Galley Book Review: Ashes

Ashes: Ashes Trilogy 1

Author: Isla J. Bick

Publish Date: September 2011

Publisher: EgmontUSA

It could happen tomorrow...

A cataclysmic event. An army of "The Changed."
Can one teen really survive on her own?

An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human...

Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom---a young army veteran---and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.

This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive.

We all know the end of the world is coming. That’s no real shocker there, it’s the how and the when that we’re still trying to determine. Ashes provides us with one of the possibilities… and quick frankly one of the scarier realistic possibilities.  Everyone says the zombie apocalypse is coming, I don’t think anyone imagined it like this. 

The story follows Alex, who is already struggling with a brain tumor and her own impending death. However, the EMP changes something within her and life changes all over again for her. Alex is left struggling to survive not only for herself but for eight year old Ellie, whom is doubly difficult as any normal eight year old and Tom, whom as an ex soldier does a lot of protecting back. Her special gifts give her an extra edge but I’m not sure it’s enough. 

The story is well written and grabbing. It’s difficult to stop reading and the chapters are short enough that one more chapter before bed turned into five more chapters before bed. It’s fast paced but not so fast details are lost or the reader feels rushed. 

The characters are relate-able. Or most of them are anyway as the jury is still out on Jess and Chris. Alex has a slew of problems that the reader can’t help but feel connected and want everything to be okay for her. Tom was a comfort with his knowledge and conscious. Sassy mouthed kids are adorable and a pain and there isn’t one better then Ellie. 

As the first book in the series it provides a lot of ground work for the following books. The cliffhanger ending was unappreciated, but it felt like it had to be done, or the book would go on another hundreds of pages. While it had some holes, they’ll probably be filled in with the books to come so there isn’t much the book hasn’t provided. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

My Rating:

Touya