Belinda Reviews: Ilsa J. Bick's - "Ashes" and "Shadows"

Disclaimer – If you don’t like horror, blood, guts and war these books are NOT FOR YOU.

I will admit right here, right now I am not someone who has ever enjoyed this style of book, because I find I have a habit of putting myself into that character’s position and I have an attack of the wiggins.

Ashes follows 17 year old Alex through her survival of an electromagnetic pulse. Along the way we meet Ellie and Tom, and they work together to try and find other survivors. The question is, when they find other survivors, can they be trusted? Also, the story asks the question – who are the real monsters?.

Ashes really surprised me. I thought once the first set of eyeballs were consumed I wouldn’t be able to move forward, or even finish the book. I thought the gore would far outweigh the benefit of continuing. But then I was wrapped up in wanting Alex to make it; to find a safe place. And I really wanted her to have a happy ending.

Bick has a surprise waiting for us in the way the storyline pushes you along. It’s a little like that scene in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie where they’re in the boat, in the tunnel with all the gory images flashing before their eyes. It’s enough to creep you out and more than enough to make you want to look away, but you know there’s a point to being on the boat so you hold on and grit your teeth.

Besides the eww factor, I really feel I enjoyed reading Ashes. The constant finger on the trigger approach to the suspense meant it was a very quick read. I had it read within 24 hours. The characters evolved into people you could cheer for and though the imagery was, at times, enough to make me groan in queasiness, it was extremely vivid and it had a purpose.

Now onto Shadows.

As the sequel to Ashes, perhaps Ilsa was feeling the pressure to up the ante, and make even the most jaded horror buff flinch. I was only able to get 300 pages into the 500 and something this book has to offer before I called it quits.

In Ashes we mostly stuck to Alex’s point of view, whereas in Shadows, we head hop between many different characters, and I feel perhaps the storyline suffered a little for this.  I lost that connection I felt with Alex, and though I can see the sense in broadening the reach of the storytelling, it made for far too much horror for my brain to contend with, and still feel comfortable.

The general gist is Alex surviving amongst a tribe of the changed. Tom is trying to find Alex. Peter has been abducted by a band of crazy militia and Chris is escaping judgment from the council of Rule.  These aren’t the only points of view we visit, but they’re the main plot points.

While I wasn’t able to finish this book at this time in my life, I think I will go back at some stage and continue. I still have a strong desire to see what becomes of Alex. I want to see if Tom will find her. I want things to turn out nicely for Ellie too. I want my pink fluffy bunnies damn it!

I think I’ve been bitten by the horror bug, and though I don’t have anything to compare Ilsa’s style of writing too; it certainly scared the you-know-what out of me. If you’re a fan of horror, that is what you’re looking for, right?

Now excuse me while I find a shaft of sunlight to go sit in while I immerse myself in something to chase away the scary images.