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Ashes
Ashes
Ashes
Audiobook8 hours

Ashes

Written by Laurie Halse Anderson

Narrated by Siiri Scott

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Return to the American Revolution in this blistering conclusion to the trilogy that began with the bestselling National Book Award Finalist Chains and continued with Forge, which The New York Times called “a return not only to the colonial era but to historical accuracy.”

As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon have narrowly escaped Valley Forge—but their relief is short-lived. Before long they are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on, fiercely determined to find Isabel’s little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state—where bounty hunters are thick as flies.

Heroism and heartbreak pave their path, but Isabel and Curzon won’t stop until they reach Ruth, and then freedom, in this grand finale to the acclaimed Seeds of America trilogy from Laurie Halse Anderson.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 4, 2016
ISBN9781423367468
Author

Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages. In 2023, Anderson was named the laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is given annually to authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters "for their outstanding contribution to children's and young adult literature." In 2009, Anderson was selected by the American Library Association for the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship and promote diversity in publishing, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. Mother of four, grandmother of dragons, and wife of one, she lives in Pennsylvania.

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Reviews for Ashes

Rating: 3.8954080663265307 out of 5 stars
4/5

392 ratings83 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the best ending to the trilogy I could possibly think of. I fell in love with Chains and Forge in middle school. By the time Ashes came out, though, I had forgotten most of it. I had to re-read the trilogy, and fell in love with it all over again. This book was totally worth the wait. It was absolutely amazing!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I got this book a while ago, and it's been sitting on my TBR, just waiting for me to read it. I finally decided to do that, and I was just underwhelmed. If I had read this several years ago, I probably would have loved it, but now that I'm not really into YA dystopian novels, it didn't really tickle my fancy.

    I found the characters dull, and the main character didn't really make an impression on me. The plot was definitely fast paced, but I found some of the events just there to shock you, and keep you just interested enough to keep reading. Unfortunately for me, I just don't care enough to finish off this series.

    It was okay, but not my cup of tea anymore.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great dystopia. First in a trilogy (book 2 is Shadows, book 3 is Monsters and comes out Sept 2013). Ends on a cliffhanger. The main character drove me crazy because she would know all sorts of details (why stars are clearer in winter, what the names of different bones were, etc, but then wouldn't know other things I felt were more common, like pheromones. Her strength and weakness were uneven through the book, but at times, that made it more realistic.Still, if you like dystopias, this one does not disappoint. There is friendship, a little romance, cannibals (more crazed cannibals than zombies), and a whole lot of "what on earth is going on?!?!". I'm curious to see where it goes from here.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I don't absolutely hate certain cliffhanger endings if the author ends the story in a place that makes sense and there is at least some resolution. BUT ending a story in the middle of a somewhat "dramatic" scene feels to me like a cheap underhanded ploy to get me to buy the next book to find out what happens. Unfortunately for this book, the ridiculous direction the author took after the first senseless cliffhanger right in the middle of the book, ensured that by the end, I could care less what happens to these stupid characters or the poor excuses for zombies. Do yourself a favor and pass this up in favor of just about any other post-apocalyptic story. There are TONS that are more cohesive and better written, without the cliffhanger ending, and with much more believable zombies.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on, fiercely determined to find Isabel's little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A most excellent ending to this series. As difficult as it was to sometimes read, I really found it hard to put down.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story is the last one out of a trilogy. it is circled around a girl names Isabel and her families trails that they are faced with due to being slaves and dealing with war. This book is mostly about their travels and goals of making it to freedom.I really enjoyed reading this book. This topic has always been an interest of mine. It was very well written and one that I would love to have my students read. it was intriguing and thrilling. It is definitely one that I will keep in my classroom if I am unable to use it in a lesson to teach about the war.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great way to tell the story of the American Revolution! This third and final book is as good as the other two, and resolves the story in a positive, though uncertain way. I love the way Anderson weaves historical detail into the fabric of the story. What I love most is how she made me realize the extent to which our nation was built on the backs on slaves, and how hypocritical white America was toward black Americans. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were only for whites, and specifically, white men, and yet the white men (both British and American) were content to use the black men to help them win the war. My eyes have been opened in a way they never had been before. In my opinion, this is the best writing Anderson has done. I hope she will continue to write historical fiction.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    These books reminded me of Tara Brown’s Born Trilogy at times, at definitely had the potential to become as great as those. The story and characters in Ashes and its sequels didn’t come together like happened in the Born Trilogy.Its like Ilsa J Bick couldn't settle on more that one big main plot for every book. The characters had amazing potential, but their storylines were all over the place, crisscrossing at random, it seemed. It was as if Bick felt like the only way to shock and awe the readers was to keep killing off characters, and while I am the least person to have a problem with character deaths, a lot of the characters were killed off too soon. Their storylines could have added a lot to the books. If she would have waited to kill some of them off then they could have helped the plot along so it would seem to snag in places.And whenever the plot changed, Alex seemed to completely forget about anything that happened before. Like after Ellie got taken: she and Tom just leave and don't go after her. Then she goes to get help for Tom cause he is shot and gets stuck in Rule after Tom disappears and she forgets about him. Then she leaves Rule and forgets about the weirdness (creepiness is more like it. Sort of M. Night Shyamalan’s ’The Village’ meets ’The Stepford Wives’ meets ‘Children of the Corn’. I don't know why she didn’t figure out sooner that something was WAY off about that town. I knew something was hinky her first day after she woke up and couldnt ‘read’ Jess, then the rest of the stuff that happened that day) of Rule until she gets to Chris’ family’s vacation home and puts it all together (Simon, the towns feeding the ‘Banned’ to the Changed, etc). And all this time still no thought of Ellie. She has a bad case of short term memory loss. Reminds me of Dory. I enjoyed the first book, when it was about the three of them (Alex, Tom, and Ellie) surviving the apocalypse, but then Bick tried to add dystopia to the books.I felt like Bick put all the characters names into a bowl and was pulling names at random whenever she wanted to insert a character into a scene or have one die or escape or etc. She would put them in the scene even if they didn’t have any relevance to that part of the story. And when a character would have been perfect in parts of the story, those characters were nowhere to be seen.By the last book I had had enough. The series started out so strong! I was very excited. But 3/4 of the way through I started to get that feeling that you get when you think you might have made a mistake by picking that book. I was stubborn though. I kept telling myself to keep reading, it might get better (emulating Dory, ha! Just keep reading, just keep reading, reading, reading). It didn’t.I don't know, the author is obviously talented. Maybe we should blame her Editor and Publisher.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really loved this final book in the series. It brought so much together and made me feel incredibly hopeful.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have had Ashes by Ilsa W Bick on my Kindle for quite some time, in fact I have the whole trilogy waiting for me to get around to it. It got off to a very promising start and I was looking forward to reading it, but it quickly settled into a humdrum YA apocalyptic story where the romance between the various characters seemed more important than the fact that the world was in extreme crisis. Also it left off very abruptly with the main character in a precarious position which didn’t sit right with me. I don’t mind, in a trilogy, if certain aspects of the storyline are left dangling, but would rather each volume has at least one completed storyline. In this book, the main character stumbles into a clearing, realizes she is surrounded by five enemies and there the book ends.The story started out very good indeed with a cataclysmic occurrence that leaves main character, seventeen year old Alex stranded in the woods with a eight year old child. She eventually meets a young soldier on leave, and these three bond together as they learn to survive. Halfway through the book this small party is broken up and the writing changes to a more abrupt style. New characters are introduced and the plot goes off in an entirely new direction. I found this very off-puttingI do have the other two volumes and have planned on reading them this year, so I will soon find out what happens in that clearing, but at this point I am not particularly looking forward to continuing on with this trilogy and if the second volume annoys me as much as this first one did, I may abandon volume three entirely.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love, love, love this series!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was so excited to read this book! Dang! If I didn't like reading speculative/survivalist/dystopian fiction so much I wouldn't have finished it. The characters drove me nuts. Alex was either too smart or too dumb--it never evened out--and I wanted to slap Ellie most of the time. Rule could have been more interesting, but that was drawn out too long. I grew weary of the obligatory love scenes and the predictable love triangle. The writing bugged me, too. Bick went overboard with the use of italics when it was completely unnecessary; the sentences were emphatic enough as they stood. It was difficult for me to tell between the 3rd person limited and omniscient sometimes, and she switched off between using cutesy words (hi, Alex is not cutesy) and vicious imagery enough that it was jarring. And oh. my. god. Could she refrain from ending every chapter with a twist? Not only did that become old hat, but it quickly became comical as well. I felt like singing, "Duhn-duhn-DUHHHHN!" every freaking time.

    I chose to finish it and give it three stars because I generally find this kind of world building fascinating. It always gets me thinking about what I would do to survive and help my loved ones. And the Ashes world is plenty interesting--the electromagnetic impact is a new one to me in the zombie fiction world. I kept up for the action scenes, but I suspect I'll read the synopses of the following books rather than spend time reading them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh my goodness! It was a slow start but super good finish. I'm so glad to have the second ready to go!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Young woman with special-ness navigates a post-apocalyptic Wisconsin/Minnesota with teenage zombies and elders running murderous groups of raiders, where only a very few young adults have survived an ultimate EMP event. Hasn't everyone else also read this about 10 time already?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ashes
    5 Stars

    Seeking the peace and solitude of the Waucamaw Wilderness, Alex’s life is suddenly turned upside down when an electromagnetic pulse results in the destruction of all technological devices and the deaths of the majority of adults on the planet. Stranded in the woods with only her wits, tenacity and indomitable spirit, Alex must survive the dangers approaching from all directions whether animal, human or supernatural.

    As someone who is not very familiar with the post-apocalyptic genre, the various elements come across to me as original and compelling. The story is well-written with a simple narrative structure and solid pacing; the characterization is believable and the world building engrossing with exceptional description and attention to detail that does not become tedious and/or overwhelming. That said, there are some graphic and gruesome depictions that might not appeal to all readers.

    Alex is an engaging heroine. Fiercely independent and mature for her years, which is understandable given her life experience. She deals with the day to day difficulties of surviving the end of the world with strength and resilience.

    The secondary cast is quite large and it takes time to become familiar with the different people and their relation to Alex and to each other. Nevertheless, they are all portrayed realistically and Bick shows tremendous insight into all facets of human nature.

    The scientific explanations for the apocalyptic disaster are both original and logical. Too often authors in this genre fail to provide a credible account, but this is not the case here. Although the zombies are of the usual cannibalistic type, Bick adds an interesting twist in terms of both their age and the possibility that external forces might be in play.

    In sum, a captivating read and I look forward to discovering the answers to the numerous questions evoked in the book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Loved the 1st half of this book but was less than thrilled about the last half. So much so that I doubt highly I will buy next book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    At the end of this book I was yelling out: OH MY..EFFEN GEE WHY DID IT END THIS WAY WHY WHY WHY? Because it was EXCELLENT! AND I STILL CAN’T GET OVER IT. Finally, I thought to myself, as I closed this book, a post apocalyptic plot that’s more realistic with no sugar coating and it’s all about survival. I felt myself turning the pages and staying up late to finish just one more chapter. It was so engaging and the plot itself was so well written it kept the reader near the edge of their seat.For almost every chapter, there was always something new Alex would encounter and she would have to find a way out to survive or overcome. She’d have to be one of the most strongest and resilient characters I have ever read without acting like a lovesick naive twit like you do in some post apocalyptic YA’s out there. There was only one moment where Alex seemed to have forgotten about both of her companions from her journey but, I suppose she was sidetracked for good reason. I especially enjoyed the particular moment where Alex develops her skill to “smell”.So what am I going to do? I think it’s about time to pay my library fines and take the second book out of the library (I’ve been slacking off about that) because I need to know what happens next!!! I most definitely recommend this book it’s an awesome read!!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Ashes? Why is the book even called Ashes? Does anyone know? When I read a book I always try to relate the title to the story and when I can't it bugs the shit out of me. The only thing I can think of is it refers to the ashes Alex carries around of her parents. She is suppose to be letting go of their ashes and the past. Maybe that's it- that makes sense I guess but the face on the cover is creepy not sure how that ties in and relates to ashes. Sorry I'm rambling...: )

    Anyways, I don't really know what I think about this book. I have mixed feelings about it. Ellie, the 8 year old that travels with Alex at the beginning of the journey after the EMP event is just a complete a brat. If you listen to the audio book like I did you will get the full effect of her whining and bitching and crying which makes it even harder to listen to. I fast forwarded through a lot of her tantrums. Once she was out of the picture I started enjoying it more. Then the story really takes a huge turn. The first half of the book and the second half are really different. The second half isn't bad, I liked it probably more then the first but I just never got this "omg this is a wonderful book" feeling. I'm going to start listening to the next audio book in the series out of sheer curiosity but at this point I don't know if I'll finish it. It depends on what crazy turn the author has in store next I suppose.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3,5 stars.

    Even though it did disappoint me at first, the book improved after about 150 pages. Some of the mysteries were a bit predictable and it's obvious that there's more going on in Rule than everybody is saying, but the ending is a great plot twist. I had considered that possibility, so it wasn't a complete surprise, but I wonder how the small village fits within a world-wide plot.

    All in all an ok book. I'm glad that I didn't DNF it and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the story.


    Longer review soon.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I liked the first half of this book but about half way through it suddenly gets stupid.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'll knock a star off for YA romance shenanigans, but other than that, this is great - an apocalypse plus zombies that is not actually a zombie apocalypse, covering everything from wilderness survival to creepy cult towns. And all in the first book of the trilogy! I
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ashes By Ilsa J Bick This book started out with me just wanting to kick an 8 year old's whiney butt. She did get better once the story got rolling so I gave in and didn't run her down.


    This book was really good read for me. Had some survival skills going on and of course the kids in the story that have been "changed". Not really zombies because they are still alive but yes alive and eating other peoples is still pretty gross. But what do I do? Read every thing I can get my greedy little hands on that have to do with them.
    Poor Alex's character in this book just couldn't win for losing. You would think that she was going to catch a break and bam! it would go against her every stinking time. The whole thing with the dogs though. That was pretty cool that they could sense who was about to turn or "change."


    Alright;I hate giving things away in my reviews but I just put in at the library for the rest of this series and most series books just tick me off. So that's says something about how much I liked this one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I would have given it 4 stars, but the ending messed it up for me.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed the fast paced plot of this novel and will be heading out to buy book #2 in the trilogy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Gave up though it started well--skipped to end which sounded pretty disgusting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ashes starts really strong. Alex hikes into the woods when she meets Ellie, an 8 year old girl, and her grandpa. While she is talking to them she suddenly feels a tremendous pain and pressure in her head. Ellies' grandpa keels over with blood spurting out of his ears and mouth. Alex sees birds falling from the sky and the deer acting strange. Alex and Ellie have to get out of the woods to find help. They decide to head to the rangers station further up the mountain. Along the way they stumble on some teenagers eating a person, they are freaked and quickly run away. They meet up with Tom when he saves them from a zapped teenager that tries to eat them. Tom is Army and tells Alex he reckons it was an electromagnetic pulse or something like that and isn't just happening here.
    Ilsa Bick draws you into a world that is bleak and what people are left will do anything for survival. The first time Alex sees the Zapped kids is one of the gruesomest, goriest, scariest, heart pounding, nail biting parts. The author isn't afraid to describe exactly what was happening. She pulls you into the scene and you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. Alex is such a likeable character. Despite what is happening with her she tries everything to keep Ellie safe even with Ellie being a typical 8 year old and making nothing easy. She is a very scared little girl and Alex does all she can to make sure Ellie is OK.
    Then they meet up with Tom and he makes the girls feel protected and safe. He is so good and kind with Ellie and helps Alex learn to defend herself. He is a really strong character.
    In this Post Apocalyptic time Alex, Ellie and Tom have to deal with Zapped kids, raiders, savage dogs and trying to survive. Ashes read like a typical post apocalyptic book and then bam the author throws something else into the mix. Something happens half way through and Alexs journey isn't the same. From then on its twists and turns and you honestly don't know what will happen. Ashes is a action packed, scary, heart stopping story and Im really look forward to seeing what happens to these characters and Im glad I can dive into book two because with the ending of book one I was like NOOOOO!!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I don't absolutely hate certain cliffhanger endings if the author ends the story in a place that makes sense and there is at least some resolution. BUT ending a story in the middle of a somewhat "dramatic" scene feels to me like a cheap underhanded ploy to get me to buy the next book to find out what happens. Unfortunately for this book, the ridiculous direction the author took after the first senseless cliffhanger right in the middle of the book, ensured that by the end, I could care less what happens to these stupid characters or the poor excuses for zombies. Do yourself a favor and pass this up in favor of just about any other post-apocalyptic story. There are TONS that are more cohesive and better written, without the cliffhanger ending, and with much more believable zombies.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I lost hours of my day and night to this books. The intense and graphic action that slaps you in the face and drags you along is fantastic. The characters are intense, hard to forget or ignore. The world building is realistic, if horrifying. The ending....cruel. I don't have the second book in my hands.

    I was thrilled to see something totally new on the "zombie" front. It's a modern twist that tips it's hat to the original zombie (created by addicting a victim to a drug that alters their body and brain).

    Unlike other readers, it was the second half of the book that kept me from putting it down. I was intrigued by her heightened sense of smell and how it obviously originated with some affect the EMP had on her brain and its Monster. But when she got to Rule, and it became obvious that there was more going on then a simple change in brain wiring, I was hooked.

    Although Bick doesn't spell it out, I love that Alex is becoming more "animal-like" than she realizes. We know that she has an acute sense of smell and that it is wired into her memory and intuition. Bick spells that out for us. What I inferred or took away from the story was that she intuitively knew not to trust the people of Rule. Aside from her emotional attachment to Tom and Ellie, she was resistant to all of the inhabitants, even the ones she "trusted." It made me think of how animals always seem to know when a person is "not right."

    Unlike some reviewers I didn't have trouble swallowing any of the characters or the horrors. History has shown us variants in many times and places. Teens age by experience and what they take away from it, just like every other human being....or animal for that matter. Age and maturity are relative.

    Don't miss this book! Even if Dystopia is not your thing, this is an incredible piece of fiction.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Favorite in the series!