I picked up this book randomly while shopping with a friend and brought it based on the blurb. I never could have guessed that I’d get so totally and completely hooked! Most disaster books or movies are portrayed from the point of view of an adult, but here all the adults have been wiped out. The main character, Alex, tells her story of how her life changed as an EMP pulse kills all electricity, taking any world order with it. Alex is left to fend for herself in a world falling apart, until her travels gain her two companions, an eight year old girl and a 20 year old soldier. The book follows their attempts to survive in a new world of no power and a new race of people, who are killing people for food, known as the ‘Changed.’ The books fast paced story line is filled with twists and turns, moments of laughter and tears and a story of love to leave any reader breathless. It ends on a heart hammering cliff hanger that left me begging for more. A fantastic book which should be on the top of everyone’s ‘to read’ list. I WILL be pre-ordering the sequel.

Just wow, this one is still making me shiver. I absolutely love teen dystopia novels and this one rates highly amongst my favourites. Think “The Walking Dead” for teens. A massive electromagnetic pulse sweeps the planet whilst our main character, the strong willed Alex, is trekking out in the middle of nowhere to spread her parent’s ashes in the wilderness. The man standing next to her drops dead on the spot and everything that runs on electricity ceases to work. A very dramatic opening that starts the spiralling, fast pace of this action packed novel. This EMP doesn’t just short out electrical items but also has a dramatic and terrifying effect on people. Some develop super senses, some remain unaffected and the others (only children it would seem) become bloodthirsty cannibals akin to zombies but without the slow, lumbering gait. Alex is a wonderful heroine whose back story is moving and whose survival instincts get her though some nasty and vicious scrapes. Her journey is fraught with obstacles and people desperate to survive, even when Alex reaches a town that that seems safe she is still not quite sure. This is a dangerous world where it is never quite clear whom our characters should be running or hiding from. Nowhere is safe. A haunting and epic tale of survival against the odds in a decimated world, this is a debut novel that you won’t soon forget.

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved reading this book. I never wanted it to end! It literally had everything I personally love in books. It had loads of twists and turns, great characters, horror that isn't for the fainthearted and such strong emotions that a reader can actually feel as the characters experience them because of the desperate situation they are in. Alex was by far my favourite character. Not because she's the main protagonist, but because she's the no-nonsense, tell it like it is sort. She was smart and she wasn't afraid to act when the time came down to it. There was no 'acting the hero' sort of thing with her, it was just doing what needed to be done and to keep other people safe before herself. Tom and Alex were great companions along with Ellie. They both fit well together and worked well as a team which made them both likeable. I felt that I couldn't really get to know Tom as a character properly though before the end of the novel for reasons obvious when you read the book. There were little tidbits of Tom's past that were revealed but not enough! I want to know more! That's another thing, about halfway through the book, the plot takes a dramatic turn which I'm sure not everyone will appreciate. It did work for me though so I can't complain. It was one of those moments where you keep reading, sort of get a little confused for a second at the way the story is developing, and then just accept it as the way the author wanted it to go. I thought it was a brilliant turn of events and it made me read just that little bit faster! The plot itself was amazing! An electromagnetic pulse? That could have gone either way, I'm sure, but in Ashes it worked so well. Plus, it was a read that made me cringe quite a bit which doesn't happen very often anymore with the amount of horror I read! I seriously loved every shiver that went down my spine and every revolted gasp I made! One thing I can't believe though, was the ending. For obvious reasons I won't say how it ended but it took me so completely by surprise that I was kind of in shock for a while and couldn't read anything else! I really can't wait for more from Ilsa Bick because Ashes was a truly glorious read that gave me goosebumps! One of my top favourites of the year so far!

A fantastic read, although at times a tad creepy, and perhaps not a book for younger readers? Literally couldn't put it down. Gutted when I turned the page and there was no more book to read!

This is the perfect book for fans of Gone by Michael Grant and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Alex is hiking through Michigan alone,for reasons of her own .Suddenly everyone collapses in agony as an elecromagnetic pulse sweeps across the country. When it passes everyone is changed , dead, or in the case of some kids , flesh eating zombies . I can't wait for the second instalment Roz Radmore