michellesantiago's review against another edition
3.0
Whereas the first book in the series, Rampant, was all about Astrid going to Italy to train to be a unicorn hunter and hunting killer unicorns, Ascendant offers a different perspective. Astrid was finally a full-fledged hunter but she felt discontented with her life. She once had dreams of becoming a doctor but now she's pretty much just a high school drop-out and with her boyfriend Giovanni having left Rome, there was nothing to keep her in Italy. When the opportunity to leave the Cloister came up, Astrid jumped at the chance. She ended up working for Isabeau Jaeger who needed a unicorn hunter to "guard" the confined einhorns (a breed of unicorn) she kept as test subjects in the effort to discover the Remedy. For a while, Astrid was finally content: she has a mother she never had in Isabeau, she wasn't hunting unicorns day after day and she can finally use her scientific skills to find the secret of the Remedy. But Astrid soon finds that a long distance relationship with Giovanni wasn't easy, her loyalty to the Cloisters was tested and circumstances forces her to figure out what it truly means to be a unicorn hunter.
I have mixed feelings about this book but I still liked Astrid's character. She was still strong, smart and resilient but she was also very human. She stumbled a few times in this book and had to learn from her mistakes. It was also nice to revisit the secondary characters like Cory and Phil and the other hunters and I liked the complexities in Astrid's relationship with Isabeau and the captive einhorns. There were a lot of great inner conflict in Astrid's part and a few heart-rending scenes involving her and the einhorns. There was also great discussion on the pros and cons of animal testing and saving the unicorns (or animals that are a menace to society) versus killing them to extinction and the sex and virginity issue was touched upon again in this book. However, I thought Ascendant had a different feel from Rampant--not as many blood and guts scenes, it was a slower read and the questions I had after reading the first book weren't really answered in this one. At the end of this book, more questions arose and there were a few unresolved subplots. Also, like in the first book I thought some parts dragged and the last few chapters were a bit rushed.
Despite my mixed feelings, I think this book is worth checking out especially if you read Rampant as there were some unexpected plot twists in this book. I am definitely planning on reading the third book to see how the series will conclude. 3.5/5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book but I still liked Astrid's character. She was still strong, smart and resilient but she was also very human. She stumbled a few times in this book and had to learn from her mistakes. It was also nice to revisit the secondary characters like Cory and Phil and the other hunters and I liked the complexities in Astrid's relationship with Isabeau and the captive einhorns. There were a lot of great inner conflict in Astrid's part and a few heart-rending scenes involving her and the einhorns. There was also great discussion on the pros and cons of animal testing and saving the unicorns (or animals that are a menace to society) versus killing them to extinction and the sex and virginity issue was touched upon again in this book. However, I thought Ascendant had a different feel from Rampant--not as many blood and guts scenes, it was a slower read and the questions I had after reading the first book weren't really answered in this one. At the end of this book, more questions arose and there were a few unresolved subplots. Also, like in the first book I thought some parts dragged and the last few chapters were a bit rushed.
Despite my mixed feelings, I think this book is worth checking out especially if you read Rampant as there were some unexpected plot twists in this book. I am definitely planning on reading the third book to see how the series will conclude. 3.5/5 stars
littlewhiterabbitreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
Even better than the first book, Rampant, in my opinion. I could not put this down. Powerful, strong and highly engaging. Loved it!
sarawthouttheh's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a reread from over a decade ago. I remembered loving it at the time and on a reread, it was just fine. A bit juvenile, but appreciated finding this book in my stash and coming back to it!
chllybrd's review against another edition
3.0
I has a hard time getting threw the first half of the book, Im not sure why I just couldn't seem to get into it. After the big plot turn I was glues to the pages. I sure hope that Diana Peterfreund does write the third book cause this one just doesn't end the series, there is much more that needs to be written in my opinion.
pipernatalie33's review against another edition
I love it when a book is SO addicting that I finish it in 8 hours. Yes, started it at 2.30pm TODAY and just ended at 10.45.
books_plan_create's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one more than the first! We get to know more about Astrid and her thoughts behind everything. And we get to see her out of her element. Which was very interesting.
My favorite part about this series? Astrid is supposed to be some super unicorn hunter that is all bad ass...but in reality, she is just average. I love that!
My favorite part about this series? Astrid is supposed to be some super unicorn hunter that is all bad ass...but in reality, she is just average. I love that!
erinmichelle1126's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. Don't let the fact that the book is about unicorns turn you away. It's actually really good and pretty addicting!
knallen's review against another edition
5.0
The sequel was just as good as the first one probably evidenced by the fact that I read it in less than eight hours. It retained all of the things I loved about the first one (originality, action packed, twisty plots) and advanced the story along a great deal. It developed the characters and added layers to the premise of the story. There was a tiny bit of predictability but it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the story.