Review: Ascenders by C.L. Gaber
SYNOPSIS:
Walker Callaghan doesn’t know what happened to her. One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago…and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences.
Walker Callaghan, 16, is dead.
She doesn’t go to Heaven or Hell. She lands at The Academy, a middle realm where teenagers have one thing in common: They were that morning announcement at their high schools because they died young.
These high school kids are now caught in a strange “in-between” zone where life hasn’t changed very much. In fact, this special teen limbo looks a lot like life in a quaint Michigan town complete with jocks, popular girls and cliques. “There are even cheerleaders in death,” Walker observes. It’s not a coincidence that the music teacher is a guy named Kurt who “used to have this band.” The drama teacher, Heath, is crush worthy because back in his life, he starred in some superhero movie as the Joker.
Principal King explains the rules — there are none. Why? You can’t die twice.
There is no homework.
No tests.
No SATS.
You’re just there to learn because the human brain isn’t fully formed until you’re 24.
By the way, you can’t get hurt physically, so race your Harley off that hillside. But falling in love is the most dangerous thing you can do …because no one knows how long you’ll stay in this realm or what’s next. Walker falls hard for tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid who is about to break the only sacred rule of this place. He’s looking for a portal to return back to the living realm.
Ascenders….An epic adventure of an after-life time.
REVIEW:
*ARC Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
One word to describe this book is epic. I am not going to recap the story because the synopsis is ridiculously long. I actually recommend not reading it and just know that this is an epic, adventure book about kids after they die where they attend school until there brains are developed at 24. The only rule is you cannot under any circumstances return to the living realm. That wraps it up because there were so many bits and pieces to this story that were sheer writing brilliance.
I loved that the teachers at the school where people who passed…famous people who passed. Steve Jobs is your computer teacher, Kurt Cobain is your music teacher, etc. This is pure brilliance and had me giggling and smiling. Then the rivalry school is for kids who did something bad in the living realm, school shooters, rapists, murders, etc. The rival school is twisted and captivating. Unlike the Academy, people at ITT can feel pain and there injuries. Seriously I adored this book!
The story is so amazing, and completely unique, I have never read anything like this or that will compare to this. I would rank this up there in my top reads of 2015. The tail is enchanting and I fell in love with Daniel and his family and I wanted to be best friends with Walker, this was the book that kept giving. It was an amazing story that left me satisfied but definitely wanting more! Can’t wait for the next one…go read this book! Paranormal meets perfect storytelling!
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