Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I’ve read many books that push the envelop when it comes to gore but this one completely bursts it. “Ashes” written by Ilsa J. Bick is the first book in the Ashes trilogy and is, by far, one of the most graphic, enticing books i’ve ever read.

The book starts off with teenage main character Alex, on a hike to a lake where she plans to spread her parents’ ashes. While on the hike Alex runs into a young girl named Ellie who is taking a hike with her grandfather and the dog that previously belonged to Ellie’s dead father. After listening to Ellie wine and conversing with the grandpa for a night, something happens that changes the world as they know it. Throughout the 496 page book, the reader gets to watch Alex’s fight for survival as she attempts to overcome the “brain zapped” kids, rabid dogs and cannibals that seem to lurk around every corner.

“Ashes” is one of several books written by Bick and is definitely my favorite post-apocalyptic novel. At the end of the book I was left desperately wanting more, so I immediately started  the second novel in the series, “Shadows”.

If you love suspense, intense gore, romance and just a splash of paranormal, “Ashes” is a  dream come true.