Thursday, October 31, 2013

Monsters by Ilsa J Bick Review and Giveaway

 
 
Published: /September 10th, 2013
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 688
Copy: Publisher
Summary: Goodreads
 
The Changed are on the move. The Spared are out of time. The End...is now.

When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn't get much worse-until the doctors found the monster in her head.

She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue-on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won't quit-she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn't over.
The Changed are still evolving.
And...they've had help.

With this final volume of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning readers to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply.

A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise.
 
Review:
 

What can I tell you about Monsters?  WOW.  This is an incredibly powerful ending to an amazing trilogy, but it is not for the faint of heart - for two reasons.  It's long and it's very violent.  Monsters continues to shock readers with the depravity of so called sane people.  Sometimes it's hard to remember just who the monsters really are. 
While I really enjoyed this final book in the trilogy I still found it a little confusing and I had to concentrate to keep it all straight in my mind.  The action is continuous and jumps around from focus to focus with alarming frequency and I found it difficult sometimes to remember just who's story I was listening to.  There are so many characters that you really have to focus and I found myself several times trying to remember just exactly who was who.  I'm really glad that I read Shadows and Monsters back to back, but I still wish I had re-read Ashes just to help with my memory.
Tom is still hunting for Ellie and Alex, who is still hunting for Tom and Chris, who is still  hunting for Alex and Peter, who ends up in a whole heap of trouble, and so on and so forth. Most of that trouble is centred around Rule, and I am extremely glad I don't have to visit there.  It made me quite breathless at times, and it was never possible to  anticipate what was going to happen, so the tension keeps up without respite.  Not only are there a lot of characters to keep tabs on, but there are also a lot of plot lines that take sudden twists.    One thing is for sure, you will definitely never get bored while reading Monsters.  It's a little like reading a train wreck - you just have to keep going and find out what happened.
An interesting factor in the story is Alex's heightened sense of smell.  There are continued references to various strong and memorable scents - most of an unpleasant nature - and it almost becomes a character on it's own. Sometimes I found myself wondering how these smells would taste on the back of my tongue.  I also loved the play on words with the title.  There are so many monsters, of varying degrees and types and Ms :Bick really illustrates the monstrous side of human nature and the depths of depravity to which we will sink. 

In the end though, through all the confusion, the tension, the horror, the final message for me was hope and love, and I loved it - it actually made me cry.  Well, snivel anyway.


We are lucky enough to have  one hardcover copy of Monsters to give away to one lucky reader.  US only though - sorry Canadian peeps, next time. So give it a try why don't you?
Important information about the MONSTERS giveaway:
* The giveaway is one hardcover copy of Monsters. and is open to US residents only - sorry Canadian peeps.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

* Amazon: 

2 comments:

  1. I have not started it yet...but I have Ashes on my shelf so I am one third of the way ready. I usually like to have at least two or three books available in a series before starting them because I get too impatient wanting to know what happens. So hopefully soon!

    Thanks so much!

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  2. I've read them all. I totally agree with you that I got a little confused at times because it jumped around so much and there were so many characters. And I HADN'T just read Shadows. It was also WAY too long....but I would still recommend the entire series. Well worth it. Great review.

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