Genre: YA Paranormal - Publisher: Simon Pulse - Publication Date: August 30, 2011 - Format: Hardcover - Pages: 352 - Source: Won from Novel Novice
Sometimes sorry isn't enough.... Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.
I'm so on the fence about this book, it's hard for me to put my feelings for it into words.
First of all, the finished copy of this book is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. I'm surrendering my signed copy to HD at Reading Writing Breathing, which is sort of sad, because now I won't have this gorgeous book on my shelves. HOWEVER, if you have a limited money supply, you must resist the pretty!
One thing is for sure, this book had a ton of potential. It's got a unique premise and a really great creepy factor to it. The pacing and the rise and fall of actions is wonderful. Still, throughout the whole book I couldn't help thinking that it was interesting but not exactly good. And throughout the whole book I kept asking myself why I wasn't all that impressed.
The answer finally came to me. This book is superficial. All the characters care about are clothing and popularity and gossip. They all lack depth. I couldn't connect to either of the narrators at all, and both of them were completely unlikable. I wonder if Elizabeth Miles made them unlikable on purpose, considering the circumstances, but they were also just very uninteresting.
Another thing that really bothered me was the crimes that Chase and Em were being punished for. Like nobody has ever done anything worse than hooking up with their best friend's boyfriend. It was just another thing that added to my superficial theory.
The beginning drags a little, but there is mystery in the air. We don't know what exactly Chase did, but we suspect. We don't know exactly how Emily is going to pay, but we know it won't be good. There's not much backstory for the furies, but I have a feeling there will be more details about them in the next book. I'm hoping we'll find out why they choose certain people, how they decide exactly how their victim will pay, and why the heck do they just string them along instead of just getting it over with!
The writing in general, though, wasn't bad, aside from a few awkward sentences.
Besides those major aspects, everything else was really good. Towards the ending, the story picked up and held my interest. Miles did a great job setting up tension and giving me chills! The problems and the solutions were very creative, and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending left a lot of potential for the next book in the series, and I will be reading it when it comes out.
All in all, this book was a pretty decent read. I wouldn't consider it a waste of time. There are frequent sexual references and use of profanity, and if you're not a big fan of that stuff, then definitely beware.
- The message. Kind of simple, written as a blurb on the back of the book. What goes around comes around. This book got me thinking a lot about karma and the kind of person I am. I know that karma isn't going to come back as extreme as it did in this book, but it was still kind of though-provoking.
- JD. JD was a guy that Em knew her entire life. He was by far my favorite character. With his wacky fashion and his non-existent social life. I just loved him.
- The plot twists. There were quite a few. Right when I thought I knew where the story was headed, one minor event (and sometimes major major) flipped everything around. That was exactly why I kept reading.
If you enjoyed...
The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
then you might also enjoy Fury.
