Ashes Review Ilsa J Bick

Ashes

Ilsa J Bick
Quercus

Synopsis

"No, she thought. No, please, God, I'm not seeing this

Seventeen-year-old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have acquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a young army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all:
In such a vastly changed world, who can you trust?

A story of high-wire tension, gut-wrenching twist, and burgeoning love, Ashes will leave you breathless." Goodreads

Review

I wasn't sure about Ashes at first as it isn't something that I'd usually go for. That being said I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any one. Especially fans of the zoooombie.

The characters have depth and an intricate back story which is important, as I find this lacking in a lot of YA books that i've read recently. People react in certain ways because they have evolved to do this, not just for the sake of an obvious plot device. This was not a problem with Ashes. Although I did find the -we just all happened to be hiking at the same time thing- a little predictable. 

Alex the protagonist can be quite stubborn and yet she is very caring, even when I found myself wondering if it was in her situation would I not just run off. Tom is also brooding and very sweet, so if you like that kind of thing then he'll be just the love interest for you. I'm still not sure whose team I am to be honest. There are still two more books to go. 

The prose is well written and engaging. It was not overly descriptive, although I wouldn't have minded more in certain parts of the book. I do enjoy some gruesome details if you're trying to set a scene of horror. Ashes reminded me when reading it of a few of my favourite books. Sabriel, Plague 99 and Hands of Forrest and Teeth but it also was very original. 

This is the first in the series and I don't want to go in to too much detail in case I ruin it. So I will leave you with this. If you like zombies, gore, adventure and a gripping love story this is the book for you.

I give Ashes four out of five bags of milky way magic stars.