Book 81 & 82 of 2011

I've gotten a bit behind on reviewing the books I finished, so it's going to be two at a time to catch up. 3 posts of books vs. 6 posts of books sounds much better to me.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

From Goodreads.com:

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human. Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

My Take:

5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book and was sad when it ended. I'm still wondering what happened to Tom and Ellie and are we going to see them again. Looking forward to reading the next book.

Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall

From Goodreads.com:

In her stunning novel, Hall imagines a new dystopia set in the not-too-distant future. England is in a state of environmental crisis and economic collapse. There has been a census, and all citizens have been herded into urban centers. Reproduction has become a lottery, with contraceptive coils fitted to every female of childbearing age. A girl who will become known only as "Sister" escapes the confines of her repressive marriage to find an isolated group of women living as "un-officials" in Carhullan, a remote northern farm, where she must find out whether she has it in herself to become a rebel fighter. Provocative and timely, Daughters of the North poses questions about the lengths women will go to resist their oppressors, and under what circumstances might an ordinary person become a terrorist.

My take:

4 out of 5 stars. It was very The Handmaiden to me. But I loved that she left society to try for a better life for herself. Based on some of the reviews on Goodreads, I know that some people were a bit miffed by the fact that the main character had some lesbian feelings and that she acted on them. But I didn't find it off putting or out of the character of the story.