Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Pages: 821pgs

The Story

The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now. When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse-until the doctors found the monster in her head. She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue-on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit-she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn't over.
The Changed are still evolving.
And...they've had help.

With this final volume of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning readers to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply. A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise.

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher on Edelweiss for accepting my request in reading this book early!

I absolutely loved Ilsa J. Bick's Ashes book, which ended up becoming one of my favourite, favourite dystopian books of all time. Unfortunately for its sequel though, I was pretty disappointed in it. But, like any other reader I know, I still continued to hold some hope that I would come to love this series again when I got to read the author's final installment. So in saying that, I just was so pumped (not to mention so excited) to read this particular book and to also find out what happens to our fantastic mix of characters in this very scary and yet terrifying world of Bick's.

Unfortunately on my part, the last installment, MONSTER, was a major disappointment. A major disappointment. While we get a few answers to some questions I had from the previous two books and had learned some new things here and there - along with some great imagery and gory scenes that I love to love, but apart from that, this book was a huge page of words. I kid you not. This book was so freaking HUGE that I was left going, 'Whoa' with its 800 page length. It's not that I don't like huge books because I really do, but this one was a book I just wanted to end so badly and I'm surprised I got through this one to honest with you. But when you add tons of perspectives (whom I've already forgotten by now) and then add a lot of other confusing scenes . . . it just doesn't go down well for me and it ruins my enjoyment of the entire book. So it's pretty sad for me, especially since I loved the first book so much. Ah well. Guess I'll just remember the good times I had with the first book and not reflect on the rest of the series . . . and I really feel bad about that cause I love this author's writing just probably not with this book.

Overall, MONSTER was a monster in book length and by the time I finished the book I just had no clue what was going on . . . so unfortunately I have no idea what to say about this book except that I finished it and the series, and we'll just leave it at that.

The Rating

1/5 stars

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Pages: 518pgs

The Story

Alex has escaped from Rule - but what new horrors face her in the ravaged world outside?

Tom is safe - but what will he risk to find Alex?

Chris - how much does he really know about the terrible darkness of Rule? And what are his true feelings for Alex?

Ellie - where is she?

The terrifying follow-up to the hugely popular Ashes.

The Review

SHADOWS is the much anticipated sequel to Ilsa J. Bick's debut novel Ashes. After having read and LOVED the first book of the YA dystopian trilogy, I was super keen - not to mention super excited - in picking up the sequel because for one, I was dying to know what was going to happen next to our favourite cast of characters, and two, I desperately wanted to know whether all of them - if any - would manage to survive in the end and live to tell the tale in this very bleak world of Bick's. But given that it takes quite a lot to impress me, especially when it comes to sequels to some of my favourite book series, I just knew this one had a lot of expectations to meet up with and it surely did because (oh I hate to say this even now . . . ) I just didn't fall in love with this book nor did I have the same passion as I had for the first book, even when it did have its awesome guts and glory moments that I love so, so much!

Even when I'm still so conflicted with how I truly felt about this book, but what managed to keep me there was the characters alone. The ones I love and adore. Alex, our main heroine, is stronger than ever before and kick-ass in so many ways. Unlike the damsels in distress, Alex actually knows how to survive - to fight, to shoot, to adapt to constant changes and to live - and for those readers who had actually read the first book in the series and remember the character we had meet early on, Tom, readers will definitely be pleased to know that we finally get to know what happens to him and whether he's still alive or not. Trust me you don't want to miss out on his perspective because he was a sure delight to read about despite the dire circumstances he was surrounded with much like what Alex is surrounded with also.

As for why didn't love this sequel as much as the first, I can't really put my finger on it to be honest with you. Whether it had something to do with me finding the book lacking something at times or because it just simply didn't have the same feel as I'd experienced from the first book, I don't really know . . . but I think part of the problem for me had more to do with how the storyline unfolded and what actually happened in the book. Sometimes it was slowly-paced and other times it was really fast, so I guess for me the book, SHADOWS, had this up and down thing going on - something I didn't like - and there were certain events where I wanted an explanation for it already, rather than be left with having no idea of what was actually going on and wishing something good would happen for a change, you know? Yeah . . . I guess we'll see what happens in the next installment and see whether something good will actually come along for the characters and perhaps change their awful and 'uncomfortable' circumstances.

Overall, SHADOWS was a very promising sequel but it had a very different feel compared to the first book, Ashes. That 'different feel' is not necessarily a bad thing, it just was something that didn't compel me as much nor entertained me so. With plenty of blood and gore, fans of the dystopian genre and pretty much anything with an edge to it will definitely love this sequel no matter what, or if you have not yet picked up the first book in the series then definitely do so . . . it's a real hit!

The Rating

3/5 stars

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Release Date: 29 September, 2011

Publisher: Quercus

Pages: 352pgs

The Story

Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed . . . Everyone still alive has turned - some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh).

Despite to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom - an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the 'Changed' and those desperate to stay alive.

A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.

The Review

I would like to think I would survive the zombie apocalypse and who knows . . . maybe I would make it without being an undead's meal ticket . . . you know if the time ever comes. But here's the essential truth about me: I hate the woods. I can't start a fire. I don't own a gun. I don't particularly like the sight of real blood (not the movie kind though which hardly bothers me). And oh yeah - I've only come in contact with zombies through the tv screen. Other than that, I'm probably not as prepared for the zombies let alone the end of the world. Not as I should be. I mean, it's not like it's going to happen or anything . . . And here's another bit of truth about me: I absolutely, positively, utterly adore dystopian books and I love girls who finds themselves in a need to survive in dire circumstances and my god this author has clearly outdone herself.

ASHES was probably one of the best books - apart from the Hunger Games - that I've read in the dystopian genre and it stayed true to the dystopian ways of life. The feeling of hopelessness. The horrors and consequences of the survivors actions. And that flicker of hope that inspires the rest of the human population to move forward with their lives. And of course there are the zombies - how can I forget those kind of ex-human creatures of ours? Personally for me, I found Ilsa J. Bick has created a world in devastating isolation and yet she still manages to place a character into the centre of it all, and allow that character alone to find herself - find the courage she didn't know she had - along the way. That being the girl main character named Alex. I thought Alex was the ideal heroine to have in this type of storyline and the direction it was heading towards. She's smart, she knew how to take care of herself and others, and the most important one that shone out to me was how she handled horrible situations with so much strength and confidence. That is what dystopian needs. That is exactly what I ask for in a female heroine.

But that's not all I loved. The novel was divided into sections and it moved cinematically in an awesome-epic sort of way that got the reader excited and saying similar things like "OH MY GOD, I can't believe that just happened!". These shocking moments happened through the following events of: the electromagnetic pulse that hit and killed thousands, in the moments of the Change that slowly turned harmless humans into monsters, and in the moments where no one is sure whom to trust in the most unlikely band of strangers, and even in the moments of unexpected friendships that could change everything. Every bit of those elements that I mentioned above happened in the ASHES book and Bick wrote them with just as much confidence and percision as one would expect from a dystopian Stephen King-like novel. It was just awesome to read and I can't praise it enough!

With enough creepy and entertaining aspects to keep you there until the very end, ASHES is a fantastic beginning to a young adult series. Not to mention it shocked me when Bicks delivered a heart-pounding cliffhanger . . . leaving you wanting more and more. If you're a fan of the Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies or perhaps if you love a little zombie vs survivor action, then be sure to add ASHES to your to-read pile because it's going to unquestionably and undoubtably be the best thing you're ever going to read in the dystopian world of books.

The Rating 4 1/2 / 5 stars