Monsters

To be quite honest, I didn't like this series. There were some amazing ideas, and awesome scenes, but overall, all three books are terribly boring. Monsters is huge, and it felt long and dragged out. I was hoping it would be better, since I did enjoy the ending of Shadows, but nope. It starts out with just about everyone being frozen, starving, and/or hallucinating. The story still jumps around like crazy, but at least this time I had a slightly better grasp on who most of the characters were. Sadly, I still had no investment in any of them, except Alex, and maybe Tom. Both of which didn't have enough pages, so I was skim reading more often than not.

The weirdest thing about this series was that it reads like one epically long book, rather than like a series. Neither of the sequels have any kind of recap; they just pick up where the last left off. Although, Monsters does have a glossary of characters. Too bad it's at the very end and I had no clue it was there! It would have served it's purpose had it been at the beginning, but since I had already finished slogging through the book, I didn't bother reading it.

Monsters is super slow in the first half. It's beyond boring despite there being a lot of violence and near death experiences. It just felt like the previous book happening all over again but with the characters in different locations. Plus it frustrated the heck out of me how close Alex, Tom, and Ellie were to each other, but kept conveniently missing one another. Then in the second half, it's pretty much nonstop action, lots more violence, and gore, and more evil conspiracies. For the most part I found a lot of the gore to be gratuitous. The author uses way too much detail in just about every aspect of the novel, which certainly doesn't help with pacing, or making me want to read further.

As a conclusion, Monsters left me with a lot of questions. Part of this is probably due to me not reading as carefully as I should have been, but the book really wasn't holding my attention. Plus the end is pretty open. I'm still not quite sure what was happening with The Changed and The Spared, and those caught in between. For once I would have liked a concrete ending rather than the cliffhangers the author had been giving us.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.

I've loved this series so far and this book definitely did not disappoint! Perfect for Halloween and filled with suspense, readers should run to pick up Monsters. Alex, the main character, greets readers for a third time in this series. She has been saved from the change by a tumor in her head and must figure out how to survive in this new world. When the "Changed" were on their own it seemed possible to beat them, but now that Alex has discovered that they are receiving help...from humans...something must be done.

Alex's character is wonderful. The author does not make her into a wimpy, crying damsel in distress. Instead, she is headstrong and quick on her feet. She is not reliant on anyone's help. I really enjoyed her character more than any other aspect of the novel. The setting and plot of the novel simply blew me out of the water. I found the description of the Changed's habits and ways of killing to be chilling and spooky. I thought that the author managed to really build up and maintain the suspenseful feeling throughout the novel. So many questions are being asked as loose ends are slowly being tied up; young adult/teen readers will love this novel!

*Review copy received for review, this in no way affects my review*

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

The Ashes Trilogy is better than any summer action flick. Cascading explosions and monsters and dangers fairly leap off the page, as vividly as if they were splashed across the big screen. I gulped down this entire trilogy in a matter of days, and was ever thankful that I could race from one cliffhanger to another until I'd reached book three.

I was fascinated by Alex from page one of ASHES, and MONSTERS brings her story to glorious fruition. By this point in the series Bick has a lot of characters in motion, and she makes good use of the 800 plus pages of MONSTERS to give each story their due. Some pieces of the story worked for me better than others. The continued development of the Changed was awesome, making this series ever so much more complicate than just another zombie apocalypse tale. Disaster makes some characters heroic, others detestable, but all retain a spark of sympathy and humanity that is undeniable. The action in MONSTERS is, as ever in the series, completely flawless. I jumped, squeaked, gasped and flinched as if the violence and action were happening right before my eyes.

While the fast pace of these books was instrumental in building it's heights and impact, it also helped gloss over some low points. I read this entire series in the space of a week, and only the addictive action got me past loathing Ellie for much of book one. Also, I never felt that the small town secrets and politics of this series really came together in a believable whole. Bick's own habit of referencing the fourth wall makes it all the more painful when she pushed my credulity, making it hard to ignore the author behind the curtain pulling strings.

MONSTERS may be the end of the series, but it by no means cuts off the story. Bick spends as much time opening doors to new possibilities as she does bringing the action to a satisfying pause, but it's clear that this fade to black could be as pregnant a pause as a gap between chapters. Hopeful and enthralled, I'll be daydreaming about Alex and Tom and the Changed for years to come.

Sexual Content: A kiss and a reference to sex.

I should have read this when I got my ARC back in May. But I was scared after having peeked at the ending and a lot more of the book. I knew I would love it, but I also knew the ending would break my heart. Then there was that whole 800 pages thing. And the fact that I didn't feel like reading at all that month and the nexts. But then a few days ago I finally picked it up, before my hardcover arrives. It broke me. It was worth it.

It took me many days to read this book, because it is long, and I didn't have all day to read. But I wanted to. I wanted to read it all the time, because from the very beginning I was hooked. It's been more than a year since I read book one and two, and I do remember loving them. But not like I loved this final book. The writing is amazing. More amazing than I remembered. So good. And the characters were awesome. I loved the plot so much.

I was right to be scared of this book, though. Because it's awful. There is so much death and pain and heartbreak. And I loved every moment of it. Because it's written so good and it gave me all the feels. I connected to all the characters and I needed to know what happened next. There are some great moments as well. Not just all pain. But yeah. Mostly there is pain and heartbreak. I loved it so much. Because it is true to the story. It is real, considering how awful the world is in this trilogy.

I don't know what to mention in this review. I won't talk too much about the plot, because there is so much happening all the time. Will talk about the characters, though, because there are so many to talk about. I thought this book was very long, since it's 822 pages, but while reading it I thought it was way too short. I wanted more and more and more. I never wanted it to end. And I felt like everything needed to be there. Though I have heard that it will be cut down to 600 pages? I'll see when hardcover arrives :)

Monsters is told from so many different point of views. There is a lot of Alex, but I'm not sure we read about her the most. We get to see a lot of Tom. And Ellie. And Peter. Sobs. And a whole bunch of other characters. I liked reading about Greg, though those chapters in the beginning was a bit painful. Some torture and heartbreak. Yet I wouldn't have had it any other way. Book was so perfect just the way it was. With the pain and heartbreak. And the small parts of hope, though there were not many :D

There is so much happening in Monsters. So much. I could say it's hard to catch up with it all, but it isn't. It isn't too rushed, though it changes point of view almost every chapter. I loved that. Because it's always clear right away who you are reading about. And I loved reading about all of them. Though I might be wanting a book told just from one person's point of view. Sigh. I loved reading about all the plot twists. I loved the big fights. I loved the ending, though it was so, so sad and heartbreaking.

There are so many characters in this book. Many new ones. But also all the old ones. Many die in this book. Three characters that I hated with a passion I'm not sure what happened to. I would have loved to see them ripped apart by the Changed. Sigh. Maybe in a sequel that may or may not happen? Yes please. We get to know so many. I loved seeing more of Kincaid, though he was the one who broke my heart the most. Well, not really, but my heart broke for him. I enjoyed reading about Greg and Tori and Sarah.

There is also a lot of kids in this book. I liked them. Well, except for those who cried all the time, oh well. They were very young. But then there is Ellie, who is just eight, who we got to know in book one. And oh. She broke my heart so much in this book. She's amazing. I loved her a lot. There is this scene on the ice with her and Eli and holy crap. It was awful and perfect and done so damn well. Couldn't have loved it more. She's with Hannah for some time, not sure if I liked her or not. I probably didn't ;p

We also read more about Alex. After the ending of book two, I was worried. And oh. She's in a lot of pain in this book. We learn more about the monster in her head. We learn more about her. And I adore Alex. She's an amazing person. We also get to see her and Wolf together for a long time. Nothing romantic. But oh, I loved reading about Wolf. And who his twin was.. sobs. Wolf is an amazing character, though he might be a monster, hih. I was unsure about Penny. Though she was interesting.

Then there is Peter, and the things happening to him might have been the second most heartbreaking thing in this book. He is in so much pain. Damn that Finn! Gah. I can't deal with all the emotions. I loved Peter. And what Finn did to him.. it wasn't fair. Peter might have done a few awful things while in Rule, but he did not deserve that. Sigh. Then there is Tom. I like Tom. I just don't see him and Alex together.. though it do make sense, and I can't hate it. Still, I'm not in love with Tom. He is awesome, though.

My favorite character in these books is Chris. He holds my heart because he is full of feelings. He's kind and sweet and so amazing. I loved reading about him. Though I won't spoil this book, considering how book two ended. Sobs. Worst ending ever. There is so much pain in this book. So much. And it killed me so many times. Yet I couldn't stop reading. I didn't want to stop. Never wanted it to end. All the tears were worth it. Well, maybe :D I think the book was amazing, at least. I just loved all of it. Sigh.

Even with all the pain this book gave me I know I will re-read this series one day. Hopefully not too long till I do that, but not right away either. My heart need to heal a bit first. Monsters was such an amazing book. Loved the writing and all the characters. The story is unique and all kinds of awesome. This whole series was amazing. Though this was my favorite in the series, my favorite character, Chris, was so amazing in book one. Sobs. But yeah. This book was so, so good and I loved all of it so much.

Final book and great wrap up!!

This was a great series!

present for daughter

Exciting, turbulent, intense, fast paced, but also detailed and in depth ending for the trilogy. Loved it.

Fantastic Story. Could not put it down. Finished it one sitting.

Ok, gets a little old.