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My Goodreads rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book emphasized one of the post-apocalyptic themes that I love: survival. It’s not a simple theme, of course, and it is one of those ideas that reveal other themes, like sacrifice, fear, and ethics. Bick does a great job at keeping the reader in suspense while exploring the many facets of the darker side of human survival amid chaos and uncertainty.
I felt that the pace of the plot was slightly uneven, albeit realistic, which is the only reason I didn’t award this one with five stars. When the main character is with her supporting characters, the story’s interesting and moves quickly. When the main character is alone, the story maintains interest but slows considerably. During these times, I was able to put the book down. My five-starred books were impossible to put down, in comparison.
But I still really liked it, hence the other four stars.
Ashes isn’t your typical zombie apocalypse/dystopian story. It’s unpredictable and it avoids clichés while maintaining a definite creepiness. In fact, I noticed its creepiness was infiltrating my dreams, so I opted to read something lighter late at night (a great sign for a lover of horror and thriller genres.) One thing Ashes brings to the table that some similar stories lack is its focus on the unknown. Many of today’s societies are so connected to information that we take such access for granted. What would happen if people were suddenly dropping dead around you, and you couldn’t use your smartphone to find out why? What if there was no news broadcast, no internet at all, to explain why the moon was a different color? Bick explores this idea throughout the story, and even once Alex starts to put the pieces together, she’s faced with more mysteries- mysteries that need solved in order for her to survive.
And that’s the other thing I love about this type of story. Alex and her comrades must survive not just without the latest technology and information access, but also without electricity, and most automobiles, and among other things, a basic lack of safety. After all, Alex hasn’t exactly been “safe” in the past, but until now, she’s never been hunted.
View all my reviews on Goodreads.
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Tags: Ashes, Books, Dystopian, Fiction, Goodreads, Ilsa J. Bick, Post-Apocalyptic
ASHES is definitely a roller-coaster ride of a read, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it in some spots, but overall it sucked me in and I can’t WAIT to see where Bick takes us next. GREAT REVIEW!
Thanks, Kerri. I agree. Especially how it ended. I thought, “What? I have to wait to keep reading the rest of this story?! Are you kidding?”
Thanks for recommending it.