Ilsa Bick's first novel was DRAW THE DARK.
She followed it up with the very popular first book in her Ashes
Trilogy. The second volume, SHADOWS was received less favorably as it
deviated from the simpler plot line of ASHES. The second book also
introduced more points of view and became much more graphically
violent. Things to consider when recommending the series. We wait
however, with high expectations for the 3rd and final book.
There
are things the people of Winter, Wisconsin, would rather forget. The
year the Nazis came to town, for one. Christian Cage for another.
Christian's parents disappeared when he was a little boy. Ever since,
he's drawn obsessively: his mother's face...her eyes...and what he calls
"the sideways place," where he says his parents are trapped. Christian
figures if he can just see through his mother's eyes, maybe he can get
there somehow and save them. Profanity and violence.
Reading Information:
Word Count: 85,657
Page Count: 338
Accelerated Reading level: 5.4 / points: 13.0
AR quiz: 138210
Lexile: 790L
ASHES (Ashes Trilogy #1)
Alex
has a brain tumor and she's tired of chemo and the constant day to day
struggle to stay positive. When she hikes into the woods alone it's to
consider what her next step should be. What she doesn't imagine is that
it's all going to be taken out of her hands when a huge series of
electromagnetic pulses blast the United States. These flashes destroy
more than every piece of technology the world. They do something
strange to almost every human being. Some people it kills outright.
Others it alters their minds so that they can think of nothing better
than to chow-down on the next person they meet.
Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. Together they try to survive. Violence.
Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. Together they try to survive. Violence.
Word Count: 104,605
Page Count: 480
Accelerated Reading level: 5.0 / points: 16.0
AR quiz: 146122
- Publisher: EgmontUSA
- ISBN-10: 1606841750
- sample pages available
SHADOWS
More Adventure. A lot more Graphic Violence. Shadows isn't going to be for the feint hearted. Nor for those who are easily confused by multiple Points of View.
This story follows Alex and Thomas as they struggle to survive.
Word Count: 119,220
Page Count: 528
Accelerated Reading level: 4.9 / points: 18.0
AR quiz: 154948
--sample pages available
