Ashes

Ilsa J. Bick’s Ashes tells the story of a sixteen year old girl called Alex. The book begins with Alex running away from her aunt, who has minded her since her parents’ deaths. As if being an orphan isn’t enough, Alex is also dying of a brain tumour. She meets Jack and his granddaughter Ellie in the middle of nowhere, and suddenly an electro-magnetic pulse shatters through the air. Those who do not drop dead or turn into zombie-like creatures are forced to protect themselves and their families in any way they can.

When I began to read this novel I had no idea what to expect; zombies were the last thing on my mind. From the very beginning of the story I felt that Alex was a likeable character, and empathized with her straight away. Her subtle intelligence is believable for her age and the mystery surrounding her is intriguing. Her life was already in turmoil before the incident and the way she deals with all her issues was interesting and well thought through.

The way different characters react to the changes surrounding them show how the world has changed and yet stayed so much the same. This is the first of a trilogy and I can’t wait for the rest of the series to be released. I would recommend this to older teens because all of the zombie passages are extremely gory.