Ascendant [Hardcover]

Diana Peterfreund (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 28, 2010

Astrid Llewelyn is now a fully trained unicorn hunter, but she can't solve all her problems with just a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend, Giovanni, has decided to leave Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend's powers are mysteriously disintegrating, and Astrid can't help but feel that school, home, and her hopes of becoming a scientist are impossible dreams.

So when she's given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and put her skills to use as part of a scientific quest to discover the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants—or can she? At Gordian headquarters in the French countryside, Astrid begins to question everything she thought she believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and—most of all—her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns, or saving the unicorns from the world?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–Second novels sometimes pale in comparison to the series opener. Ascendant is not one of them. More sophisticated in both content and structure than the straightforward Rampant (HarperTeen, 2009), this title echoes the growing development of narrator Astrid as she questions the ethical complexities of her new life as a unicorn hunter. The threat of man-eating unicorns is increasing worldwide, and only the virgin descendants of Alexander the Great can stand against them. Many girls are choosing to give up their eligibility rather than accept the challenge, making new hunters difficult to find and train. Astrid, who hates hunting even while loving the powers that her calling gives her, takes a job with a pharmaceutical company, guarding the unicorns they use for testing. Once, she hoped to become a doctor, and her search for the recipe for the Remedy, a unicorn-based cure-all, appeals to her as an echo of the life she once wanted. But faced with the realities of animal testing and dubious behavior on the part of her employers, Astrid must decide where her loyalties lie, and the impact of that choice takes her in a direction she never imagined possible. Peterfreund is sure to gain a stronger following with Ascendant, and fans will eagerly await further titles in the series.Alana Joli Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Hard on the heels of Rampant (2009), Ascendant continues the story of unicorn hunters living in an alternate modern-day world. Astrid grows disenchanted with her job hunting the flesh-eating beasts after witnessing a unicorn birth and sustaining a unicorn-caused injury that, ironically, is somewhat eased by being in their presence. Although her naïveté sometimes seems contrived, Astrid is painted with a strong brush in this uneven mix of environmental advocacy and longing for love—both familial and sexual. Although the ecological message is front and center, it is rather dark, so this isn’t for Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot (2002) crowd. Grades 8-11. --Cindy Welch

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061490024
• ISBN-13: 978-0061490026
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #980,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Peterfreund is the author of eight novels for adults and teens, as well as several critically acclaimed short stories and a handful of essays on popular children's literature. She grew up in Florida, and lives with her family in Washington, D.C. When she's not writing, Diana enjoys taking long hikes with her dog, Rio, reading, working in her garden, watching far too much Netflix Watch It Now, and being addicted to Twitter. her website is http://dianapeterfreund.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An AMAZING sequel! October 11, 2010

By Katie Dahlberg

Format:Hardcover

Ascendant blew me away. I didn't think it could be any better than the first, but wow. Everything was heightened and way more intense- the sexual tension, the action, the emotion. I finished this book with a heavy breath.

As much as I absolutely loved Rampant, we didn't get much of a change of scenery outside of the Cloisters. In Ascendant, Astrid steps away from Rome and finds new challenges with the unicorns in a completely new environment. We're introduced to new characters and we learn more about another species of unicorn that makes Astrid question everything about who and what she is. The ass-kicking action is still very much present, but I appreciated more of the conflicted characters this time around.

One thing that puts me on the fence, that might make me question just how incredible this second book in the series really is, is the possibility of there not being a third book. From what I've heard, there are no plans for another book yet. Yet. (And this could also just be a rumor!) Which means that I could be freaking out over nothing. But leaving the series to end like this? That's even more brutal than some of the gory scenes that Diana writes so magnificently. It was a perfect and intense ending, but it is no way satisfying as a conclusion to the series. Nothing resolved, no questions answered, issues left lingering between the pages. Diana, if you're reading this, for the sake of our sanity, please write more!

But seriously, Ascendant is a mind-blowing sequel and I applaud Diana for hooking me so deeply. I devoured the entire book in only a few short hours because I literally could not put it down. If you're a fan of the first, do not waste any time reading this when it comes out. I absolutely loved it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most epic books ever... September 29, 2010

By Sarah Woodard

Format:Hardcover

I adore Unicorns, and Peterfreund's kick ass hybrid of killer unicorns are even more epic. After reading Rampant, I was so pumped for Ascendant. Astrid came back just as awesome. She was just as brave and strong as the first book, but now she has a fraction of doubt about what she is doing. She doesn't have time to see her mother or go to school, which made me sad. She is one of the few YA characters that though past the next month and had a plan for what she wanted to do in life. That is until, she get the offer of a lifetime... a job working at Gordian Pharmaceuticals. I loved that it allowed her to make her own decisions in this book and not just what the Cloisters wanted. Also that, you got to see some issues that the world was dealing with, because of the return of the unicorns.
The opinion that I had about Gordian, changed at the beginning, because Isabeau seemed to be a such a sweet and caring person that wanted to no longer be tied to what happened in the previous book, but she turned out to be not the person that she seemed. I hated the abuse on the einhorns and it kept on making me cry like a baby. The plot left me with so many questions about Peterfreund's magical world and the last few chapters were so hard to read. I really hope that there will be a third book. Peterfreund's writing was stunning and ingenious. I could picture every move on the battle scene. I loved Ascendant, more then Rampant. It was unpredictable and ingenious. I think that you should start this series soon, I am sure that you will not regret it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Ascendant [...] November 28, 2010

By Caitlin

Format:Hardcover

I LOVED Rampant, so very, very much. It had kick ass girls, awesome killer unicorns, and didn't stray away from hard subjects. The main characters would talk both about the right time to have sex and the morality of killing an endangered species. Even if said species was eating a couple of humans.

So, needless to say, I was very excited for this book. And, while I was in no way disappointed with it, the book as a whole was a little melancholy. I guess the first book was too, but as it ended with a big triumph for the girls, it didn't feel that sad at the end. The best that can be said for the ending of Ascendant is that it ended with hope.

Also, not a cliffhanger. There are too many cliffhangers out there, and as I've mentioned before, I'm not that big a fan.

Ascendant deals more with the reality of the day-to-day lives for our band of merry, unicorn slaying, nuns. Constantly having their lives in danger, being unable to live their lives without scrutiny, not knowing all that much about what they are or where their powers come from. All while trying to figure out normal adolescent things like their sexual identity and what their true passions are.

Astrid starts the story off in much the same place that we left her. In a tree, waiting to kill unicorns. It isn't long before the guilt of killing the unicorns is upsetting enough for Astrid to leave the cloisters in Italy. Thus she ends up in the French country side working for the company that betrayed her, taking care of a pack of captive unicorns, and trying to find out more about the Remedy people are supposedly able to make from Unicorns.

First of all, I'm just going to say that what the secret ingredient in the Remedy turned out to be was awesome and fit perfectly with the theme....I can't say anymore about it.

One of my favourite things about Rampant was the times the girls would all sit around and discuss why they had decided to not have sex yet. I thought the frank discussions about sex and adolescence, and the whole set up of the current society's courting (or whatever) system was the glue that held the whole, virgins-hunting-killer-unicorns, plot together. It was always honest and showcased possibly the only place where all the girls were on the same foot. They were all virgins. For one reason or another.

I was afraid, since we'd already had these great discussions, that we wouldn't have any of this in Ascendant. But we do. In so many more and different ways that it kept the "glue" part without sounding at all repetitive. It was wonderfully done.

In this book we get a look at more traditionally western Unicorns. And though they are still man-eating beasts Astrid struggles with seeing them as pets, or even friends and yet being at the ready to slaughter them whenever it is warranted.

The one thing I didn't like was the lack of good male characters. The two males who seem respectable are barely in this book, and the one male we do get a lot of is sleezy and...well...I just don't like the guy. And the other males we get brief glimpses of aren't much better. As I mentioned in my review of Wildthorn, I always enjoy books that have an awesome cast of female characters, but I like strong male characters as well.

Ascendant was an action-packed, emotionally-draining tale of morality and family and discovering the truth of one's self....and man-eating unicorns. I loved it. But I'm also eager for the next one, with the hope that it delivers a happy ending...if everything ends badly, then by all means, Diana, take your time. I like the characters too much to see more bad things happen to them.

Team Unicorn All the Way!