Shadows [Review]

*3.5 out of 5 stars*

Stats:
#2 in Ashes Trilogy
528 Pages [ebook]
Published 25 September 2012
ISBN: 1606843788
Find on Goodreads




Synopsis:
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 Thoughts:
 Ashes left with a huge cliffhanger. Alex was in Rule, a slightly religious, cult-like town ruled by a council of five, and she busted out with help from Jess and Nathan. Then she stumbled onto a sort of feeding ground of The Changed - where the food is the Banned from Rule. Rule is feeding The Changed. She becomes captured by a group of The Changed and spends a better part of the book trying to stay alive because this pack of "zombies" keeps their food (humans) bound together. When one of their little snacks is selected, the others have to watch the person get eaten. Alex also battles with not hating the pack's leader, who she calls Wolf.

The story also broadens to include perspectives from Tom, Chris, Lena, and Tyler. This one was a little harder to get through because there were so many different storylines and characters, in addition to, not knowing what's really going on. For example, [Highlight to see spoiler] Weller (one of the council) acted like he was angry about Nathan, Jess, and Alex. Then he helped Chris, Nathan, and Lena out of Rule. Then he turns up in the militia base with that Finn guy and had something to do with the ambush and near death of Tyler. Then he shows up to save Tom from getting taken to the bounty hunters and lies about Alex, saying she's in the prison house, and talks about how they need to blow up the mines and march on Rule. It's like a triple life and you don't really know what angle he is playing at. In the end of Lena's line of the story, you read about a girl yelling for a dog named Mina, so Ellie is alive! And there is yet another nail-biting cliffhanger with the mine having been blown up with Alex inside. Plus, what is going to happen with Chris and Tyler? Where is Wolf - what happened to him? [End spoiler]

While it was a little confusing at time and it was really packed with so much story, it still makes me very excited for the last book in the trilogy and the finale of everything. I cannot wait to read the answers to all my questions!

Thank you to Egmont Publishing and NetGalley for a galley of this book.


Previous Review:
Splintered by AG Howard [here]

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