Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Published September 6th 2011 by Egmont USA
Goodreads summary:
It could happen tomorrow . . .
An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.
For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.
Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation
Review:
I’m going to start my review of Ashes by saying this:
WOW.
I could not be happier that Ashes was the book that I used to kick off Dewey’s 24 hour readathon. I was instantly drawn in to Ashes. The novel opens on a scene that feels almost bittersweet. Our main character, Alex, is terminally ill with cancer and is off on a last hike to spread her parents ashes, having decided to live out the remainder of her life without treatment. She speaks with her aunt on the drive up and their conversation and Alex’s ruminations brought a sad smile to my face.
Then Ilsa Bick hit me with a blow, ending the chapter by letting me know that things would not have a happy ending. In a twisted way, that was one of my (many) favorite aspects of the book. Right when I think “Oh, okay, this is kind of happy, and relax a teeny bit,” Ilsa Bick STEALS my relaxation away, letting me know with one chapter-ending statement that it won’t be okay and it won’t be happy. It’s a little masochistic of me- but I loved that.
Bick manages to develop multiple characters in Ashes. There’s Ellie who starts off as a brat that I can’t STAND, even if I was trying to understand what she was going through, and turns into this poor little girl that I just thought needed a hug. There’s more to Tom than initially appears and finally of course, there’s our main character in Ashes.
Alex goes from being resigned to death to being desperate for life and she is so smart that she’s a heroine I can totally respect. And love in an I-want-to-be-BFFs-and-have-her-teach-me-wilderness-ways kind of way. Alex, take me camping please. My indoor-oriented self could never handle it without a seasoned pro like you.
The most incredible thing about Ashes to me? How friggin’ gritty it was. Things are atmospheric and chilling. There’s this sort of stark realization that they’ve basically lived through the damn APOCALYPSE and honestly they’re kind of worse off for it. Society is all but non-existent and when a semblance of society is finally found… it’s dystopian and leaves a lot to be desired, but it is unfortunately the best option for those who want to survive.
Overall rating: 5/5. Incredible, gritty and thrilling. Ashes is an amazingly intense post-apocalyptic novel.
