Ashes

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick - 2011


Book 1 of the Ashes series.

Blurb....
Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed... Everyone still alive has turned - some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom - an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the 'Changed' and those desperate to stay alive. A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.

I had no idea what this book as truly about. By reading the blurb I thought OK newbie I'll give it a go. Only a couple of chapters in and I'm thinking oh boy. This must be my first foray into zombieland and I'm still not quite sure what I think about it. When I finished reading this story I checked out the reviews and to see when the next installment comes out as the ending leaves you with a massive cliffhanger, but the reviews were mixed. I definately agree that the first half of the book was fast-paced and edgy, however, the second half seemed to get bogged down and left you wondering what the author has planned. Well the last page gives you the answer. I will read the next book and then I think I will make my mind up to see whether I can read the last. Hmm....

Numbers : time to run

Numbers : time to run by Rachel Ward - 2009

Blurb ....
Since her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Jem has kept a secret. When her eyes meet someone else’s, a number pops into her head – the date on which they will die. Knowing that nothing lasts forever, Jem avoids relationships, but when she meets a boy called Spider, and they plan a day out together, her life takes a new twist and turn. Waiting for the London Eye, she sees everyone in the queue has the same number – something terrible is going to happen.’

This is book one of the Numbers trilogy. Based in the U.K. it starts off introducing us to the main character Jem. She is a 15 year old who has learnt to make herself  'invisable' so people don't notice her. Jem has a gift/curse where when she look into people's eyes she sees numbers, not just random numbers, these numbers are the date of when that person will die. This book sets up Jem's character and the rollercoaster her life goes on when choices are made. In some places I was a bit over Jem and her moods/attitude towards life and people, however, when I was left with a clifthanger of an ending I understood why Rachel Ward spent so much time letting us get to know Jem. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 Numbers : Chaos.


Visit Rachels site: http://www.rachelwardbooks.com/

Grave minder

Grave minder by Melissa Marr - 2011

Blurb ....

Three sips to mind the dead . . . 
Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the attention her grandmother Maylene bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the small town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each one Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: She took three sips from a silver flask and spoke the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you." 
Now Maylene is dead, and Bek must go back to the place she left a decade earlier. She soon discovers that Claysville is not just the sleepy town she remembers, and that Maylene had good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in Claysville the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected; beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. If the dead are not properly cared for, they will come back to satiate themselves with food, drink, and stories from the land of the living. Only the Graveminder, by tradition a Barrow woman, and her Undertaker—in this case Byron Montgomery, with whom Bek shares a complicated past—can set things right once the dead begin to walk. 
Although she is still grieving for Maylene, Rebekkah will soon find that she has more than a funeral to attend to in Claysville, and that what awaits her may be far worse: dark secrets, a centuries-old bargain, a romance that still haunts her, and a frightening new responsibility—to stop a monster and put the dead to rest where they belong.

Well this is certainly a new one for the supernatural genre. When I started reading this story I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it. However, once the story started picking up the pace it just became more weird and unusual and yet I found myself waiting for the next page. The whole premise for this novel revolves around a small town in which the role of the grave minder and the undertaker are solely responsible for making sure the dead stay dead. Lots of gruesome scenes and creepy evil stuff makes this story and interesting read. Not sure if Melissa is making this a series (I wouldn't be surprised) I have no doubt that it will be a hit.
Just how much I liked this book, the jury is still out. I would really like to hear what you think if you have read it.
Visit Melissa's site: http://www.melissa-marr.com/