. Overall, for me, not so much. I do see TONS of high ratings, so I could be Susie Sourpuss here. It happens.

[⭑ yasi · Rating 1 out of 5]

i miss good dystopian books 💔

justin connor is a big fat JOKE. also my english teacher seems to equally despise this book which is why we always get exactly 3 minutes to read it at the start of each lesson.

also the font changes. EW. stick to ONE font please.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Short Story? - This one took me by utter surprise. I still can't believe how much I enjoyed it! The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is definitely one of my favourite YA dystopians that I've read this year! Bringing YA dystopian together with elements of the Dreaming ( aboriginal legends), The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is a show of fresh talent with an authentic narrative voice and a intriguing plot! Kwaymullina's debut is absolutely breath-taking!

The Long Story? - To be honest I had no idea this was a dystopian YA. The blurb and title and cover are all so sneaky! I went into this novel expecting some kind of paranormal romance with a wolf pack. I WAS WRONG. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is such a beautifully written story. The premise of the novel is quite unique as this dystopian society does have a supernatural touch. The "outlaws" are people who have been gifted with special talents. I also loved how the author brought some of her indigenous heritage into the novel. She has used parts of the Dreaming to explain the back story for the novel and she's also kind of incorporated australia in general into the novel which is something I loved! It's so unique and combined with the refreshingly authentic narrative voice, I definitely recommend this one to EVERYONE! The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is something special indeed!

The characterisation was great. Ashala Wolf was a unique character. Firstly, she was an indigenous australian and I really enjoyed that perspective of the novel as YA novels seem to never feature characters with different coloured skin tones. I also loved her personality. She was fierce, loyal, kind and more than anything readers can connect with her. The pain she has endured makes her more human, more like us. I also really liked Justin, initially he came off as a little bit of a jerk which I guess is how the author has chosen to portray him but as the novel progresses, I felt myself forming a bond with this beautiful boy! Other notable characters include Ember, Georgia and Jaz. All very wonderful characters!

In a nutshell, The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is definitely one novel you don't want to miss out on! Not only is it Aussie, it's dystopian WITH an australian twist! Fantastic characters, wonderful plot and beautifully written. Kwaymullina is a brilliant writer with a authentic and refreshingly YA voice, I can't wait to see what she has install for us next! The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is a phenomenal debut!

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Candlewick Press and Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

4 Stars!

This was one of those books that the more I read, the more I liked it. I find myself gravitating towards YA books right now. I found this to be a great addition to that genre. I was first intrigued by the cover of this book which shows a fierce face of young girl. It is a wonderful cover that I would no doubt pick up if I were browsing in a book store.

This book is set several hundred years in the future. The world has changed a lot in this future. Land masses have changed after a great flood. The new focus is on balance. To keep everything in balance, individuals with special abilities are called Illegals and are kept away from the rest of society. Ashala is part of a group of Illegals who live in Firstwood where they live to stay out of the detention centers.

The book opens with Ashala in a detention center. The administrator of the detention center, Neville Rose, is determined to find out all of Ashala's secrets. To do so, he orders the use of "the machine" on Ashala. The machine has the ability to read the memories of anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in its clutches.

The beginning of the book was confusing at times. As things are revealed, everything starts to come together to form a very cohesive story. The cast of characters were well developed, likeable, and more than intriguing. The world building was well done and I can clearly envision world that Ashala and her tribe calls home.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian young adult novels. I would feel completely comfortable with my 13 year old reading this book so I do feel that it is suitable for a younger teen audience and above. This book is supposed to be the first in a series. I definitely plan to read future works by this author.

[Sinead Anja (Huntress of Diverse Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my book blog for more book reviews and other bookish posts!

I decided to read The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf, when @RuruReads announced that they were holding a readalong. I had been hearing about the book for a long time, but I’d never thought of actually purchasing it.

It’s ownvoices Indigeneous Australian representation.

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I thought I’d read a little every day and kind of join in with the readalong. I ended up finishing it in one day, because I could just not put it down! It was so good. After I’d finished reading it, I immediately added the sequels to my Goodreads TBR.

I loved how the story focussed on the power of friendship. It was wonderful to read about these detailed friendships and see how everyone supported each other.

I’d been thinking a lot about how our memories influence how we perceive certain situations and how they affect how we react, in the weeks before reading this book. This book came at just the right time, as this was one of the main themes. And it was fascinating, it added a lot of ideas to my thoughts.

The twist about memory was unexpected and executed very well. I couldn’t get the book out of my thoughts until I had read through the whole explanation of the twist.

There is ableist language, and one of the characters says that someone is mentally ill and thus evil.

My favourite quote:

“You can’t transform a society for the better with violence, Ashala. Only with ideas.”

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I enjoyed The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf a lot. OH MY! It was awesome! I was so into the story, and I just wanted to keep reading! The sequels are very expensive in the UK though, so I’m going to wait for a sale.

Trigger warnings: death, murder, torture.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2013/11/t...
The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf can be described in one word, awesome. This is not your average dystopian, a blend of Indigenous Dreamtime and a post apocalyptic world in which man destroyed our environment. Ashala is a tough and feisty heroine, she possesses an inner strength rarely seen in most young adult protagonists. She's socially aware and an environmental warrior, sharing a connection with both fauna and flora alike. She's given a sense of peace, stability and a home within the spiritual Firstwood forest for children like herself, who have gained abilities through evolution, possibly to aid in survival while the earth was reborn. The government see them as an abomination, the Sleepwalkers such as Ash, Rumblers who can cause earthquakes, Firestarters, Skychangers who can alter the weather and Menders, natural doctors who can heal.

I loved how the storyline was set within the detention center, as the machine pulls memories from Ash's mind. Her relationships, friendships and hardships, as she leads her Tribe against what is essentially the government who believe they upset the balance in society, while protecting the fragile earth. Each character is unique and share a bond with the animals they share Firstwood with. Friend Georgie has a strange connection with spiders and can manipulate to either attack or aid, just as Ash has a bond with wolves. The spiritual aspects were beautiful and readers will appreciate the uniqueness that is Dreamtime.

I didn't love The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf, I adored it.

[Tehani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard people talk about this as fantasy, but it felt much more dystopic SF to me. It's probably a solid 3.5, but I round up for Aussie books, particularly debut novels (Kwaymullina has previous publications, but not novel length). I enjoyed the read, thought there were some fabulous ideas and great characters. I wasn't sold on the world-building, and the book suffered a little from the same problem that Veronica Roth's "Divergent" did, in that it was hard to believe the societal structure could be world-wide. The structure was really quite unusual, with a lot of the story taking place in flashbacks as memories, and a frequent quirk of the protagonist realising that something she had thought was true turned out to be something quite different. I think this will do well with the Hunger Games crowd looking for what to read next!