Ilsa J. Bick

Oh . . .

I was so ready to give this book 5 solid, beautiful stars. I was so ready.

Until I got about halfway and it was as if some undistinguished dystopian author ran up to Bick, snatched her pen, said, "I got this," and wrote the rest of the novel in the style of every other YA book out there, adding a second love interest, 15+ unnecessary characters, what seemed like a whole other plot, and took away what I loved (did I mention absolutely loved)about the book's first half.

Basically, the show more first half of the book: 5 stars.
Second half: 2 stars. Maybe less. I can't decide right now. Talk to me later after I recover from this heartbreak and betrayal and downed at least 3 cups of tea.

However, let's return to the glorious, dark, and awesome 250 pages of Ashes. Gosh, I wanted to run up to my friends and shove this thing into their faces, waving it around and screaming. I wanted to wail its praises and everything. I mean, it's not without its flaws, certainly--the prose is somewhat clunky, especially in action scenes, where sentences continue to be very long and flowery, taking me out of the scene and the energy; not to mention that the Minnesota was described literally as a "lumberjack" wearing plaid and a turtleneck. I'm surprised Bick didn't take a swing at his accent, too. But maybe I'm just sore because I'm a Minnesotan myself . . .

In any case, I loved the slow and simplistic approach to the beginning, especially with Alex's brain tumor and the introduction of the zombies and the three main characters' predicament. And what I love most is that the zombie cause is explained here, and in a way that's actually quite possible, or more believable that in most stories. Not to mention I actually get to experience it happening! That's so fascinating (in a sick, horrid way). Still going on about this brilliant first half, the character relationships were amazingly done. The growth between all of them made me melt into this puddle of emotions. Really, it did. I absolutely adored the relationship between Tom and Ellie, I can't emphasize that enough. It was so real and sweet, and so refreshing compared to most relationships emphasized in YA books published today (AKA: romance romance ROMANCE ROMANCE DID I MENTION?).

So the most disappointing aspect about when the book switched gears completely was when all that was lost, and Bick gave up those subtle and beautiful relationships for the shallow standard YA garble that's swarming the shelves everywhere. Around page 250, I swear that's when it happens, smack in the middle of the book, everything changes. I wanted to run up and help the Ents release the river and drown what was once beautiful but now had started to stink (forgive me for this reference, I really just had to say it!).

Had the author just decided three characters weren't enough to carry a plot? I was shocked. Really, I was completely thrown when I had to deal with all these new characters thrusted upon me with no warning and was expected to care for them in some way. Why would I care? Why should I care? This whole town of Rule is just another dystopian city setup, a horrible city disguised as something nice (a ruse everyone can see through right away, so why the lengthy shtick at all?) that carries on for another 200 pages. Like I said earlier, another love interest is added, I assume because the concept of two love interests is soin fashion right now, with a whole bunch of random super powers and random dogs and random side plots and characters that really don't seem to have any immediacy or point right now. Maybe they do in the future, but it doesn't seem all that important to me. The plot in the beginning was so tight, so pressing and beautiful (yes, that's probably the 50th time I've used that word to describe the first 250), and then it's completely disregarded for a disorganized mess--for what? To set up something else? To add some sparkle?

The zombies seemed an afterthought in this part, even. Really, an afterthought; as in, mentioned at the very end. Oh yeah, this book has to do with zombies! I forgot!

I almost want to cry I feel so betrayed. show less

The standout story in this collection of Star Trek: S.C.E. stories is really the title piece, a double-length one by Ilsa J. Bick about Doctor Elizabeth Lense. Lense is one of my favorite S.C.E. characters, and though I don't think she gets as much focus as she should (not as little as Pattie or Soloman, though), when she does, it's always good. The story is Bick at her best: a bunch of messed-up people in a messed-up circumstance, doing their best to survive and hold themselves together; show more Lense is amazingly not even the most messed-up person here. Strong, raw writing carries the reader through an intense scenario. There's nothing particularly standout about the rest of the book, however; even Bick's other contribution, Lost Time, falls a bit flat. Cory Rushton's Fables of the Prime Directive had some good ideas, though; it's a shame we never saw Trek work from him again. show less

“Ashes” may just be one of the best books I’ve read this year (right up there with “Divergent”). It’s creepy, violent, and incredibly addictive. Alex, the seventeen year old main character, has a brain tumor. She’s decided that finishing her treatment is useless, so she sets off on a backpacking trip, leaving behind her aunt, as her parents both died. While on her trip, she comes upon an older man traveling with his granddaughter, Ellie, and their dog, Mina. It’s while show more she’s with them that the electromagnetic impulse occurs, changing everything in an instant. All of their electronics die, along with the old man who had a pacemaker. Most of Alex’s items become useless and she’s left with Ellie, the old man’s eight year old granddaughter, and their dog, Mina who won’t let her near the old man. When she sets out for help, Ellie eventually following behind, they come upon their first victims of the change. It’s a horrifying scene, but they manage to get away. Later on, after being chased by dogs, a man who has undergone the change tries to take Ellie, forcing his friend, Tom, to kill him. The three of them set off together, doing their best to keep safe, but keeping safe won’t be easy. And this is where I avoid spoilers.

“Ashes” is a heart pounding story that will be hard to put down. It’s a story about survival, about finding the strength within to keep going. The scenes after the change, they are creepy, and at times disgusting (example: the scene in which Alex and Ellie come upon the teens with the old lady), but you won’t be able to stop reading. Bick has created a realistic world and believable characters you’ll come to care about. I think Alex is a wonderful character. She’s strong, while still fragile. She’s far from a pushover and I love that about her.

If you enjoyed “The Hunger Games”, you’ll most likely enjoy “Ashes”. I should probably state that there are zombies and there is quite a lot of violence in “Ashes”, so it’s not for everyone, but it is an excellent start to a trilogy. That cliffhanger though, it’s going to drive me nuts. show less

Your chest heaves rapidly, up and down, up and down. You try to calm down, but it’s hard to do so after what you’ve just seen. The images are burned into your skull and you don’t think you’ll be forgetting them any time soon. Your head spins as you try to raise yourself up, but it’s too much and you fall back down again. The trees around you stand majestic and tall, and if you didn’t know any better you would have thought that everything is normal. But it’s not. You can smell show more the blood, and it’s overwhelming. You shut your eyes tight and try to ignore the horror of it all, but you can already feel the burning bile coming up your throat. This can’t be happening you think. It is happening… and the Changed are on their way.

Alex isn’t your typical teenager. If you look at her you might think she is. You could guess that she likes hanging out with her friends, and that she’s into music. She might even play a sport, and be quite good at it too. But Alex is none of those things. She has been hardened by the burden of life, and been forced to mature far too quickly for one so young. If you pulled away all of her layers you would see that her parents are both dead, her life is on stand-by, and she has a monster living inside of her that can’t be tamed- cancer.

To escape from it all, Alex decides to take a spontaneous trip to the mountains to go for a little camping trip. What she thought would be a chance to unwind and think out in nature, ends up being a nightmare. A sudden, unexpected electromagnetic pulse, the Zap, rips through the forest, killing many its path. It leaves Alex with a blinding headache, and something unexpected. Alex can now smell again, a sense that had been eliminated by her numerous cancer treatments. But more than that, she can smell remarkably well, even sensing emotions through the smells that she encounters.

The Zap has set in motion a whirlwind of events that are about to change everything. Alex isn’t the only who was affected by the strange Zap. There are others out there that are starting to transform… into the Changed. They are becoming feral animals who crave human flesh, and can’t get enough of it. Alex knows that if she is to survive she can’t get through this on her own. She bands with the young Ellie, and the veteran soldier Tom. As they set off to find others, one can’t help but wonder who else is out there? What does this all mean? All is revealed in Ilsa J. Bick’s striking tale of one girl’s journey to pick up the ashes after all is lost in, Ashes!

Ashes is an adrenaline rush that you won’t want to end. I was taken on a wild ride through forests, over rivers, and across state lines that constantly had me on edge and my hackles raised. Ilsa J. Bick does a spectacular job at keeping the reader in the fog, yet giving out enough to keep me wanting more. I recommend Ashes for older teens, as it might prove to be too intense for younger readers, and they might not fully understand quite everything that is going on.

Ilsa J. Bick knew exactly how to keep me interested, yet not give too much away. I was constantly led on a trail of clues, and I never knew more than Alex did. It felt like I was going through surviving the Zap just as she was. My heart was thumping so loud at times, I thought it would beat right out of my chest. I could feel the fear slowly building up, and then slamming into me as I realized just what was wrong. It was thrilling to get to feel on edge throughout Ashes, and never quite knowing what was going to be right around the corner.

Many elements were thrown into Ashes that made it what it is. I think this book will appeal to a wide range of teens as it has a bit of everything. There is the sci-fi element, suspense, romance, dystopia, and it shows just what different people would do in a time of crisis. I couldn’t help wondering if I would have the guts to do what was needed. Alex herself is a very hardened soul, who can be closed-off around others due to everything she has had to go through in life. It was interesting to see how certain events brought back memories, or how for once in her life she felt like she could open up to strangers.

The title of the book, Ashes lent itself nicely to the story in general. There were references to the title that really tied the story together as a whole. Also, ashes have a deeper meaning to Alex than most people, as she carries around her parent’s ashes with her. I can’t wait to read even more in the sequel, Shadows.

It would have been nice to have seen a little more background provided for the Zap. There wasn’t very much of an explanation given to why it swept across the land. However, I feel that by not fully explaining the Zap, I only knew as much as Alex did, and that helped to put me even more into the story. Also, even though Alex is a closed-off person, I would have liked to have learned more about her past as the story went on. Now and then little snippets of memories would pop up, but I feel that I would have been able to connect with Alex even better if I knew more about her before the Zap. It was interesting to get to learn about her on a whole new level though, as she struggled to survive, and I also learned about her by many of the choices she made and actions she took.

Ashes is a heart-stopping voyage of one girl’s fight to stay alive, when she is one of the few left. Nothing is as it seems in this tale full of twists and turns. Join Alex, as she learns just what really is ahead of her in, Ashes!

-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading! show less