Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick was gripping and action-packed from the start. With a supernatural/sci-fi plot, Ashes has something for everyone: zombies, suspense, action, and even romance. The characters are believable, and I found myself unable to put down the novel because I wanted to see what they would do next and what would happen in their quest for survival.
Even though the protagonist is a female, boys would also appreciate the action and fighting scenes, and Bick manages to weave a satisfying zombie storyline without including many gory details that would make it inappropriate for teenagers. The major theme of the story seems to be the idea that in a time of crisis, the general humanity of society is sometimes abandoned, and people will do desperate things in desperate times.
Needless to say, when I reached the end of the book and realized the next installment of the trilogy wouldn’t be released for another month, I became very impatient. There are several story lines that are left open at the conclusion of the novel, and I look forward to reading the next book when it is released at the end of September.
Ashes would be a great way to tie in the content areas of world and American history and the hysteria surrounding the pandemics throughout history, such as the black plague in the 1500-1600s, the yellow fever, AIDS, and even swine flu. Discussions on “mob mentality” and the loss of humanity in times of crisis would be appropriate when reading this novel.
