Shadows

What. was. that? I’ll tell you what that was: one of the bloodiest, goriest, most violent and most-likely-to-induce-vomiting book I have ever stumbled upon.* Of course, I don’t generally wade into this territory all that often, so that statement probably doesn’t mean all that much. Still, don’t go into Shadows expecting puppies and rainbows (well, there are puppies, but the rainbows are still a no-show). In fact, I highly recommend not reading on a full stomach.**

Ashes, Shadows‘ predecessor, had a similar format, but had one thing that Shadows lacks: heart. Despite the general unpleasantness of the situations Alex, Tom and Ellie faced, the growing affection I felt for the three of them made all of that worth bearing. Learning show more about what made them tick, watching them grow as individuals and into a close-knit family unit made Ashes into so much more than just another zombie book and made it all the more agonizing when their world was wrenched apart at the seams.

Because the story was so much more plot-centric this time around — watch the Changed gnaw on someone’s neck, see sick, sadistic humans do sick, sadistic things, move character X from point A to point B, throw down a cliff-hanger at the end of every single chapter — I didn’t feel the human connection like I did with Ashes. There were scenes in Shadows that I should have been absolutely weeping for these characters and I just couldn’t muster up the proper response. One scene did come awfully close, though that was due in part to how heart-wrenching it was for [spoilers, Sweetie] to be separated from one another in the previous book.

And yet.

And yet, I found myself staying up until three in the morning to finish this book, so Bick obviously did something right. I like a book that makes me think and wonder and question and this book made me do all three. What connection does this paramilitary group have to the community of Rule and why are they so hell-bent on its destruction, other than their obvious disdain for Rule’s shady practices (though do they really have any room to talk, given their own despicable experiments)? Just how did Rule come to be and what do the Amish have to do with it? Have the Spared really been spared from the horrors of the Change, or is the monster just laying in wait for the opportune moment to wreck havoc? Will these poor people ever get a moment of respite and a happy(ish) ending?

Given that this is the second book in a trilogy, we’ll have to wait for the last installment for more than a hint of an answer to those questions. I did, however, learn a valuable lesson from this book: if some of those crazy militia people come knocking at your door, you run as fast and as far away from them as you can. Because they’re, you know, crazy.***



*I’d like to take a moment to apologize to my poor mom for suffering through all of my cries of agony while I read last night. She kept asking what was wrong. You don’t want to know, Mom. You really don’t want to know.

**Or reading late at night, because boy did I ever have some weird dreams. Like Tiffany from So You Think You Can Dance leading the charge to Rule wearing a sparkly sequined dress and a cape made from the tattoos from people’s bodies weird.

***In other words, these are not the sort of people you want to have on your zombie apocalypse team, no matter how many weapons they bring to the table. You are better off without. show less

In my review of the first book in this post-apocalyptic horror trilogy, where a series of electro magnetic pulses has driven most of the population to become cannibals, I said I hoped the second book would be more plot-driven and rely less on shocking incidents. It isn't and it doesn't. The overarching narrative hardly seems to advance at all and much of the book is set piece action involving mutilation and horrific death described in graphic detail (I'm no excessive prude, but some more plot would be nice!). I don't identify with any of the characters. The author isn't a bad writer but on this basis I'm not at all sure I'll bother with the concluding part of the trilogy (though that said, curiosity will probably impel me to download show more it, though not until it's sold at a reduced price). 3/5 show less

Wow I hate the exam period. I just want to hide away somewhere with these books and not be disturbed by anyone until I make it to the end, as breathless as if I'd been running a marathon. That's how I feel now, at the end of Shadows and I can just imagine what Monsters will be like, as it stares up at me from the top of my TBR pile next to my bed.

A warning, though, if you're thinking of reading these books: They are not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of bloody, gory descriptions and characters that you don't expect to die, will probably die. Out of nowhere. And really you know you should expect it, but you don't. Shadows is very graphic, even more so than Ashes, its predecessor. Personally, as horrible as it may be (lucky I show more don't nightmare easy), I think it really adds to the drama and the realness of the book. It's like a movie, watching it all unfold in my mind. And it may be horrible, but I guess that's just life in an apocalypse.

The only problem I had with this book, is that unlike Ashes, which was all from Alex's point of view, we now have multiple POVs. And while I am so glad that Tom is back in the story again (!!), it's hard to follow Chris and Peter's individual POVs and keep a handle on everything that's going on. Believe me, there's a lot going on here! I am enjoying the increasing complexities of the story (and I have so many questions keeping me reading!) but I just wish that the various character storylines were handled better. I will be really getting into one and then all of a sudden it changes, then I get sucked into the next one and forget what the others are doing. However, the insight into the other characters and the other events going on is good. It doesn't make you feel as blinded as to what else is happening out there, outside of where Alex is, and I think that's the point.

[I can't believe they were so close to one another! I could feel my heart breaking a bit as she's shouting at him to run and he didn't want to, but they're tearing him away and just OH MY GOD. You have no idea how much I hope they find each other. ]Monsters, the next book, is a big read by the look of it and I can't wait to get it into it and have some (all!) of my questions answered (hopefully!) show less

In Shadows, we are learning exactly how much dissent is among the community members of Rule. There is a large scale rebellion coming and like a game of chess all the pieces are moving in complex patterns. It is hard to follow the moves that are being made and for what goals, but I’m hoping that is part of a grand reveal that will take place in the last book in this trilogy. In this book Bick used a multi-character point-of-view beyond just Alex and Tom, and I think it was necessary to cover the grand scale of what was happening throughout the world that she created.

Outside of Rule where Alex and Tom are separately trying to survive the Changed teens are becoming much smarter and organized. They have garnered a new name, Chuckies, show more named after the sadistic toy doll from the movie franchise. These cruel teens are cannibalistic and have structured themselves into gangs using guns, knives, and rudimentary tactics to get what they want. This story is even darker then Ashes, which was dark to begin with. The Changed are the epitome of savage in this book and it can be quite gruesome. Yet, I love the way Bick writes and leaves you hanging at the end of every chapter. I flew through this book with the greatest of ease and even though I was once again left hanging with more questions than answers I’m craving to know what is going to happen. There are some things that bother me about this book, but overall Alex and Tom are great characters that I love to read about and I root for them to make it through after all they have endured. show less

In Shadows, we are learning exactly how much dissent is among the community members of Rule. There is a large scale rebellion coming and like a game of chess all the pieces are moving in complex patterns. It is hard to follow the moves that are being made and for what goals, but I’m hoping that is part of a grand reveal that will take place in the last book in this trilogy. In this book Bick used a multi-character point-of-view beyond just Alex and Tom, and I think it was necessary to cover the grand scale of what was happening throughout the world that she created.

Outside of Rule where Alex and Tom are separately trying to survive the Changed teens are becoming much smarter and organized. They have garnered a new name, Chuckies, show more named after the sadistic toy doll from the movie franchise. These cruel teens are cannibalistic and have structured themselves into gangs using guns, knives, and rudimentary tactics to get what they want. This story is even darker then Ashes, which was dark to begin with. The Changed are the epitome of savage in this book and it can be quite gruesome. Yet, I love the way Bick writes and leaves you hanging at the end of every chapter. I flew through this book with the greatest of ease and even though I was once again left hanging with more questions than answers I’m craving to know what is going to happen. There are some things that bother me about this book, but overall Alex and Tom are great characters that I love to read about and I root for them to make it through after all they have endured. show less

In Shadows, we are learning exactly how much dissent is among the community members of Rule. There is a large scale rebellion coming and like a game of chess all the pieces are moving in complex patterns. It is hard to follow the moves that are being made and for what goals, but I’m hoping that is part of a grand reveal that will take place in the last book in this trilogy. In this book Bick used a multi-character point-of-view beyond just Alex and Tom, and I think it was necessary to cover the grand scale of what was happening throughout the world that she created.

Outside of Rule where Alex and Tom are separately trying to survive the Changed teens are becoming much smarter and organized. They have garnered a new name, Chuckies, show more named after the sadistic toy doll from the movie franchise. These cruel teens are cannibalistic and have structured themselves into gangs using guns, knives, and rudimentary tactics to get what they want. This story is even darker then Ashes, which was dark to begin with. The Changed are the epitome of savage in this book and it can be quite gruesome. Yet, I love the way Bick writes and leaves you hanging at the end of every chapter. I flew through this book with the greatest of ease and even though I was once again left hanging with more questions than answers I’m craving to know what is going to happen. There are some things that bother me about this book, but overall Alex and Tom are great characters that I love to read about and I root for them to make it through after all they have endured. show less

This is the second book in the Ashes trilogy by Bick. I loved the first book in this series, it was so gritty and engaging. This book was a disappointment for me. The book is even more grisly than the first one and switches POVs many times. There is no recapping so you better remember the plethora of characters from Ashes or you will be totally lost.

Alex has been captured by Changed who are threatening to eat her and is doing her best to survive. Tom is doing his best to recover from his wounds in Ashes with an older couple. All the other characters are also doing their best to survive. Pretty much this is the continued story of the horror everyone lives through in an effort to live.

This book was not nearly as good as the first book, show more Ashes. It still was a fast paced and action packed story but you switch POV so often that you never know who you are reading about. Alex is probably the character you read the least about. You also hear from Peter, Chris, Tom, and others in Rule. The plethora of POVs really slowed the progression of the story and fractured it a lot.

Additionally there is no recapping at all, so all those characters you meet in Rule at the end of Ashes...well you better be prepared to remember them all. I couldn’t remember then all and struggled to remember who did what and was involved in what actions as the story went on. I got so frustrated at points I almost didn’t finish the book.

The story was even more grisly than the first one with the added bonus of strange orgies between the Changed; all in all a pretty stomach turning read. There are lots of detailed descriptions of Changed kids eating humans; no detail is left unexplored. Gory detail doesn’t usually bother me, but there were parts of this book that made me go “ugh, yuck!”

There are a couple of good things about this book. It is an intense read, and even though the scenes are fractured, they are incredibly engaging because someone is just about to die on every page. It makes the book hard to put down. Given that (as you might guess) there is a huge body count in this book...so just be prepared to watch lots of people die/be tortured/etc.

The other interesting thing was how Alex and others are developing Changed-like abilities and starting to struggle to remain human. I am super curious with how this all will play out.

Even with those points in the story’s favor I almost didn't finish this one. And in the end I am not sure if I am glad I did...nothing is resolved, this ends just like the first book did...right in the middle of everything.

Overall a very disappointing book for me. I loved Ashes and was incredibly disappointed by Shadows. Too many POVs fracture the story and the lack of recapping make it impossible to remember the multitude of characters. The level of goriness/torture/orginess was ratcheted up a level higher than Ashes and made this book even yuckier at points. The story still moves at a neck-breaking pace and is incredibly engaging. The developments around Alex’s changing powers are interesting too. Outside of that there wasn’t much here I enjoyed. I truly doubt I will be reading the final book in this series. show less