Before writing this one off because of my opinion, definitely check out some other reviews. Mostly, I just feel like the cannibalistic adolescents were unnecessary.Įven though I didn't love this, I do want to know more. Plus, with limited resources come unlimited conflicts with other folks only trying to survive just like you are. These aspects were close to being Witheresque, what with their only being a few women of reproductive age. What creeped me out in a more believable way was the way that normal people reacted to this calamity, which killed off everyone in middle age and turned most youths into cannibals, leaving only the elderly, young children and a few teens like Alex to keep the world going. It seemed to lessen the credibility and seriousness of the novel.

However, I had trouble dealing with teens turning into people eaters. The fact that the event, the 'zap' affected people's brains in different ways definitely intrigues me as well.

Let's just say that it was pretty stellar. Since I don't want to spoil anything, I'm going to be kind of vague about what happened to create the crazy post-apocalyptic world in Ashes. One romance even struck me as little short of Stockholm Syndrome. In fact, they seemed borne of stress, fear and proximity. There was no guy that I shipped her with and no relationship that seemed like it would pan out in the end. Her romances, too, were rather tough for me to accept, what with her being so closed off. Why get close to someone when you're only going to leave them or be left by them because they can't stand to watch you die? While I totally get that and would probably be the exact same way, it still makes her hard to get close to even as a reader, for me at least. Alex's coldness, though, stems from the fact that she could die at any moment. In some ways, she reminds me of Trella from Inside Out and Outside In, bruised and not trusting. This is really weird, because she definitely knows how to take care of herself and kick ass when she has to, meaning that she's just the kind of heroine I generally love. Can you say cliffhanger?Īlthough I feel really sad for Alex and was exceedingly happy to see her healed, I never really liked her or connected with her. I even plan on reading the sequel to Ashes, because I cannot just let the story end where it did. The story was interesting and, by the end, I was definitely interested in what was going to happen. Unfortunately, I did not find myself so much in love with it. Pretty much every blogger I follow raved about its complete awesomeness. Let me begin by pointing out that I have read only amazing reviews of Ashes.

Ashes laurie halse anderson