Book review: Ascension + competition

By
By Victor Dixen
Translated from the French by Daniel Hahn
Published by Hot Key Books

 Synopsis: Six girls, six boys. Each in the two separate bays of a single spaceship. They have six minutes each week to seduce and to make their choices, under the unblinking eye of the on-board cameras. They are the contenders in the Genesis programme, the world's craziest speed-dating show ever, aimed at creating the first human colony on Mars.

 Leonor, an 18 year old orphan, is one of the chosen ones.
She has signed up for glory.
She has signed up for love.
She has signed up for a one-way ticket.
Even if the dream turns to a nightmare, it is too late for regrets.

How did this book end up in my hands? I won a copy of this book ahead of its publication date. I didn’t pay enough attention at the time and I wasn’t aware that this is the first book in a trilogy. It wouldn’t have stopped me from wanting it but I might have waited to read it closer to the publication date of the second book in the series.

Was it a page-turner? Absolutely. Every time I picked up this book, I then had to force myself to put it down again. A few late nights were had reading it – and I am renowned for being the opposite of a night owl!

Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? I don’t remember many other books exceeding my expectations in such a glorious way. This book has stolen my heart and I’m not sure how I will cope until I can get my hands on the second book in the trilogy.

Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] I loved it. Not predictable. Fair. Enough of a cliff-hanger to want to read what comes next.

Three words to describe it. Intriguing. Original. Contemporary.

Do I like the cover? It’s a lovely cover, yes. Also gorgeous are the graphics used to publicise the 4th book in the French series, like this one. (I know, how can it be a trilogy with four books… we’ll find out!).

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, and I can’t wait to join the Cupido colony ship again in October!

Will I be recommending this book? Yes! Read it! It has adventure, intrigue, romance, friendship, space travel… it’s a YA novel but I loved it as an adult.

 Anything else? Yes! You can win a signed copy of this book by following me on Twitter and retweeting the competition post by 02/09. UK only. Comments left below will count as extra entries (one per person). Good luck!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Booknet: a new platform for authors and readers

By
Image
‘Ooooh, what is Booknet ?’ I hear you ask… Booknet is a popular literary social media network, self-publishing platform, and Bookscription eBook sales model, all of which is being introduced to the UK following rapid growth in Latin America and Eastern Europe since 2015. How does it work? Booknet is both a successful literary self-publishing platform and a social network, founded by Ukrainian entrepreneurs in 2015. Booknet has gained significant traction in countries such as Ukraine, Russia (the Russian division was sold in the spring of 2022 because of the war between Ukraine and Russia), as well as Latin America. The company is now actively investing resources into the development of its English-language version. Authors can either publish their books with free access by readers, or sell them after obtaining commercial status through the platform. Booknet provides free advertising for eBooks sold by their authors on the platform. Booknet’s distinctive features (apart from being a pop...
Read more

Book review: She’s Never Coming Back

By
Image
By Hans Koppel Translated by Kari Dickson Published by Sphere It is safe to say that my choice of reading material is not usually truculent. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided to read a novel whose front cover prominently displays a quote describing it as a ‘terrifying crime novel’. I started to read expecting the worse and - it being impossible to put the book down - a few hours later I was trying to understand what had hit me. Let’s be clear: I loved this book and I’m grateful to Sphere for publishing this Swedish novel by author Karl Petter Lidbeck who, being a children’s literature author, decided to have it published under the pen name of Hans Koppel. I can see why he doesn’t want to have the two genres mixing on the bookshelves! The plot is simple enough: one day after work, Ylva does not return home. When she hasn’t returned 24 hours later, her husband Mike starts to worry and calls the police. Ylva seems to have disappeared without a trace and, month after month, Mike...
Read more

“Italy in books” - reading challenge 2011

By
Image
Why this challenge? This year I’ve decided to host a reading challenge because I think that they are a brilliant idea. They help to make reading a more collective experience and are a great way to find out more about any particular author / genre / topic and get to know about books you might never have come across. I chose this topic because - as an Italian who has been living abroad for many years now - I feel the need to learn more about my home country and I’m curious to see the difference between the way it is portrayed by native Italians and others. The details of the challenge The challenge will run from January, 1st 2011 to December, 31st 2011 . The aim of the challenge is to read at least 12 books that are set in Italy. Whether written by Italian authors or not, it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be set exclusively in Italy but this country needs to play a significant role in the book. The challenge can include non-fiction books about Italy. You can also review Italian lea...
Read more