Zombies?

Hey, guys!

I finally finished Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick last night and I honestly don't know whether to love it or hate it.

The book is told from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old girl named Alex who was orphaned at the age of fourteen, and shortly afterwards received news that she may be expected to suffer their fate as well. Her parents died in a crash, but not too long after, Alex was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite experimental treatments, the monster (as Alex is fond of calling the tumor) grew and snuffed out her sense of smell.

Some people may not know this, but the sense of smell is closely linked to the sense of taste and to memory. That means that not only did Alex stop tasting food and drink, but she also began to lose her memory. This includes memories of her parents.

After going along with the fruitless treatments, Alex decided that enough was enough and went off on her own to hike in the Waucamaw (a mountain trail) to get away and find herself. Shortly after running into a bratty eight-year-old, Ellie, and her nosy grandfather, Jack, everything goes wrong.

Something causes the animals to run around going crazy while the humans feel an intense pain in their skulls before it is over. Their electronics are fried and now Alex must deal with Ellie's complaints and inability to cooperate as they try to hike to the ranger's station after losing most of their supplies and their only map. All they have is a limited ration of food, minimal supplies, and the help of a former soldier named Tom.

But that's not all. As a result of a disaster of unknown origin, there are people who have been changed. Primarily teenagers and young adults have been affected by what Alex calls the Zap in a way that causes them to act like zombies: cannibalism and an inability to communicate or feel empathy.

Alex is also changing. After the Zap, her sense of smell has come back stronger than a dog's and, with it, her memories. But she's afraid. Since the people who have changed into cannibals are within her age group, does that mean that she is on her way to becoming just like them? Given enough time, will she take a bite out of Ellie or Tom?

You will have to read to find out. I'm kind of evil like that.

Now, the reason I absolutely love this book is that it is gripping and suspenseful and full of action. Much like James Dashner's books, you can never tell from one chapter what will happen in the next. And so many plot twists. Oh, my God, the closer I got to the end the harder it was to put the book down.

So, why do I kind of hate it? The evil, evil cliffhanger at the end of the book.

My boyfriend had read the book before I took it out at the library and he warned me about the ending. But I never would've dreamed that it would be that bad! Bick may as well have ended the book mid-sentence! I suppose that the beauty of the ending is that it leaves you wanting more.

And there is more.

Turns out that Ashes is part of a trilogy. The sequels are Shadows and Monsters and you can be sure that I will check those out at the library the next time I take my boyfriend on a library date.

As for my recommendations for the first installment? I highly recommend this book, especially if you are into survival stories, (post) apocalyptic novels, or action-packed reading. Although the ending is frustrating, the rest of the book is well worth it. I actually feel much better about the ending knowing that there is more to come.

Check back in for more posts and leave a comment if you're hankering for a review for a specific book.

Happy reading!!