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ethias's review
1.0
I received this book in a mystery book box.
1.5 stars.
I’d like to start by saying that I can’t believe the audacity of the author to put an unattributed quote on the back of the book that says “An epic fantasy to rival that of the great classics.” That’s a lot of arrogance for what amounted to an incredibly mediocre YA fantasy with no depth.
I think the idea of a world that souls endlessly return to through the use of alchemy is very interesting, and I think that some of the ideas in the world building had potential to be interesting (and I loved the little dragon Pukis that was cute), which is the only reason this is 1.5 stars instead of 1.
This was extremely juvenile and honestly quite difficult to get through. The typos and punctuation errors were distracting, the characters didn’t amount to much of anything, and the plot had basically no substance. This entire book could have been a chapter, basically nothing happened. The moment something started happening, it ended. The number of times that something important should have been happening and all the characters were just like, playing a game or something was immense and ridiculous. I absolutely hate the entire, oh we have 4 races that are just differently colored humans but for some reason that defines their entire personalities and aptitudes, thing. Drives me up a wall.
I really wish the core ideas of the world building in this novel were executed completely differently, I think it could have been really good. Take the concept of immortality through alchemy (+ the Pukis it’s cute) and put it in a different novel with a better plot and better characters and without the weird racist cast system and I think it would have been an enjoyable book. I did quite like the idea of the main 2 villains fusing into one, I haven’t seen that done before, but since the book ends before anything happens it doesn’t feel well utilized at all. It’s possible some things improve in the other books in the series, but I will not be finding out.
1.5 stars.
I’d like to start by saying that I can’t believe the audacity of the author to put an unattributed quote on the back of the book that says “An epic fantasy to rival that of the great classics.” That’s a lot of arrogance for what amounted to an incredibly mediocre YA fantasy with no depth.
I think the idea of a world that souls endlessly return to through the use of alchemy is very interesting, and I think that some of the ideas in the world building had potential to be interesting (and I loved the little dragon Pukis that was cute), which is the only reason this is 1.5 stars instead of 1.
This was extremely juvenile and honestly quite difficult to get through. The typos and punctuation errors were distracting, the characters didn’t amount to much of anything, and the plot had basically no substance. This entire book could have been a chapter, basically nothing happened. The moment something started happening, it ended. The number of times that something important should have been happening and all the characters were just like, playing a game or something was immense and ridiculous. I absolutely hate the entire, oh we have 4 races that are just differently colored humans but for some reason that defines their entire personalities and aptitudes, thing. Drives me up a wall.
I really wish the core ideas of the world building in this novel were executed completely differently, I think it could have been really good. Take the concept of immortality through alchemy (+ the Pukis it’s cute) and put it in a different novel with a better plot and better characters and without the weird racist cast system and I think it would have been an enjoyable book. I did quite like the idea of the main 2 villains fusing into one, I haven’t seen that done before, but since the book ends before anything happens it doesn’t feel well utilized at all. It’s possible some things improve in the other books in the series, but I will not be finding out.
danwilliams's review
5.0
I wasn’t the most avid reader, but I had a lot of travelling coming up so asked a friend for a book recommendation. She picked this as I wanted something fantastical, and fantastical Ascension of the Whyte is!
I was hooked from the very first chapter, and found myself reading the first third of the book in one sitting, which is something I have never done before. The author has diligently crafted a world full of marvel and excitement, and is one of the most creative stories I’ve read in a long time. As well as being set strongly in the realm of fantasy, there is also an element of mystery which keeps pulling you back in again and again.
You really are able to tell through the writing that every page has been well thought out and written to keep up a tremendous pace that just makes you want to keep reading. I look forward to reading the next instalment later this year!
I was hooked from the very first chapter, and found myself reading the first third of the book in one sitting, which is something I have never done before. The author has diligently crafted a world full of marvel and excitement, and is one of the most creative stories I’ve read in a long time. As well as being set strongly in the realm of fantasy, there is also an element of mystery which keeps pulling you back in again and again.
You really are able to tell through the writing that every page has been well thought out and written to keep up a tremendous pace that just makes you want to keep reading. I look forward to reading the next instalment later this year!
lauren_doppler's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
karen_wrighton's review against another edition
5.0
I worried at first that people reading the short prologue and blurb would get the wrong idea about this book, and I think that they do, but in some way that is a good thing because it SURPRISES them. It starts out appearing to be contemporary and real world but then very shortly becomes a full blown epic fantasy. Here is an insight into how it all began...
Writing this book came quite naturally to me, in fact I would say that the book seemed to write itself, but it didn't so much write itself as evolve, almost in true Darwinian fashion. It all started with a car journey, my daily commute, which is long a and tedious three hour journey through Norfolk's slow, tractor ridden country lanes.
I had been thinking about writing a book for some time and my computer was filled with half written manuscripts and plot ideas. On this day though I had just finished reading John Green’s The Fault in out Stars the night before and I was thinking about the bravery of the young people and how they were both so desperate to discover what had happened to a character in the story they were reading, who they believed had died, but didn’t really know for sure because the author had left the ending open. I started to think, well maybe death was not the end of the story, after all it was a story, so really anything could happen!
Then as I was driving I was gifted an idea. The image of a young girl swam into my mind. It was her first day of high school and she was walking out of school excitedly planning to attend a party with her friend, full of life, hopes, dreams and expectations and then something catastrophic happens, she is hit by a lorry and killed. The end of everything she had planned, but what if that was not the end of the book, I thought, what if it was the beginning of an adventure.
That was the genesis of the story and before I arrived at work that day I had the framework solidly in my head. I knew the beginning, I had a great idea for a plot and I knew how I wanted it to end. So now all I had to do was plan and write it. Phew, that sounds easy when you say it quickly, but in fact I was just about to embark on the most difficult, though possibly the most enjoyable part of this journey into authorship - planning and writing the story.
When I plan the ideas come first, mainly I just make things up from my imagination, sometimes I get ideas from things I see, hear or read about and sometimes they come from trying to solve a problem that the plot has thrown up.
The research comes next and usually the research gives me more ideas about how I can weave the information or characters into my story. For example I needed a method of communication in the Afterlands, J K Rowling had her owls, but I was loath to use birds as well, so I looked into communication in animals and came across the bee and how bees communicated with each other through dance.
I had already decided that some of my characters would be able to communicate with animals as well as to transform into them, so the bee made a brilliant messenger. I later discovered that bees have long been associated with magic, which I took as a sign that I had made the right choice.
Almost all of my planning and writing evolves in this fluid way. My characters regularly take me places that I hadn't intended to go. Originally I had two villains, Ka and Phlegon, but I soon realised that they were both such strong characters that the book wouldn't work with both of them in it. This gave me a big headache for a week or so until, again on my commute to work, I thought that instead of killing one of them off and losing a great character what if somehow I was able to combine the two together. Phlegon was made from Fyre so I was thinking of some type of mechanism for melding or forging them together and so I did some research and discovered how a crucible works and then the process of assimilation was born.
I don't think I could ever be organised enough to sit down and plan every detail of the story before I put pen to paper and anyway, I would soon get bored. I like to build interesting characters that take me unexpected places and do unexpected things. It is this that keeps me engaged with the story and hopefully it’s what keeps my readers engrossed too.
If I were to explain to you how I plot ‘in a nutshell’, I would say that plotting for me is seventy percent character driven, twenty percent research driven, ten percent plot driven and mostly takes place in the land of my imagination, while driving through the Norfolk countryside behind a tractor travelling at 20 miles per hour.
I think that it worked in this book, I love it and judging by the vast majority of reviews, my readers do too! I can thoroughly recommend this book if, like me, you love reading about magical fantasy worlds with strong female characters.
Writing this book came quite naturally to me, in fact I would say that the book seemed to write itself, but it didn't so much write itself as evolve, almost in true Darwinian fashion. It all started with a car journey, my daily commute, which is long a and tedious three hour journey through Norfolk's slow, tractor ridden country lanes.
I had been thinking about writing a book for some time and my computer was filled with half written manuscripts and plot ideas. On this day though I had just finished reading John Green’s The Fault in out Stars the night before and I was thinking about the bravery of the young people and how they were both so desperate to discover what had happened to a character in the story they were reading, who they believed had died, but didn’t really know for sure because the author had left the ending open. I started to think, well maybe death was not the end of the story, after all it was a story, so really anything could happen!
Then as I was driving I was gifted an idea. The image of a young girl swam into my mind. It was her first day of high school and she was walking out of school excitedly planning to attend a party with her friend, full of life, hopes, dreams and expectations and then something catastrophic happens, she is hit by a lorry and killed. The end of everything she had planned, but what if that was not the end of the book, I thought, what if it was the beginning of an adventure.
That was the genesis of the story and before I arrived at work that day I had the framework solidly in my head. I knew the beginning, I had a great idea for a plot and I knew how I wanted it to end. So now all I had to do was plan and write it. Phew, that sounds easy when you say it quickly, but in fact I was just about to embark on the most difficult, though possibly the most enjoyable part of this journey into authorship - planning and writing the story.
When I plan the ideas come first, mainly I just make things up from my imagination, sometimes I get ideas from things I see, hear or read about and sometimes they come from trying to solve a problem that the plot has thrown up.
The research comes next and usually the research gives me more ideas about how I can weave the information or characters into my story. For example I needed a method of communication in the Afterlands, J K Rowling had her owls, but I was loath to use birds as well, so I looked into communication in animals and came across the bee and how bees communicated with each other through dance.
I had already decided that some of my characters would be able to communicate with animals as well as to transform into them, so the bee made a brilliant messenger. I later discovered that bees have long been associated with magic, which I took as a sign that I had made the right choice.
Almost all of my planning and writing evolves in this fluid way. My characters regularly take me places that I hadn't intended to go. Originally I had two villains, Ka and Phlegon, but I soon realised that they were both such strong characters that the book wouldn't work with both of them in it. This gave me a big headache for a week or so until, again on my commute to work, I thought that instead of killing one of them off and losing a great character what if somehow I was able to combine the two together. Phlegon was made from Fyre so I was thinking of some type of mechanism for melding or forging them together and so I did some research and discovered how a crucible works and then the process of assimilation was born.
I don't think I could ever be organised enough to sit down and plan every detail of the story before I put pen to paper and anyway, I would soon get bored. I like to build interesting characters that take me unexpected places and do unexpected things. It is this that keeps me engaged with the story and hopefully it’s what keeps my readers engrossed too.
If I were to explain to you how I plot ‘in a nutshell’, I would say that plotting for me is seventy percent character driven, twenty percent research driven, ten percent plot driven and mostly takes place in the land of my imagination, while driving through the Norfolk countryside behind a tractor travelling at 20 miles per hour.
I think that it worked in this book, I love it and judging by the vast majority of reviews, my readers do too! I can thoroughly recommend this book if, like me, you love reading about magical fantasy worlds with strong female characters.
annaeastick's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't been so excited by a fantasy book since I first read the Harry Potter series as a young girl. This book was a complete delight to read. Karen Wrighton has managed to create a truly magical and expansive fantasy land, to rival that of the great classics. She has put so much thought into the world building, the characters and all the little details that make a book extra special.
The book makes you care so much about the main character Rose, and the friends she picks up along the way. We are truly on the mystical journey with her through the book, through the Afterlands, and experiencing the magnificant world for the first time with her. The novel has an incredible contrast of good vs evil, but not in the exhaustingly simple way in which some Young Adult books are guilty of. Karen has built complex layers of good and bad tropes into her characters, making them extremely interesting and mysterious, meaning you never quite know where the story will go next.
There is a wonderful balance of action and light-hearted magical moments within the story, which keeps you turning every page faster than you did the last. It's packed with incredibly thought-out and crafted spells, mystical creatures and incantations. The final chapters build to a super exciting climax, leaving you wanting the next instalment immediately. Sadly we will all have to wait! With all that in mind, I honestly think this book could be the next big thing.
The book makes you care so much about the main character Rose, and the friends she picks up along the way. We are truly on the mystical journey with her through the book, through the Afterlands, and experiencing the magnificant world for the first time with her. The novel has an incredible contrast of good vs evil, but not in the exhaustingly simple way in which some Young Adult books are guilty of. Karen has built complex layers of good and bad tropes into her characters, making them extremely interesting and mysterious, meaning you never quite know where the story will go next.
There is a wonderful balance of action and light-hearted magical moments within the story, which keeps you turning every page faster than you did the last. It's packed with incredibly thought-out and crafted spells, mystical creatures and incantations. The final chapters build to a super exciting climax, leaving you wanting the next instalment immediately. Sadly we will all have to wait! With all that in mind, I honestly think this book could be the next big thing.
ayanamifaerudo's review against another edition
2.0
Needs extensive editing for grammar and use of punctuation - especially punctuation.
The only chapter I liked was Glynisfarne. The rest? As I said, it reminded me of Mortal Enchantment although there are differences of course. Mortal Enchantment was better. The thing is: I've seen this kind of story (and the mythology crafted for the book) before, therefore I was not as beguiled as the book intended.
Because of curiosity, I might read the second book but only if I'm assured of the editing and the storytelling.
The only chapter I liked was Glynisfarne. The rest? As I said, it reminded me of Mortal Enchantment although there are differences of course. Mortal Enchantment was better. The thing is: I've seen this kind of story (and the mythology crafted for the book) before, therefore I was not as beguiled as the book intended.
Because of curiosity, I might read the second book but only if I'm assured of the editing and the storytelling.
bookishoutsider's review
4.0
Ascension of the Whyte is the first book in a series called The Afterland Chronicles and is an intriguing fantasy that will have you turning the pages. I'm a sucker for any book that starts with a map so I couldn't wait to see the places on the map described so I could picture them in my head.
The beginning of the book opens with Sara chatting to a friend as they leave school and ends with a sudden & horrific death. We're then transported to another dimension and the story really begins. We are introduced to a whole new way of life where, when you die, your soul ascends and becomes another person who may or may not have ascended many times before. Meet Rose, the first Whyte Ascendant for a thousand years, who with Ash, Auriel and Lee, make a very select cell who will save the world of Hydrarygrum if a prophecy written centuries before is to be believed.
I found it quite hard to believe that this was a debut novel. The writing was mostly extremely well written and each & every character had their own distinct voice. The magical system created was nothing short of amazing and quite frankly there were one or two potens (or abilities) that I would love to be real. The ability to read dozens of books in mere minutes would have come in very handy at school!
I became so immersed in the world Karen has created that I didn't even realize that it was starting to get light outside, I managed to read Ascension of the Whyte from start to finish and get to watch the sun come up! If you like your fantasy well thought out with an intriguing magic system, djinns who want to take over the world and characters who will become friends then this is the book for you. Karen has created a fascinating world which made me laugh and made me well up, I was thoroughly entranced by the writing and the characters. Also, as a word of warning, Karen isn't afraid to kill characters off so don't get too attached! I'm now desperate to read the next book in the series as things are just getting warmed up. Need another beta reader?
The beginning of the book opens with Sara chatting to a friend as they leave school and ends with a sudden & horrific death. We're then transported to another dimension and the story really begins. We are introduced to a whole new way of life where, when you die, your soul ascends and becomes another person who may or may not have ascended many times before. Meet Rose, the first Whyte Ascendant for a thousand years, who with Ash, Auriel and Lee, make a very select cell who will save the world of Hydrarygrum if a prophecy written centuries before is to be believed.
I found it quite hard to believe that this was a debut novel. The writing was mostly extremely well written and each & every character had their own distinct voice. The magical system created was nothing short of amazing and quite frankly there were one or two potens (or abilities) that I would love to be real. The ability to read dozens of books in mere minutes would have come in very handy at school!
I became so immersed in the world Karen has created that I didn't even realize that it was starting to get light outside, I managed to read Ascension of the Whyte from start to finish and get to watch the sun come up! If you like your fantasy well thought out with an intriguing magic system, djinns who want to take over the world and characters who will become friends then this is the book for you. Karen has created a fascinating world which made me laugh and made me well up, I was thoroughly entranced by the writing and the characters. Also, as a word of warning, Karen isn't afraid to kill characters off so don't get too attached! I'm now desperate to read the next book in the series as things are just getting warmed up. Need another beta reader?
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