Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Alex doesn't suffer from your traditional teenage angst. No, she has real problems, like the fact that both her parents died in a helicopter crash three years ago, and that her body is slowly killing her with a brain tumor. So when she takes off for the hills, it's not on a whim. She's making her peace with the future. The last thing she ever expected was for things to get worse.

First, there is the pain. It's fire in her brain, so intense that she watches a man she just met spit blood, and sag to the ground, dead. Birds fall from the sky, deer catapult themselves over the cliff. What is going on? When the pain stops, there is a little girl trying to revive her Grandpa...and she's suddenly pushed into survival mode. She can't just leave this poor kid alone in the desert. She tries to piece together what could have happened...and suddenly realizes she can smell. It was one of the things the tumor had killed, how is this possible?

Down to business, they need to get out of here and find out if this is an isolated problem. Their electronics are all fried, even the stuff that wasn't on: radios, cell phones, mp3 players - all dead. What does it mean? Her only plan is to get to the ranger's station for some help. Kid in tow, they make their way, until they are attacked by some rabid campers she had seen on her way down. They've gone full on zombie, and are out for blood. The other weird part? All the attackers are kids. Like a hero in the movies, Tom comes out of nowhere and rescues them. Now they are three.

They begin to piece things together. The "zap," as they're calling it, must have been some EMP. It wiped out all the electronics, and killed everyone but kids and old people - and most of the kids are changing. Alex isn't sure why she and the others were saved, but she feels better than she has in forever. Her sense of smell has almost gone supernatural, and she has a little family. If it wasn't for the seeming apocalypse, things might be ok. They begin to make their way to Rule, a town that seems to have some sort of order. Will they find safety? Will they turn? Can there possibly be an explanation for everything that is going on?

Good suspense, and an interesting plot twist toward the end. Curious to see where they take the rest of the series, but not too sure I'll keep reading them.

"'A word of advice. You two and that little girl? There's a lot of anger out there, and fear. People'll either shoot you, or decide you're worth your weight in gold.'
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, you're an endangered species. I don't know about the rest of the world, but we had eight kids in our group when we started and not one survived. So you be careful.' Larry clapped Tom on the shoulder again. 'Go on now. I'll wait until you're gone.'" (Bick pg. 205, 2011)

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick (Ashes Trilogy, Book 2)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Maze Runner series, Book 1)
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (Benny Imura series, Book 1)

Bick, Ilsa J. (2011). Ashes. New York: Egmont USA.