{"id":435,"date":"2024-09-20T12:42:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T12:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=435"},"modified":"2024-09-20T12:42:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T12:42:00","slug":"book-review-the-ascenditure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=435","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: The Ascenditure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ascenditure<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Robyn Dabney<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Fantasy \/ Feminist<\/p>\n

ISBN: <\/strong>9781646034758<\/p>\n

Print Length:<\/strong> 324 pages<\/p>\n

Publisher:<\/strong> Fitzroy Books<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span>Buy from Amazon<\/span>\n <\/div>\n

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Reviewed by Lindsay Crandall<\/em><\/p>\n

A stunning feminist mountaineering fantasy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Klarke Ascher will have to pass a near-impossible test if she wants to earn herself a spot as an\u00a0Ascenditure\u2014to join an elite mountaineering team in the land of Ectair.\u00a0Since Klarke is the only woman who has ever been permitted to train to become one, she is routinely belittled and passed over. Truth is: Laws in Ectair are designed to oppress women, and the current king is a misogynist who fears losing his power over the land.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This time, the test will take place on Mount Bonen, the deadliest peak on the Umlauf peninsula.\u00a0At the beginning of it, Klarke realizes that she and her fellow competitors have been sent here to die\u2014to become an example of why women should accept their place. Is her determination and skill enough to help her survive? And if she does, how can she change the clearly problematic issues that women in the world are suffering from?<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am special because I am basically a man.\u00a0I have worth because I am not like most women.\u201d\u00a0Klarke thinks to herself in response to something her climbing partner has said.\u00a0\u201cAs if to be a woman is a derogatory, nasty thing.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dabney\u2019s worldbuilding in The Ascenditure<\/em> is something to behold.\u00a0Elements of Ectair may feel familiar to those who regularly read fantasy, but Dabney\u2019s creation is one of a kind.\u00a0To layer so much history with detailed culture, language, and religious practices in just over 300 pages is a quite a feat.\u00a0At no point does the story become bogged down with these elements either. Instead, they enhance each aspect of the story and remind readers of what is at stake.\u00a0Dabney does a particularly stellar job with the infusion of rock climbing and mountaineering into this young adult novel. Come for the fantasy, stay for the unique skillset and interest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are some aspects of The Ascenditure<\/em> that follow the same roadmap as other young adult fantasy novels, especially those with a female lead. Klarke is a reluctant heroine at first, simply wanting to mind her own business and climb. She cannot comprehend why people would be inspired by her until she does.\u00a0\u201cI hide in the crowd with Rayna, trying to be invisible. The power I felt last night has slipped away.\u00a0Darkness makes heroes of us all, but daylight always reveals the faces of the vigilantes.\u00a0Of the cowards.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a boy who clearly has feelings for Klarke, too, even though she has no idea. And then, suddenly, there is a second boy who has been reluctantly thrust into Klarke\u2019s orbit. This love triangle adds some emotional, personal tension into the wider story of this world.<\/p>\n

Into Thin Air<\/em> meets The Hunger Games,<\/em> with a smidge of The Handmaid\u2019s Tale,<\/em> in this captivating mountaineering fantasy.\u00a0This first in the series offers plenty to enjoy, and the cliffhanger makes sure we\u2019re coming back for more in the sequel.<\/p>\n

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Thank you for reading Lindsay Crandall\u2019s book review of The Ascenditure <\/em>by Robyn Dabney Ciholas! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n

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The post Book Review: The Ascenditure<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ascenditure by Robyn Dabney Genre: Fantasy \/ Feminist ISBN: 9781646034758 Print Length: 324 pages Publisher: Fitzroy Books Buy from Amazon Buy from Bookshop Reviewed by Lindsay Crandall A stunning feminist mountaineering fantasy Klarke Ascher will have to pass a near-impossible test if she wants to earn herself a spot as an\u00a0Ascenditure\u2014to join an elite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}