Review for Inevitable Ascension, by V.K. McAllister
Inevitable Ascension, by V.K. McAllister, details the horrific fall of humanity, and through the actions of two young women, humanity’s imperfection is seared into the flames of judgement, tragically swallowing them whole.
The book begins with Violina and Lux, two hunters who share a dislike for the rich and elite. What begins as a simple sale short of a financial miracle turns into an apocalyptic nightmare when they stumble upon a plot that destroys humanity. The women then decide to try and fight for their kind, as well as their freedom. However, as their morals begin to dissolve, with remnants of a blood-soaked civilization waiting for them, Violina finally sentences her own kind to death, slowly becoming the gleeful judge that will send humanity spiraling down a chasm of despair.
To be perfectly honest, from the moment I read about Violina and Lux, I knew this was not going to end well. From Violina’s callous dismissal of the higher-ups, to her killing refugees, I had trouble determining whether if she was arrogant or just insane. I could easily picture her happily gutting down her enemies, all the while deluding herself into thinking it’s for the greater good. Either way, she’d have to be incredibly vain if she thought she could push her brand of justice onto other people and act as if she was their savior. Possibly the one thing that anchored Violina to some form of normalcy was Lux, and even then that doesn’t last long.
This brings me to a haunting theme in the book; you can’t save people that don’t want to be saved. Even if you give someone a way out, just as Violina had before, they might not want you to help them. Whether it’s out of pride, or sorrow, or the fact that you’ve murdered people right in front of them, they don’t want you anywhere near them. After all, I don’t believe you can just take over an entire group, have them slaughter each other, and expect them to obey you.
Still, I would’ve preferred if the transition was smoother between scenes. Not only that, but the heavy foreshadowing of humanity’s downfall was just a bit too much at times. However, the utterly deranged cast of characters were both disturbing and endearing. The atmosphere was troubling, and throughout all of this, I personally enjoyed it. Overall, I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend this to those who enjoy madness and the dystopian genre.
