Ascent

by Hayley Mills

“My neck prickled with heat and, before I had time to analyze the feeling, bony fingers wrapped my arms in a vice. I screamed. I didn’t think I’d ever screamed that loud before in my life. It was a long, terrified sound that nearly ripped me in half. I fought the hands that tried to restrain me and was able to turn just enough to see it was another hooded figure, their hood too low and dark to discern a face.”

Laila Benett was perfectly content with her life. She had a loving mother and sister, an amazing best friend and an uncomplicated life.
But something changed. Now, she is being stalked by creatures in the night. Her sister has fallen ill, tearing her family apart. Her best friend is missing and she’s stuck in the middle of a deadly love triangle.

Laila meets Christopher, a seemingly easy-going, yet mysterious teenager. As he drags her deeper into a world she wants no part in, her life continues to be put into jeopardy and she fights to find out Christopher’s dark secret while battling the confusing attraction she feels towards him.

In her quest to uncover Christopher’s secrets, she meets Henry, a stranger who looks familiar and knows too much about her.

She continues her search and her fight to return her life to normal, but deep down she knows: things will never be the same again.

188 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2012

About the author

Whenever one of these "About Me's" come up, I'm always desperately thinking, "Oh God! Who am I?"

Well, I'm a proud vegetarian and coffee addict. Currently living in Melbourne - The busy city of literature. Writer and reader of Young Adult novels.

Reviews

[Monika Baranyay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fantastic read, and i loved the whole story line and the concept behind the book, the way the scenes were described and the feelings and expressions felt very natural.Finishing the book left me say Noooo! what happens next!....as all good books should........... I can't wait for the next book to come out, Hungry for More! :)
Ascent

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but i didn't love it. It was to fast paced and it wasn't that interesting because of how fast paced it was.

It starts off with Laila and at first she seems like she is going to be a great main character. Don't get me wrong, she was good, but she wasn't amazing or anything. I like how she asked questions and demanded answers. Although, i didn't like how she was so trusting so quickly. First she sees Christopher and he follows her around like a stalker, but does she see him as a stalker, no she just sees him as annoying. Next there's Henry, she has a feeling she knows him and suddenly she trusts him enough to let him in her house. She had a lot of stupid moments.

I liked Christopher towards the end of the book, but at the beginning i thought he was just some weird creepy stalker. I hated Henry! He was just annoying, and to me he seemed weak.

The plot was good, but everything went way too fast. I would have loved this book had it been a little bit slower paced. It would've given you time to get to know the main character, Christopher, and Henry. Maybe i would've like them all better.

I thought this book was okay. It is a fast read and i somewhat enjoyed reading it.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I won this book through Goodreads First Reads. While I didn't hate it, I definitely didn't love it either. I felt more like I was reading a story posted by a teenage girl on fictionpress.net. There are many grammatical and punctuational errors, which is something that can almost ruin a book for me. I absolutely can't stand poor punctuation! There wasn't enough detail for me, the characters felt empty, and the story moved way too quickly. Conversations and character interaction felt unbelievable and unrealistic, and often downright cheesy. I understand how Henry was in love with Laila because he spent time with her in "Limbo." But Christopher the psycho-stalker should have had a restraining order slapped on him. There was no way he fell in love with her after a few days of simply stalking her. He didn't know her. I felt like they were all in elementary school.
This book has potential. Add a little detail, make it longer. Draw the story out a bit and have it take place over a few weeks or months, not days. Maybe then Christopher can actually have time to fall in love with Laila. And maybe let the readers know what it is that makes these boys fall in love with her in the first place because I, for one, just couldn't figure it out.
I give it 2.5 stars.

[Jody Skipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off i love that the book is based in Melbourne :)
I liked that the book had a good flow to it and always kept me wanting more. It was well written and the characters and conversations were natural and easy to follow which made it easy to connect with the characters. I found the book hard to put down and I was always wanting to know what is going on in the world of Laila? The book has great potential and I am desperately looking forward to the 2nd installment of the series!!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of interesting ideas that I'm looking forward to having explored more fully in the second book.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was fantastic. young adult. extremely well written. must read