What would life be like if an EMP hit us and billions died, leaving only the really young and the old survived. Add to that the fact that anyone between the ages of 12-65 might not totally die, but become a zombie-like cannibal . Seems a bit unbelievable, but unique, no? Well, this is the premise for the book Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick.
Ashes follows Alex, a seventeen year old who has terminal cancer and is hiking out in the woods. Ashes is a book that gets off to a fast paced start, and by page 30, the "Zap" has happened, leaving Alex with super-smell, and 8-year Ellie's grandfather dead. Even though Alex doesn't like Ellie, she can't leave her out in the woods by herself, so the unlikely duo sets off towards the ranger station.
Along the way, the pair comes across two teenagers who are feasting on a woman, and the duo runs away.(Who would blame them?) This leaves both Alex and the reader wondering what caused the teenagers to act this way. If this isn't enough, the get attacked by wild dogs and an twenty-year old war veteran who's name is Tom has to save them.
Although I liked the pacing and characters in the first half of the book, I didn't understand how a seventeen year old, who had been in the hospital a lot, knew everything there was to know about surviving the wilderness. Also, she was able to name everything about the types of guns, and give a description about them, which I don't think many seventeen year olds would know about.
This is a very minor gripe compared to the one I had to the second half of this book. The action slows down, almost to the point of non-exstience, when Alex gets to the town of Rule. Its seems like a pretty crazy town, ruled by a Council of Five and filled by a bunch of people who tried to linch her when she stepped into town. At first, she thinks about escape, but she never attempts it. Instead, she works as a doctor's assistant and falls right in, even though she needs an escort wherever she goes. The ending was a cliffhanger, making it kind of love or hate. Giving no clue on what will happen to Alex, the ending wanted me wanting more and waiting for the next book in the series.
So, lets recap. The first half of this book had was great, but the second half was kinda...Huh. Overall, I think this book is worth your time and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
My Rating:
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