Book Review: Ascenders: Skypunch by C.L. Gaber

I just couldn’t wait! I am already back with the sequel to Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed by C.L. Gaber: Ascenders: Skypunch.

You will remember my last review where I just couldn’t get enough of the first part of the Ascenders saga. Well, I can honestly say that I enjoyed Skypunch even more!

I want to write this review with minimal spoilers for the first book as I really feel that Skypunch should not be a standalone book (although, it does offer a good intro to the past). But, in order to proceed, I have to reveal that in the last book, Walker and boyfriend Daniel, broke the one ultimate rule, they travelled back to the living realm. Skypunch picks up from here and the reader finds them preparing for yet another trip back, this time, to find something hidden in history as part of a mission for the Higher Authority.

This book was so full of suspense that I was at the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. There were so many twists and turns, many of which I certainly didn’t see coming. However, the biggest twist was that the story I was expecting to be told didn’t necessarily occur at all. Instead, Gaber leaves the reader hanging on a massive cliffhanger (spoiler alert: there will be a third book).

So, what does Gaber present the reader with if the book doesn’t exactly follow true to the blurb? Well, we are introduced to a lot of new characters, some who were just written to be hated, and others who enter the heart from the first sentence of their bookish existence. Of course, we learn more about past characters who were only touched on before, including Bobby, the only annoying character in the book, in my opinion. We also learn more about the other schools present in the realm: ITT and Frederick Reardon. Believe me, these two places add a hell of a lot of excitement to this series.

As this is a YA book, Gaber also includes a number of life lessons and themes important to this age group. We see that rules cannot just be broken and that there are consequences for everything. We also learn that friendships are precious and sometimes as good, if not better, than family. Certainly, in this case, as we see the bonding of friendships which cannot be broken. Again, as in Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed, these lessons are told naturally and not all in a preachy way.

Overall, I loved this book and the series as a whole. Ascenders were the first books in a while where I was truly sucked in and, embarrassingly at 28 years of age, actually developed a book crush. Here’s hoping the next installment comes out sooner rather than later!

I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review.