Ashes
Ashes is set in Modern day and follows Alex (an eighteen year old girl with a terminal tumor), Ellie (a nine year old orphaned Military brat) and Tom (a twentiesomething soldier) who are all camping out when an (electromagnetic?) shock wipes out half the population, makes teenage cannibals and some super peeps. See why I'm having nightmares?! Anyway, they trek around for a while and A LOT happens (trying not to kill the story though). The three end up separated at the end of Ashes, with Alex being in a "community" called Rule, which is run by the elderly (majority of people who survived the 'zap') where we meet A LOT of characters and she maybe starts a thing with Chris and sets the destruction of Rule in motion. The final chapter is a HUGE cliffhanger!!!
Shadows
Shadows is the second book of the Ashes trilogy.
I read Ashes back in January after winning the book in a competition, I knew it was part of a trilogy but just thought that I would read the first book and that would be that. Low and behold, I couldn't put Ashes down and when I finished, I KNEW I had to have more. My birthday is in late January and when my friend asked what I wanted for my birthday I suggested Ashes' sequels. Even though we live in the same area, I didn't end up seeing him until we returned to college, but I nearly died when I opened my present to find Shadows and Monsters. However, I knew that I would have to wait until I got home to read them, as I may or may not have had horrid nightmares (totally worth it though) with Ashes.
So I waited, and read... a lot, as I waited, and may I tell you that Mid Tri Break has never been more anticipated for. Finally I got home Monday afternoon. I spent two days with a friend (which did not result in stopping my reading though). Anyhowzers, I finished it last night, and here is what I thought....
Before reading Shadows I went and reread the last six chapters of Ashes, and so was back and fully immersed in the story.
Shadows was, is great!! Whilst Ashes is mostly from Alex's pov, Shadows included povs of her, Tom, Chris (in love with Alex), Peter (Chris' mate and big part of Rule), Lena (a girl from Rule) and some others. It darts back and forth and is at times hard to keep up with. I like that in books though, it keeps you in the dark until BAM!! But definitely and novel that you need to concentrate and read every single word or you'll miss things. Alex thinks Tom is dead, Chris thinks Alex is dead, and Tom hopes Alex isn't dead. They are all in this big loop trying to find one another, and it gets to a point where you are just screaming for a floor not to be somewhere. It is filled with the 'Changed' or what I like to call 'Alive and Smart Zombies' whose motives make you question some heckers things; someone changes who you will not want to and some messed up stuff. Needless to say, I am very keen for my sleepover tonight to be over so that I can start reading Monsters!! (I'm normal right?)
Favourite Quote: "Oh, Red, Cindi thought, and smiled, Sucks to be you."
Rate: 8/10
Suggested if: You like to sit on the edge of a seat, or rather a cliff and if adventure, camping and roughing it gets your heart pumping. Oh, and you probs should have a non weak stomach. <Serals, that is legit!
I read Ashes back in January after winning the book in a competition, I knew it was part of a trilogy but just thought that I would read the first book and that would be that. Low and behold, I couldn't put Ashes down and when I finished, I KNEW I had to have more. My birthday is in late January and when my friend asked what I wanted for my birthday I suggested Ashes' sequels. Even though we live in the same area, I didn't end up seeing him until we returned to college, but I nearly died when I opened my present to find Shadows and Monsters. However, I knew that I would have to wait until I got home to read them, as I may or may not have had horrid nightmares (totally worth it though) with Ashes.
So I waited, and read... a lot, as I waited, and may I tell you that Mid Tri Break has never been more anticipated for. Finally I got home Monday afternoon. I spent two days with a friend (which did not result in stopping my reading though). Anyhowzers, I finished it last night, and here is what I thought....
Before reading Shadows I went and reread the last six chapters of Ashes, and so was back and fully immersed in the story.
Shadows was, is great!! Whilst Ashes is mostly from Alex's pov, Shadows included povs of her, Tom, Chris (in love with Alex), Peter (Chris' mate and big part of Rule), Lena (a girl from Rule) and some others. It darts back and forth and is at times hard to keep up with. I like that in books though, it keeps you in the dark until BAM!! But definitely and novel that you need to concentrate and read every single word or you'll miss things. Alex thinks Tom is dead, Chris thinks Alex is dead, and Tom hopes Alex isn't dead. They are all in this big loop trying to find one another, and it gets to a point where you are just screaming for a floor not to be somewhere. It is filled with the 'Changed' or what I like to call 'Alive and Smart Zombies' whose motives make you question some heckers things; someone changes who you will not want to and some messed up stuff. Needless to say, I am very keen for my sleepover tonight to be over so that I can start reading Monsters!! (I'm normal right?)
Favourite Quote: "Oh, Red, Cindi thought, and smiled, Sucks to be you."
Rate: 8/10
Suggested if: You like to sit on the edge of a seat, or rather a cliff and if adventure, camping and roughing it gets your heart pumping. Oh, and you probs should have a non weak stomach. <Serals, that is legit!
Monsters
I finished Monsters approximately thirty minutes ago. My intention was to finish it, and then come straight to the computer and blog. But No. That could not happen, because I had to sit on my bed wailing for ten minutes, then spend ten minutes asking my mother why, and then ten minutes rollerblading (because exercise helps clear the mind right?).
Yes, you should be afraid, not only of this post, but of my sanity.
....I'm not even sure where to begin....
A lot of this novel (particularly the second half) revolved around Chris, Tom and Ellie (YES! Ellie is back!!). Chris and Ellie team up in an ex Amish community, where Chris used to steal children from to take them back to Rule (to heal them....mostly). The truth behind Rule's past and all their dirty secrets begin to pieced together by Chris, while Alex spends more time with a bunch of Changed (kid turned cannibals) who don't want to eat her... sorta. Alex's tumor is stretching inside and it's link to the changed are just one of the things she is struggling to control. Tom has a clan of his own which are made up of thirty or so kids, Mellie (Bad) and Weller (from Rule). The tension is almost cuttable between Tom and Mellie as Tom urges her not to march the kids to Rule, wanting to take them somewhere safe and teach them how to survive. Peter is back too, but his sanity is worse than mine, as he and a bunch Changed are experimented on by Finn. Yepp, complicated! With lots of characters and darting in and out of POVs. It contained a great deal of action, and nail biting suspense. Numerous fight scenes, but not too many. Honestly, I loved the book. It, like its prequels, was amazing!!! I was constantly jigsawing, crying, gasping and taking short breaks to process new information and juicy revelations. Everything in the end goes down in Rule, with multiple reunions that make the heart ache, and Alex makes the leap she has been preparing for (metaphorically, don't worry, she doesn't jump off a cliff...again). The ending was.... scream worthy. I mean, I figured things wouldn't get fully explained and I would have questions that would forever lie unresolved. But... but, it ended with me not knowing how it ended. Do you get that? Like, we'll never know just what happens next. I could have screamed! Actually, I did scream. Loudly. Mum had to come check on me to see if I was alright. I wasn't. I'm not. BUT I STILL LOVE IT! Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting not the reading the series, as they are tremendous, and I know I will definitely read them again. Just don't expect to be unchanged. These books will leave scars. But scars that you can look at in a few years and touch fondly, remembering, reminiscing, but not regretting.
Favourite Quote: "She'd have bowled him over; he was sure of it, because she was running so fast and his heart was so full; but he could take that, he wanted that-and she might have, too. If not for Mina, besides herself with joy, who got there first."
Least Favourite Quote: "If this were a book or movie, there'd be some guy who'd explain it, give you all the answers. Tidy everything up, wrap it with a bow. We'll never know, and it doesn't matter."
Rate: 9/10
Suggested if: You like more than just reading books
Yes, you should be afraid, not only of this post, but of my sanity.
....I'm not even sure where to begin....
A lot of this novel (particularly the second half) revolved around Chris, Tom and Ellie (YES! Ellie is back!!). Chris and Ellie team up in an ex Amish community, where Chris used to steal children from to take them back to Rule (to heal them....mostly). The truth behind Rule's past and all their dirty secrets begin to pieced together by Chris, while Alex spends more time with a bunch of Changed (kid turned cannibals) who don't want to eat her... sorta. Alex's tumor is stretching inside and it's link to the changed are just one of the things she is struggling to control. Tom has a clan of his own which are made up of thirty or so kids, Mellie (Bad) and Weller (from Rule). The tension is almost cuttable between Tom and Mellie as Tom urges her not to march the kids to Rule, wanting to take them somewhere safe and teach them how to survive. Peter is back too, but his sanity is worse than mine, as he and a bunch Changed are experimented on by Finn. Yepp, complicated! With lots of characters and darting in and out of POVs. It contained a great deal of action, and nail biting suspense. Numerous fight scenes, but not too many. Honestly, I loved the book. It, like its prequels, was amazing!!! I was constantly jigsawing, crying, gasping and taking short breaks to process new information and juicy revelations. Everything in the end goes down in Rule, with multiple reunions that make the heart ache, and Alex makes the leap she has been preparing for (metaphorically, don't worry, she doesn't jump off a cliff...again). The ending was.... scream worthy. I mean, I figured things wouldn't get fully explained and I would have questions that would forever lie unresolved. But... but, it ended with me not knowing how it ended. Do you get that? Like, we'll never know just what happens next. I could have screamed! Actually, I did scream. Loudly. Mum had to come check on me to see if I was alright. I wasn't. I'm not. BUT I STILL LOVE IT! Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting not the reading the series, as they are tremendous, and I know I will definitely read them again. Just don't expect to be unchanged. These books will leave scars. But scars that you can look at in a few years and touch fondly, remembering, reminiscing, but not regretting.
Favourite Quote: "She'd have bowled him over; he was sure of it, because she was running so fast and his heart was so full; but he could take that, he wanted that-and she might have, too. If not for Mina, besides herself with joy, who got there first."
Least Favourite Quote: "If this were a book or movie, there'd be some guy who'd explain it, give you all the answers. Tidy everything up, wrap it with a bow. We'll never know, and it doesn't matter."
Rate: 9/10
Suggested if: You like more than just reading books