Book Review: Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

Title: Shadows
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Series: Ashes Trilogy#2
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: September 25, 2012
Length: 528 Pages
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

The Apocalypse does not end. The Changed will grow in numbers. The Spared may not survive.
Even before the EMPs brought down the world, Alex was on the run from the demons of her past and the monster living in her head. After the world was gone, she believed Rule could be a sanctuary for her and those she’d come to love.
But she was wrong.
Now Alex is in the fight of her life against the adults, who would use her, the survivors, who don’t trust her, and the Changed, who would eat her alive.
Welcome to Shadows, the second book in the haunting apocalyptic Ashes Trilogy: where no one is safe and humans may be the worst of the monsters.

MY REVIEW

**May Contain Spoilers From Ashes, the first book in the trilogy**

Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick does it again, leaving me a puddled mess on the floor while still craving more. Ashes had me wanting more and Shadows went above and beyond to deliver it. If there is every a trilogy that might be the death of me, it would be the Ashes Trilogy. In Shadows, we get multiple viewpoints to get a 360-degree view of all the characters. I do not want to give too much away, so I am not going to reveal who narrates the viewpoints. The story picks up right at the cliffhanger from Ashes, where Alex leaves Rule in the hopes of finding Ellie a trace of Tom. 

There is so much that goes on in this story, and some very big secrets are discovered in this book. I can only imagine what the fallout is going to be in the next book. Alex is much more unsure of herself, when she discovers she maybe more like the Changed/Chuckies than she realized. Chris makes his own discoveries about Rule. Rule may not be the safe haven that Chris thought, and the people running it may not be as forthright as they should be. All of these combined with the other secrets lead to some interesting revelations, and a number of cliffhangers.

Shadows brings some of the smaller characters from Ashes to the forefront of the story. Readers get to know more about Lena and Peter. I just have to say that one character from Ashes will not be seen or heard about in Shadows. I really hope that we find out what happened to them in the next installment. The fate of many characters is left up in the air at the end of Shadows, and I really hope to find out more in Monsters. There is just so much compiled in the book that I want to talk about, but I do not want to spoil this read for anyone. 

With all the information given in Shadows, I cannot wait for the release of Monsters. Monsters will be the final book in the Ashes Trilogy. I have a feeling things are going to get crazy in Monsters, and it is going to be an exciting and explosive finale. Thank you Ilsa Bick for yet again driving me nuts and making me like it at the same time. I have a feeling I will still be recovering from the emotional turmoil experienced during Shadows, when Monsters is released.

**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you for stopping by Unabridged Bookshelf!