Ascendants: Should've Been A Show

Author: Don Schechter

Genre: Science fiction, character drama, thriller, general fiction

Publisher: GHB

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: March 24th, 2026

TW: death, mental deterioration (Alzheimer's like disease) rape (implied), medical experimentation, unwilling drug use, rioting, military occupation, threat of a child, death of a child (mentioned on page)

 

I really, really wanted to like this book, but there were several fatal flaws that ruined a fantastic premise. 

But first, the plot: In the far future year of 2060, there is scientific proof of life after death. The only ones who have access to this afterlife are the Ascendants, the people genetically destined to for a life after death. Everyone else will decay and rot in the earth, becoming Biomass. With the machinations of The Jacobs Institute, the shadowy organization that found discovered Ascendance puppeting everyone behind the scenes, will our characters (the scientist who discovered ascendance, a grieving husband and a firebrand daughter who's just fed up with it all) be able to survive in this new world? 

I loved the central premise of this book. Ascendance is pure genetic inequality, which gives a bleakness that is very rare (I've only seen GATTACA do the same). I loved that the author included clerical characters to show how this kind of discovery impacted major wold religions.

However, this was the only compliment I could give this book. The dialog was detached and clinical, which made a certain amount of sense for some of the characters, but not everyone. However, everyone spoke in this clinical style (including a supposed to be seen year old child), which was jarring, and hard to follow. 

The setting was non-existent. There were no descriptions that really stuck because everything was, again, in this clinical style. (Third person limited is usallyu fine, but this didn't help the feeling in this case.)  Apparently the book took place in Boston, which was news to me. Nothing distinguished the city from every other city. There were a few significant locations that had more than a modicum of description but other than that, there was no significant vivid description. (Everything read like a script.)

The plot was hard to follow as I'd regularly confuse characters with one another, and  I thought that the third act reveal was unnecessary, set up for a sequel that didn't wrap up the story. 

All in all, I hope to see this as a show one day, but honestly would've DNF'd it if this wasn't an ARC.  Maybe others would enjoy it where I couldn't. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! 

Final rating: 2.5 (rounded up to 3) Stars

Drink paring: oolong style green tea tea for musings on life

To Cage a Wild Bird (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Shaky Start To A Suspenseful Prison Break

Author: Brooke Fast

Genre: Adult fiction, dystopian fiction, romance, queer themes, BIPOC rep

Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: March 3rd, 2026

TW:  murder, sexual assault, surveillance, death, harm to children, death of children (on page, but not dwelled on), starvation, state oppression, ambush beat downs, attempted rape, incarceration, police/guard brutality

Despite some clunky exposition and shallow worldbuilding at the beginning of the novel, I enjoyed this story. Beware of spoilers, as the romance is prominent here, and the best parts of this book are in Endlock. Check out my final rating below!

But first, the plot: Raven Thorne is a bounty hunter in the city of Dividium, where she is paid to turn in criminals to be locked up in Dividium's prison, Endlock. Endlock is a hunting ground-rich citizens of the city can pay to hunt prisoners and keep their body parts as trophies. (There is a whole industry of taking the teeth from these prisoners and fashioning them into jewelry.) When Raven's brother Jed gets thrown into the prison for punching one of the city's councilors, she resolve to get him out by any means necessary. To that end, she goes to The Collective, a resistance group her parents were a part of. They give her a mission: break a prisoner out of Endlock and the siblings will go with them to the neutral Northern Settlement, away from Dividium. However, a prison guard named Vale takes an interest in Raven. Will this blow her cover? Why does she feel attracted to him? Will Ravenm will be able to survive Endlock? 

The characters carry this book. Raven was actually a delight, as she reckons with what she did before coming to Endlock, and learns how to open up in turn. I do appreciate that she is haunted by  the people she sent to this terrible place. I appreciate that everyone was standoffish with her or even hate her at the beginning. I also appreciate that Raven doesn't feel like she deserves good things for a while.   

I was also here for the side characters. Jed, August and Kit and Yara and Momo make a perfect found family. I like that they are more of a significant part of the book that you would expect, as they keep Raven sane in this prison. I also appreciate the diverse representation of this friend-group, as Kit and Yara are a couple together (and have to deal with realistic expectations and trials of being in a prison) and all of them with the exception of Jed seem to be people of color. I also appreciate that everyone gets a few scenes where their characters shine, and you can tell they have their own lives and dreams outside of the prison. Jed and Raven's bond is very sibling realistic, and I also appreciate that. This makes a later gut punch all the more impactful, which made me cry.  

I really appreciate how the romance was done here. Thank fuck this wasn't oppressor/oppressed. (I genuinely hate that trope so much, as it's a terrible outgrowth of 'I can fix him'.) Vale is on side, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.(if a reader He and Raven do have chemistry, which deepens when she is in close proximity with him. (He also does say 'Who did this to you?" but doesn't fly off the handle at the culprit, or get extremely angry, which I appreciate.)

Speaking of 'close proximity', there are explicit sex scenes in this book, that a         re woman centered. I appreciate that Vale knows where the clit is, acknowledges the power dynamic between them, and is actively looking for consent. Raven is an active participant in her own  pleasure which I also appreciate. As an Ace person, I appreciate that, as the scenes were well written and also tense, as they could be caught at any moment by the other guards of Endlock. (The PIV scenes were fine as well, but as an Ace person, I once again, skimmed over them, but they're competently written fro what they are.)

With all of this good, there is also bad. First, the setting. Dividium as a place is incredibly generic. There are three levels that are 'divided' (Upper, Middle and Lower) and they are going through a famine, which fuels the prison dynamics of Endlock. This setting is only really distinguished by the 'trophy hunting', which makes the setting outside of Endlock feel sketchy. Even Endlock reminds me of the Hunger Games, down to the traps placed later in the book. This will not be a dealbreaker for a lot of readers but I couldn't stop making comparisons in my head. (This in turn made me worry that this was a Young Adult book, which considering the level of erotic and explicit scenes, it shouldn't be.)

Second, the expository prose at the beginning of the book almost made me stop reading. Raven starts the  book pursuing a criminal, and what should be a thrilling chase scene gets stopped dead by expository prose barely related to the task at hand. This stops after the first 20 or so pages, but it was so jarring that it took me out of the story very quickly. 

However, I am glad I stuck through it. Mind the trigger warnings, and if you could get through a really clunky first chapter, you will enjoy this book. I will be looking for a sequel, and hoping the author writes one.  

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 3.75 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars 

Drink Paring:  Dark roast da hong pao in a dark room

A Wild Radiance: An Earnest Exploration of Revolution

  

Author:  Maria Ingrande Moria

Genre: Dystopia, Queer Fiction, Teen Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance (but not romantacy), friends and rivals to lovers 

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (Peachtree Teen)

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: Feburary 24th, 2026

TW: epidemic, climate change, death of children during a riot, lobotomy like surgery, colonialism

I loved this book, and believe it is needed for teens to read. However, I do have some small problems with it. 

But first, the plot (taken from the back):  "Josephine Haven is about to find out exactly where she fits into the march of Progress. Her outbursts are infamous at the House of Industry, the school for children who can wield radiance, an electricity-like magic. She’s tried to follow the rules, but her fiery nature is at odds with the core tenet of the House: Never form attachments. If she is meant to feel nothing, why are her emotions so volatile? No one is surprised when, upon graduation, Josephine is banished from the city to a remote Mission. In Frostbrook, she must work under standoffish Julian, the former golden boy of the House of Industry who seems determined to watch her fail. And then there’s Ezra, the flirtatious stranger who’s a little too curious about how the Mission operates. But there are bigger problems than Julian and Ezra’s secrets. A deadly disease is spreading across the countryside, and in Frostbrook, not everyone is eager to embrace Progress. As Josephine questions the system that raised her—and gives in to desire she’s been taught to suppress—she must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to expose not just corruption within the House, but the devastating truth about the radiance in her core."

The characters are the best part of this book. Josephine reminds me a bit of myself-someone who feels deeply, who doesn't know how to channel her anger. Her  deconstruction was really believable and I'm glad that her anger and capacity for violence wasn't condemned outright.

 I loved Exra and Julian. Ezra was the first person to pull Josephine out of the system and without spoiling too much, you can see why. Julian is a tougher nut to crack, but also well worth it. His ultimate fate at the end had me crying tears of joy. 

I wish the worldbuilding was more significant however. There's a large portion of this book spent in travel, and the places were very indistinct for me. There were also allusions to real world people in character names, which may put off some people. But this is a character forward book, and it did succeed there.

I appreciate the queer representation, and the fact that it seemed to be relatively normal in this world except for the Children of Industry.  There was kissing and allusions to sex in this book, but no explicit scenes. I love the depiction of a queerplatonic relationship as well. It's a rarity in fiction and I enjoyed it. 

I can't wait to see what's next for this author.

Thanks to Peachtree Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC! 

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Drink Paring:  Japanese hojicha, green and nutty, and smooth, like a summer field

Queen of Faces (Deluxe Edition): A Wonderful Premise, Slightly Shaky Execution

 

 

Author:  Petra Lord

Genre: Dystopia, Queer Fiction, Teen Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance (but not romantacy), Dark Academia, People of Color (Fantasy)

Publisher: Macmillian Children's Publishing Group

Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)

Release Date: Feburary 3rd, 2026

TW: murder, genocidal acts (explicit), parental abuse and abandonment, mutilation, suicide. racism

 

I loved this book, and am glad it exists for teens to read. However, I have a few problems with it. 

But first the plot (taken from the back of the book): "Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. But Ana can’t afford to escape it, even as the wealthiest in Caimor buy and discard expensive designer bodies without a thought. When she fails to gain admittance to the prestigious Paragon Academy—and access to the healthy new forms the school provides its students—her final hope implodes. Now without options, Ana must use her illusion magic to try to steal a healthy chassis—before her own kills her. But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor's smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith. With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters—and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for."

The characters are probably the best part of  this book. Anabelle isn't a chosen one; she's flawed and reckless and sometimes a but dumb. However, instinctively, I  do like her. She's great to read about, and I want to see her succeed. I feel her pain and her entrapment. 

I love Wes. I cannot expand on him due to spoilers, but I must say, that his exploration of his identity and inherent queerness was great to read. Nima and Mr. Nameless were less flushed out, but still fun to read about, and I can't wait for the book to focus on them all more. 

I have a few issues however. For one, certain anachronistic phrases (tonkatsu,) and discussion of those topics (discussion of favourite manga) weakened the worldbuilding for me. These words are inherently tied up with modern japan (especially manga) and don't really fit in a fantasy setting that seems to be based in 1920's England. This is a shame, because I love the idea of being able to swap bodies and all of the horrific implications and gender freedom that implied, but that was overshadowed by the choppy worldbuilding. I also wish that queerness was explored a bit more, as most of the characters are genderqueer, but I understand that the dying is more important. 

For two, there isn't much academia in this Dark Academia book. There's one class, and some small explanation of the magic system, but I didn't know most of the professors at the end of the book. I was fine with this but be warned. 

There is no sex/spice in this book, only kissing, and a brief love triangle. It was fine. 

But overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the sequel.  

Thanks to Macmillian Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Final Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 Stars

Drink Paring: Wild Da Hong Pao oolong, roasted and dark 

Book Review-The New Eve: A Rough Read

 

Author: Moussa Ould Ebnou 

Translated By: Paul Roochnik

Genre: Dystopian adult queer literature 

Publisher: Iskanchi Press

Format: Ebook (NetGalley copy)

TW: sexual torture, conversion therapy, forced transition, state brutality, parental death

 

The New Eve is alien. Ironic for whom the title of the book alludes to, but a thought provoking read nonetheless. 

The book concerns two cis (?) gendered lovers, Adam and Mandi, trying to find each other after their mandated sex-times, and avoid capture by the state. Otherwise, men and women have completely separate spheres of life, and live apart from one another. Same-sex relationships are the norm. There is a third gender as well who bridge the gap between both worlds.

The setting was the most intriguing part of the book for me. It was so unique and made enough sense that I was able to immerse myself in it. The feeling of the last few chapters in particular showed what a gendered city would look like and was fascinating.

However, I cannot decide whether this book is queer affirming or not. A significant portion of the book takes place in a conversion camp. Adam in particular earns a happy ending through this conversion which rubbed me the wrong way. And for such a queer narrative, the same sex relationships were de-emphasized until the end as a neat bow. 

I think the ambiguity comes from this being a translated text from Arabic and French. The author is Mauritanian so I fully acknowledge I may be missing out on how transgressive this actually is. I do not agree with the book’s conclusion however.

I also wish we also could’ve spent more time with Maneki aside from the conversion camp scenes as her last chapter was one of my favorite parts of the book. 

Ultimately, I enjoyed my experience but heed those trigger warnings and your own cultural biases; this is a hard read and might not be to your tastes.

I hope that this author’s other works become translated. 

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the book!

 

Final Rating: 3 Stars

 

Drink Paring: Mint green tea, sharp and cutting