Ashes by Illsa Bick stars Alex a teenager with a terminal brain tumor that takes off to go hiking in the woods so that she can be alone and dispose of her parents ashes. While on the trail she meets up with Ellie, a girl who recently lost her father in Iraq, and her grandfather when a loud pulse goes through the woods making the animals go crazy and Ellie's grandfather dies. The girls also find that all of their electronics have died. Alex takes off for the rangers station with a reluctant Ellie eventually joining her. They find that others on the trail have turned into inhuman predators. They eventually join up with Tom a war veteran and find out that the very worst has happened, a nuclear war with consequences no one could have predicted.
After reading the description of the book I wasn't enthused. If I'd had anything else on my e-reader that interested me I probably would have skipped it, a book about a dying teen, a little girl and a war veteran and zombies? Weird. I'm glad I took the chance though.. This book was original and engrossing. Most zombie and apocalyptic books that I have read take place sometime after the post apocalyptic event when some rules have been established. This takes place at the very start of the apocalypse. Alex and her companions have no idea what is going on and they get their information very slowly. The characters all felt very real to me. I loved that Ellie was presented as mopey and unpredictable instead of sweet and cute. The reactions of the characters and the society felt realistic. There were sections that were a little slow and it's not without it's flaws but for the most part it was a real page turner.
Appropriateness: This book is super creepy and a violent with many scenes that are pretty disturbing. There is a bit of romance but no sex. I'd recommend this book to high school aged readers 14+ who are fans of horror and dystopian books.
