Ashes Hot

I either need to get some survival training or I need to stop reading books about the apocalypse.

ASHES is an intense and thrilling addition to the genre, detailing what happens after an electromagnetic pulse kills the majority of adults and leaves most teenagers as cannibalistic zombies. Alex has never been lucky: first her parents died and then she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. While she hikes to scatter her parents' ashes, she manages to escape the worst of the calamity and teams up with a cranky young orphan named Ellie and a cute veteran named Tom. The three stick together as they try to survive, but my zombie reading experience warned me that nothing was going to work out.

I loved this book. It kept me up late at night and had me panicking about the fact that I don't know how to start a fire or fight, and that I have two canned items in my cupboard. Ilsa J. Bick is insanely talented and able to weave a story that doesn't follow a predictable structure. Some of the sentences are so simple, yet knocked me out, like, "That was the last good time." This sentence pops up only halfway through the book, by the way.

ASHES ends with one of the best cliffhangers I've ever encountered, and I actually didn't know that it is the first in a trilogy, so I scrambled to the computer to learn more. Happily, Shadows will be released in Fall 2012, so while I have a wait to learn what happens next, I am comforted to know that eventually I will know.

If you love action, guts, being scared, and being surprised, make sure that ASHES is at the top of your To Read list.

If you're on Twitter, I'm sure you've read alot about the YA dystopia ASHES. I knew I had to grab a copy of this book especially when I heard how amazing it was. Add a frightening premise in a world that could very well be our own. Plus, Egmont is the publisher. If you know by now, Egmont is one of my favorite publishers. I was able to get an ebook galley from Netgalley. Let’s just say this book doesn’t disappoint.

We start out with Alex on a mountain waiting to make peace with the death of her parents. She also refuses any more treatments for her brain tumor. Then Ellie, a smart mouth eight year old, and her grandfather come upon Alex right when the electromagnet wave hits. Alex finds something happens to her. Her lost of smell comes back. Plus not only can she smell but she can smell the emotions of people around her. Adults drop dead while the teens and kids seem to become animalistic to the point of becoming zombie like.

What I love about this story is it’s not the usual zombie tale. No, this one doesn’t follow any rules. For one thing Bick isn’t afraid to have her characters go to hell and back. And believe me this new world is hell. There are some very intense scenes that would give Stephen King a run for his money. But the beauty of this story is how the little details strengthen the storyline. And the whole premise of an electromagnet wave tampering with someone’s brain in a horrific way is very plausible which makes this story even more terrifying and wonderful.

There’s scenes that make you squirm yet also make you afraid to stop reading. A true storyteller is able to do this to a reader. And Bick, like King, is a master of this.

The cliffhanger ending is totally wow worthy. And yes, there’s more to Alex’s tale. This is book one of a trilogy. If you loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, you’ll love this story. I predict this will be a hot Fall YA book. Run, don’t walk to pick up this scary, creepy, but very amazing read. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.