ARC Review: Ashes

Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Genre: Dystopian/Horror
Release Date: September 13th



It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.
For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation. --Goodreads


This was an incredible start to what I think will be a one-of-a-kind Dystopian Horror series. Ashes gripped from the beginning until the last page. The imagery was so vivid and detailed, I have to say you can’t exactly have a weak stomach when it comes to reading this. Haha. At times, horrifying and morbid, but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages.

Like zombies? Then you’ll love this.

Ashes takes you into a whole new level of Post-Apocalyptic fiction. The events that not only have the reader following the characters just before the “big disaster”, but everything after as well as the new-world building. Everything is so structured and amazingly well crafted in a good timeline. The characters stick with you most particularly. There are characters you love, and ones you loathe.

My only nitpick about the book I would have is that it ended a bit too abruptly for my liking… on such an awful cliffhanger. While I normally have no problems with cliffhangers, sometimes when starting a new series, it can be just a slight annoyance with a sudden abrupt ending and I’m flipping the page to only find the acknowledgements. Nonetheless, I’m now eagerly awaiting the next book to this series. I highly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what’s to come now for the characters!

4 stars!