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A review by essinink
Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi
2.0
I very much wanted to like this book.
There were, in fact, many things that I *did* like about it, particularly in the beginning of the book. Alana Quick is a determined, working woman of color, hampered but not conquered by a degenerative disease. The descriptions of her life before the Tangled Axon could very well be set in the here-and-now. I loved the frankness with which class struggle, poverty, and disability were (at first) addressed.
And then I got further into the book. Alana is supposedly in her thirties, but she reads like a teenager. It wears quickly.
By the time the romance subplot came to fruition, I found myself frustrated. The romance seemed... not exactly out of place, but just sort of... hollow. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out why these people were falling together beyond the fact that they found each other attractive. There were hints of 'development,' but nothing that really allowed them to get to know each other as characters.
My original review mentioned 'insta-love/lust' as something I disliked, but it's more than that. The relationship between Alanna and the captain (whose name I no longer recall), was fraught with a lack of communication. Alanna is (understandably) confused by the crew's dynamic, but every time she seeks clarification, the conversation is turned back on her. Because as far as they're concerned, she's the problem. They shouldn't have to explain how their relationship(s) work. She should just go with the flow. This is unhealthy.
And it doesn't stop there. Alanna's sister participates in ritual starvation defined in-text as anorexia, and no one in-text seems to find this problematic. In fact, the 'escape' from one's earthly form plays a critical role in the train-wreck of an ending (see original review).
At the end of the book, I was left uncertain about what the message of the story was meant to be. Clearly it wanted to be more than a fun adventure story, but it couldn't seem to decide if it was science fiction or science fantasy. Did it want to be a commentary on societal class problems? Sexuality? Religion? Was the ending meant to be some manner of 'love conquers all'? I just don't know.
Ascension shows up on a lot of rec lists because of its cast. It's how I found it in the first place. But every time I've heard it recommended over the two years since I last picked it up I've cringed. Despite the diversity of the cast, despite whatever good intentions the author may have had, I just don't think it's a very good book.
There were, in fact, many things that I *did* like about it, particularly in the beginning of the book. Alana Quick is a determined, working woman of color, hampered but not conquered by a degenerative disease. The descriptions of her life before the Tangled Axon could very well be set in the here-and-now. I loved the frankness with which class struggle, poverty, and disability were (at first) addressed.
And then I got further into the book. Alana is supposedly in her thirties, but she reads like a teenager. It wears quickly.
By the time the romance subplot came to fruition, I found myself frustrated. The romance seemed... not exactly out of place, but just sort of... hollow. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out why these people were falling together beyond the fact that they found each other attractive. There were hints of 'development,' but nothing that really allowed them to get to know each other as characters.
My original review mentioned 'insta-love/lust' as something I disliked,
Spoiler
(Idk, something about falling in love with a woman who'd "poisoned" you five minutes before rubs me the wrong way)And it doesn't stop there. Alanna's sister participates in ritual starvation defined in-text as anorexia, and no one in-text seems to find this problematic. In fact, the 'escape' from one's earthly form plays a critical role in the train-wreck of an ending (see original review).
At the end of the book, I was left uncertain about what the message of the story was meant to be. Clearly it wanted to be more than a fun adventure story, but it couldn't seem to decide if it was science fiction or science fantasy. Did it want to be a commentary on societal class problems? Sexuality? Religion? Was the ending meant to be some manner of 'love conquers all'? I just don't know.
Ascension shows up on a lot of rec lists because of its cast. It's how I found it in the first place. But every time I've heard it recommended over the two years since I last picked it up I've cringed. Despite the diversity of the cast, despite whatever good intentions the author may have had, I just don't think it's a very good book.