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Ashes Ilsa J Bick 9780857382627 Books

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Ashes Ilsa J Bick 9780857382627 Books

Ashes is a fantastic apocalyptic zombie novel told in the third person point of view where the focus is on Alex, the main character of the book. The point of view of Ashes is very successful for this story because even though we are seeing everything through Alex we are distanced back enough to make our own decisions about the situations that arise; this becomes a valuable asset in this novel.

Alex makes for a great lead character. Usually I find myself drawn to secondary characters (We all pick a favorite, right? Right?) But Alex was flawed and quirky enough that she easily earned a place in my heart. The author did a splendid job of giving us enough of her as we go so that the reader is able to continually learn new things about Alex as the story progresses.

I both enjoyed and got frustrated with the rest of the characters in this book.

How Ilsa Bick wrote Ellie was quite on the nose. I have never wanted to punch an eight-year-old in the face before. Not until Ellie. But while I was mentally turning into a cannibal as I read - directed entirely towards Ellie - the author also had me feeling for the little brat as things went along. To me, that takes immense talent.

And then there's Tom.

"Because when you pass out again and fall into the fire, I don't want to have to put out your hair, and I'm kind of partial to that turtleneck."

I found Tom to be such an excellent balance to Alex. Tom acted how I imagine someone his age would, given the situation. The author made Tom a very believable character and he was one that I enjoyed seeing on the page.

I found that the author wrote all the characters quite well. Every character was authentic and understandable. There was only one character I had trouble with. And that was Chris. I just never connected with him. I thought he was a bit forced and I never was really concerned about him though I felt I should have been.

There was only one part of the book that pulled me out of the `readers dream'. The location of this story is in Northern Michigan. I suppose as someone who is from Michigan I may have been a bit critical. I accepted the fictional places that were created after I stopped to scratch my head and googled the setting; I learned at that point that this area was fictionalized. But the author's use of description in the setting (more on that later) and the accuracy of the world she created was so spot on that I quickly forgot about the real and fell into the alternate reality. But there was one slip that I couldn't look past.

"... There's Sawyer Air Force Base here in the Yooper."

Just as a clarification, Yooper is a person from the Upper Peninsula. The nickname for the region is U.P. or even The Yoop (though not used as much). Like I said, it's just something this Michigander noticed.

If you can come away with one thing from this review, let it be this: Ilsa Bick is phenomenal when it comes to imagery on every single level. Her use of description for the setting of the story helped create an amazing background.

A thick carpet of pine needles muffled their steps as effectively as heavy snow.

I felt that even just this simple sentence did an amazing job at putting the reader into the scene.

The other area of imagery that the author does very well is the age old writing rule: show don't tell.

The girl clamped her hands around the animal's neck and gave a savage twist. The crow's neck snapped with a crisp, crackling sound like a Thanksgiving wishbone, and then Ponytail Blonde corkscrewed the crow's head from its body with a gleeful squall.

The pop of that crow's neck was so audible that I will never be able to look at a Thanksgiving turkey the same way again. But that's how you know the author has done their job, when a visual sticks with you so thoroughly.

On other reviews I've read there seems to be a complaint about the speed of the book changing half way through. While the pace did change I didn't see this as a problem, especially since the change of direction is actually acknowledged in the novel.

She'd never have let the monster get away with that, and there were many ways to fight. So why wasn't she?
Because something was changing. Again. Inside her. She felt it in this slow, general slide into a kind of numb acceptance.

The characters change and grow as the book moves along and that means the direction of the book must do the same.

So much of this book was done right. I could go on about the immense cliffhangers that are scattered through this story (I won't even touch the insane ending!). And I could mention how much I appreciate how not every tiny thing we come across is explained. We get to be treated like we would in the real world. Everything isn't given. We have to earn it.

If you are intrigued by survival novels or zombie novels then this is a read for you. Or, if you just love a very well written book read this. You will not be sorry. And even better, this is the start of a trilogy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go start reading the second book.


Tags : Ashes [Ilsa J. Bick] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 1st trade edition paperback new In stock shipped from our UK warehouse,Ilsa J. Bick,Ashes,Quercus,0857382624,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Science Fiction

Ashes Ilsa J Bick 9780857382627 Books Reviews

I was recommended this book on and passed, then saw it label on GoodReads as a zombie book which peaked my interest. The thing is it's not really a zombie apocalyptic book. The kids who change aren't dead, they're just insane. It's like Lord of the Flies meets Jericho.
Alex heads up into the mountains to scatter her parents ashes, before she gets to sick to do so. Alex has a brain tumor and is getting really tired of fighting. As she is hiking she meets Ellie and her grandfather, while they are chatting an EMP (at least that's what they think) and plunges the world into all kinds of chaos. Most adults die and the children/ teens are "Changed", with the exception of a few "Spared".
Ashes is a really interesting concept, as it plunged the world out of the tech age and into the survival age. Then it offers us a change in humans, some bad and some interesting yet not all humans. It's like the ones who had brain malfunctions are cured, while those who were healthy perished or went nutso. I was sucked into this book. Following Alex, Ellie, and Tom (a guy who saved them) as they navigate this crazy new world and try not to get killed doing so. As the characters grew and the book progressed I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once. Alex is a tough cookie, she may have been down on herself in the beginning of the book, but don't let it fool you. She is a great lead character. Tom is a little rough around the edges but he grows on you. Ellie is adorable and tugs on you heartstrings, even though she tries to play tough.
The plot is good and strong, keeping the reader guessing and flipping pages to see what will happen. I was perturbed by the cliffhanger ending and can't wait to get my hands on book two. All and all an awesome read.
Alex has her own demons to face. Having been dealt a hard hand in life, she decides to take a long hike up into the woods for some time alone to ponder and to take care of some unfinished business with her parents. Her alone time dreams are brought to a stop when she meets up with an elderly gentleman and his granddaughter Ellie along the way. Alex finds no harm in being polite and spending some time with them before being on her way.

Suddenly a flash pulses through the sky and before her eyes the elderly gentleman slumps over, dead and Alex finds herself coaxing a very scared young Ellie and her dog to join her as they try to get out of the woods and figure out what is going on.

Along the way Alex and Ellie find that people have changed and some, not for the better. Some teens seem to have gone mad, killing one another and Alex is not sure who she can trust. When she meets up with Tom in a circumstance that causes her to trust him, she learns that the flash was an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that has wiped out the world's electricity - no computer, televisions, IPODS, MP3′s, cell phones, watches, and most cars are just a sample of what has changed in the flash.

But what is up with the changes teens, and as Alex moves forward and meets more people how does she know who she can trust in a world she no longer feels familiar with...

Yowza. Ashes took me by surprise and pulled me right into the story. I liked Alex and sympathized with her cause. And this whole EMP topic, really gets you thinking. (I first read about EMP's in One Second After).

I listened to this one on audio and while Katherine Kellgren kept a sweet and engaging pace in her reading, her voice didn't seem to feel right for the characters she was reading. She has almost a sophisticated tone to her voice and right from the start it seemed off for the book, although I enjoyed the story so stuck with it and by the end it didn't bother me so much except for the occasional screeching. (Mmmmmmm hmmmmmm screeching)

That aside, the book is fast paced and interesting. Warning it does end rather suddenly and at a sort of cliff hanger moment too that can be taken as "OOOH exciting" or "What the" annoying. I fell somewhere in the middle. I, was surprised that it was over, even checked the audio to be sure, but curious to want to know what is next. Thankfully, Shadows, the second book in this trilogy is out and I ordered it right away - but this time in book format.
Ashes is a fantastic apocalyptic zombie novel told in the third person point of view where the focus is on Alex, the main character of the book. The point of view of Ashes is very successful for this story because even though we are seeing everything through Alex we are distanced back enough to make our own decisions about the situations that arise; this becomes a valuable asset in this novel.

Alex makes for a great lead character. Usually I find myself drawn to secondary characters (We all pick a favorite, right? Right?) But Alex was flawed and quirky enough that she easily earned a place in my heart. The author did a splendid job of giving us enough of her as we go so that the reader is able to continually learn new things about Alex as the story progresses.

I both enjoyed and got frustrated with the rest of the characters in this book.

How Ilsa Bick wrote Ellie was quite on the nose. I have never wanted to punch an eight-year-old in the face before. Not until Ellie. But while I was mentally turning into a cannibal as I read - directed entirely towards Ellie - the author also had me feeling for the little brat as things went along. To me, that takes immense talent.

And then there's Tom.

"Because when you pass out again and fall into the fire, I don't want to have to put out your hair, and I'm kind of partial to that turtleneck."

I found Tom to be such an excellent balance to Alex. Tom acted how I imagine someone his age would, given the situation. The author made Tom a very believable character and he was one that I enjoyed seeing on the page.

I found that the author wrote all the characters quite well. Every character was authentic and understandable. There was only one character I had trouble with. And that was Chris. I just never connected with him. I thought he was a bit forced and I never was really concerned about him though I felt I should have been.

There was only one part of the book that pulled me out of the `readers dream'. The location of this story is in Northern Michigan. I suppose as someone who is from Michigan I may have been a bit critical. I accepted the fictional places that were created after I stopped to scratch my head and googled the setting; I learned at that point that this area was fictionalized. But the author's use of description in the setting (more on that later) and the accuracy of the world she created was so spot on that I quickly forgot about the real and fell into the alternate reality. But there was one slip that I couldn't look past.

"... There's Sawyer Air Force Base here in the Yooper."

Just as a clarification, Yooper is a person from the Upper Peninsula. The nickname for the region is U.P. or even The Yoop (though not used as much). Like I said, it's just something this Michigander noticed.

If you can come away with one thing from this review, let it be this Ilsa Bick is phenomenal when it comes to imagery on every single level. Her use of description for the setting of the story helped create an amazing background.

A thick carpet of pine needles muffled their steps as effectively as heavy snow.

I felt that even just this simple sentence did an amazing job at putting the reader into the scene.

The other area of imagery that the author does very well is the age old writing rule show don't tell.

The girl clamped her hands around the animal's neck and gave a savage twist. The crow's neck snapped with a crisp, crackling sound like a Thanksgiving wishbone, and then Ponytail Blonde corkscrewed the crow's head from its body with a gleeful squall.

The pop of that crow's neck was so audible that I will never be able to look at a Thanksgiving turkey the same way again. But that's how you know the author has done their job, when a visual sticks with you so thoroughly.

On other reviews I've read there seems to be a complaint about the speed of the book changing half way through. While the pace did change I didn't see this as a problem, especially since the change of direction is actually acknowledged in the novel.

She'd never have let the monster get away with that, and there were many ways to fight. So why wasn't she?
Because something was changing. Again. Inside her. She felt it in this slow, general slide into a kind of numb acceptance.

The characters change and grow as the book moves along and that means the direction of the book must do the same.

So much of this book was done right. I could go on about the immense cliffhangers that are scattered through this story (I won't even touch the insane ending!). And I could mention how much I appreciate how not every tiny thing we come across is explained. We get to be treated like we would in the real world. Everything isn't given. We have to earn it.

If you are intrigued by survival novels or zombie novels then this is a read for you. Or, if you just love a very well written book read this. You will not be sorry. And even better, this is the start of a trilogy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go start reading the second book.