Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Ascendancy by Karri Thompson

BookCrushin is thrilled to be a part of the Ascendancy Blog Tour! Ascendancy is the second book in the Van Winkle Project by Karri Thompson. In today’s post I have all the book and series information, an excerpt, my review of book 1, Mirror X, and there is also a tour-wide giveaway! Be sure to check out this very cool dystopian series and follow other stops on the tour for more information!

Ascendancy by Karri Thompson

Series: The Van Winkle Project #2
Category: Young Adult, Dystopian
Publication: November 30th, 2015; Entangled Teen
Purchase: Entangled Teen, Amazon, B&N, Indigo Books

I’ve been lied to, deceived, and manipulated once again. I shouldn’t be surprised, but in a way I am. You’d think I’d be treated with dignity, my every desire fulfilled by those who need me the most. But instead, they plan to control me, keep me hidden, and force me to be complacent while I give birth over and over again.

Hell, I’m the one who’s supposed to save humanity, right? I’m the one with the power to re-populate this world of clones, my ancestors who were produced from harvested DNA.

Michael. He loves me. At this point, he may be my only friend. There may be others. Tension is building in the regions. A secret sect is growing. A rebellion is imminent.

My awakening into this future should have been my savior, my renaissance, my ally.

But instead, it has become my plague.

Excerpt:

Michael was the only good thing to come out of my awakening. I didn’t know how long we’d have together, but I realized I wanted to make every second with him count. Twisting to face him, I brought my right leg to the other side of his body and kissed him gently at first, and then a little harder as he brought his hands to my back, massaging his fingers against my shoulder blades.

His lips moved to my neck, and he slid his hand through the hair at the base of my head. I lay against him, savoring his warm breath at my throat as his chest pressed against mine.

“Duck!” Cradling my body, he scrambled to the floor, bringing me down with him.

“What?” I whispered.

“I saw something outside. A shadow. It looked like a person.”

“Victoria! I need to get her.” Crawling on my hands and knees, I entered the living room and picked up my sleeping baby.

“Behind the couch. Let’s go.”

“Watch her,” I said, and rested her on the floor next to Michael.

Drawing the laser pistol from my waist, I scooted to the edge of the couch where I could see the back door.

“I locked it,” he whispered, “but any Security guard or SEC can open it.”

The door slid open. I aimed my pistol, my arms and hands trembling.

 

Series:

Mirror X (The Van Winkle Project #1)

Publication: June 30th, 2014; Entangled Teen
Purchase: Amazon

Cassie Dannacher wakes up in a hospital over 1,000 years into the future after her space capsule is retrieved from space. She soon learns that 600 years prior to her arrival, the earth was struck by a plague, killing over half of the world’s population. Naïve and desperate, Cassie, who longs for home and is having trouble adjusting to the new, dictatorial 31st century government, is comforted by Michael Bennett, the 20-year old lead geneticist at the hospital where she was revived.

But why is Cassie in genetics’ hospital in the first place, and why do several of the people around her seem so familiar, including Travel Carson, the hot and edgy boy she is fated to meet? Soon she discovers there is a sinister answer to all of her questions – and that they want something from Cassie that only she can give.

Review:

Mirror X (The Van Winkle Project #1)
[book rating=3.5/5.0]

“Life is precious.”

Mirror X is one of those books that has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while, I even purchased the book the day after it’s release, because I absolutely love Entangled Teen releases, and I have come to trust their imprint. But you know how hectic reading schedules can be?! I guess it’s safe to say that I left it on my TBR until I was learning about the sequel and this tour. So I figured since I work best under deadlines and need motivation to read something that isn’t a brand new release, so boom, here I am reviewing book 1 and now I am really looking forward to reading the sequel.

The plot is quite intriguing; Cassie wakes up 1,000 years in the future and she is being reawakened for purposes of saving the human race. No big deal. No pressure. Then it gets even more intense (keeping it spoiler-free, even though if read the synopsis for book 2 this isn’t a spoiler anymore, hint!). I can’t even imagine the weight and pressure that Cassie is dealing with. She has no choices for her future since she isn’t supposed to even be alive anymore, and the geneticists are holding this over her everyday, as she slowly works to regain her strength and mobility.

I enjoyed really the story and I’m looking forward to reading, book 2, Ascendancy! My only real issue with the book was it felt very repetitive during the first half of the book, and I think that had a lot to do with Cassie’s inner-monologue. She flip-flops back and forth as to whether or not she is willing to accept her new fate or if she should just be selfish and live out her second chance at life. Which at times was whiny, but she is 17, lacking physical strength and awoken to a whole new world; where she is being sequestered in a windowless room, so she really has no clue what the truth is about the future world. I think she has every single right to be scared and unsure of everything.

The story moves and twists, as more and more secrets are revealed. Soon, Cassie gains the friendships of many of the employees at the genetics compound. The more she connects to them the more help & knowledge she gains about her real purpose, history, and future. I also love that Cassie suspects that the powerful people have a hidden agenda and when push comes to shove, she isn’t afraid to throw punches! She fights for a simple moment at a window or for a walk outside to the Botanic gardens. She constantly fights for her truth and that is admirable. The outrage that Cassie feels is expressed in a few wrathful outbursts that allow the decision makers to continue to hurt and subdue her, and then use it as an excuse to exert more power over her, since violence isn’t commonplace in the future. However, at every turn she is being manipulated, and even though she trusts her friends, they all happen to be employees of the facility that is trying to control her.

I absolutely loved the side-characters! Magnum, Travel, and Ella. They really were an amazing supporting cast to Cassie. Then there was Michael. He has had a sad life and the weight of the world on his shoulders as the lead geneticist for this new version of north america. He fell in love with Cassie and it causes him to throw his world-view out the window and help Cassie turn this world around. I may take issue with how he fell in love with Cassie but that is my own hang-up and one I will not spoil for you all.

I can see this book being very divisive. If you read it with your opinions and current world view you might not be able to handle the subject matter. However, if you read it like sci-fi, you know we are working with our imaginations on how the world may be and the conflicts that might arise. Overall, I say go into this with an open mind and read it because it can really make you think about your life rights and what would you sacrifice in order help the rest of the world? It is very thought provoking and I definitely recommend if you like YA dystopian reads! I give this 3.5 hearts, it felt like it could have been a little tighter, less repetitive, but love the twists and the plot! Well worth the read & I hope to post a review of the sequel soon!

 

Author Bio: Karri Thompson

Karri Thompson, a native of San Diego, California, grew up hanging out at the beach, playing sports, and eventually attending San Diego State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in education.  When she’s not nerding out at San Diego Comic-Con or watching Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings movies for the umpteenth time, she can be seen doing normal people stuff like teaching high-school English, cooking delicious meals for her family (she attributes all of her culinary skills to the Food Network), and attending her son’s football games.  In her spare time, she writes young adult and new adult fiction, her biggest passion, and loves listening to hard rock music and going to concerts.  She hopes to live long and prosper, and that you will, too.

Author Links:

Website  **  Twitter  **  Instagram

 

Giveaway:

A signed copy of Ascendancy by Karri Thompson; open US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway